1 PETER 3Â
3:1
Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives;
Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands- the apostle had exhorted Christian servants to be subject to their masters in 2:18, and now he turns to the domestic situation and exhorts the wives “likewise” to be subject. Just as there could be suffering in the workplace, there could also be stress in the home if one of the partners in the marriage was not saved. How is the Christian partner to respond to this? The answer is that Christian wives should carry out their duties in subjection to their husbands, as long as the unsaved husband does not demand that they do things contrary to God’s word, which must always be the test of behaviour. It is contrary to current thinking in the world for a wife to be subject to her husband, but we can trust our Creator to ordain what is best for us.
That, if any obey not the word- so it is envisaged here that the husband has not obeyed the gospel and is therefore not a believer. Notice that it is the word that is not obeyed, for the apostle assumes that the man has heard the setting forth of the word of God.
They also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives- this does not mean that there are other ways of getting saved apart from the word of God. What is meant is that instead of listening directly to the word of God being preached, the unsaved man has the opportunity of seeing that word worked out in practice through the godly conversation, (meaning behaviour), of his wife. She does not need to constantly pester him with the gospel, but quietly live out the principles of the gospel before him.
3:2
While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear.
While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear- the Christian wife must display unswerving loyalty to her husband, and not allow herself to be attracted to another, even if he is a sympathetic believer. She will respect her relationship with her husband, (for her conversion has not altered that relationship), and fear lest she displease God by not discharging her responsibilities as a wife.
3:3
Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel;
Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel- the foregoing exhortation should not be taken as a reason to not bother about her appearance in case it be thought that she is trying to attract another. On the other hand, there should be a balance, with neat and tidy appearance matched with inner qualities. The examples Peter lists are those things that women of the world employ to draw attention to themselves. The ambition of the Christian wife should be to attract attention to Christ, whilst at the same time pleasing her husband in her appearance.
3:4
But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.
But let it be the hidden man of the heart- this is the alternative to showy displays. “Let it” refers to the adorning. Even the Christian woman has an inner man, for the word man often means simply person. It is nonetheless true that the godly Christian wife will have Christ as her example hidden in her heart.
In that which is not corruptible- those qualities which shall endure for eternity because they are of God should be the adorning of the Christian wife, whether her husband is saved or not. Gold and apparel shall pass away eventually, but Christian virtues endure.
Even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price- the wife will not need to wear elaborate and expensive jewellery if she has the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit. A meek spirit bows to God’s will in her affairs. A quiet spirit is a calm acceptance of that will, with no resentment. God values these things highly, for they were seen to perfection in His Son when He was down here on earth in extremely trying circumstances.
3:5
For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands:
For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves- the apostle is not so much thinking of their style of dress, (would he have known what this was except through special revelation?), but their attitude of heart, as revealed in the Old Testament scriptures. The women of faith in the Old Testament were adorned with the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, such as is described in Proverbs 31:10-31.
Being in subjection unto their own husbands- this was how their ornament of a meek and quiet spirit showed itself.
3:6
Even as Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose daughters ye are, as long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any amazement.
Even as Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him lord- in support of his statement the apostle mentions Sarah. She would have been a role-model for every Hebrew woman, and the use of her as an example would have a powerful influence on the wives the apostle is addressing. As a sample of her subjection, we read she called Abraham “lord” in Genesis 8:12. This is all the more significant because on that occasion Sarah was not addressing Abraham, but is thinking within herself, and even then she refers to Abraham as her lord. It was a constant attitude of mind with her, not a pretence for the occasion.
Whose daughters ye are- as far as standing before God is concerned, all believers have Abraham as their father in the faith, according to Romans 4:16. So the sisters have him as the father and role model when it comes to the life of faith. But when it is a question of behaviour, as here, it is more appropriate for Peter to describe Christian sisters as daughters of Sarah. She is the mother of the respectful, and Abraham is the father of the faithful.
As long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any amazement- sadly there was an occasion when Sarah did not do well, and she was afraid, for she doubted the word of the angel about her having a son, Genesis 18:9-15. The Christian wife follows the example of Sarah when she is doing well and is not afraid.
3:7
Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.
Likewise, ye husbands- the apostle now turns from the specific case where a husband is not saved but is married to a Christian, to speak of Christian husbands who are married to believing wives.
