1 peter 3......love life and see good days
The chapter begins with “Likewise...” so Peter is continuing the matter of humility and submission as being the proper attitude in the new life. In chapter 2 vv13-17 Christian conduct in society; in 2 vv18-20 it is Christian conduct in employment; here in chapter 3 vv1-7 it is Christian conduct in the home; then in chapter 3 vv8-9 it is Christian conduct in the church; then in verses 10-22 he ends with four reasons why we should do this, each beginning with the word “for”. Verses 10-11 it is the secret of the good life; verses 12-16 the eyes of the Lord are upon us; verse 17 it is the will of God for us; and verses 18-22 it is the suffering of Christ as our supreme example.
Verses 1-7 Christian conduct in the home
There is a common misunderstanding that the biblical teaching concerning male/female and husband /wife relationships is a matter of culture, rather than one of creation order. Changing culture can allow for changing practices, according to this misconception, while it is clear Jesus always pointed to the original design “..from the beginning it was not so..” (Matthew 19 v8). Cultural relativity denies creation order where God created male and female to fulfil specific roles, and in the context of a loving relationship there must be a functional order. The modern departure has tended to obliterate the gender issue and not for the better of society. For the Christian the word of God is decisive, and, as always, His way is best. He takes up the worst case scenario of a wife married to a non believer to set the pattern that in all cases, even in the most difficult situations the wife is to be subject to the husband. The word “husband” is the idea of “binding the house together” and that is his role and for that he is to be respected. Verses 1-6 bring before us three main thoughts; chaste manner of life; a meek and quiet spirit; trusting in God, and these should be the foremost characteristics of Christian women even if their husbands are not believers. It is not the thought of servile subjection but of common respect for the sake of good order.
Verses 1-2 Winning the husband for God. It is a wonderful concept that unbelieving souls must be won, and we are to see it as a conquest. To win souls for Christ is one of the greatest occupations that will bring eternal rewards. Daniel 12 v3 “They that be wise(or make wise) shall shine as the brightness of the firmament and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever”. The wise Solomon penned in the Proverbs 11 v30 “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he that winneth souls is wise”. We can win souls even without speaking just by living out the Divine life before them “..if any obey not the word, they may without word be won by the behaviour of the wives while they behold your chaste manner of life coupled with fear”. Loving loyalty and respect to the husband and evident reverence for the Lord. Purity of character, singleness of mind, as well as attention to his needs, can win him for Christ.
Verses 3-4 Modesty of dress and meekness of spirit He is comparing the outward appearance with the inward character and the two are often linked. The practice of rich women and also those who plied an ungodly trade in temple worship was to present themselves in dress designed to attract men for the wrong reasons and the women of God are to avoid this. “..plaiting the hair..” this was the intertwining of the strands of hair with gold or silver to draw attention; “..and of wearing of gold..” this is ornamentation of a costly or gaudy nature; “..or of putting on of apparel..” excessive changing of clothing to court admiring comments. All these have been used of women through the ages. Isaiah wrote of the “daughters of Zion” who clothed and walked so as to draw attention (Isaiah 4 vv16-26) and perhaps Peter had this in mind. There is no suggestion here that Christian women should be “dowdy” in their dress, since God in creation demonstrates His love of variety and colour and beauty. Women today must interpret this before the Lord for themselves and avoid excesses as they see it. What is to be prominent is the inward beauty, “..the hidden man of the heart in that which is not corruptible..”. Fashion changes, clothing wears out, gold perishes but the inner beauties of the soul are eternal, and “..a meek and a quiet spirit” are “in the sight of God of great price.” This world puts a value on material things, God values things differently, and He looks for true value and true beauty in the women who are His own.
Verses 5-6 Follow the holy women who trusted in God The great list of holy women in the bible story are too many to mention but women like Sarah, Ruth, Deborah, Esther, Rachel, Rebekah, Miriam, Hannah, Abigail, Naomi, Achsah, Leah, are some from the old testament. What woman of God would not want to follow in their steps who were recognised as godly women of the past. These adorned themselves with a meek spirit being in subjection to their own husbands, even in cases like Hannah when she was in a shared marriage. Sarah “obeyed” Abraham and called him “lord”. This is a reference to Genesis 18 and other scriptures. There is no actual record saying she called him so, but the whole demeanour of her life was one of cooperation and submission. The balance is given at the end of verse 6 where it is clear this submission is not one of fear but of respect. These women trusted in God, hoped in God, lived for the day when God would reign, and so were happy to acknowledge His order in this present life.
