Hope Under God’s Mighty Hand

If you’re a Christian today, I’m sure you have been through trying seasons in your faith journey where everything seemed to go wrong in the worst way possible. Maybe some of you today are in that season right now. In these moments, when the worst of the worst is all that you can see around you, it can be tempting to ask:

God, where are you?
Where were you during that time? Where have you been all this time?

In these moments, it can be tempting to lose sight of who God is and what He has done for you in the past. As a result, it can be tempting to question what God is doing for you in the present. And of course, it can be tempting to doubt and forget what God has promised to do for you in the future.

God Is Doing Something

This is what the apostle Peter addresses in our passage this morning, as well as throughout his letter. God’s activity for the believer is what he encourages his Christian readers with, who were the suffering exiles in his day—which means that it’s also for you who are suffering exiles in this day. God is doing something.

Right in the first chapter, Peter tells us that “God has caused us to be born again... to an inheritance... kept in heaven [past tense] for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith [present tense], for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time [future tense]” (1 Peter 1:3-5).

This is the motivation that Peter gives to his readers—what God has done, what God is doing, and especially what God will do for you—who are exiles in this world and are presently suffering in this life.

And not just any kind of suffering, as we saw in chapter 2 and at the end of chapter 4, since Peter talks about suffering for doing good as a Christian (1 Peter 2:19-21; 4:12-19)—which is God’s will for them! This is what God is doing right now, testing and purifying them through their sufferings, so that they receive glory in the end.

So, in chapter 5, when Peter exhorts the elders/shepherds as the frontline Christian sufferers (in light of Ezekiel 9), as well as everyone else in the flock/congregation to be humble, Peter gives them the same motivation—God is doing something.

And that’s the connective tissue in today’s passage, which is basically a bookend in its structure. We’ll break this down to three main sections (future, present, future), and the first sub-section under 1) Hope of Future Glory can be summed up like this: Humble yourselves under God’s mighty hand and later on be exalted. Let’s look at that first part, Humble Yourselves.

1. Hope of Future Glory (5:6)

a.

Humble Yourselves

“Humble yourselves, therefore.”

Well, who is “yourselves” referring to? If you go back to verse 5, Peter uses the same word: “Clothe yourselves—all of you —with humility toward one another.” So the exhortation to “humble yourselves” is directed to the elders (5:1-4), young men (5:5a), and everyone else in the assembly or congregation (5:5b).

But why humble yourselves? Well, Peter says “therefore.” In other words, we could also say “because of this or that.” What is therefore there for? Usually, we just have to look back at the previous idea, which in this case is the last part of verse 5: “For God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

So, Peter says: “Humble yourselves, therefore—because God opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble. Pretty self- explanatory, right? Be humble, because you’d want to be on the side of God’s grace rather than of God’s opposition.

Yet, Peter doesn’t stop there. Instead, he says: Because God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble, humble yourselves—Under God’s Mighty Hand, which is the second part in this section.

b. Under God’s Mighty Hand

“...under the mighty hand of God.”

First, the word under should clearly imply that there is a proper hierarchy here. In the same way that Peter identifies

himself as a “fellow elder/shepherd” (5:1) and puts himself under the “Chief Shepherd” (5:4)—which is Jesus Christ, Peter now exhorts everyone else in the congregation to follow the elders’ example and humble themselves under God.

Specifically—under the mighty hand of God. Now, we learned from our catechism a while back that God is Spirit (John 4:24) so he does not have a body. Therefore, we know that he does not have a physical hand. Peter knows this (1 Peter 3:12), so he uses this language to point to what God is capable of in his might—in the same way that, in human terms, a “mighty hand” would be capable of.

In fact, Peter says in chapter 2 that God works through the mighty hands of humans like “governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good” (1 Peter 2:14). Here in chapter 5, Peter reiterates what God’s mighty hand is capable of—he opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.