Dwell with them according to knowledge- the scriptures give abundant help in the matter of married life, whether by illustration in both the Old and New Testaments, by commandments, and by apostolic doctrine. The word “dwell” would suggest a settled state, for marriage is for life, and it should be lived as if it is so.
Giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel- the apostle gives two reasons why the husband should honour the wife, and the first one is because she is the weaker vessel.
Our Creator has ensured that both the man and the woman is fitted physically, emotionally and intellectually for the discharge of their responsibilities in their respective spheres. The man is to labour, and therefore needs to be stronger physically and more rugged, to withstand the pressures of earning a living. The woman is the one who nurtures and cares for the family for which the husband makes provision. She needs to be strong in every way, but the man needs to be stronger physically. It is in this sense that the woman is the weaker vessel. The husband honours the wife by respecting her for what she does, and how she does it, as she carries out her domestic duties. A considerate husband will not take his wife for granted.
And as being heirs together of the grace of life- as they live harmoniously together, the Christian husband and wife enjoy the sort of lifestyle that God put in place for them when He instituted marriage. That this is called being heirs indicates the dignity of the relationship, for it is life on earth as God their Creator graciously intended it to be.
That your prayers be not hindered- if husband and wife are out of sorts with one another it means that one or both of them is out of harmony with God. As such, their communion with God as expressed in prayer is hindered and they are not able to pray as they ought.
3:8
Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous:
Finally, be ye all of one mind- the apostle concludes the subject of subjection, (hence the “finally”), by mentioning seven attitudes that should mark all believers, whether servants or not, and whether married or not; this is for all. The only way to be of oneness of mind is to be always consulting the word of God, for that sets out the standards of Christian behaviour.
Having compassion one of another- it is possible to be so engrossed in the study of the word of God that we become unsympathetic to the situation of others. The apostle warns against this. Compassion is to be mutual, and not one-sided; each believer is to be compassionate to every other believer, and not expect to be a taker all the time.
Love as brethren- the love between believers is not a social love, the love between those of the same club. The believer is born of God, and is a brother in the family of God, and we learn that the Lord Jesus is not ashamed to call such His brethren, Hebrews 2:11,12. If that is the case, we should not be ashamed of the brethren either, and love them in the Lord.
Be pitiful- the apostle had ample opportunity to see how pitiful the Lord Jesus was when He was ministering amonst men. He has left us an example in this, as in all else.
Be courteous- this is the opposite of rendering evil to people or railing at them. The Lord Jesus was typified by the fine twined linen of the tabernacle, and there was no more refined person than Christ. We remember His answer when asked if He were the Son of the Blessed. He replied, “ye say that I am”, which is the way a refined and polite Jew would have answered a question of that nature. This was but one example of the many where He dealt with even His opponents in a polite way. But the linen was twined as well, so was very strong, and the Lord Jesus combined strength of character with respect for others.
3:9
Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing.
Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing- these two things are the opposite of the features of verse 8 Whether it be doing evil, or speaking evil, the believer is to refrain.
But contrariwise blessing- blessing may be acted or spoken, and is the opposite of the things of the first part of the verse. To act evilly and to speak evilly is to work for the downfall of the person attacked, but blessing seeks his welfare and happiness.
Knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing- we are called to be like Christ, who “did not sin, neither was any guile found in his mouth: who, when he was reviled, reviled not again”, 2:22,23. He has left us an example, that we should follow his steps in this way. We cannot follow him as He goes to the cross, but we can follow Him in His life. To live like this is to inherit blessing, for God will reward behaviour that reminds Him of His Son.
3:10
For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile:
For he that will love life, and see good days- this is the start of a further quotation from Psalm 34. Peter has already quoted, in his own way, the words of the psalmist, “O taste and see that the Lord is good”, as he exhorted the holy Christian priest to feed on Christ, just as the Old Testament priest, (and David), fed on the shewbread. He translated “good” as “gracious”, and this would sum up the attitude he encourages in verses 8 and 9 of this chapter.
The apostle reinforces the lesson by an extensive further quote from the psalm, which expands on the life that inherits blessing. The psalmist has in view life in Israel under the law, but the principles he sets out are timeless. To the Jew, an enjoyable life and a long life, (good days), would be a sign of God’s favour. For the believer, to love life, and see good days means to have a fulfilled and useful life.
