back to the
King James Bible |
Previous Chapter
5:1 The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and
a witness of the
sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the
glory that shall be
revealed: 5:2 Feed the flock of God which is among
you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly;
not for filthy
lucre, but of a ready mind; 5:3 Neither as being lords
over God's
heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.
5:4 And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown
of glory that fadeth not away.
5:5 Likewise, ye
younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all
of you be subject one to
another, and be clothed with humility: for
God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the
humble.
5:6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he
may exalt you in due time: 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he
careth for you.
5:8 Be
sober, be
vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a
roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 5:9 Whom
resist
stedfast in the
faith, knowing that the same afflictions are
accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.
5:10 But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal
glory by
Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you
perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.
5:11 To him be
glory and
dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
5:12 By
Silvanus, a faithful brother unto you, as I suppose, I have
written briefly, exhorting, and testifying that this is the true grace
of
God wherein ye stand.
5:13 The church that is at
Babylon, elected together with you,
saluteth you; and so doth
Marcus my son.
5:14 Greet ye one another with a kiss of
charity. Peace be with you
all that are in
Christ Jesus.
Amen.
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible
back to:
1 Peter
Book: 1 Peter
Chapter: 5
Overview:
Elders exhorted and encouraged.
(1-4) Younger Christians are
to submit to their elders, and to yield with
Humility and
patience to
God, and to be sober, watchful, and stedfast in
Faith.
(5-9) Prayers for their growth and establishment.
(10-14)
1-4 The
Apostle Peter does not command, but exhorts. He does
not claim power to rule over all pastors and churches. It was
the
Peculiar honour of
Peter and a few more, to be witnesses of
Christ's sufferings; but it is the privilege of all true
Christians to partake of the
Glory that shall be revealed. These
Poor, dispersed, suffering Christians, were the flock of
God,
redeemed to
God By the great
Shepherd, living in holy
Love and
Communion, according to the will of
God. They are also dignified
with the title of
God's heritage or clergy; his
Peculiar Lot,
Chosen for his own people, to enjoy his special favour, and to
do him special service.
Christ is the chief
Shepherd of the
whole flock and heritage of
God. And all
Faithful ministers will
receive a
Crown of unfading
Glory, infinitely better and more
honourable than all the authority, wealth, and pleasure of the
world.
5-9 Humility preserves peace and order in all
Christian
churches and societies; pride disturbs them. Where
God gives
Grace to be humble, he will give
Wisdom,
Faith, and
Holiness. To
be humble, and subject to our reconciled
God, will bring greater
comfort to the soul than the gratification of pride and
ambition. But it is to be in due time; not in thy fancied time,
but
God's own wisely appointed time. Does he wait, and wilt not
thou? What difficulties will not the firm belief of his
Wisdom,
power, and
Goodness get over! Then be humble under his
Hand.
Cast "all you care;" personal cares, family cares, cares for the
present, and cares for the future, for yourselves, for others,
for the
Church,
On God. These are burdensome, and often very
sinful, when they arise from unbelief and distrust, when they
torture and distract the mind, unfit us for duties, and hinder
our delight in the service of
God. The remedy is, to cast our
care upon
God, and leave every event to his
Wise and gracious
disposal. Firm belief that the Divine will and counsels are
right, calms the
Spirit of a
Man. Truly the godly too often
forget this, and fret themselves to
No purpose. Refer all to
God's disposal. The golden mines of all spiritual comfort and
good are wholly his, and the
Spirit itself. Then, will he not
furnish what is fit for us, if we humbly attend
On him, and lay
the care of providing for us, upon his
Wisdom and
Love? The
whole design of
Satan is to devour and destroy souls. He always
is contriving whom he may ensnare to eternal ruin. Our duty
plainly is, to be sober; to govern both the outward and the
inward
Man By the rules of temperance. To be vigilant;
suspicious of constant danger from this spiritual enemy,
watchful and diligent to prevent his designs. Be stedfast, or
solid,
By Faith. A
Man cannot fight upon a quagmire, there is
No
standing without firm ground to tread upon; this
Faith alone
furnishes. It lifts the soul to the firm advanced ground of the
promises, and fixes it there. The consideration of what others
suffer, is proper to encourage us to
Bear our share in any
affliction; and in whatever form
Satan assaults us, or
By
whatever means, we may know that our brethren experience the
same.
10-14 In conclusion, the
Apostle prays to
God for them, as the
God of all
Grace."Perfect"implies their progress towards
Perfection."Stablish" imports the curing of our natural lightness
and inconstancy. "Strengthen" has respect to the growth of graces,
especially where weakest and lowest. "Settle" signifies to fix
upon a sure foundation, and may refer to Him who is the
Foundation and Strength of believers. These expressions show
that perseverance and progress in
Grace are first to be sought
after
By every
Christian. The power of these doctrines
On the
hearts, and the fruits in the lives, showed who are partakers of
the
Grace of
God. The cherishing and increase of
Christian Love,
and of
Affection one to another, is
No matter of empty
compliment, but the stamp and badge of
Jesus Christ On his
followers. Others may have a false peace for a time, and wicked
men may wish for it to themselves and to one another; but theirs
is a vain
Hope, and will come to nought. All solid peace is
founded
On Christ, and flows from him.