Verse 7 The role of husbands “Likewise ye husbands...” Continuing the theme of submission and respect, now the role of the husband.
• “Dwell with them according to knowledge...” Knowledge of their strengths and weaknesses; knowledge of their likes and dislikes; knowledge of their ambitions. The operative word is “dwell” with them, be with them for companionship, for comfort, for rejoicing, for interdependence.
• “ giving honour unto the woman as unto the weaker vessel...” Generally the woman would be weaker physically and so should be relieved of heavy physical tasks. Honour in scripture can include material provision and it is certain that the male should be the provider. The words used in Ephesians 5 vv28-29 are “nourish” and “cherish”, which appear to refer to physical and spiritual provision.
• “..and as being heirs together of the grace of life...” The “grace of life” is expanded in verses 10-12 and he is viewing here a couple in Christ who can share the new life together in graciousness of living, feeding together on the fountain of true life, sharing the knowledge of God who has saved us by His grace. Heirs suggests we have not yet come into the full benefit and may point to an ongoing experience of grace.
• “..that your prayers be not hindered.” It is envisaged that couples who live together will pray together and things other than the grace of life may hinder those prayers. Hindered prayers can result in many setbacks.
Verses 8-9 Christian conduct in the church
“Finally be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, pitiful, courteous; not rendering evil for evil or railing for railing, but contrariwise blessing, knowing that bye are hereunto called that ye should inherit a blessing”.
“Finally...” is to sum up the section involving humble submission from chapter 2 v13 to chapter 3 v22. We are all to know our role, we are all to be subject one to another. He then follows with details of what this will mean in terms of our behaviour with each other.
• Unity “Be ye all of one mind”. Unity is not uniformity. What is required is diversity in unity. God is not in the business of creating clones, a kind of mass production of human beings. He is a God of infinite variety in creation, every dna different, every fingerprint, every snowflake, every face. The Godhead comprises three distinct persons, yet they are one in thought, in action, in purpose. One mark of the religious cults is that all their followers believe the same thing as they have been taught (or brainwashed), and they are together wrong. God’s idea of unity is oneness of purpose from a diversity of people. The classic picture of this is Ephesians chapter 4 where in verses 1-6 we have the unity of the body and in verses 7-16 we have the diversity of the body. Different people, different background, different abilities, yet one in purpose and ambition. The repeated phrase in the book of Acts is “of one accord” (1 v14; 2v1; 2 v46; 4 v24; 5 v12; 8 v6; 15 v25.) and many other such phrases tells it’s own story of why they were successful and why they wielded such power.
• Sympathy “Having compassion one of another” Fellow feeling, rejoicing with those who rejoice, weeping with those who weep. Bodily illness, business failure, persecution, spiritual backsliding, everything that happens to everyone affecting us all, Genuine, not contrived sympathy. The key phrase is “one of another”, which is repeated countless times in the new testament.
• Family “Love as brethren” First stated by the Lord Jesus Christ in John chapter 20 v17 “..go to my brethren..”, a title repeated many times but the word used here occurs only once and refers to the great unit of the family of God, of those bonded together by blood ties, the precious blood of Christ.
• Mercy “Pitiful” Always there are problems, many things can go wrong in the community of saints, and we need to shew mercy to those who stray. We who are utterly dependent on Divine mercy (1 v3 and 2 v10), and who have received abundant mercy, should be dispensing it to others.
• Courtesy “ Be courteous” Polite, acknowledging others for their distinctives, like seniority, status, achievements etc.
• Generosity “Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing, but contrariwise blessing...” Learn to return blessing for cursing, good for evil, giving to others the opposite of what they deserve. This is the true meaning of grace of which we are the beneficiaries now and in the future.
This is our Divine calling, this is what we are, this is Christianity. This is the true meaning of life. He begins the next section with “For....” and continues another three times to the end of the chapter.