Let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile- the psalmist refers to speaking and doing, whereas in verses 8 and 9 the apostle had reversed the order. No direct evil word, and no indirect, crafty evil word is to pass the lips of the believer.
3:11
Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it.
Let him eschew evil, and do good- this means the believer should shun and avoid doing evil works, but go out of the way to do good works. To avoid evil is not enough; there must be the positive good in evidence.
Let him seek peace, and ensue it- the believer should be on the look-out for opportunities to do things that make for harmony amongst believers, and when he has seen those opportunities, ensue them, (follow them up), with energy and enthusiasm. The apostle Paul exhorted us “If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men”, Romans 12:18. This is not always possible, but let no fault be on our side. The psalmist found that “I am for peace, but when I speak, they are for war”, Psalm 120:7.
3:12
For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.
For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers- the Lord takes note of the good works of His people, for “God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister”, Hebrews 6:10. The righteous man, far from speaking guile and falsehood, will speak to God in prayer, asking for opportunities to glorify Him more by his life.
But the face of the Lord is against them that do evil- the believer will want to distance himself from evildoers, for God sets His face in judgement against the evil worker. The end of the quotation is here.
3:13
And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good?
And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good? The apostle is thinking of harm in the ultimate sense, of being destroyed in soul. As the Lord Jesus said, “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul”, Matthew 10:28. None, (not even the Devil), can harm in this sense, for the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous to preserve them. Notice the condition attached to this promise. “No harm done if good done” sums it up.
3:14
But and if ye suffer for righteousness’ sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled;
But and if ye suffer for righteousness’ sake, happy are ye- having assured of soul-safety, the apostle now, realistically, takes account of the suffering that ineveitably comes the Christian’s way because he does righteous deeds. This condemns the unbeliever, and causes him to express his hatred in persecution. Nonetheless, the believer is to count that he is blessed in this situation, for the persecution is the sign that his testimony is real. After the apostles had been beaten by the authorities on one occasion, they departed from the council, “rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name”, Acts 5:41 As the apostle Paul wrote to the Philippians, “and in nothing terrified by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God”, Philippians 1:28. The unbeliever shews that he is heading for destruction by his reaction to believers, and the believer, because he is persecuted, is assured of the reality of his life in Christ.
And be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled- if the enemies of Christ seek to terrorise, then be not afraid, for they cannot touch the soul. We should not allow the persecution to trouble us in the sense that we begin to wonder whether God is judging us for sin. The feeling of Christ amidst opposition was recorded beforehand by the prophet when he wrote, “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” Psalm 27:1.
3:15
But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:
But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts- an appreciation of the holiness of God in our hearts will safeguard us from wrong conclusions about the persecution. We shall realise that it is because God’s holiness is being upheld in the believer’s life that the persecution comes.
And be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear- men may wonder why those who are persecuted do not give up. If they enquire, then the believer should be ready with reasons for the hope that he has in his heart. This is true Christian apologetics, for the word reason is “apologia”. The answer must come with meekness, for it must not be seen as an attempt to demolish the questioner, however hostile he might be. It must be with fear also, lest the truth of God be misrepresented if we give a faulty answer.
3:16
Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.
Having a good conscience- the conscience is that faculty God has given all men so that they may distinguish between right and wrong. A good conscience is one that is well-informed from the scriptures, and also has not been blunted by sin.
That, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ- there must be no just cause whereby unbelievers may rightly accuse us of wrongdoing. To be spoken of as an evil doer when only good has been done is hard to bear, but it can be done if our conscience is clear before God. It may be that these false acusers may be convicted of their error if we display the right spirit under provocation. This was how Joseph of Arimathea was convicted, for he saw the way the Lord Jesus reacted when He was wrongly accused. See Isaiah 53:9, where the reason His tomb was with the rich man Joseph was because He had not used guile.
3:17
For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing.
For it is better, if the will of God be so- the matter of suffering is entirely in the Lord’s hands, and totally in His control. Only if it is His sovereign will are unbelievers allowed to inflict suffering on His people.
That ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing- what is under our control is the behaviour that provokes the suffering; we must ensure it is only because we have done good, and thereby condemned the unbeliever.
