14 If men say evil things of you because of the name of Christ, happy are you; for the Spirit of glory and of God is resting on you.
But you are happy if you undergo pain because of righteousness; have no part in their fear and do not be troubled;
Being conscious that you have done no wrong; so that those who say evil things about your good way of life as Christians may be put to shame.
Happy is the man who has the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God:
For it is a sign of grace if a man, desiring to do right in the eyes of God, undergoes pain as punishment for something which he has not done. What credit is it if, when you have done evil, you take your punishment quietly? but if you are given punishment for doing right, and take it quietly, this is pleasing to God.
There is a blessing on the man who undergoes testing; because, if he has God's approval, he will be given the crown of life, which the Lord has said he will give to those who have love for him.
The bitter words of your haters, O Lord, shaming the footsteps of your king.
And a great number will go with them in their evil ways, through whom the true way will have a bad name.
Being of good behaviour among the Gentiles; so that though they say now that you are evil-doers, they may see your good works and give glory to God when he comes to be their judge.
Judging a part in the shame of Christ to be better than all the wealth of Egypt; for he was looking forward to his reward.
At his coming, when he will have glory in his saints, and will be a cause of wonder in all those who had faith (because our witness among you had effect) in that day. For this reason, you are ever in our prayers, that you may seem to our God such as may have a part in his purpose and that by his power he will make all his good purpose, and the work of faith, complete; So that glory may be given to the name of our Lord Jesus through you, and you may have glory in him, by the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
So I take pleasure in being feeble, in unkind words, in needs, in cruel attacks, in troubles, on account of Christ: for when I am feeble, then am I strong.
But when the Jews saw such a great number of people, they were full of envy and said evil words against Paul's preaching.
Their answer was: You came to birth through sin; do you make yourself our teacher? And they put him out of the Synagogue.
And they were angry with him and said, You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses.
Then the Pharisees said to them, Have you, like the others, been given false ideas? Have any of the rulers belief in him, or any one of the Pharisees? But these people who have no knowledge of the law are cursed. Nicodemus--he who had come to Jesus before, being himself one of them--said to them, Is a man judged by our law before it has given him a hearing and has knowledge of what he has done? This was their answer: And do you come from Galilee? Make search and you will see that no prophet comes out of Galilee.
Even so let your light be shining before men, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.
So that he might have eternal life, and never see the underworld.
<Of David. Maschil.> Happy is he who has forgiveness for his wrongdoing, and whose sin is covered. Happy is the man in whom the Lord sees no evil, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.
Happy are your wives, happy are these your servants whose place is ever before you, hearing your words of wisdom.
Then the Lord came down in the cloud and had talk with him, and put on the seventy men some of the spirit which was on him: now when the spirit came to rest on them, they were like prophets, but only at that time. But two men were still in the tent-circle one of them named Eldad and the other Medad: and the spirit came to rest on them; they were among those who had been sent for, but they had not gone out to the Tent: and the prophet's power came on them in the tent-circle.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on 1 Peter 4
Commentary on 1 Peter 4 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 4
The work of a Christian is twofold-doing the will of God and suffering his pleasure. This chapter directs us in both. The duties we are here exhorted to employ ourselves in are the mortification of sin, living to God, sobriety, prayer, charity, hospitality, and the best improvement of our talents, which the apostle presses upon Christians from the consideration of the time they have lost in their sins, and the approaching end of all things (v. 1-11). The directions for sufferings are that we should not be surprised at them, but rejoice in them, only take care not to suffer as evil-doers. He intimates that their trials were near at hand, that their souls were in danger as well as their bodies, and that the best way to preserve their souls is to commit them to God in well-doing (v. 12-19).
1Pe 4:1-3
The apostle here draws a new inference from the consideration of Christ's sufferings. As he had before made use of it to persuade to patience in suffering, so here to mortification of sin. Observe,
1Pe 4:4-6
1Pe 4:7-11
We have here an awful position or doctrine, and an inference drawn from it. The position is that the end of all things is at hand. The miserable destruction of the Jewish church and nation foretold by our Saviour is now very near; consequently, the time of their persecution and your sufferings is but very short. Your own life and that of your enemies will soon come to their utmost period. Nay, the world itself will not continue very long. The conflagration will put an end to it; and all things must be swallowed up in an endless eternity. The inference from this comprises a series of exhortations.
1Pe 4:12-19
The frequent repetition of counsel and comfort to Christians, considered as sufferers, in every chapter of this epistle, shows that the greatest danger these new converts were in arose from the persecutions to which their embracing Christianity exposed them. The good behaviour of Christians under sufferings is the most difficult part of their duty, but yet necessary both for the honour of Christ and their own comfort; and therefore the apostle, having extorted them in the former part of this chapter to the great duty of mortification, comes here to direct them in the necessary duty of patience under sufferings. An unmortified spirit is very unfit to bear trials. Observe,