Call to Humility (1 Peter 5:5-7)

Peter is drawing to the close of his letter. His parting words  focus on humility and resisting the devil. We may be surprised at the connection, but then we should not be, because it was lack of humility that led to the devil’s rebellion. His basic sin was personal pride. As we consider Peter’s exhortation about humility we can observe the responsibility, the reason, the refuge and the reassurance. 

Our responsibility

The responsibility is to clothe ourselves with humility. We are in a spiritual battle and humility is the uniform that identifies who is on the Lord’s side. Humility is an item of dress that fits a Christian perfectly; there is nothing uncomfortable about it. It is how Jesus described himself – lowly in heart. 

Humility is for all believers and is to be shown constantly when with other believers. Recall Paul’s words to the Philippians: ‘Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves’ (Phil. 2:3). 

 

What is humility? Warren Wiersbe wrote that ‘humility is not demeaning ourselves, and thinking poorly of ourselves. It is simply not thinking of ourselves at all.’ President Truman once said that it is amazing the number of things a person can do provided he does not mind who gets the credit.

 

The reason

Peter asks his readers to clothe themselves with humility. Maybe he was thinking of the occasion when he saw Jesus clothe himself with a towel and wash the feet of his disciples. One commentator says that the word translated ‘clothe’ refers to an apron tied over other clothes. It is an item that other people see. The picture here is of a person going to his wardrobe and choosing to wear an apron, with the aim of serving whoever came along.  

 

The reason for clothing oneself with humility is twofold: one aspect is that lack of it leads to divine opposition and the other aspect is that possession of it will result in further divine provision. This statement by Peter is quite stark and blunt. When we combine the two aspects, the statement means that a person without humility will not receive grace from God. 

 

I suppose Peter himself is an example of this. Although he was a disciple of Jesus, he had become self-confident, certain that he would remain true even if all the other disciples failed Jesus. He had been warned by Jesus, but instead of changing clothes, he chose to wear the garments of self-confidence. What happened when he went to the high priest’s palace? He fell disastrously. While we know that Jesus had prayed for his recovery, he went through a period when he had to learn the hard lesson that self-confidence is incompatible with the Christian outlook.

 

But what happened after he expressed humility at the time he met with Jesus at the Sea of Galilee after the resurrection of the Saviour? As we know, he was asked three times if his love for Jesus was better than the degree of love found in the other disciples. Peter refused to compare himself with others, instead only stating what he knew about himself, which was that he did love Jesus. Because he did this, Peter received great grace from Jesus and was restored very quickly as an apostle. 

 

Obviously, it is much better to have God for us than against us. I suppose the imagery here is of God having an open hand, full of gracious blessings, for the humble. After all, it is the humble that the Lord delights to meet with, as he says through Isaiah: ‘For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite’ (Isa. 57:15).

 

The refuge

We live in a society where tents are mainly used for hobbies and pleasure. But in biblical times, tents described people on the move. It was where they lived day by day and a flimsy tent would not provide much protection from the elements or from people. But what if your tent was the mighty hand of God? What could the elements or people do against them as they moved from earth to heaven?

 

In his letter, Peter frequently quotes or alludes to Old Testament passages, and he does so here again. On several occasions, the deliverance of Israel from Egypt is attributed to the mighty hand of God (indeed, as far as I can see, it is only used with that deliverance in mind). Egypt was the most powerful nation in the world, but when the moment came, the Lord delivered them from that grip and threw Egypt away with ease. In the context that Peter is concerned about, his readers were facing intense opposition from an empire far more powerful than Egypt. Rome seemed about to crush them, but before the iron feet could trample on them, they would need to be able to go through the mighty hand of God, which was impossible. 

 

Sitting under the security of the divine hand, the attitude of the secure had to be humility. After all, what were they contributing to their safety? And what would be the point of any of them expressing pride in such a situation? Everything depended on the Lord’s power and care for his people.

 

Peter reminds his readers that they could go under the divine protection with confidence because eventually the hand that protects will become the hand that promotes. When is the proper time for exaltation? Not in this world, but when Jesus returns. Those recipients of Peter’s words are still waiting for that occasion, even although they have been in heaven for thousands of years. Exaltation occurs when victory is announced, and on the great day it will be incredible to see the exaltation of the crushed saints of God. What will Nero and his fellow egomaniacs think on that day as they see their victims wearing crowns of glory? Humility and patience go together and enable God’s people to find refuge under his mighty hand.

 

The reassurance (v. 7)

Having spoken of the Lord’s hand and what it does, Peter now tells his readers to use their spiritual hands to throw all their anxieties on their God. How can they do that? The answer is given in Isaiah 40:29: ‘He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength.’ With such strength provided they can cast all their anxieties on him. I wonder how many anxieties have been cast on him since Peter sent this letter. No matter how many, there is plenty room for more. After all, God does not give us spiritual strength so that we can cling on to our anxieties. Rather he gives the strength so that we can get rid of them.

 

What a beautiful description of God is given by Peter when he says that the Lord cares for his people. It indicates his nearness as well as compassion. And they are more reasons for being humble in his presence.