3:18
For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
For Christ also hath once suffered for sins- this is the most compelling reason why the believer should not suffer for sins. Not only did Christ suffer for the sake of righteousness at the hands of men, but He has suffered judicially for sins, being subjected to the judgement of God against them. Since this is the case, (and the work was done once-for-all, such is the meaning of “once”), the believer should have such an enhanced estimate of the sinfulness of sin, seeing what it cost Christ to deal with it, that he will renounce it altogether. If he does this, he will never suffer at the hands of men rightfully.
The just for the unjust- men object that it is wrong for an innocent man to suffer for the sins of guilty men, and they are correct. But what if the innocent man is the Christ of God, and therefore is perfectly righteous or just, and He willingly undertakes to deal with the sin question of behalf of others, then the situation is completely different. In that situation it is not the innocent being punished because of what the guilty ones have done, but the perfectly Just One voluntarily settling the sin-question before God on behalf of those who could not have done this work for themselves. So His sufferings on the cross were not because of His personal sins, (which is what the nation of Israel thought when they said, “we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God and afflicted”, Isaiah 53:4), for of these He had not one, but rather, the sins of the unjust men of the world.
That he might bring us to God- His suffering had a definite purpose in view, that of bringing those who believe into the presence of God. They who once were banished are now brought nigh on a righteous basis. The work of Christ has made propitiation, and the result of propitiation is reconciliation, known in the Old Testament as atonement. But whereas for Israel the Day of Atonement was once a year, the work of Christ is once for all and for ever. We should remember, though, that the good of Christ’s work of propitiation is only known by those who have repented of their sins and believed the gospel.
Being put to death in the flesh- the experience of Christ on the cross was very real, for He was put to death by men with the most severe suffering to His body and soul, the two parts that go together to make a man in the flesh. He deliberately refused the drugged drink the soldiers offered Him that would have relieved His sufferings, for He would endure the ultimate test. On one level this is a sign to the believer that he will never suffer more than Christ did in His body.
Men put Him to death, but before He actually died He had dealings with God about our sins. Only then did He die. Whilst it is very true that no man took His life from Him, but He laid it down of Himself, it is also true that wicked men crucified Him, and left Him to hang on the cross until He was dead. It was Stephen who accused the nation of Israel of murdering Him, so it was in one sense their act.
But quickened by the Spirit- the “but” suggests that God stepped in and reversed the verdict of earth on His Son. Men might kill Him, but God, by the Spirit, ensured that He came to life again. This was the Divine sign that He had not suffered for His own sins, but the sins of others, the unjust. It was also the sign that what He did when on the cross was fully acceptable to God, and satisfied His every demand against our sin.
This is the ultimate solution to the problem of believers suffering and not seeming to be delivered. If they were always delivered, then the particular experience of Christ, when He suffered and was not rescued from the cross, would be unnecessary. As it is, He is the supreme answer, for although when in the hands of men He was not delivered, when God intervened He was gloriously rescued. In accordance with His God-fearing prayers before Calvary, He was saved from death, Hebrews 5:7, and is thereby fitted to save with an eternal salvation, (that is, a salvation whose effects last eternally), those who obey Him, verse 9.
The apostle Paul assures believers that “if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you”, Romans 8:11. So the Spirit of God will have a major part in the resurrection of the saints, just as He did in the resurrection of Christ.
3:19
By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;
By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison- much has been written on this verse, and much error has been based on it. We must remember when we come to difficult passages like this one, that their proper solution will never contradict the teaching of the Scriptures elsewhere. For example, those who say this sentence means that Christ preached to the unsaved dead, offering them salvation, forget that “there is none other name given under heaven among men, whereby we must be saved”, Acts 4:12. As soon as death takes a man away, he is no longer among men, but among the dead, and his last opportunity for salvation through believing on the name of God’s Son is for ever gone.
We should remember that the scripture, when speaking of death, says, “Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it”, Ecclesiastes 12:7. So the spirits of men do not go to hell, but are kept by God ready to be reunited with their bodies at their relevant resurrection, whether of the just or the unjust. So the spirits of this verse are not with God, for Christ needed to go somewhere other than heaven to preach to them.
