Category: Submission

Connecting the Dots: 1 Peter 3:5-7

I’ve never been one to shy away from a challenge, but I almost did when I saw this week’s topic in my Bible study. I won’t lie to you, it’s not easy material to swallow and it’s certainly not embraced by mainstream culture today.  Nonetheless, God’s Word contains eternal truth that transcends the many opinions about marriage that have come and gone over the centuries. Here’s what it says:

“This is how the holy women of old made themselves beautiful. They put their trust in God and accepted the authority of their husbands. For instance, Sarah obeyed her husband, Abraham, and called him her master. You are her daughters when you do what is right without fear of what your husbands might do.

In the same way, you husbands must give honor to your wives. Treat your wife with understanding as you live together. She may be weaker than you are, but she is your equal partner in God’s gift of new life. Treat her as you should so your prayers will not be hindered.” (1 Peter 3:5-7, NLT)

Whew! Those are some hard words to read in current times! And right in the middle of the passage, Peter throws in an example from the Old Testament without much explanation. Reviewing the stories of Sarah and Abraham with Peter’s teaching in mind is an eye-opening experience. Rather than being examples of those who did everything “right,” their lives show us the good, the bad, and the ugly.

The Good

We meet Abram and Sarai in Genesis 12 when the LORD calls Abram to leave his father’s household, his people, and his country to go to a new land. (Later in Genesis 17 God changed their names to “Abraham” and “Sarah.”) God promised Abram He would make him into a great nation and would bless all the people of the earth through him. Following God’s invitation, Abram packed up his possessions at the age of 75 and left home to travel to a new land with his wife, Sarai, and their nephew, Lot. Imagine Sarai leaving the only home she’d ever known at age 65. Scripture doesn’t tell us how she felt, only that she went. Abram trusted God and submitted to His will and Sarai followed his lead. She trusted her husband and yielded to him. And this is where their story really begins.

The Good and The Bad

The story continues with Abram and Sarai traveling to Egypt to escape a famine. As they approached the border, Abram said to his wife, “Look, you are a very beautiful woman. When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife. Let’s kill him; then we can have her!’ So please tell them you are my sister. Then they will spare my life and treat me well because of their interest in you.” (Genesis 12:11-13, NLT) Despite being put in a precarious position, Sarai submitted to Abram’s plan. And as Abram predicted, Pharaoh took Sarai into his palace. Here we see the opposite of what Peter tells husbands to do. Abram behaved dishonorably toward his wife, yet she still yielded to his plan.

The good news is that God was looking out for her in a way her husband wasn’t. “The LORD sent terrible plagues upon Pharaoh and his household because of Sarai, Abram’s wife.” (Genesis 12:17, NLT)  Even though his plan dishonored her, Sarai submitted to her husband. And God stepped in to protect her.

Ironically, a very similar situation occurred later when a different king admired Sarah’s beauty and took her into his harem after Abraham said she was his sister. In Genesis 20 God protected Sarah by revealing Abraham’s deception and preventing King Abimelech from touching her. Once again, she submitted to her husband despite his dishonorable plan. And once again, God came to the rescue.

The Ugly

Sarai is probably best known for her worst mistake. After waiting ten years to conceive the child promised by God, she finally decided to give up and take matters into her own hands: “So Sarai said to Abram, ‘The Lord has prevented me from having children. Go and sleep with my servant. Perhaps I can have children through her.’ And Abram agreed with Sarai’s proposal.” (Genesis 16:2, NLT) As much as we want to criticize her for this decision, we’d be hypocrites if we did. How many times do we, as women, decide make things happen OUR way? We love to tell our husbands how to implement our plans, don’t we?  Sarai’s choice not only portrays a lack of submission to her husband, it reveals a lack of trust in God. And with his passive response and willingness to go along with her plan, Abram relinquished his leadership and authority. The results, as you may remember, were disastrous. Ishmael, the child born to Hagar, became a constant source of grief to Sarai. His birth brought animosity into their household that would last for every future generation. And all because Sarah assumed authority where she shouldn’t have. Ouch!

A Good God

Finally, twenty-four years after His original promise, the LORD appeared to speak with Abraham and told him he would have a son by Sarah less than a year later. Eavesdropping nearby, Sarah laughed to herself quietly saying, “How could a worn-out woman like me enjoy such pleasure, especially when my master—my husband—is also so old?” (Genesis 18:12, NLT) Perhaps referring to him as her “master” here shows she’d learned a lesson from exerting authority over him with the whole Hagar-Ishmael incident.

Scripture goes on to tell us, “The Lord kept his word and did for Sarah exactly what he had promised. She became pregnant, and she gave birth to a son for Abraham in his old age. This happened at just the time God had said it would.” (Genesis 21:1-2, NLT) So at ages 90 and 100, God fulfilled the promise He made when He first called Abram and Sarai to leave home when they were 65 and 75.

Connecting the Dots

Remember those “dot to dot” pictures we did as kids?  You’d take a page full of tiny black, numbered dots and would draw lines to connect them in numerical order.  At the end, a picture would take shape.  For me, reading the stories of Sarah and Abraham is a little like that. When I read Peter’s words about marital submission, they rub me the wrong way because I’m viewing them from a secular worldview, not a biblical one. However, when I consider examples from Scripture, those dots start to be connected into a clear picture. God designed His creation to function with order.  First and foremost, we submit to Him. Peter explains that we also submit to others such as government authorities and employers, as well as our spouses.  And like a dot to dot picture with the lines connected out of numerical sequence, when we disregard the order of authority God has established, life becomes much messier and more complicated. It’s still a hard passage to embrace, but I trust God more than I trust the constantly changing worldviews that influence each generation and distort ultimate truth.