Yet, it’s interesting that the phrase “mighty hand” is used many times throughout the OT, mainly in connection to divine activity—specifically in reference to the Exodus when God delivered Israel out of Egypt (Exodus 3:19; Deut. 6:21; Daniel

9:15). Based on how Peter has quoted the OT throughout his letter, there is no doubt that Peter is using this phrase intentionally. Here are some potential reasons that could explain why Peter chose to use this OT phrase:

First, Peter writes to elect exiles (1:1) who are away from their homeland, and the allusion to God’s mighty hand in bringing Israel out of Egypt into their own land would’ve likely been a pastoral encouragement from Peter to his readers who needed to look to and hope for the second exodus— when Christ returns in glory to bring Christians home!

Second, Peter writes to suffering exiles who may be tempted to lose faith in God in these trials, so he encourages them to humbly accept God’s will for them in their suffering (4:19)— knowing that God’s mighty hand is the one behind it all.

So, Peter exhorts his readers to humble themselves under the mighty hand of God through the suffering that God has willed for them and is using to purify them in order to bring them home. But he says so that—which suggests that there is a purpose/end goal—at the proper time He may exalt you. Humble yourselves and submit to the will of God’s mighty hand through the fiery trials that are purifying you today—and

later on be exalted, which is the third part in this section.

c. And Later On Be Exalted

“...so that at the proper time he may exalt you.”

The words “at the proper time” is a similar phrase as “in the last time [singular, future tense]” (1 Peter 1:5), which clearly points to a future event when Jesus Christ returns in glory to share that same glory with Christians—not to be confused with the phrase “in the last times [plural, present tense]

“ (1:20) that refer to the time period between Christ’s resurrection & return.

This exaltation at the proper time (or, in the last time) is not a new idea, since Peter has touched on this reality numerous times throughout the letter. In chapter 1, he tells us to rejoice through the trials, so that our tested faith “may be found to result in praise and glory and honour at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:6-7).

In chapter 4, Peter tells us again to “rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed” (1 Peter 4:13). Perhaps the

clearest allusion to this is in chapter 5, when Peter says that he himself is “a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed.. [and] receive the unfading crown of glory” (5:1, 4).

Here’s Peter’s big idea in verse 6: Humble yourselves in your suffering under God’s mighty hand so that he may bring you from this present suffering to future glory. From humiliation today to exaltation later on.

This means that we rejoice through the trials (1:6-7), because we know that God is purifying us for the glory that we will share in when it is revealed (4:13-14). This is the kind of glory that we seek as Christians, because Christ shares this with us in eternity—not today (John 5:44; Romans 2:7).

In other words, Peter is telling his readers and us today: Put yourselves in your proper place, so that at the proper time, you may receive proper glory. As you humble yourself in your suffering under the mighty hand of God, he will sustain you through this present suffering that is purifying you for your exaltation with Christ later on.

But what does it mean to humble yourselves in your suffering under the mighty hand of God while you wait for this coming

glory—in the present day? Persevering Through Present Suffering, which is our second big idea in this passage. Peter gives four commands in light of this, and the first command here is Casting All Your Anxieties On God.

2. Persevering Through Present Suffering (5:7-9) a. Casting All Your Anxieties On God

“Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”
The nature of this word “casting” could make sense in two ways. First, this could mean that casting your anxieties on him is the very means by which you humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God. Second, this could also mean that casting your anxieties on him simply goes hand in hand with humbling yourselves, or is an appropriate accompaniment to humbling yourself.

Either way, what is certain is that casting all your anxieties on God is connected to humbling yourself under his mighty hand. Also, with Peter’s audience of suffering exiles in mind, it makes total sense for Peter to assume that there are anxieties present among them in the midst of their fiery trials.

In fact, Peter quotes from Psalm 55:22 here, which emphasizes how God sustains the righteous by not letting them fall. So, it’s no surprise that Peter quotes this psalm to encourage these suffering exiles that God will sustain them through their suffering and will never let them fall (which makes sense given Peter’s exhortation towards the hope of future glory)—as they cast their cares on him.

Most, if not all, of these anxieties and cares of Peter’s audience in Asia Minor are not too far from the cares of our culture today—even here in northeast Saskatchewan. These include the fear that comes from not fitting in to the culture around them, instead of fearing God who has ransomed them from their futile ways (1 Peter 1:17-18). Maybe it’s the anxiety of losing their social status by sticking out like “sojourners” (1 Peter 2:9-12). Or worse, the anxiety that comes from being “slandered" (1 Peter 3:16), “maligned” (1 Peter 4:4), or “insulted... as a Christian” (1 Peter 4:14, 16).