We should also remember that the word for preach the apostle uses here means to herald, to announce, much as Royal proclamations are made outside of a king’s palace. It is that aspect of preaching that makes publicly known matters of great importance.
There are those who believe that the event in question was when Noah preached to the pre-flood world of men, and that Christ may be said to have done this by the Spirit of Christ which was upon Noah. (See 1:11, but there the reference is to actual giving of prophecies, and the fact that it was the Spirit of Christ that inspired them). But it is clear that those who are preached to are in prison when the preaching is done. To read it as if it read, “preached to the men in the flesh whose spirits are now in prison” is to do violence to the English language. It is clear from the next verse that the preaching was done after the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah. In any case, as we have already seen, men’s spirits do not go to hell; it is men’s souls that go there. Furthermore, in what sense are men’s spirits in prison? And what relevance to Peter’s argument does the preaching of Noah prior to the flood have? He has two themes as he writes this passage; first that God undertakes for the godly, and second that He does set His face against the wicked who opppose them. Neither of these two themes is advanced by the idea of Noah preaching righteousness.
3:20
Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.
Which sometime were disobedient- notice that the beings preached to are here referred to as being at some point disobedient. Men indeed are disobedient to the gospel, but their disobedience takes place when they are in the body. Evangelists do not preach to the spirits of men only, it is men as men that are called to the obedience of faith. The word used for disobedient means wilful and perverse disobedience. There is an element of obstinacy and rebellion about the word.
When once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah- this gives us the timing of the disobedience, when God waited in longsuffering before He sent the flood upon the world of the ungodly. At this point we need to examine what Genesis 6 has to say about conditions just prior to the Flood:
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“And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, that the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. “And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years. There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown”, Genesis 6:1-4. Genesis 6:1 He seems to have some special connection with the earth, even as a fallen being, for the Lord Jesus did not dispute his claim that he could give the kingdoms of the world to whomsoever he chose, Luke 4:6. Did he set about to destroy the Divine order of things by seeking to make himself the one with authority, whose word was to be believed rather than God’s? He partially succeeded, for he tempted the woman to act upon his word rather than God’s and disastrous results followed. But God was more than a match for the Devil’s devices, for He promised that a man would come who would bruise the head of the serpent, and thereby defeat him. This man would be the woman’s seed, God using the very person that Satan tempted and caused to fall to be the means whereby that fall might be remedied. God chooses and uses the weak things of the world to confound the things that are mighty, 1 Corinthians 1:27. And daughters were born unto them- having failed to frustrate God’s purpose, Satan then turned his attention to the ones who were the forbears of this seed of the woman. And in particular, the woman who will bear this promised Deliverer. He does not know who she is, (he did not know that she would not be born for four thousand years), so he must infect them all. Satan feels he must act quickly, for daughters are being born at an increasing rate, and the likelihood of one of them being the woman who will produce the Seed is increasing by the day. Genesis 6:2 The other main explanation is that the sons of God were fallen angels who left their own habitation and consorted in some way with the daughters of men. We should note that the only ones given the title sons of God elsewhere in the Old Testament are spirit beings. The Book of Job mentions them three times, as follows, “Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord”, Job 1:6. The next passage is similar, “Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord”, Job 2:1. The third reference is, “Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth?…..When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? Job 38:4,7. Clearly the sons of God in these passages are angels, for they can come before God, and they were present when the earth’s foundations were laid at the beginning. There is another statement in Job that is relevant here, for we read, “His angels he charged with folly”, Job 4:18. So this suggests that at some point God accused some of the angels of folly. We must remember that some parts of the Old Testament are not in chronological order. So, for instance, when we move from the end of the Book of Esther to the beginning of the next book, the Book of Job, we are going back one thousand years in time. In fact, we are going back to the time of Moses, the writer of the book of Genesis. Moses was in the backside of the desert from 1531-1491 BC. The Book of Job is dated 1520 BC. Moses was in the desert of Midian, which included Edom, the Sinai Peninsula and Arabian Petraea. Job lived in the land of Uz, which was south of Edom and west of the desert that extends to Chaldea. In other words, they did not live very far away from one another, and