*Inspired by the Bible study 1 Peter: A Living Hope in Christ by Jen Wilkin (Lifeway 2016)

 

Submitting to Authority: 1 Peter 2:13-17

Tires screeched and sparks flew as the group of cars drove in tight circles next to one another. Scoffing at the law and jeering at authority, the drivers were clearly reveling in doing “donuts” together. But these cars weren’t in a deserted parking lot or on an empty road.  Instead, they were in the middle of a four-lane freeway.

I’d never heard of something like this until taking a car trip recently with a group of friends.  Throughout our long drive, we’d been calling and texting back and forth between the two vehicles.  Our chatter was fun and light hearted, but all of that changed when our friends a few miles behind us called. They were at a dead stop and trying to figure out why.  As we checked traffic reports, the horrified driver began narrating the unfolding scene.  A group of cars just ahead of them had stopped on the freeway simultaneously and had begun driving in circles. Through a coordinated effort, they’d created a huge traffic jam and could have caused serious injuries. A few minutes later they sped off just before Highway Patrol arrived on the scene.

Their blatant defiance of traffic laws and basic safety was frightening.  After all, aren’t rules of the road made to protect all of us and to keep traffic moving in an orderly fashion?  When people decide not to abide by them, traffic snarls, tempers flare, and accidents occur.

It doesn’t matter whether we like the laws of the road or think they’re fair.  We must accept them to keep our roadways safe and orderly. As drivers, we submit to the authority of the law because we know it’s meant to protect us, even if it means some of our freedoms are limited.

But what do we do about other authorities in our lives?  What about a leader in local or national government whose policies we oppose? How are we, as followers of Jesus, called to respond?

Peter tells us: “Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves.  Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor.”  (1 Peter 2:13-17, NIV)

In case his words seem quaint or ridiculous, let’s not forget some of the ruthless and corrupt government authorities Peter had seen in his lifetime. During his childhood, he’d heard stories of Herod the Great killing the baby boys in Bethlehem to eliminate a rival king, the prophesied Messiah.  In adulthood, Peter knew John the Baptist, who was beheaded by Herod Antipas on a whim to please his step-daughter during a party.  He’d watched Pilate allow the crucifixion of Jesus with no grounds.  And Peter endured the ongoing oppression of Nero, a great antagonist to followers of Christ who found pleasure in dipping them in tar and lighting them on fire to illuminate his garden parties.

So, when Peter gives us instructions about how to respond to earthly authorities, we would be wise to take heed. Author and theologian John Piper helps us understand Peter’s teaching by explaining how to honor leaders who oppose our biblical views.  What follows is a summary of an article he wrote that contains some timeless truths on this difficult topic. (See the link at the bottom to read the article in its entirety.)

Humbling Ourselves:  We honor our leaders because we are humbling ourselves under the mighty hand of God. We acknowledge that we are sinners in need of mercy and forgiveness. We are not the final judges on any matter, God is. We are not morally superior to anyone and are utterly dependent on the mercy of God found in Christ.

Acknowledging God’s Image:  We honor authorities because they were created in the image of God. We honor them because they are utterly unique human beings with tremendous potential, just like us.

Acknowledging God’s Institution:  We honor authorities because Government is God’s institution.  Leaders are in power by God’s appointment and we honor that (see Romans 13:4).  We may grieve when leaders enact policies that are contrary to our values, but we know that bad government is better than no government. We honor our leaders for the stabilizing role they play in society. As my opening story illustrates, their job, metaphorically speaking, is to keep the cars moving in one direction down the freeway for our good.

Honoring Laws Not Conflicting with Christ’s Lordship:  We honor our leaders by submitting to laws of the state and nation that do not conflict with our higher allegiance to Christ the King of kings and Lord of lords.  We submit to the right of government to limit us in many areas, especially when the good of others is at stake. We submit not for a leader’s sake, but for the Lord’s, as 1 Peter 2:13 describes. We submit to honor leaders under God because it is from God that they have the authority to enforce the laws of the land.

Not Withdrawing into Isolation:  We honor our leaders by not withdrawing into little communes of people disengaged from American culture. We make it a priority to play our part in doing good as God calls us to in 1 Peter 2:15. We live with integrity and expect our leaders to do the same.

Opposing with Non-Violence:  If we oppose an authority’s position, we do it without violence or dishonorable speech.  We make it our goal to put forth truth and not to be fueled by emotions.  (2 Corinthians 4:2)

Trusting the Sovereign, Loving Purpose of God:  We honor our leaders by trusting the purpose of our sovereign and loving God. We pray for our leaders as God commands us to do, keeping His Word in mind:

“I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.”  (1 Timothy 2:1-4, NIV)

We are living in tumultuous times, but if we can keep these biblical truths in the forefront of our minds, they will help us to live with integrity and to honor God.  If you’re having a hard time swallowing this truth, be encouraged by Lauren Daigle’s song “O’Lord.” Make it your prayer as you listen.

 

To read the full text of John Piper’s article, click on the link below. Although it was written in 1993 for a very specific political issue, the words of wisdom he provides are timeless:

Click here to read John Piper’s article.

Inspired by Week 5 in 1 Peter: A Living Hope in Christ by Jen Wilkin, Lifeway Press, 2016.