Verses 10-22 Four reasons for living a humble life (each section beginning with “for”)
a) Verses 10-11 Quality of life He quotes from Psalm 34
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: let him eschew evil and do good: let him seek peace and ensue it:
“Love life and see good days”; this is what the Lord wants all of us to experience and this is a bible wide subject giving advice on how we can enjoy life on earth despite the problems. Peter started to quote from the Psalm in chapter 2 v3, and he continues it here in chapter 3 vv10-12. The remarkable thing is this that the Psalm was written at the lowest point of David’s life, when he was in exile in the land of the Philistines, persecuted by the king of Israel and deeply disturbed in his mind for he resorted to feigning madness. It was the1n He wrote the Psalm about rejoicing in the Lord, of having tasted of His goodness and wanting more and having found the secret of life in the Lord, no matter the troubles!
He reveals the secret in three parts 1) control your words...refrain the tongue from evil, and speak no guile with your lips; 2) amend your actions...eschew (turn away from) evil and do good; 3) change your attitude...seek peace and pursue it.
b) Verses 12-16 The Lord will be for us, no need to fear men
“For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous and His ears are open to their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil”.
David proved, as can we, that the presence of the Lord and access to Him constantly more than compensated for the persecutions and rejection and bodily illnesses that came his way.
Verse 13 echoes Paul’s triumphant cry in Romans 8...here it says “..who is he that will harm you?”; Romans 8 v31 “If God be for us who can be against us?”
Verse 14 Don’t be afraid of suffering for what is right in the sight of the Lord, and don’t fear what man can do to you either now or in the future.
Verse 15 The way to handle it is to “..sanctify the Lord in your hearts..” set Him apart, give Him that prior place in your affections, make Him the primary cause of your existence. Having done that be ready to give an answer to any who ask you a reason for the hope within you. This is the most powerful testimony for they are asking us, not now us preaching to them. Give them an answer not in arrogance or in a spirit of superiority, but in meekness and fear.
Verse 16 Keep your conscience clear, and your life transparent before them, and who knows it may affect them.
c) Verse 17 Suffering might be God’s will for you
It is better to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. None of us really know the will of God for us until after the event, but if He allows it, He means it for our betterment, and when we are in the course of His will, we are on a good pathway.t is the supreme example of suffering according to the w
d) Verse 18-22 Christ is the supreme example of suffering in the will of God and look at Him now
“For Christ also 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...”
He suffered for sins, that were not His own for He was “the Just”. He suffered for the “unjust”, that is all of us, He suffered for our sins, He suffered wrongfully, but He suffered patiently, He suffered to the extent of death in the flesh, He saw it through “that He might bring us to God”. He went into death and came through death for He was “quickened by the Spirit”, the same Spirit by which He preached to the people of Noah’s day (Genesis 6 v3). Peter goes on to link the Genesis flood and the resting of the ark on Mount Ararat and the saving of eight souls through the flood with the death and resurrection of Christ and the consequent saving of our souls today. There is no need to get bogged down in perceived difficulties of the text and miss the beauty of what is here in picture. The “spirits in prison” are the people in Noah’s day to whom He preached. They rejected the word, they refused the salvation offered, they are now disembodied spirits in prison awaiting the judgment of the last day. The Christ (Messiah) who became our substitute at Calvary (symbolised by the ark) offered salvation as far back as Genesis 6, and offers salvation today. The global flood that descended on the ark is symbolic of our baptism, that is a total immersion, a deluge of judgment that fell on the ark and is a picture of our salvation. Baptism doesn’t save us but it depicts the full force of the judgment of God upon sin that fell on the ark. The wrath of God was satisfied and the ark “rested in the seventh month on the seventeenth day of the month on the mountains of Ararat”(Genesis 8 v4). A correlation of the date Christ rose from the dead(taking into account the change of the Hebrew calendar in Exodus chapter 12) reveals the astonishing fact that He rose on exactly the same day of the year that the ark rested on Ararat, and so the picture is complete. Christ the “ark” went through the deluge of the wrath of God for us, to save us, and He rose from the dead. He went through all that for us, will we go through a little suffering for Him now? Ahead of us is the glory, for He is now glorified, “He is gone into heaven and is on the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto Him”.
He suffered, and how He suffered, and now He is in the glory, and all His tormentors are now subject to Him. “This is the way the Master went, should not the servant tread it still?”