they lived near to one another for 29 years. Moses had plenty of opportunity to speak with Job, and he had probably read the book of Job. This would explain why he introduces the idea of the sons of God almost casually, and with no explanation, as if he expected his readers to know to whom he was referring. They would know if they read or were told of the Book of Job. The passage becomes easier to understand if we allow that both before and after the flood there was a rebellion amongst the angels, those who are sons of God because they are created directly by God, (just as Adam was a son of God because he came directly from the hand of God, Luke 3:38). These spirit-beings at this point were disobedient, rebelling against the will of God, who had set the boundaries beyond which they must not pass. Jude speaks of them that they kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, Jude 6. He refers to this incident as an example of apostasy, the outright rejection of truth as set out by God. The very fact that there are ranks of angels shows that each has been allotted special positions by God. In fact the word that Jude used for estate has the idea of principality about it, one of the ranks of angels. Was there some moment that instigated a rebellion on the part of these principalities, distinct from the rebellion that took place at the beginning when Satan fell? Could they have aspired in pride to greater things, and then, when demoted by God as a result, and were cast down from heaven, reacted by rebelling further, and sought to gain prominence by fathering the men of renown of old time? Thus their pride was satisfied by proxy. Satan seems to have a special connection with the earth, as we have noted, so if the sons of God are specially mentioned as rejoicing over the foundations of the earth, are they a special class of angels that have to do with the earth, and now fallen, continue that interest in an evil way? The writer to the Hebrews is emphatic that “unto the angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come”, Hebrews 2:5. Does this suggest that Satan still hankers after world domination? Certainly he will nearly succeed through the agency of the Antichrist. When he saw the place of dominion that God gave to Adam at the beginning, Satan’s pride was stirred, and he set about to try to gain the subjectiion of men to himself, so that they were under his authority. But out of this event God triumphed, because He announced one who would be the seed of the woman, who would brusise the Serpent’s head fatally. Having failed to gain supremacy in this way, Satan then set about to prevent the coming into the word of the Seed of the Woman, and so frustrate God’s plan. And they took them wives of all which they chose- as we see from Genesis 6:1, men were multiplying on the earth, so if Satan is to thwart God’s purpose he must not waste any time. The record highlights the birth of the daughters, for Satan is not concerned about the sons of men but their daughters, for one of them is to be the woman who bears the promised seed. Whether the sons of God in this incident had fallen with Lucifer at the first, or whether this was a fresh revolt against the Divine order, the fact remains that they began to desire the daughters of men in the same way as men desire beautiful women. These woman are described as fair, which does not mean they were blonde, but that they were good-looking. They need to be this, to ensure that the resultant progeny are attractive as well, so that they easily rise to fame, (for the product of this union is the men of renown of old time, whether before or after the flood). We know from the incident of the Gaderene swine that evil spirits long to inhabit a body, and if it cannot be that of a man, then the body of a swine will do, Luke 8:32. We may surmise that these evil spirits possessed men in some way by which they were able to produce their children, and not the men’s. Of course this stretches our credulity to the limit, but what is the alternative explanation for the fact that the resultant offspring were giants? We little appreciate the tremendous power that Satan has. It is surely well within his capabilities to fit his evil angels with the ability to desire women as men desire beautiful women, and to use human bodies to father children who were giants. If it is objected that the Lord Jesus denied that angels marry, (for He said “For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven”, Matthew 22:30), then we should notice the qualifications to that statement, namely “of God”, and “in heaven”. This says nothing about the Devil’s angels, and their possible operations on earth. Indeed, it is possible that Jude refers to this when he writes of “the angels which kept not their first estate”, that is, the position God had given them at the beginning, “but left their own habitation”. Now the word he used was employed by the apostle Paul to speak of the resurrection body, which he calls “our house which is from heaven”. So it is a different sort of body, fitted for different uses and different locations. In the case of the believer, a body fitted for heaven, in the case of evil angels, a body fitted for the furtherance of Satan’s wicked agenda on the earth. As giants, they rose to prominence and fame, and also were able to terrorise the rest of men. As giants of strange origin, they represented a mixing of men with half-men, so that the identity of the Promised Seed became in doubt. As a result, the pedigree of the men on the earth became confused, which is why we are told that Noah was perfect, a word used of the sacrifices to speak of physical freedom from blemish. God knew that Noah and his family were not tainted by the sin of