Please explain 1 Peter 5:6-11.
This is a very interesting and important portion. Let us break these verses down into smaller portions.
1 Peter 5:6, “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time.” Pride and arrogance are great hindrances to the believer’s relationship with the Lord. It is only in humility that we will take the lower place and put our lives under the mighty hand of God. 1 Peter 5:5 tells us that, “God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.” Humility must precede grace! When we humble ourselves, the Lord will exalt us when the time is right.
1 Peter 5:7, “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” What a grand exhortation! Whatever it is that is troubling you, whatever problem you face, whatever cause of anxiety that is in your way…give it to the Lord to take care of. Why would He do that? Because He cares for us. When we humble ourselves, we are able to ask the Lord to take care of us and He will. Psalm 37:5 tells us, “Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.”
1 Peter 5:8-9, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.” In these verses, we are warned about our common enemy…the devil. To be sober means to be watchful. To be vigilant means to stay awake and alert. The enemy that all Christians share is the devil. He is our adversary. He is against us! Just like a roaring lion, he is looking for those he can devour. If a lion is stalking a herd of sheep, which one do you think the lion will attack? Why…he will attack the one that is farthest from the shepherd. How we need to remain in a close relationship with our Lord so that we are not easy prey for the devil. We must resist him at all times. James 4:7 says, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” The only way to properly resist the devil is to first submit yourself to the Lord. He will give us the strength and wisdom to resist our enemy.
1 Peter 5:10-11, “But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.” The Lord’s desire is that we be perfect, or mature. He is the One who can do that through His grace that has called us into His eternal glory. In all likelihood, we will be called upon to suffer for His name’s sake. What a privilege that is! We read in Philippians 1:29, “For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake.” It is by the Lord’s grace that we can be established in the faith, that we can be strengthened in our daily lives, and we can be settled (grounded) in His holy truths. Suffering for the Lord helps prepare us for continued growth. How precious to know that our God is the God of ALL grace! He desires to bless us and to encourage us. By causing us to be mature, established, strengthened and grounded, He will be able to use us to honor Him and minister to the needs of others. So, indeed, we say along with the writer, “To Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.” (475.6)