Daily Meditations on the Bible / We stand with Israel
…but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.
Summary: Looking at the whole of verse 12 we see that Peter is contrasting God’s reaction to righteousness and evil. It is helpful to know what God thinks each of those words means.
Continue reading “1 Peter 3:12 (c) — God’s Whiteboard”
“For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous …”
Summary: In which we revisit 1 Peter 3:12 (a) and further explore the topic of righteousness.
Continue reading “1 Peter 3:12 (a) II — Confession”
… and his ears are attentive to their prayer …
Summary: Like a toy figure is made in the image of man, so is man made in the image of God. God is infinitely more than man can begin to comprehend, and yet he still listens to our prayers.
Continue reading “1 Peter 3:12 (b) — The Toymaker’s Toy”
For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous …
Summary: ”Righteousness” is one of those words with multiple meanings. We are not righteous under the law, but we are righteous in God’s eyes when we accept his Son and set our eyes on his will.
Continue reading “1 Peter 3:12 (a) — Slaves to Righteousness”
For, “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep their tongue from evil and their lips from deceitful speech. They must turn from evil and do good; they must seek peace and pursue it.”
Summary: Peter quotes Psalm 34 to emphasize his point that we are called to repay evil with a blessing.
Continue reading “1 Peter 3:10-11 — In Search of Peace”
… because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.
Summary: Peter gives us an important lesson in why God has called us. He wants us to stop responding to hurts and insults with more hurts and insults. Instead, he wants us to respond with a blessing, just as he has blessed us.
Continue reading “1 Peter 3:9 (b) — The Godly Response to Evil”
Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing…
Summary: What is evil? Anything you don’t like might qualify. Peter tells us to respond to things we don’t like with a blessing.
Continue reading “1 Peter 3:9 (a) — Essence of Evil”
… and [be] humble.
Summary: Peter tells us to be humble. Paul tells us that humility is putting the interests of others first.
Continue reading “1 Peter 3:8 (e) — The Humble Centurion”
… be compassionate …
Summary: Compassion flows from a tender heart. It is a desire to help coupled with wisdom to know when and how to help.
Continue reading “1 Peter 3:8 (d) — The Hammer”
… love one another …
Summary: Peter tells us to love one another using a rare word that means ‘brotherly love.’ This kind of love is not caught up in arguments but is the oil on the water that calms arguments. It allows brothers and sisters in the same family to get along.
Continue reading “1 Peter 3:8 (c) — Oil on the Water”