the angels, so they were pure-bred men, and as such were fit to be in the line of the Messiah. It was to preserve his house that Noah built the ark, Hebrews 11:7, for within that ark were the only remaining members of the line of the Messiah whose purity was known with certainty. The ark was not built to house the inhabitants of the earth, nor were they invited to enter it. Given that the earth was infected by alien life, even universal repentance would not have saved it. Is this not why the Lord does not give the example of the men of Noah’s day when He spoke of those who would have repented if they had seen His miracles? See Matthew 11:20-24. Messiah must be able to trace His genealogy in the normal way through the usual methods; this cannot be done for these giants. Is this why Genesis 5 ends in such a different way to the rest of the chapter? Beginning with Adam, the line of Seth is traced painstakingly, with the noting of the age of the father at the birth of the son, the number of years the father lived after the birth of that son, and then the total years the father lived. The three-fold way in which the ages are given shows that the relationship of the generations to one another is important. It also assures us that the ages given are correct, despite their size. We know some at least are father/son relationships, but the formula used is the same as for the others where it is not expressly said. The Hebrew word “ab” was available to denote father/ancestor relationship, as in Genesis 4:20,21;17:5. The regular word “yalad” is always used in 450 references, except Genesis 46:18,22; Deuteronomy 4:25;23:8, but in these instances grandchildren are included. When we come to Noah, however, the formula is different, for instead of giving the age of Noah when Shem was born, (for his is the line of the Messiah, Luke 3:36), and then the number of years he lived after begetting Shem, and then the total of years he lived, we simply get the statement which tells us that when Noah was five hundred years old he had three sons, who are named. We have to wait until the end of Genesis 9 before we learn the total number of years that Noah lived, 9:29. So whilst the computation of time by means of the lives of the patriarchs was important, what was more important just before the Flood was that Noah had three sons of pure pedigree. It was not just Shem that was son of Noah, but Ham and Japheth as well, for they also would be carried over by the ark to populate the new earth. And whilst the children of Ham and Japheth would not be in the line of the Messiah, it was important that their pedigree should be known, in case some of Shem’s line intermarried with their line, and doubts as to genuineness of pedigree could be raised on that account. How can the line of the Seed be secured and known? The only way is to wipe out the whole of mankind except those few who can show they are not affected by the rebellion. But what of the giants that were born after the flood, do they not represent a threat to the Messianic Line as well? Indeed they do, but by that time there would have been enough awareness of the need to maintain records of pedigree to prevent anyone of the seed of the giants, (who persisted even until David’s day, 2 Samuel 21:15-22), from being thought of as of the line of the Messiah. Whereas those angels who originally rebelled with Lucifer seem to be able to roam around freely, those who were guilty of this attack on the line of the True Seed were punished by being “cast down to hell”, delivered into “chains of darkness”, and “reserved unto judgement”, 2 Peter 2:4. The phrase “cast down to hell” represents one word in Greek, and could be freely translated as “Tarturised”, or “cast down to Tartarus”. This is the only occurrence of the word in the New Testament, and refers to a special place of confinement, because it is imperative that the sin they committed should not be repeated. There are those who derive the word from a root meaning “to be cold”, and Jewish writers sometimes refer to it as “airy Tarturus”. This would suggest that it is a place in the cold upper atmosphere of the earth, a thought that will be significant when we come to the end of 1 Peter 3, with its reference to the ascension of Christ. |
After that diversion, we return to the words of 1 Peter 3:20:
While the ark was a preparing- the preparation of the ark was a powerful signal to the men of the word that there was judgement coming. Enoch had warned them that the Lord was coming, and although in its final sense that coming is still in the future, nevertheless the Lord did visit in judgement on the world at the Flood. God warned men that He would not always strive with man by His Spirit, but He gave them the period of one hundred and twenty years to repent individually, Genesis 6:3.
Some use that phrase about the Spirit not always striving to say that God stops His dealings with men at some point in their lives. That is a strange idea given that God immediately gave them over a century to repent. “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved”, Acts 2:21, even if they have been the objects of the Spirit’s working and hitherto refused it, for God is not actively willing, (meaning “determining”), that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance, 2 Peter 3:9. If He withdraws His Spirit’s working He is willing them to perish.
Wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water- Noah prepared an ark to the saving of his house, Hebrews 11:7. The ark contained a precious cargo, namely the seed that would eventually result in the birth of the Messiah. It is interesting that the Chinese language, which is made up of pictorial signs, has for the number eight a man in a boat.
