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Proverbs 6:24-35
24 To keep you from the evil woman, From the
flattering tongue of a seductress.
25 Do not lust after her beauty in your heart,
Nor let her allure you with her eyelids.
26 For by means of a harlot A man is reduced to a crust of bread;
And an adulteress will prey upon his precious life.
27 Can a man take fire to his bosom, And his
clothes not be burned?
28 Can one walk on hot coals, And his feet not
be seared?
29 So is
he who goes in to his neighbor's wife; Whoever touches her shall not be
innocent.
30 People
do not despise a thief If he steals to satisfy himself when he is starving.
31 Yet when
he is found, he must restore sevenfold; He may have to give up all the
substance of his house.
32 Whoever commits adultery with a woman lacks
understanding; He who does so
destroys his own soul.
33 Wounds and dishonor he will get, And his reproach
will not be wiped away.
34 For jealousy is a husband's fury; Therefore he will not spare in the day of
vengeance.
35 He will
accept no recompense, Nor will he be appeased though you give many gifts.
Father God, open our eyes, mind, and heart to your
Gospel. Reveal to us our sinfulness and self sufficiency so that we can repent
and come to you, our Good Sheppard. In
Jesus
name we pray, Amen!
Book of I Peter 3:1-6
NKJV
Peter is still on this road to
submission, first it was government, then masters, and now husband and wife.
This could get to be a sensitive subject for some as I’ve observed in group
conversations. Let me make this statement that what I’m about to say is in
general and not the absolute concrete written in stone. Depending on
circumstances, there are exceptions based on scripture. So let’s get started because
I feel I will run out of room even though it is only six verses.
1 Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not
obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives,
Wives, likewise; Peter starts this chapter out with
“wives, likewise”. What he is referring to is the submission that he has written
about concerning masters and government officials. Everything he has said in
the previous chapter pertains to wives being submissive to their husband
because God’s prescribed order is that men are suppose to be head of their
family just as Jesus is the head of the Church.
Be
submissive to your own husbands; Now
let me say this, there are men that show no leadership whatsoever of their
household and in situations like these the wife usually steps forward and leads
the family, but in situations of this type it should be discussed between
husband and wife on who will lead and an agreement made. It is chaos when both
husband and wife lead which cause disputes and dissention in the marriage.
What exactly is Peter talking about and why would
he be writing on this subject? He is addressing a saved wife and an unsaved
husband. The next two phrases tell us that and it also fits right in with the
last chapter. When a saved person lives a life modeled after Jesus, their good
conduct will be noticed and bring some to the Cross in repentance. This is what
Peter is telling us that a saved wife may bring their husband to the Cross in
repentance by her conduct.
LASB: When a man became a Christian, he usually
would bring his whole family into the church with him (see, for example, the
story of the conversion of the Philippian jailer in Acts 16:29-34). By contrast, a woman who
became a Christian usually came into the church alone. Under Roman law, the
husband and father had absolute authority over all members of his household,
including his wife. Demanding her rights as a free woman in Christ could endanger
her marriage if her husband disapproved. Peter reassured Christian women who
were married to unbelievers that they did not need to preach to their husbands.
Under the circumstances, their best approach would be one of godly behavior:
They should show their husbands the kind of self-giving love that Christ shows
the church. By being exemplary wives, they would please their husbands. At the
very least, the men might then allow them to continue practicing their faith.
At best, their husbands would join them and become Christians, too.
That even if some do not obey the word,
they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives; When Peter wrote this letter
Christianity was new and probably in many instances women would accept the
Gospel before their husband. In these situations Peter is advising that a wife
conducting her life in a Godly way, may have more influence on the husband than
preaching to him. This also holds true for today.
2 when they observe your chaste conduct accompanied by fear.
The
word chaste here (ἁγνὴν hagnēn) refer’s to purity of conduct in all
respects to the conduct of the wife.
The
word fear refers to the fear of God in the proper respect and reverence wives
are to have of their husbands, Ephesians 5:33. The fear of God meaning obedience to
God’s prescribed order of life whether it be wife or husband. Wife and husband
are to respect and reverence each other within a marriage, but the husband is
the head of the household.
