Daily Meditations on the Bible / We stand with Israel
… 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”
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”
… and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life …
Peter has packed a lot of instruction into this one passage we have been studying. He began by telling husbands to be considerate of their wives. Then he adds, “treat them with respect.” Before we, his readers, can even begin to form the question, “Why?” in our minds, Peter offers the answer. Because your wife is your partner, and because she is physically weaker, you must take extra care to show that you respect her. Oh yes, Peter adds, there is one other reason. Because she is an heir with you of the gift of life.
Continue reading “1 Peter 3:7 (d) — The Gift”
Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.
When I think of “outward adornment” my mind wanders back to Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee. The year I was born Elvis Presley was already twenty years old. He had just signed his first recording contract with RCA Records. As a kid, there was always an Elvis song on the radio. Maybe I was a bit jealous but I decided at an early age that I didn’t think much of him or his music.
Continue reading “1 Peter 3:3-4 — Godly Values”
…“by his wounds you have been healed.”
As we work our way through Peter’s letter, I find myself marveling at how much information Peter was able to pack into a few words. I also admire how well it correlates with the rest of the Bible. In a way, it is as if Peter has handed us a key to understanding the rest of Scripture.
In “Innocence Found” (1 Peter 2:24 (a)), we explored a thought experiment that ended with a close-up view of Jesus on the cross. To say that we have been healed by Jesus’ wounds is, at the very least, thought-provoking. How does that work? We know what kind of wounds Jesus suffered for our sake, but what kind of wound were we healed from?
Continue reading “1 Peter 2:24 (c) — The Back Side of the Page”
Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.
Who is the “him” who judges justly? And what does it mean to “judge justly?”
I gotta be honest about the “him” part of this. The Bible does not talk about God “judging” a lot. It is mentioned a few times, but the references are oblique for the most part. So if you don’t mind, I am going to fudge a bit on this one.
Continue reading “1 Peter 2:23 (b) — Things in Common”
When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats.
This is a test: Someone you know well is angry and they express that anger by insulting you.
Question: How do you respond?
Our response to this test says a lot about who we are. The same is true for a similar test: How do we respond to suffering at the hands of someone else?
Continue reading “1 Peter 2:23 (a) — This is a Test”
…and no deceit was found in his mouth.
Peter’s description of Jesus is grounded in personal knowledge as well as scripture. Peter knows Jesus well. Today’s passage shows us an aspect of Jesus that is easy to contrast with our world today.
What do you think of when you hear the word, “deceit?” Do you, like me, immediately think, “lies?” If yes, we would both be partially right. But a “lie” does not cover the entire concept of the word.
Continue reading “1 Peter 2:22 (b) — An Awkward Dinner”