12th October
Read Psalm 130
If you don’t have a bible at home you can find the readings on a website such as www.biblegateway.com or an app such as YouVersion
This Psalm starts, “Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord”. Why? Well, he tells us, it is the consciousness of his sins. He asks for the Lord to have mercy saying, “If you, Lord, kept a record of sins who could stand?” but then he declares, “with you there is forgiveness, so that we can, with reverence, serve you” (v3,4). It is a Psalm starting with tears of sadness but followed by tears of joy and it is always so for God’s people; we are conscious of who we are but then flooded with the truth of who He is.
As you read the Bible Stop; Read; Ponder; and Pray.
Monday 1 Peter 2:13-17
Peter has spoken about living good lives in front of others who are not believers; here he speaks of living with due respect before those who are the civil authorities. This is a requirement that Paul mentioned in Romans and, looking back to Jesus, we saw him back the giving of tax to those who supported the existing economy. The Bible says that God is the power behind world powers and if that is so then a due respect has to be had for them. Now, someone will say but what about civic authorities who are antagonistic to all that is good and godly? The believer’s response must be that obedience to God comes first (remember Peter’s words to the Jewish leaders when he was told to stop speaking of Jesus – “We must obey God rather than men” – but having done that we need to accept the consequences and not try to kick against the judgement of the unholy magistrates. When Jesus was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane, Peter drew his sword and was ready to respond but Jesus told him to put up his weapon as he accepted what the powers that be were going to do to him. At the end of the day God will be the final judge and we must leave it to him.
Tuesday 1 Peter 2:18-25
Having dealt with the subject of the civil authorities Peter now turns much closer to domestic issues and begins with those who are slaves. The position of slaves was a difficult one but Peter starts with the issue of the slave’s relation to God saying that submission to their master had to come from reverent fear of God. In other words, the principle of accepting the position we are in as God’s children must come from faith that all situations are under the power and judgement of God. The behaviour of the master might be cruel but, bearing up under unjust suffering, was commendable (grace-like) under God.
Rebellion in the setting of this world does not lead to settlement and order. Peter highlights the difference between a beating for doing wrong and suffering for doing right which is what we are called for following the example of Christ. When insults were thrown at him he didn’t retaliate, when he suffered he made no threats but entrusted himself to God who is the just judge (v23). He says in a few words what the Church has spelt out as the substitutionary atonement, Christ bears our sins that we might go free.
Wednesday 1 Peter 3:1-7
The apostle now moves into the domestic arrangements of marriage. Although the teaching of the Bible is for believers to marry believers – the Old Testament shows the deterioration of the people through intermarriage with idolators, the New Testament speaks of not being unequally yoked with unbelievers (2 Cor 6:14) etc – yet in the early Church with the spread of the gospel there would have been many mixed marriages, some of which might not have been very happy. In this situation Peter counsels believing wives not to behold back from rebellion, dispute and strife and to exhibit a behaviour that would show the gentleness and beauty of “a gentle and quiet spirit” (v4).
Husbands were to operate in a not dissimilar way to their wives by being considerate and respectable, though he speaks here more of married partners who would be believers and who ought not to hinder their prayers by behaviour that is unbecoming as fellows in Christ.
Thursday 1 Peter 3:8-17
Peter moves on to what the general behaviour of Christian people should be. They must be bonded together in a common love, not to think highly of themselves but to be compassionate with regards to others. Evil must not be repaid with evil but on the contrary must result in blessing because they are called to inherit a blessing. In other words that which you will receive at Christ’s coming you are to pour forth to others in this present life.
He quotes from Psalm 34 in the Old Testament showing that the early believers steeped themselves in those scriptures and sought to work their messages into their lives. A good lesson for us.
His message of being submissive even under circumstances which may be hard to endure he continues in the following verses telling them not to fear threats from outside but to do and tell the truth even if they are persecuted. A clear conscience is what must be aimed at.
Friday 1 Peter 3:18-22
In these verses we come to the subject of what is called the atonement which is the doctrine of how sinners can become at one with God. How can God be just while at the same time justify those who are clearly unjust. From our point of view how could we break a law yet not be lawbreakers? Peter says the purpose for Christ coming to this world and dying was for the salvation of his hearers. This is what he means by saying, “Christ suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God” (V18). Salvation, being brought to God, is not our work but Christ’s alone and he accomplishes it through his death and resurrection both of which he does in our place so that when we die our resurrection will be in Christ or we will find that our resurrection happened in him.
In vs 19 & 20 I am going to duck out of saying much but claiming Luther as a good forebear who said, “a wonderful text is this, and a more obscure passage perhaps than any other in the Testament, so that I do not know for a certainty just what Peter means.” Whatever he means, his link with Noah and the flood in the Old Testament, shows our salvation through the waters of baptism will lead to our resurrection in Christ.
Saturday 1 Peter 4:1-6
Peter is writing to people who were living in an age of civil persecution. Rome was getting concerned about this growing Christian sect and was starting to flex its powerful muscles against these people. Suffering under the hands of a troubled state meant that numbers of Christian believers felt the whip and the prison and Peter writes telling them that Christ suffered in the body there they should arm themselves with his attitude. Human desires can often fill our minds and plans – what do I need, what do I like, can I get this or that – but when you have those options taken away from you there is only the one life directed by God that you can attend to.
Of course his hearers didn’t have to wait until they were in prison or under the lash, they lived in a way quite unlike the style of those round about who were surprised that they didn’t join them in their self-regarding pursuits: “debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry.” (v3)
All will have to give account to God for what they do in the body he reminds his hearers so there attitudes in life ought to be about their spiritual health and wellbeing. Verse 6 could be understood in different ways but living according to God not our bodily desires is what must characterise us.
