1 Peter 5:6-9 6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you,7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. 10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 11 To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
Having a sober mind and being watchful requires us to live with eyes wide open and hearts attuned to the Holy Spirit’s conviction and warnings. Verse 8 reminds us that, as believers, we have been bought and purchased by the blood of Jesus, but we must be alert or watchful. Gaining wisdom by walking with God-fearing, Bible-believing, Holy Spirit-filled believers helps tremendously. Putting yourself under the discipleship of others and the word of God will help you grow in your understanding of what is wise and what is unwise
Joseph in Potiphar’s House
As I was reading the story of Joseph in Potiphar’s house, I was reminded of this verse, particularly verse 8. “Be sober-minded; be watchful. our adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” Let’s read the account of Joseph being accused by Potiphar’s wife with 1 Peter 5:8 in mind.
Genesis 39:11-20 11 But one day, when he went into the house to do his work and none of the men of the house was there in the house, 12 she caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me.” But he left his garment in her hand and fled and got out of the house. 13 And as soon as she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and had fled out of the house, 14 she called to the men of her household and said to them, “See, he has brought among us a Hebrew to laugh at us. He came in to me to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice. 15 And as soon as he heard that I lifted up my voice and cried out, he left his garment beside me and fled and got out of the house.” 16 Then she laid up his garment by her until his master came home, 17 and she told him the same story, saying, “The Hebrew servant, whom you have brought among us, came in to me to laugh at me.18 But as soon as I lifted up my voice and cried, he left his garment beside me and fled out of the house.”
19 As soon as his master heard the words that his wife spoke to him, “This is the way your servant treated me,” his anger was kindled. 20 And Joseph’s master took him and put him into the prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined, and he was there in prison.
Not everyone is pure.
Like Joseph, we may approach life, circumstances, and situations with pure motives. We may not have ill intent or selfish ambition motivating us. Hopefully, we have been rid of lust and the desires of the flesh, the need to be seen, praised, or “get ahead”. We may be at the place where we approach relationships, conversations, and opportunities with a pure heart. But unfortunately, the world around us isn’t as pure. It can be a shock to the system when you are just going about your day, working hard, doing your best, and you are attacked with false accusations, slander, gossip, and the list goes on.
Don’t be tricked! Don’t get pulled in!
That is what happened to Joseph. Joseph was diligent and pure in heart. He was loyal and hard working. In the previous verses we are told that Joseph refused to lie with Potiphar’s wife and explains to her his thinking. He declared his loyalty to Potiphar and to God.
Genesis 39:8-9 8 But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Behold, because of me my master has no concern about anything in the house, and he has put everything that he has in my charge.9 He is not greater in this house than I am, nor has he kept back anything from me except you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?”
So, where did it all go wrong for Joseph, and what does 1 Peter 5:8 have to do with this story? The enemy can use people in our lives to offer opportunities to sin against God. Joseph didn’t take that opportunity, yet he was still not in safe company. What stood out to me was that he entered the house to do his work with no one else there to keep Potiphar’s wife accountable. He had a pure heart and had no intention of sinning. He did not have his eyes wide open, and he was not alert, standing on guard against the enemy’s schemes. This one mistake, one slip-up, cost him years in prison. God used it for His glory, and the Lord was gracious to him, but we can definitely learn from this situation.
Joseph still refused to be drawn into the sin being presented to him, yet he was tricked. In his innocence and purity, he placed himself in a compromising situation where the wickedness of Potiphar’s wife’s heart presented the perfect scenario for the enemy to trap him with lies.
Living above reproach means to we leave no room for the enemy to accuse us, or slander us. There is no room for gossip or assumptions. Our actions leave no space for our enemy to devour us with lies.
Living above reproach means to we leave no room for the enemy to accuse us, or slander us. There is no room for gossip or assumptions.
Humble yourself, and he will exalt you!
1 Peter 5:6-9
6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you,7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.
Joseph was humbled that day for sure. Even in his purity, he thought he was safe against the schemes of the enemy. The tricky thing about righteousness is that we can come to rely upon it more than the Lord. We can become over-confident and even prideful in our righteousness. This posture of the heart sets the stage for humiliation. We cannot allow even our own loyalty to the word of God and to our Lord to posture our hearts in pride. We should remain sober-minded and alert, knowing that even the purest of hearts can be accused if we act unwisely.
Anxiety is real!
We have to work through the anxieties we experience through these unfortunate attacks of the enemy. The Lord wants us to cast our anxiety upon him because he cares for us! Don’t allow the thoughts of anger, betrayal, revenge, offense, and bitterness to take root. The anxiety we feel in these situations is all rooted in fear, and he has not given us a spirit of fear but rather love, power, and a sound mind. (2 Timothy 1:7)
We have to work through the anxieties we experience through these unfortunate attacks of the enemy.
Resist the Devil and Stand Firm in your Faith!
1 Peter 5:8-10 8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. 10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.
If you are unjustly accused of a sin you did not commit, or if gossip is swirling around you, resist the devil. Know that even if you suffer from these lies and wicked plots of the enemy to slander your name or distract you from doing what is right, God’s grace will restore, confirm, strengthen and establish you!