3:21
The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:
The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us- just as Noah and his family were saved by means of the ark, as it carried them though the waters to the other side, so association with Christ in His burial and resurrection is a figure of our salvation. Water baptism does not save, but is a figure of the salvation already received.
(not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) Baptism does not cleanse the soul from sin, for the true candidate has already been cleansed by precious blood. But it does indicate that the candidate for baptism has a good conscience before God, and is prepared to respond to God’s goodness by being baptised, as a testimony to Christ and His work. Those who were in the ark also had a good conscience, which is why they were allowed to enter. The apostle tells us that Noah was “the eighth person”, 2 Peter 2:5; does this mean that he stood outside the door of the ark, counted his wife, three sons and their wives, and then entered in himself at which point God shut the door? This ensures that only his family entered.
By the resurrection of Jesus Christ- this phrase links with the words, “baptism doth now save us” at the start of the verse. The resurrection of Jesus Christ, and our association with Him, (which association we signify by our baptism), is the means whereby twe are saved from the evil world around us. Noah and his family were saved from the wickedness of the pre-flood world by being transported through the waters to a new world. But the Christian’s baptism indicates the same thing in a superior sense, for association with Christ in baptism gives the assurance that “we shall live together with him”, and He is on resurrectiion ground, Romans 6:8.
Living with Him is the perfect answer to those who feel that the assurance of the psalmist that none can harm the believer is doubtful. In the ultimate sense, who can say that those who live together with Christ in eternal bliss have been harmed?
3:22
Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him.
Who is gone into heaven- the word used for “gone” here is the same as is found in verse 19 as “went”. It is interesting that the apostle should speak of both actions, the going to preach and the going to heaven, using the same word. Does this not strongly suggest that the preaching was done while He was going to heaven? The preaching is clearly after His resurrection, but there is something grotesque about the idea of Christ emerging from the tomb in a glorified body, and then going back to the realms of the dead to preach. Given that the angels that sinned are imprisoned, quite possibly in the upper atmosphere, then what more logical a thing it would be for Christ to announce to them that, far from escaping judgement, they are in prison only until the judgement of the great day, when they will be consigned to everlasting fire, which is prepared for the Devil and his angels, Matthew 25:41. He did not need to personally enter the prison to do this, because the apostle distinctly says that He preached by the Spirit.
And is on the right hand of God- the right hand of the father is the place for the firstborn. Joseph was displeased with his father because he crossed his hands so as to bless Ephraim with his right hand, and thus give him the prominent place even though he was not the first one born, Genesis 48:17-19. The firstborn in a Jewish family was expected to interpret the father’s wishes to the rest of the family, so he acted as a prophet. He was to represent the rest of the family to the father, so he was a priest. He was to exercise the rule of the father over the rest of the father, so he was a king. Preeminently Christ is Prophet, Priest and King in the family of God as His Firstborn, and His place at the right hand of God is indication that it is so. He now has three claims to be Firstborn. He has eternal right because “the Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand”, John 3:35. He has right as the Creator of all things, and as such is “the firstborn of every creature”, Colossians 1:15. He also has Firstborn’s rights because He is “firstborn from the dead, Colossians 1:18. It is no surprise then to find Him installed at the right hand of God in heaven.
Angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him- nor is it any surprise that all created beings, good and evil are subject unto Him, for He has shown Himself superior to holy angels by beoming a man, going into death, and rising again, things that angels could never do. But He is also superior to evil angels, for by the cross He has “spoiled principalities and powers, making a show of them openly”, Colossians 2: As the Lord Himself said, “When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace: but when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils”, Luke 11:21,22. Those words were spoken in the context of the Lord being able to cast out devils, so the strong man is the Devil himself, and the stronger than he is Christ Himself. He has taken flesh and blood that He might “destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil”, Hebrews 2:14. If evil angels are irrevocably subject to Him, then never again shall they rebel against high heaven, and seek to disrupt God’s purpose with regard to His Son. So it is that afflicted saints may rest assured that, even though at present evil seems unchecked, truth and right shall prevail, and the forces of evil shall be subdued. Christ shall “send forth truth unto victory”, Matthew 12:20.