1 Peter 5 reminds me of a shepherd and his responsibility of leading a flock of sheep. Hence, the title of this post: Shepherds Leading the Flock. In this chapter Peter is speaking directly to the leaders of the church. Are you a leader of the church? Have you paid particular attention to this chapter. I'm a Sunday School teacher. I, as a leader of that group, need to take heed to this message. I need to approach my role with great responsibility.
So, what does it mean to be an elder? Elder is defined as "a person of greater age." But, is that what Peter really meant? In this context, Peter was talking about wisdom and maturity rather than age. This chapter tells the elders what they must do to lead their flock.
1 Peter 5:2-3 tells us the "shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock."
First, and foremost, the elders are to be shepherds of the flock of God. In John 21:15-17, Jesus tells them how to do this. He tells them that they must feed and tend the sheep. One feeds the Word of God to the sheep. To tend to them means to protect, guide, nurture and care for the sheep. Secondly, they should do this willingly, not as if it is something that they just have to do. You have to want to feed and tend the flock. You should not lead them for financial gain. You have to also be willing to be an example to those that you are tending.
Peter goes on to tell the elders that they need to be humble and watchful. 1 Peter 5:5-8 tells us "Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour."
Humility. What does it mean to be humble? Well, it means to have a low view of one's own importance, to be meek and modest. Humility is demonstrated by submission. I talked about submission a few days ago. Sometimes it is hard to be humble. Sometimes our pride gets in the way. God doesn't want us to be prideful.
The key verse for me is this section of verses is this "Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you." Read that again! "Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you." Do you have troubles? Are you suffering? Do you have problems that you just don't know how to handle? Well, now is the time to give them over! Why? Because he cares for YOU. Not just me, but YOU! Isn't that comforting? Especially, when we read that last part of verse 8, "your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." Do you realize that someone he wants to devour is YOU? Yep, he wants to devour you so that you don't seek the face of God. But, when we give our cares to Jesus, we defeat the adversary.
Four years! That's how many years have passed between the time Queen Vashti was banished and the time that King Ahasuerus chose a new queen. Esther is finally introduced in Chapter 2. What I want to look at today is how exactly Ester came to be queen and the implications it has for us.
Scripture tells us that Esther was a Jew from the tribe of Benjamin. She was orphaned and was being raised by her cousin, Mordecai. Her Hebrew name was Hadassah. Esther was her Persian name. She was chosen to go to the king's palace to vie for the attention of King Ahasuerus because she was beautiful. She was placed into the care of Hegai, a eunuch in charge of the concubines and harem of the king. Esther 2:9 tells us "And the young woman pleased him and won his favor." Hegai was so pleased with Esther that he elevated her to the best place in the palace.
Esther spent a whole year in the "beautification process" to win over the king. During this time the ritual was to spend the first six months with oil and myrrh and then another six months with spices and ointments. So, what was the deal with the oil, myrrh, spices and ointments? This was the ultimate in spa days. Can you imagine the facials, massages and mani/pedi's that these women received.
Let's look at some of Esther's qualities as described in Chapter 2:
1. "Esther had not made known her people or kindred, for Mordecai had commanded her not to make it known" (v.10). This tells me that she was trustworthy as well as obedient.
2. "When the turn came for Esther the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her as his own daughter, to go in to the king, she asked for nothing except what Hegai the king's eunuch, who had charge of the women, advised..." (v.15). She was teachable. She was humble.
3. "And this came to the knowledge of Mordecai and he told it to Queen Esther, and Esther told the king in the name of Mordecai" (v.22) - Here Mordecai had learned of a plot to kill King Ahasuerus. She proved that she was wise and faithful.
With all of that being said, I believe that we are in preparations for our King. Our King Jesus. The day is coming. Are you going to be prepared? Right there in Esther, she being an example, it tells us how we must prepare. We must be trustworthy and obedient to God's word. We must be teachable and humble. And We must be faithful and wise. Jesus is going to return. It's just a matter of when. We must prepare now to win the King's favor.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for your Word and what it teaches us. Thank you for the opportunities that you give us to be immersed in your Word. I pray that I take what is learned and help to apply it to our lives. Forgive me, Father, for those times when I was not prepared, or I was not willing to be prepared. Help me be prepared for Jesus' return. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.