The chapter begins with “Likewise...” so Peter is continuing the matter of humility and submission as being the proper attitude in the new life. In chapter 2 vv13-17 Christian conduct in society; in 2 vv18-20 it is Christian conduct in employment; here in chapter 3 vv1-7 it is Christian conduct in the home; then in chapter 3 vv8-9 it is Christian conduct in the church; then in verses 10-22 he ends with four reasons why we should do this, each beginning with the word “for”. Verses 10-11 it is the secret of the good life; verses 12-16 the eyes of the Lord are upon us; verse 17 it is the will of God for us; and verses 18-22 it is the suffering of Christ as our supreme example.
Verses 1-7 Christian conduct in the home
There is a common misunderstanding that the biblical teaching concerning male/female and husband /wife relationships is a matter of culture, rather than one of creation order. Changing culture can allow for changing practices, according to this misconception, while it is clear Jesus always pointed to the original design “..from the beginning it was not so..” (Matthew 19 v8). Cultural relativity denies creation order where God created male and female to fulfil specific roles, and in the context of a loving relationship there must be a functional order. The modern departure has tended to obliterate the gender issue and not for the better of society. For the Christian the word of God is decisive, and, as always, His way is best. He takes up the worst case scenario of a wife married to a non believer to set the pattern that in all cases, even in the most difficult situations the wife is to be subject to the husband. The word “husband” is the idea of “binding the house together” and that is his role and for that he is to be respected. Verses 1-6 bring before us three main thoughts; chaste manner of life; a meek and quiet spirit; trusting in God, and these should be the foremost characteristics of Christian women even if their husbands are not believers. It is not the thought of servile subjection but of common respect for the sake of good order.
Verses 1-2 Winning the husband for God. It is a wonderful concept that unbelieving souls must be won, and we are to see it as a conquest. To win souls for Christ is one of the greatest occupations that will bring eternal rewards. Daniel 12 v3 “They that be wise(or make wise) shall shine as the brightness of the firmament and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever”. The wise Solomon penned in the Proverbs 11 v30 “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he that winneth souls is wise”. We can win souls even without speaking just by living out the Divine life before them “..if any obey not the word, they may without word be won by the behaviour of the wives while they behold your chaste manner of life coupled with fear”. Loving loyalty and respect to the husband and evident reverence for the Lord. Purity of character, singleness of mind, as well as attention to his needs, can win him for Christ.
Verses 3-4 Modesty of dress and meekness of spirit He is comparing the outward appearance with the inward character and the two are often linked. The practice of rich women and also those who plied an ungodly trade in temple worship was to present themselves in dress designed to attract men for the wrong reasons and the women of God are to avoid this. “..plaiting the hair..” this was the intertwining of the strands of hair with gold or silver to draw attention; “..and of wearing of gold..” this is ornamentation of a costly or gaudy nature; “..or of putting on of apparel..” excessive changing of clothing to court admiring comments. All these have been used of women through the ages. Isaiah wrote of the “daughters of Zion” who clothed and walked so as to draw attention (Isaiah 4 vv16-26) and perhaps Peter had this in mind. There is no suggestion here that Christian women should be “dowdy” in their dress, since God in creation demonstrates His love of variety and colour and beauty. Women today must interpret this before the Lord for themselves and avoid excesses as they see it. What is to be prominent is the inward beauty, “..the hidden man of the heart in that which is not corruptible..”. Fashion changes, clothing wears out, gold perishes but the inner beauties of the soul are eternal, and “..a meek and a quiet spirit” are “in the sight of God of great price.” This world puts a value on material things, God values things differently, and He looks for true value and true beauty in the women who are His own.
Verses 5-6 Follow the holy women who trusted in God The great list of holy women in the bible story are too many to mention but women like Sarah, Ruth, Deborah, Esther, Rachel, Rebekah, Miriam, Hannah, Abigail, Naomi, Achsah, Leah, are some from the old testament. What woman of God would not want to follow in their steps who were recognised as godly women of the past. These adorned themselves with a meek spirit being in subjection to their own husbands, even in cases like Hannah when she was in a shared marriage. Sarah “obeyed” Abraham and called him “lord”. This is a reference to Genesis 18 and other scriptures. There is no actual record saying she called him so, but the whole demeanour of her life was one of cooperation and submission. The balance is given at the end of verse 6 where it is clear this submission is not one of fear but of respect. These women trusted in God, hoped in God, lived for the day when God would reign, and so were happy to acknowledge His order in this present life.