So, Peter exhorts his readers away from the temptation of choosing to give in to these anxieties or carrying these anxieties on their own—instead, cast them all upon God!

And note that Peter says all, not some. Peter doesn’t say that

you can pick and choose which anxieties to cast upon God. Specifically, we don’t get to pick and choose which anxieties are big enough in our minds to cast upon God, or the anxieties that are too small to cast upon God.

Think about Peter’s audience, and how the anxiety can be as “little” as being insulted as a Christian! Any offence or anxiety that invades your heart and mind must be cast upon God— because even those “little” insults or “mild” sufferings in our mind are too heavy to carry on our own—and that’s where you need the humility to subject yourself under God’s mighty hand when these anxieties come—big or small. The Christian life is every bit about casting all your anxieties upon him.

Why? Because he cares for you. God doesn’t want you to fall! He doesn’t want you to be so heavy laden with your anxieties —which is why he sent his Son to take it all upon his shoulders to the cross and to the grave, so that you can cast your burdens and anxieties on him. That is how much he cares for you. God’s mighty hand crushed his Son, only to raise him up to life with the same hand so that you would be raised along with him, which we know will come in its full effect at the proper time when we are exalted with Christ.

So stop carrying your anxieties on your own. God doesn’t care whether you think your sufferings are too small or not big enough—He cares for you, and He wants to carry all your anxieties for you so you make it to the end. His mighty hand is stronger than your willpower to carry these anxieties on your own, so start casting all your anxieties on him.

Peter also knew that anxiety was a battle of the will and of the mind. In other passages, Paul tells his readers to deal with anxiety specifically by praying and thinking of the right things —one of them being the Lord’s return (Philippians 4:4-8). So, it makes sense that Peter follows this up with his second command to Be Sober-minded.

b. Be Sober-minded

Any and all of these anxieties could easily cloud your minds at the risk of losing sight of your future hope of being exalted by God at the proper time.
Again, this idea is not new in Peter’s train of thought. In chapter 1, he says: “Being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:13). This is the same exhortation

here in chapter 5—set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the proper time when the God who gives grace to the humble will exalt you.

This means that being sober-minded starts right now, because “the end of all things is at hand; therefore be self- controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers” (1 Peter 4:7).

This is why casting all our anxieties upon God is important, because it helps us to be sober-minded—we need to be thinking straight today if we’re to set our hope on this coming grace (https://ebcnipawin.ca/sermons/1-peter/think-to-hope/).
Besides being sober-minded, Peter adds a third command to Be Watchful.

c. Be Watchful

In other translations, this phrase is translated as “be alert” or “be on the alert.” And in other passages throughout the NT, especially the Gospels, this phrase is used in reference to the return of Christ (Matthew 24:42; Mark 13:35; Luke 12:37).

This usage of the phrase fits very well with Peter’s flow of thought here, since the commands to cast all anxieties upon God, be sober-minded, and be watchful are all connected to the exaltation of the humble believer at the return of Christ!

Yet, Peter is not just calling for sobriety and watchfulness in light of Christ’s future return—but also because of Satan’s present prowling. Be sober-minded and be watchful because “your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8b).

Why does Peter use lion imagery here to describe the devil? Well, in chapter 5, Peter uses sheep imagery and exhorts the under-shepherds to shepherd the flock of God—that includes protecting them from threats. Historically, in Peter’s day, lions who were prowling in search of prey were a common threat for sheep.

Even a lion’s roar would be enough to scatter a flock of sheep in panic, so the job of the shepherds were to stay awake— sober-minded and watchful—in order that the sheep don’t stray, but instead return to the shepherd, which is the same imagery that Peter uses in chapter 2 for Jesus and his sheep (1 Peter 2:25).

Let’s bring these ideas together. When Peter likens the devil to a prowling lion hoping to devour its prey, he is saying that the devil roars so that the sheep would stray from the flock under God’s mighty hand because of their anxieties and lack of vigilance—and be devoured. And Peter recognizes that the devil’s roars are threatening enough to intimidate Christians to be anxious and give up on their faith.

