1 Peter 5:6-7
6 Humble
yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God
so that at the proper time he may exalt you,
7 casting
all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.
Introduction
At the time Peter was writing this
letter, the ruler was either Nero or Domitian. Under the reign of both of these
wicked men, numbers of people were violently persecuted, including Christians. The
original audience, therefore, understood suffering; they experienced it daily. This
letter was written as both a challenge and an encouragement in the midst of
trials. What does this mean for you today? How is this passage an encouragement
during your trial?
The passage starts out with the
phrase ‘humble yourselves.’ In the Greek, this phrase is passive, meaning the
action is done to the subject by an outside source. These people knew
what being humbled felt like. Often, they were forcefully humbled by their
governing authorities. So, is Peter telling the people to be humbled to the
secular government? In this passage, the response is no. Who,
then, is the source that is humbling the audience of 1 Peter? The answer comes
in the next phase: ‘under the mighty hand of God.’ What does Peter mean when he
says to be humbled by the mighty hand of God, though? What does that humbling
look like? Donelson answers this question clearly: “To ‘be humbled’ is
to cast one’s future into the hand of God.”[1]
Another possible explanation of this idea is that “Christians are to submit
themselves to persecution, knowing that God’s will is being carried out through
it.”[2]
During your trial, are you giving your future to Him; are you submitting
yourself to the trial, knowing God is sovereignty in control? Too often, we
fight against the pricks, despite our complete lack of control. What is the
purpose of our humbling? Once more, Peter gives a clear answer in the following
phrase, ‘so that at the proper time he may exalt you?’ What does Peter mean by
that statement?
The command ‘be humbled’ is not for the sake of humility
itself, but so God can eventually lift His children up. What does it mean that
He will exalt us? To exalt means to “praise or regard highly; [to] raise to a
higher rank or position; [to] make noble in character; [to] dignify.”[3] As
Christians, we are joint heirs with Christ. God desires you to be blessed, and
promises to give to you a higher rank than you currently have. When will God
exalt us? According to the verse, God will exact in the ‘proper time’. The
‘proper time’ that Peter is referring to is the Second Advent, or second coming
of Christ. It is at that time when Christ will lift those who have been
faithful to everlasting glory. “The day of humiliation is limited to this
world, but the . . . [faithful] will be lifted on high by God’s grace forever.”[4]
This promise is both an encouragement, as well as a challenge. We do not know
when Christ will come back, so we need to constantly strive to obey Him; we do
know He is coming back, though. Praise the Lord that it is not in our time, but
in God’s wisely appointed time.[5]
Finally, we get to verse seven. Previously, we discussed
the fact that we are not being humbled for the purpose of humility alone, but
so God can ultimately exalt us. In addition, as Donelson mentioned, the act of
our being humbled by God requires us to cast our future into the hands of God. The
word ‘casting’, here in verse seven, is a participle explaining the process of
our continual humbling. The process of humiliation that every Christian must
endure is not a one-time occasion. This process must occur daily, just as we
are commanded to daily take of the old man and put on the new man. There is a
logical relationship between the two verses: “believers humble themselves by
casting their worries on God. Conversely, if believers continue to worry, then
they are caving into pride.”[6]
Have you ever considered that reality? The times when you do not go to God with
your concerns, who are you trusting in? Truly, you are not giving everything to
the Lord. At that point in time, you, whether knowingly or subconsciously, believe
that you are more suited to deal with your dilemma than God is able. When we
reflect on that thought, it should cause you to examine yourself. How often do
you fail to go before God? How often do you trust yourself more than you trust
God? Many of you will try to refute what was just said, by stating that you are
not prideful, but rather worrisome. Worry is a form of pride. When we are
filled with angst, we are strongly convinced that we must solve our problems in
our own strength.
So what are we to
cast on God? Peter tells us that we are to cast all our anxieties. What are
anxieties? “The term μέριμνα
may refer to either unnecessary worry or legitimate concern.”[7] While
many times we worry over things which have no reasonable cause for our worry,
there are situations that cause severe discomfort and confusion. In these
times, the natural human response is to worry. What this verse is telling us to
do is give God our worries and concerns. How many of our concerns should we
give God? According to the verse, we are to give God all of them! To hold back even one worry from the Lord is to
continue to trust our own strength over the strength of God.
The final phase of the passage gives us the most
encouragement. In the concluding phrase, Peter tells us why we are able to give
our concerns to God: He cares for us! The form of this word indicates an ongoing,
unending care. We know who we are. We know the thoughts that are in our heads
and the desires of our hearts. Often, it is hard to love ourselves. At times,
we get in slumps and frankly feel bad for ourselves. God knows who you are, yet
he chooses to love you ever day. In the times when you cannot even love
yourself, God loves you! Knowing of the bountiful love of God should cause us
to fall to our knees every day.
The process, which Paul talks about, is a daily cycle.
Each day we need to allow God to humble us and then give our concerns to Him!
At the times when we think we have no one, we need to understand that our
loving Lord cares for us and wants us to come to Him. Will you do that, today?
Will you allow yourself to be humbled by God during your current situation and
trust on God to help you through your trial?
Review and Application
Are you focused on
yourself today? Yes, trials are hard and suffering is not fun, but does that
give us the allowance to turn our gaze from God? The clear and obvious answer is an adamant
no, but we do not live that way. God puts situations in our lives for specific
reasons. Are you allowing God to crush you, or are you fighting against His
humbling hand? Remember, there is a reason he is humbling you: exaltation. When
does that exaltation occur? We will be blessed eternally with God. In lieu of
that fact, your present situation seems trivial, does it not? So what can you
do today during your trial? You need to consistently cast your care on Him.
Give him all of your concerns and worries. Allow Him to care for you. Do not
continue to fight off God! He cares for you!
I NEVER THAUGHT OF MY WORRYING AS A PRIDEFUL ACT..THIS STATEMENT WAS VERY HELPFUL TO ME. THANKS TO THE AUTHOR..
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