Verse 7 The role of husbands “Likewise ye husbands...” Continuing the theme of submission and respect, now the role of the husband.
• “Dwell with them according to knowledge...” Knowledge of their strengths and weaknesses; knowledge of their likes and dislikes; knowledge of their ambitions. The operative word is “dwell” with them, be with them for companionship, for comfort, for rejoicing, for interdependence.
• “ giving honour unto the woman as unto the weaker vessel...” Generally the woman would be weaker physically and so should be relieved of heavy physical tasks. Honour in scripture can include material provision and it is certain that the male should be the provider. The words used in Ephesians 5 vv28-29 are “nourish” and “cherish”, which appear to refer to physical and spiritual provision.
• “..and as being heirs together of the grace of life...” The “grace of life” is expanded in verses 10-12 and he is viewing here a couple in Christ who can share the new life together in graciousness of living, feeding together on the fountain of true life, sharing the knowledge of God who has saved us by His grace. Heirs suggests we have not yet come into the full benefit and may point to an ongoing experience of grace.
• “..that your prayers be not hindered.” It is envisaged that couples who live together will pray together and things other than the grace of life may hinder those prayers. Hindered prayers can result in many setbacks.
Verses 8-9 Christian conduct in the church
“Finally be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, pitiful, courteous; not rendering evil for evil or railing for railing, but contrariwise blessing, knowing that bye are hereunto called that ye should inherit a blessing”.
“Finally...” is to sum up the section involving humble submission from chapter 2 v13 to chapter 3 v22. We are all to know our role, we are all to be subject one to another. He then follows with details of what this will mean in terms of our behaviour with each other.
• Unity “Be ye all of one mind”. Unity is not uniformity. What is required is diversity in unity. God is not in the business of creating clones, a kind of mass production of human beings. He is a God of infinite variety in creation, every dna different, every fingerprint, every snowflake, every face. The Godhead comprises three distinct persons, yet they are one in thought, in action, in purpose. One mark of the religious cults is that all their followers believe the same thing as they have been taught (or brainwashed), and they are together wrong. God’s idea of unity is oneness of purpose from a diversity of people. The classic picture of this is Ephesians chapter 4 where in verses 1-6 we have the unity of the body and in verses 7-16 we have the diversity of the body. Different people, different background, different abilities, yet one in purpose and ambition. The repeated phrase in the book of Acts is “of one accord” (1 v14; 2v1; 2 v46; 4 v24; 5 v12; 8 v6; 15 v25.) and many other such phrases tells it’s own story of why they were successful and why they wielded such power.
• Sympathy “Having compassion one of another” Fellow feeling, rejoicing with those who rejoice, weeping with those who weep. Bodily illness, business failure, persecution, spiritual backsliding, everything that happens to everyone affecting us all, Genuine, not contrived sympathy. The key phrase is “one of another”, which is repeated countless times in the new testament.
• Family “Love as brethren” First stated by the Lord Jesus Christ in John chapter 20 v17 “..go to my brethren..”, a title repeated many times but the word used here occurs only once and refers to the great unit of the family of God, of those bonded together by blood ties, the precious blood of Christ.
• Mercy “Pitiful” Always there are problems, many things can go wrong in the community of saints, and we need to shew mercy to those who stray. We who are utterly dependent on Divine mercy (1 v3 and 2 v10), and who have received abundant mercy, should be dispensing it to others.
• Courtesy “ Be courteous” Polite, acknowledging others for their distinctives, like seniority, status, achievements etc.
• Generosity “Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing, but contrariwise blessing...” Learn to return blessing for cursing, good for evil, giving to others the opposite of what they deserve. This is the true meaning of grace of which we are the beneficiaries now and in the future.
This is our Divine calling, this is what we are, this is Christianity. This is the true meaning of life. He begins the next section with “For....” and continues another three times to the end of the chapter.