Here, we see that Satan has an agenda for Christians in their suffering—while God has a different one. Unlike God who wants to care for the sheep and bring them home safely, the devil wants to scatter the sheep and devour them.

To sum up Peter’s point, God wants you to make it through the suffering, while the devil wants you to give up in your suffering. God wants your faith to be rewarded, while the devil wants your faith to be renounced.

But notice that God doesn’t kill the lion—yet. While he allows the lion to prowl and roar, he does not allow the lion to devour. Think of Job and how Satan was walking to and fro on the earth when God permitted Satan to torment Job (Job 1:7; 2:2), but the Lord did not let Satan kill Job (Job 1:12;

2:6).

In the same way that God uses evil people for his good purposes (1 Peter 2:14-15), the Lord in his sovereignty used Satan’s torment of Job in order to purify his faith through the trials and reward him in the end (Job 42:10-17).

Peter is exhorting the suffering sheep here to stay the course, which is why, hand in hand with sober-mindedness and watchfulness due to their prowling and roaring enemy, Peter’s fourth command is to Resist The Devil.

d. Resist The Devil

“Resist him, firm in your faith” (5:9).

This sentence could be read as “resist him by being firm in your faith,” or “resist him, and be firm in your faith.” Either way makes sense, since both ideas are inseparable. Resistance of the devil and firmness of faith in God and his promises go hand-in-hand.

In essence, Peter is saying: While the devil’s prowling and roaring might strike fear into you—resist him and return to

your shepherd. Don’t stray, but submit. Humble yourself under God’s mighty hand, and accept that he has willed for you to go through these trials. When fear starts to overwhelm you, cast all your anxieties on him—believing by faith that He cares for you. Think clearly about his promises for you and stay alert lest the lion devour you.

Today, when you feel the pressure of your culture pushing against your faith, whether that’s in your workplace or school or family gathering—that’s the devil prowling and roaring, hoping to swallow up your faith. And resisting him in that moment might mean casting the worry of being a social outcast on God, knowing that he’ll sustain you through it and actually speaking up/standing up for your faith, whether publicly and out loud or in small conversations.

Resist the lion’s roar in hoping that you would stay quiet about your faith because it might “offend” them—hesitating in a conversation or escaping from an opportunity to share your faith means humbling yourself under God’s mighty hand and not fearing what men will say or what the lion can do.

This is a spiritual battle! And what Peter is calling for here are spiritual acts of war—with firm faith as the main weapon for

resistance. You don’t need have the “spiritual gift of faith” to do this, because God gave you your faith and you just have to resist firmly in your faith.
You can have faith that your salvation in the end is being guarded by God’s power (God’s mighty hand) through your faith that is being tested and purified to be perfected. Then, Peter reminds his readers that God is doing the same purifying and perfecting work for the faithful around the world:

“Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.”
Peter makes sure to remind these suffering exiles in Asia Minor that there are Christians who are insulted or maligned for their faith all over the map. No doubt that they would’ve originally thought of other Christians throughout the Roman Empire, but we know today that there are suffering Christians all over the world as we know it.

Not only is this a spiritual battle, but it is a global spiritual battle. Any part of the world where there are Christians, there is suffering. Any part of the world where there are churches,

there is opposition.

Know that there are other Christians even throughout Canada who are being pressured in their homes, schools and workplaces for their faith. Know that you have brothers and sisters in the Middle East who are tempted to stay quiet instead of speak up for their faith, because they just might literally get devoured.

In more ways than one, we are linked arms with our persecuted brothers and sisters around the world—so we can continue to resist the roaring lion who seeks to destroy the faith of our family members worldwide together. A really practical way to do this is praying for their faith—Voice of the Martyrs has a global prayer guide that you can access to pray for persecuted Christians all around the globe (https:// www.persecution.com/globalprayerguide/).

Overall, Peter’s four commands in this second main section have been focused on exhorting suffering Christians to persevere in faith. First, casting all your anxieties on God, because he cares for you. Then, be sober-minded and watchful because the devil is prowling around and seeking to devour your faith—so resist him with your firm faith, knowing

that you’re not suffering alone.

