1 Peter 5:8 Commentary - Dr Peter Masters

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1 Peter 5:8

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This is about the Christian warfare. It is a warning and it opens our eyes to the battle we fight against sin, the devil, and the world. Peter is inspired to use several very rich illustrations. ‘Be sober.’ It is not good enough to simplify that to ‘be alert’. The Greek term means abstain from wine. Some translators assume that it's used entirely figuratively – it means be restrained and careful in all things – so they choose something like ‘alert’, but the apostle Peter will say that in the next term. I believe these words are meant literally as well as figuratively. But they are of course meant figuratively also. Be restrained and abstain much when it comes to self-indulgence. Whether it's food, or pleasure and leisure; whether it's purchases, in buying things that are showy, expensive, fuelling pride, just for exhibitionism or to be one better; be abstainers, be restrained. It is not for a preacher to tell you what to do in detail, but be restrained. If we are not restrained and if we indulge freely our whims and lusts, then we become weak. Then the devil will launch the big temptation and we've got no emotional muscles to resist. The next term used is ‘Be vigilant.’ I am a sentry; I am not intoxicated, but then I have got to be wide awake. A watchman who must stay awake. What for? Just for the sake of it? No, in order to be vigilant. ‘Because your adversary the devil,’ – literally, the slanderer, the accuser. The devil is like the advocate, the lawyer on the other side. He is in constant opposition, trying with great cunning and with a slippery tongue to discredit us and bring us down. The devil has a slippery tongue and he tries to make falsehood sound reasonable, and he will take the very gospel away from us, if he can. ‘As a roaring lion’, a lion, hungry, ready for the kill. He ‘walketh about’ – literally, ‘he treads all around.’ He prowls and stalks, trying to keep himself invisible, watching all the time for another opportunity to tempt and to bring us down. We can see this pictured in the domestic cat, prowling around the garden, looking for something. The domestic cat, attracted by the slightest movement, will be crouched and stationary and perfectly still – only a lion in miniature in some respects. It is all eyes, and the slightest movement and it darts like lightning to its prey. ‘Seeking whom he may devour.’ The Greek for ‘devour’ means to drink down. Seeking whom he can take in in one gulp down, at one bite. He doesn't aim to simply hurt you or me, but to swallow us up entirely, to bring us into total subjection to some sin, so that we fall utterly. That is what is happening today and we are altogether too casual about it. You may already be greatly strengthened because you have practiced being sober and watchful and taking yourself in hand, and pausing and exercising restraint. That'll be so helpful.

Application

Let's translate that image of a lion into temptation. You are drawn by something improper, sinful, foolish. You are considering it in your heart. You've made a little move towards it. Satan sees that movement and he pounces at once, and begins with alluring ideas and temptations. What do you need to watch and look at out for every day of the Christian life? Well there are moral issues. Are we watching, or are we weakening ourselves, by looking at things which we shouldn't be looking at? People say they go to the movies, all sorts of movies, or they watch television without any restraint. What are you seeing in this modern world? What are you getting yourself accustomed to, getting yourself to like or enjoy viewing, tuning your tastes to? Constantly you are under attack. Be watchful, awake, vigilant. The devil is attacking you through the culture and weakening you, and getting you to the point where you can absorb, and you don't mind, and you don't react to things you should react to.

We say to ourselves every day, I must watch my words, my reactions. I must watch my reactions in the family circle when something irritating happens. Am I going to snap? Am I going to say something which is wrong, unkind, cruel, lacking understanding? I will watch my words, watch my thoughts; where do they roam? I will watch my conduct and behaviour, noting my chief sins and weaknesses, and watch them especially. Some Christians couldn't tell you what their chief sins are, because they don't practice any self-watch. It’s clear to people around them what their chief sins are, but they don't know or identify them for themselves, because they've given up watching.

‘Be sober.’ We mustn’t be intoxicated, especially by pleasures. These days, every home has a television. People can be drawn aside by foolish things, things that should claim no part of their time, or their lives. Some people are intoxicated by ease. You cannot get them to do anything. They have discovered ease, how to relax and they take things very, very easy. Some people, they are intoxicated by hobbies and leisure pursuits.

‘Be vigilant.’ It might be that a minister has got his mind into some facet of doctrine, for instance some aspect of the doctrines of the last things and he is going to great lengths to try to present a particular view of something. Well, we want to defend the faith; we want to be into God’s word and understanding all things as much as we can, but things can be taken to an extreme. What about your church? Are you so focused on these things that you do not notice the church is being assailed with terrible error? Some sentry, you are! So it happens in the ministry and we have got to be so very careful.

What about some of the young people? The communications age! The texting left, right and centre, the social web-siting and all the rest of it. Do you ration it, friends? Or are you one of those young people, who is for ever in touch with someone. You have got life going as though you have got certain chosen companions with you the whole time. You are never on your own. You are not a sentry, you are never watching, you are never considering working in, serving spiritual things. Every hour of the waking day – in touch with a dozen, three dozen, four dozen people! As Christians we ration these things. We are scared of these things! We have got insight; we know the wiles of the devil. We know he is going to preoccupy our minds with different digressions and obsessions if he can. Do you let him? Have you fallen into that trap?

Questions

Now this presents a difficulty, because half the trouble with temptation and the work of the devil in the life of the Christian, is that he is anything like a roaring lion. So we need to understand scriptural analogies. The fact that he is described as a roaring lion doesn't mean he always appears as a roaring lion, because sometimes he is equally described in Scripture as a serpent, as a snake, silent and cunning. He is both. What is the roaring lion part? Probably the idea there is to signify the great hunger of the devil and his ferocity, and his determination to kill and maim. So on the one hand there is the picture of the roaring lion. But when it comes to actually how he goes about launching his temptations the other picture not represented here must be in your mind – like a serpent, quietly.

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1 Peter 5:8 Commentary and Bible Study