3 Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair,
wearing gold, or putting on fine
apparel—
Do not let your adornment be merely outward; Albert Barnes quotes: The apostle
refers here to a propensity which exists in the heart of woman to seek that
which would be esteemed ornamental, or that which will appear well in the sight
of others, and commend us to them. The desire of this is laid deep in human
nature and therefore, when properly regulated is not wrong. The only question
is, what is the true and appropriate ornament? What should be primarily sought
as the right kind of adorning? The apostle does not condemn true ornament, nor
does he condemn the desire to appear in such a way as to secure the esteem of
others. God does not condemn real ornament. The universe is full of it. The
colors of the clouds and of the rainbow; the varied hues of flowers; the
plumage of birds, and the covering of many of the animals of the forest; the
green grass; the variety of hill and dale; the beauty of the human complexion,
the ruddy cheek, and the sparkling eye, are all of the nature of ornament. They
are something superadded to what would be merely useful, to make them appear well.
Few or none of these things are absolutely necessary to the things to which
they are attached; for the eye could see without the various tints of beauty
that are drawn upon it, and the lips and the cheeks could perform their
functions without their beautiful tints, and the vegetable world could exist
without the variegated colors that are painted on it; but God meant that this
should be a beautiful world; that it should appear well; that there should be
something more than mere utility. The true notion of ornament or adorning is
that which will make any person or thing appear well, or beautiful, to others;
and the apostle does not prohibit that which would have this effect in the
wife. The grand thing which she was to seek, was not that which is merely external,
but that which is internal, and which God regards as of so great value.
Let
not this be the main or principal thing; let not her heart be set on this. The
apostle does not say that she should wholly neglect her personal appearance,
for she has no more right to be offensive to her husband by neglecting her
personal appearance, than by a finical attention to it. Religion promotes
neatness, and cleanliness, and a proper attention to our external appearance
according to our circumstances in life, as certainly as it does to the internal
virtue of the soul.
Arranging the hair, wearing gold, or
putting on fine apparel; The point Peter is making here is
that outward beauty is not what is to be adorned, but the adorning of the soul
is what is important, and a more permanent adorning. Our outward appearance
will one day fade away, but the beauty of the soul will live forever in Heaven,
if we are a child of God. We are to dress decently, and in the manner that will
not attract attention and we are to show that our hearts are interested
supremely in more important things than in outward adorning. It is what’s
within us that God cherishes; submission and reverence on a wife’s part toward
her husband is what God looks at, not our outward appearance.
4 rather let
it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit,
which is very precious in the sight of God.
Rather let it be the hidden person of the heart; Peter is referring to the natural
hidden nature of our heart. We know what God’s Laws are, Ten Commandments, and
we take aim in trying to abide by them which is the natural, obvious, and usual
mode of denoting the feelings of goodness. In obedience we ascend to the divine
Law with emotions of sensible delight in the observation of them.
Within our heart we truly
want to please God, but our inherited sin nature hampers our obedience to God. Psalm
1:2; 19:7-11; 119:97
all talk about loving the Law and meditating on God’s Law. Job states this; Job 23:12 I have not departed from the commandment of His
lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth More than my necessary food.
The
great apostle Paul struggled with this very thing, of wanting to do what was
right according to God’s Commandments, but found himself violating them. Read Romans Chapter 7 and you
will see what I’m talking about. This is why we have to repent of our lifestyle
and ask Jesus to come into our heart to rule and reign us. We can’t do it
ourselves because of the sin nature, we will fail miserably; we have a human
nature not a divine nature. Being Born Again, a Spiritual Birth is the answer
to Heaven. John 3:3
With
the incorruptible beauty of a
gentle and quiet spirit; The
thought is; that whatever pertains to outward decoration, however beautiful and
costly, they will fade away; but that which pertains to the soul is enduring.
As the soul is immortal, so all that tends to adorn it will be immortal too; as
the body is mortal, so all investments to adorn the body outwardly will
decaying, and be destroyed.