Then, Peter motivates them by reminding them again of their Hope of Future Glory, which is our third main section. And we can sum up this section by saying: After suffering a little while, God will exalt you, because he is the ruler of all things of all time. Let’s start with the first half.

3. Hope of Future Glory
a. After suffering a little while, God will exalt you

“And after you have suffered a little while...”

Peter has used this phrase in chapter 1 when talking about rejoicing through trials in this life. Here, Peter gives a pastoral encouragement: These fiery trials that you and your global family members are experiencing are going to end soon—and it will be so short in comparison to eternity!

Yet, note that Peter does not say that these sufferings in this life will only be a little while. We are not promised “short” fiery trials today, which is why we need humility in accepting God’s will if we’re slandered for doing good until our physical death date.

But, after a little while, the God of all grace—who gives grace to the humble—has called you to his eternal glory in Christ! Think about that for a second. This is guaranteed glory! You and I are guaranteed glory through these trials.

This is what Peter has been telling us all along: The God who called you to himself and caused you to be born again is guarding your hope of future glory through your faith that is being tested and purified in these fiery trials. This is why Peter says it’s a blessing to be insulted for the name of Christ! Because of these sufferings, big or small, you can know for certain that these promises are for you:

“And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.”

That word “restore” is perfect—which is again Peter’s emphasis in this passage. The author and perfecter of your faith will bring it to completion at the day of Christ (Philippians 1:6). All of these words are used synonymously to summarize the promise in verse 6—that God will exalt you who are called to glory through suffering on the last day.

To this end we pray, though this exaltation will not be found in this life—but the one to come! While God is indeed restoring our faith, confirming us in our faith, strengthening us in our sufferings, and establishing us to the end. The ones who ran their mouths against you when you spoke up as a Christian will be silenced. Those who opposed you will be humiliated, while you will receive the opposite.

But how is this possible? Because of God’s dominion. His power that is guarding these promises through our faith. His mighty hand that rules forever. We can summarize this last part like so: Because God’s mighty hand rules forevermore.

b. By God’s mighty hand that rules forevermore

“To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

This is no random doxology pasted at the end—look at 4:11 and how Peter bookends this whole section with this remark. Peter wants the suffering Christian, then and today, to know with certainty that God’s mighty hand will bring them through these sufferings for a little while to his eternal glory!

Listen to how Paul explains this in 2 Corinthians 1: “For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory. And it is God who establishes... you in Christ” (2 Corinthians 1:20-21a).

SUMMARY: This is your hope under God’s mighty hand. So, humble yourselves in your suffering under his mighty hand to be exalted later on. And after suffering a little while—while casting all anxieties on God, sober-mindedly and watchfully resisting the devil while returning to the Shepherd of your soul—know that God will exalt you by his mighty hand that rules forevermore. So what does this look like today?

4. Persevering Through Present Suffering Today

I hope you’ve thought about your own circumstances in persevering through trials today. Don’t try to escape these sufferings, or don’t think that you’re “above” these sufferings, whether big or small in your mind.

So humble yourself under God’s mighty hand in these, accepting the this is God’s will for you so that you might be exalted on the last day. He is making sure that you make it to the end! Know

that God is doing something through these—and hope in what He promises to do for you in the end.

While we wait in humility, anxieties are going to keep coming our way—so we need to continually be casting all our anxieties on God (not some, but all, whether big or small in our mind). Take it to the Lord in prayer (and leave it there), and be overwhelmed by his promises from his word so that your mind is not clouded up with anxiety—but assurance.

This assurance of hope leads to a sober-minded watchfulness that is necessary against the devil who is prowling and roaring and seeking to devour your faith, so make sure that you’re thinking clearly to resist the devil with firmness of faith in the God who gives grace to you and cares for you with his mighty hand.

Whether it’s being a social outcast at your school or being slandered in your workplace. Whether it’s murder threats against our brothers/sisters in the Middle East or malice against Christians in Nipawin. Whether big or small. Know that you are not suffering alone because you have family members around the world, and that you are all guaranteed a future hope of glory through your suffering.