Verses 10-22 Four reasons for living a humble life (each section beginning with “for”)
a) Verses 10-11 Quality of life He quotes from Psalm 34
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: let him eschew evil and do good: let him seek peace and ensue it:
“Love life and see good days”; this is what the Lord wants all of us to experience and this is a bible wide subject giving advice on how we can enjoy life on earth despite the problems. Peter started to quote from the Psalm in chapter 2 v3, and he continues it here in chapter 3 vv10-12. The remarkable thing is this that the Psalm was written at the lowest point of David’s life, when he was in exile in the land of the Philistines, persecuted by the king of Israel and deeply disturbed in his mind for he resorted to feigning madness. It was the1n He wrote the Psalm about rejoicing in the Lord, of having tasted of His goodness and wanting more and having found the secret of life in the Lord, no matter the troubles!
He reveals the secret in three parts 1) control your words...refrain the tongue from evil, and speak no guile with your lips; 2) amend your actions...eschew (turn away from) evil and do good; 3) change your attitude...seek peace and pursue it.
b) Verses 12-16 The Lord will be for us, no need to fear men
“For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous and His ears are open to their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil”.
David proved, as can we, that the presence of the Lord and access to Him constantly more than compensated for the persecutions and rejection and bodily illnesses that came his way.
Verse 13 echoes Paul’s triumphant cry in Romans 8...here it says “..who is he that will harm you?”; Romans 8 v31 “If God be for us who can be against us?”
Verse 14 Don’t be afraid of suffering for what is right in the sight of the Lord, and don’t fear what man can do to you either now or in the future.
Verse 15 The way to handle it is to “..sanctify the Lord in your hearts..” set Him apart, give Him that prior place in your affections, make Him the primary cause of your existence. Having done that be ready to give an answer to any who ask you a reason for the hope within you. This is the most powerful testimony for they are asking us, not now us preaching to them. Give them an answer not in arrogance or in a spirit of superiority, but in meekness and fear.
Verse 16 Keep your conscience clear, and your life transparent before them, and who knows it may affect them.
c) Verse 17 Suffering might be God’s will for you
It is better to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. None of us really know the will of God for us until after the event, but if He allows it, He means it for our betterment, and when we are in the course of His will, we are on a good pathway.t is the supreme example of suffering according to the w
d) Verse 18-22 Christ is the supreme example of suffering in the will of God and look at Him now
“For Christ also 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...”
He suffered for sins, that were not His own for He was “the Just”. He suffered for the “unjust”, that is all of us, He suffered for our sins, He suffered wrongfully, but He suffered patiently, He suffered to the extent of death in the flesh, He saw it through “that He might bring us to God”. He went into death and came through death for He was “quickened by the Spirit”, the same Spirit by which He preached to the people of Noah’s day (Genesis 6 v3). Peter goes on to link the Genesis flood and the resting of the ark on Mount Ararat and the saving of eight souls through the flood with the death and resurrection of Christ and the consequent saving of our souls today. There is no need to get bogged down in perceived difficulties of the text and miss the beauty of what is here in picture. The “spirits in prison” are the people in Noah’s day to whom He preached. They rejected the word, they refused the salvation offered, they are now disembodied spirits in prison awaiting the judgment of the last day. The Christ (Messiah) who became our substitute at Calvary (symbolised by the ark) offered salvation as far back as Genesis 6, and offers salvation today. The global flood that descended on the ark is symbolic of our baptism, that is a total immersion, a deluge of judgment that fell on the ark and is a picture of our salvation. Baptism doesn’t save us but it depicts the full force of the judgment of God upon sin that fell on the ark. The wrath of God was satisfied and the ark “rested in the seventh month on the seventeenth day of the month on the mountains of Ararat”(Genesis 8 v4). A correlation of the date Christ rose from the dead(taking into account the change of the Hebrew calendar in Exodus chapter 12) reveals the astonishing fact that He rose on exactly the same day of the year that the ark rested on Ararat, and so the picture is complete. Christ the “ark” went through the deluge of the wrath of God for us, to save us, and He rose from the dead. He went through all that for us, will we go through a little suffering for Him now? Ahead of us is the glory, for He is now glorified, “He is gone into heaven and is on the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto Him”.
He suffered, and how He suffered, and now He is in the glory, and all His tormentors are now subject to Him. “This is the way the Master went, should not the servant tread it still?”
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