When some people spend
huge sums of money to have their bodies surgically altered, body tattoos, or
piercings to look more attractive they are living for themselves and the world,
not God. Now don’t get me wrong, it is ok to present ourselves decently, but
not to draw attention to ourselves.
Which is very precious in the sight of
God; As stated
previously, a gentle and quiet spirit is what pleases God.
5 For in this manner, in former times, the holy
women who trusted in God also adorned themselves, being submissive to their own
husbands,
For in this manner, in former times; Peter is speaking of OT times here.
The holy women who trusted in God also
adorned themselves; Some
of the women of the OT truly trusted in God. They had their hope in God and eternal
life not on the things of the world. They were truly devoted and trusting in
God and adorned their souls with a meek and quiet spirit, particularly by respecting
their husbands.
Being submissive to their own husbands;
This was evidently a
characteristic of the early periods of the world pertaining to wives. Devoutness
and respect was the norm no matter what the dealings were shown toward them,
and so it should be based on God’s way, just like government and master
obedience, provided it doesn’t violate God’s Law. Peter uses the next verse as
an example of what he is talking about.
6 as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, whose
daughters you are if you do good and are not afraid with any terror.
As
Sarah obeyed Abraham; Peter
is now going back to the scriptures of the OT and calling to mind Sarah,
Abraham’s wife, as a role model for the wives of his current time. We don’t know a lot about Sarah but there is a
couple verses in the OT that tells us she was obedient to Abraham. We don’t see
anything about her being outwardly adorned. Genesis 12:5 Then Abram
took Sarah his wife and Lot his brother's son, and all their possessions that
they had gathered, and the people whom they had acquired in Haran, and they
departed to go to the land of Canaan. So they came to the land of Canaan. Genesis 18:6 So Abraham hurried into the tent to
Sarah and said, “Quickly, make ready three measures of fine meal; knead it and make cakes.” She didn’t refuse to leave her home
land or make cakes for their visitors.
Calling
him lord; The word
lord has the elementary idea of ruling and was common for the head of the
family to be referred to as lord by wives and servants of Abraham’s days.
Whose daughters you are if you do good
and are not afraid with any terror; This
phrase Peter is encouraging wives to be a model of Sarah, and if they can do
good, like Sarah, they would be considered daughters of Sarah. The last part of
this verse refers to following Sarah’s footsteps without fear of being
criticized and ridiculed by others. Sarah was a holy and upright person and
when a Christian leads a righteous life, they are persecuted at times. Just
like current times, Christians are harassed and sometimes killed for standing
up for the name of Jesus.
Just as I thought I have run out of
room so we will start with verse seven next week which starts out with Peter
addressing the conduct of husbands.
Colossians 1:16 For by Him all things were created
that are in heaven and that are on earth,
visible and invisible,
whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers.
All
things were created through Him and for Him.
Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of
the glory of God,
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our
Lord.
John 3:3 Jesus answered and said to him, Most assuredly, I say to you,
unless one is born again, he
cannot see the kingdom of God."
The
Lighthouse Full Gospel Church
Sinners Prayer; Pray this, and if you
believe it with your heart, Jesus will save you!
“Lord
Jesus I know I am a sinner. I confess my
sins to you; I am sorry for my sins; I repent (Meaning, desiring to turn from a
sinful lifestyle.) of all my sins, and I am asking for your forgiveness. I believe that only you can forgive sin. I commit my life to you and ask you to come
into my heart, direct, and take charge of my life. I believe that you died to set me free from
my sinful lifestyle and you rose from the dead to give me eternal life, and
right now you are seated at the Right Hand of God Almighty. I believe you are
the Son of God; the only Way, the only Truth, the only Life, and my
Savior.” I believe this and have faith
you will make a new person out of me, by sending the Holy Spirit to dwell in my
heart and lead me in a new life. In Jesus name I pray Amen.”
(John 3:16,17; Romans
3:23; 6:23; 5:8; 10:9-13; Ephesians
2:8-10; 1 John 5:11-14; 1:6-10)
(Sin: Rom. 1:22-32; Gal. 5:19-21; Eph.
5:3-7)
