I & II Peter and Jude by Lewis R. Donelson

Author:Lewis R. Donelson
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781611643893
Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press

1 Peter 5:6–11 Concluding Call to Suffering

Ancient letters, including those in the NT, tend to conclude either with brief summaries of the themes of the letter or with a series of general exhortations on those themes. First Peter takes the latter course: these verses do not pretend to summarize but instead offer a final set of exhortations and encouragements to these persecuted communities. These verses are filled with echoes of other biblical texts. For instance, readers have noticed that both Jas 4:6–10 and 1 Pet 5:5–9 combine Prov 3:34 with calls to be humble before God and to resist the devil. The imagery of casting your cares upon God recalls Ps 55:22 (54:23 LXX) and Matt 6:25. The call to be sober and watchful also occurs in 1 Thess 5:6. Other examples could be noted. That said, it does not appear that 1 Peter is quoting any of these texts or even drawing upon a fixed tradition. This passage reads more like a felicitous gathering of early Christian imagery than a series of quotations.

These verses also echo the language and theology of the rest of 1 Peter. In the usual stye of the letter, they combine imperatives with theological affirmations. They repeat the constant call throughout the letter to resist the temptations inherent in persecution and to trust God in spite of these persecutions. The face of persecution is no longer that of the offended Roman neighbor but of the devil himself. God is portrayed, not as the judge or even as the one who permits persecution, but as the one who will at the proper time “lift you up,… restore, support, strengthen, establish you.” In the persistent pattern of 1 Peter, these verses challenge and comfort one last time.

5:6 Therefore, be humbleda under the mighty hand of God, in order that he might lift you up at the proper time,b 7 castingc all your anxietiesd upon him, because he cares about you.e 8 Be sober. Be watchful. Your adversary,f the devil,g like a roaring lion, is walking about, seeking someoneh to devour. 9 Resist him, being firmi in the faith, knowing that the same kindj of sufferings are being completedk by your communityl throughout the world. 10 But the God of all grace, who has called you into his eternal glory inm Christ, will himself, after you have suffered a short time, restore,n support, strengthen, establish you. 11 To him be the power forever. Amen.

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