“Humble
yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so at the proper
time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he
cares for you. – 1 Peter 5:6-7 (ESV) [Read 1 Peter 5:6-11]
Peter
the Apostle was bringing his first epistle to an end. Writing about
62-64 A. D. when Nero was the Emperor of the Roman Empire and
persecution of Christians was rampant throughout all the lands to
which believers had been dispersed, Peter wanted to give them
encouragement, despite great difficulties. He urged them to continue
living in humble submission to the precepts they had been taught of
being a follower of Christ.
Despite
the civil conditions under which they live, they are to remember that
they are under “the mighty hand of God,” the same hand that
brought the children of Israel out of Egyptian bondage and led them
in the Exodus and to possess the Promised Land. The same God was
active in leading and keeping believers in Peter’s time, and
extends to our time on earth. Like the gospel song reminds us, “He’s
Got the Whole World in His Hands.” Although times be hard, then and
now, and holding onto faith may bring difficulties to the believer,
humility and faith are to be practiced consistently.
Time
had different meanings in Peter’s day, as it does in our own. The
Greek word for chronological time, chronos, has to do with seconds,
minutes, hours, days, years, decades, centuries. Kairos time referred
to an occasion when something can be marked as occurring, or an
appointed time. In the context of this verse, “at the proper time”
is God’s appointed time when difficulties will be lifted and
rewards for faithful service will come. Know assuredly, Peter
writes, that God “cares for you” whether reckoned in chronos or
in kairos time.
God
has promised to take care of all who suffer “at the proper time”
and will reward those who are humble and faithful. Peter, in
admonishing the faithful followers to be humble, submitting to God’s
leadership, reminded them of the promise from Psalm 55:22: “Cast
your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never
permit the righteous to be moved.”
God
is not distant and detached, but watches with providential care over
those who trust in Him and humbly follow Him. But at the same time
Peter warned that the devil, that adversary whom Christians fear and
who seeks to turn them aside from following God purposefully, is “as
a roaring lion, looking for whom he may devour.” This resistance
to staying on the Way with Christ is common to all believers and we
must keep vigilant watch lest we stray. Peter wanted followers to
understand, assuredly, that “the God of all grace, who has called
you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm,
strengthen, and establish you” (1 Peter 5:10b).
The
Christian is thus to know that his help is from the Lord, as the
Psalmist so aptly stated, “who made heaven and earth” (Psalm
121:1b). To recognize God in His sovereign majesty is to take on
humility.
This
week I am in the mountains of North Georgia, a place where I was
reared and where I return again and again for inspiration and because
of love of place that nurtured me well when I was young and
impressionable. With such beauty and majesty stretching about me, I
cannot help but wonder: “Who am I, that God should regard me?”
With such thoughts, and upon consideration of God’s majesty and
care, I am greatly humbled, and grateful at the thought that God,
even the God of the majestic universe, cares for me! Selah! -
Ethelene Dyer Jones 10.30.2016
