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1 Peter 5
1Therefore I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of , and who will also share in the glory that will be revealed:
2 the flock of God which is among you, exercising the oversight, not under compulsion, but voluntarily; not for dishonest gain, but willingly;
3not as lording it over those entrusted to you, but making yourselves examples to the .
4When the chief is revealed, you will receive the of glory that doesn’t fade away.
5Likewise, you younger ones, be subject to the elder. Yes, all of you clothe yourselves with humility and subject yourselves to one another; for “God resists the proud, but gives to the humble.”
6Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time,
7casting all your worries on him, because he cares for you.
8Be sober and self-controlled. Be watchful. Your adversary, the devil, walks around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
9Withstand him steadfast in your , knowing that your brothers who are in the world are undergoing the same sufferings.
10But may the God of all , who called you to his eternal glory by Jesus, after you have suffered a little while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.
11To him be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.
12Through Silvanus, our faithful brother, as I consider him, I have written to you briefly, exhorting and testifying that this is the true of God in which you stand.
13She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, greets you. So does Mark, my son.
14Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace be to all of you who are in Jesus. Amen.
Slow reading
Read 1 Peter 5 three times
Guided passes through short verse groups: read it whole, watch the words, then pray it back. Phrases to stop on along the way, with deeper explanation held back until you have read the verses yourself.
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What this chapter is saying
What is 1 Peter 5 about?
Read the two verses at the centre of the chapter before any explanation, and notice that humbling and casting are one sentence rather than two subjects.
6Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time,
7casting all your worries on him, because he cares for you.
- Written by
- Peter, writing as a fellow elder and a witness of Christ's sufferings, 1 Peter 5:1
- Written to
- scattered Christians under real pressure for their faith, 1 Peter 1:1 and 4:12
- Why
- closing instructions to elders, to the younger, and then to everyone
The chapter moves in three steps. Elders are told how to , verses 1 to 4. The younger are told to submit, verse 5. Then everyone is told to humble themselves and to cast their worries on God, verses 6 and 7.
The word therefore in verse 6 ties the humbling to what came before it. Anxiety is treated here as something bound up with pride, because worry often carries the weight of a life we are trying to hold up ourselves. Casting is the same picture as throwing a load off your own back onto someone stronger.
In due time in verse 6 leaves the timing with God. Peter does not promise that the pressure lifts quickly, and verse 10 says the God of all will restore after you have suffered a little while, not instead of it.
Verses 8 and 9 name a real adversary and tell the reader to be sober and watchful, and verse 9 adds that the same sufferings are being endured by brothers elsewhere. The chapter ends with peace to all who are in Christ, verse 14.
What the chapter does not tell us
The chapter does not tell us how long the suffering of verse 10 lasts, and it does not say that casting a worry on God removes the situation that caused it. It says he cares for you.
Questions this passage answers
What does the Bible say about worry?
Jesus forbids worry about food, drink and clothing, and he argues rather than scolds: your Father knows what you need, he feeds the birds, worry adds nothing to your life. Scripture then gives the worrier something to do, prayer with thanksgiving and casting the burden on God, and it limits the horizon to one day at a time.
What does the Bible say about anxiety?
Scripture treats anxiety with far more tenderness than most Christians expect. It names it honestly, traces it to a divided and overloaded heart, and answers it with the character of God rather than with willpower. The command not to be anxious always comes attached to a reason and to an action, never as a bare demand to feel differently.