Introduction – The unbelieving
world and most of the professing church today, will either stand against these
verses, or try desperately to re-interpret them. “Obviously,” you may be tempted to think,
“Peter wasn’t aware of my husband”. But
the point of this passage is that God knows precisely your situation and has a
word for you. Your hope in God, your
Christianity, is a radical hope, and it must manifest itself in radical ways as
you live with your husband.
Wives, likewise – Wives are not
slaves and so the previous passage did not include them. But they are to submit likewise. Likewise, that is, to Christ’s submission.
Be Submissive
– The Greek means ‘to be submissive’, to be under the authority of another. Those who do not want to use this word, let
alone obey it, disparage the name and work of Jesus Christ, who gladly
submitted to His Father’s will (consider the authority and servitude of the
Shepherd of your soul – 2:25). Your
husband is responsible to teach how to submit by example, for He is to imitate
Christ (John 13:12-17). Also, this
submission to one man excludes submission to men in general. “…be submissive to your own husbands”.
The Power to
Change Him – Marriage is a covenant with attendant blessings
and curses. Normally, God uses the Word
preached to effectually change a man.
The power of an obedient wife is another instrument God intends to use
and is manifested through -
No Words – Nagging does
not work (it never makes him a leader).
And if it does, your husband is weaker than you thought. It is an indication of your lack of trust in
God, fear of God, respect for your husband, and faith in His promises from
these verses.
Chaste Conduct – Your
joyful obedience to the Lord will not be missed. Learn to look in the mirror of the Word to
see ‘how you look’ (James 1:23) with as much attention as you look in the
mirror in your bathroom. For God intends
to use your faithfulness in that covenant with great blessing.
Fear – Once again (2:13,
18), appropriate fear towards a husband flows from a holy fear of God. Words of respect, deference and honor come
from your lips because of the office he serves and the God whom you serve.
Adornment Matters
(vv 3-4) – The Greek is interesting – ‘adornment’ is ‘kosmos’, translated everywhere else, ‘world’. And literally, the end of verse three reads, ‘…or
putting on clothes’. Obviously, a
wife is to wear clothes, and a godly wife ought to dress well (Prov 31:22) and ought to care about her hair, for it is a
glory to her and a sign of her husband’s authority (1 Cor
11:5-9).
Beauty from
Within – The point is not that wives should dress
plainly (although modesty is in view).
She is to be adorned. But the
adornment is to start from an ‘incorruptible’ beauty. Remember the use of this word in 1 Pet 1:4,
1:18-19, 1:23. This gentle and quiet
spirit is not a personality trait. It is
the identification of a woman who has the life of Christ in her, who hopes in
God, and who submits to Him with holy fear and love.
Precious
– Get this right. Internal beauty is the
fountainhead of true beauty which is to be expressed outwardly. Not only is it precious, it is very
precious in the sight of God.
Holy Women Who Trusted God (vv 5-6) –
When they were submitting and serving, holy women did so hoping in God. In just the same way as citizens hope “to
put to silence the ignorance of foolish men” (2:13) and slaves hope to
reveal the grace of God at work in their lives before God (2:19), so holy women
trust in God.
Adorned Themselves
– Here is the main point of the discussion about dress, makeup and
hairstyles. These women adorned
themselves in a particular way (with a gentle and quiet spirit) because they
trusted in God and because they were submissive to their husbands. What you wear and why you dress the way you
do reveals spiritual truths about yourself.
Sarah
– Is Sarah a good example? Her faith was
tested, and when she stumbled, the Lord rebuked her (Gen 18:13-15). But she gives God the glory when Isaac is
born (Gen 21:5-6). Apparently, the
rebuke restored her faith, for Heb 11:11 teaches us that ‘she judged Him
faithful who had promised’.
Calling Him
‘Lord’ – Respect for a husband, just like love for a
wife, must be verbalized, and must be the common language and demeanor of the
house.
Do Good and
Fear Not – The doing of good is not simply a general
command, but specifically with regard to the things Peter has been
addressing. And these things are
connected to not fearing any terror (interesting word for these days). A woman who understands that her submission
places her under the protection of her husband and knows how to rest there (as
in the providential hand of God) sleeps well each night. The presence of hope drives out fear.
Godly Submission – What makes you a
daughter of Sarah? What makes the
submission of a wife to her husband godly submission?
It is full of
fear in God and submission to God –
It is full of
hope and trust in God –
It is full of
expectation in God and His providential means of bringing change –
It is adorned
with beauty, chaste behavior, and gentleness –
It is adorned
with respectful words to her husband and about her husband - Dave
Hatcher – January 13, 2002