Fight Fire With Fire? 1 Peter 3:8-12
We began our study of 1 Peter 3:8-12 last week by taking a look at how Peter called the brothers and sisters in his day, living in the provinces of the Roman Empire, to relate to one another. They were to seek to be like-minded, to live harmoniously with one another. They were to be sympathetic towards one another, to rejoice with those who were rejoicing and to weep with those who were weeping. Even though many were not blood relatives, they didn’t come from the same social class, and some of their members were from other ethnic backgrounds–they were to love one another with a family love. The model for their family love was based on how Jesus loved them. We learned last week, from Hebrews 2:11, that Jesus, God Incarnate, the Sinless One who gave His life for us, is not ashamed to call us His brothers and sisters. They were also to be compassionate, to be deeply moved by one another as they shared life together. And, last of all, all of their relationships with one another were to be characterized by humility, placing others before themselves.
Every church falls short of living out this call from God, but we should never compromise or alter God’s design for how we are to do life together with one another. The good news is that when we get off track and our relationships fall short of God’s call, we have a path to get back on track in living out what God has purposed for us as brothers and sisters in Christ.
This morning we are going to take a look at the remaining verses in this section of Peter’s letter. Most Bible teachers believe that verses 9-12 were written to teach Jesus’ followers how they were to relate to those outside of the family of faith, even those who were hostile towards Jesus’ followers. This would certainly have been true when Peter sat down to write this letter because that was the setting for each of these congregations within the Roman Empire. Let’s read 1 Peter 3:8-12 once again and we will get started.
8 Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. 9 Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. 10 For, "Whoever would love life and see good days must keep their tongue from evil and their lips from deceitful speech. 11 They must turn from evil and do good; they must seek peace and pursue it. 12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil." (1 Peter 3:8-12 NIV)
If you will notice, verses 10-12 is one long quote, and the quote comes from Psalm 34. This is a Psalm, written by David while he was on the run from Saul, the king who wanted to kill him. We will talk more about that before we leave here this morning.
I think it is so important for us to be reminded that we need godly counsel on how we are to relate to others and this is exactly what Peter has done, beginning back in 1 Peter 2:11 when he wrote,
12 Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. (1 Peter 2:12 NIV)
Immediately after Peter wrote these words he began describing how the followers of Jesus were to relate to those around them. Beginning with how they were to relate to the governmental authorities, then slaves to masters, husbands and wives, brothers and sisters in Christ, and now all of those who aren’t part of the body of Christ, even those who slander, accuse, and mean to do them harm.
I was thinking this past week about what Peter wrote in 1 Peter 2:12 about living such good lives among the pagans, those who aren’t followers of Jesus, that even though they accuse you of doing wrong, they see your good deeds and end up praising God on the day He visits. Could it be that the way we relate to others, both inside of the body of Christ and outside, even those who mean to do us harm, could it be that this is what Peter had in mind when he wrote about “good deeds?” I am convinced that after we finish our study of verses 9-12 this morning you will clearly see that our response to those who mean us harm, if we choose to follow God’s design, will stand in stark contrast to the way we would normally respond. Take a look at verse 9 with me.
9 Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. (1 Peter 3:9 NIV)
I have heard people say that you have to fight fire with fire. For those who are unfamiliar with the saying, it means that you choose to use the same tactics and methods of the one who means you harm. I bet some of us grew up in homes where we were told, “Don’t you ever start a fight, but if you have to fight then make sure you end it.” LL Cool J put it another way, “Momma said knock you out!” It doesn’t matter if it was our mom or dad, or LL Cool J’s grandmother…they didn’t get that from the Bible.
In verse 9, Peter said, “Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult.” Peter is not the originator of the idea. In Matthew 5:38-46, Jesus told His followers.
43 "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? (Matthew 5:43-46 NIV)
I mentioned to you last week that Jesus is the King of an upside down Kingdom. The responses that come naturally to us, the vast majority of the time, are the opposite of what it looks like to follow in Jesus’ steps. This is one of the great examples of the upside down Kingdom principles. “Love your enemies. Pray for those who persecute you?” Jesus didn’t originate this type of response to those who mock us, slander us, and mean us harm. To find the origin of this type of thinking you have to go back to the Hebrew Bible. Turn with me to Leviticus 19:18 and let’s read together.
18 "'Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD. (Leviticus 19:18 NIV)
“Do not seek revenge.” Do not fight fire with fire. “Do not carry a grudge…but love your neighbor as yourself.” We read in Proverbs 24:29,
29 Do not say, "I'll do to them as they have done to me; I'll pay them back for what they did." (Proverbs 24:29 NIV)
Don’t do it! Don’t fight fire with fire. Don’t say, “I’ll do to them as they have done to me; I’ll pay them back for what they did.” Peter says that we are not to repay evil for evil and we are not to insult those who insult us. The word that he uses, which is translated as “insult,” is an interesting word. The Greek word, “λοιδορία” (loidoria), means “reproach; reviling; abuse.” It means to speak abusive words that damage a person’s reputation. The same word is used in 1 Peter 2:23 to describe what they did to Jesus. Let’s read together, beginning in 1 Peter 2:21-23.
21 To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. 22 "He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth." 23 When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. (1 Peter 2:21-23 NIV)
It truly was the most remarkable scene was it not? They beat Jesus with a whip that cut into His back and turned His flesh into ribbons. The soldiers put a purple robe on Him, put a crown of thorns on His head, and laughed as they cried out, “Hail, king of the Jews!” They hit Him on the head with their staffs and spit on Him. They mocked Him as He carried His own cross until He fell under its weight. They drove spikes through His wrists and feet and hoisted Him into the air. As He hung there, those who walked by made their jokes. They mocked Him. They jabbed Him with their words. ”You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, come down from the cross and save yourself.” “He saved others, but He can’t save Himself.” We read that those who were crucified alongside of Him also hurled insults at Him (Mark 15:32). And Jesus looked down from the cross and said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34 NIV)
Can you see? Can you see that we are not only called to follow Jesus’ teaching, but we are called to follow His example? Peter says we are not to repay evil with evil and we are not to return insult for insult, but we are “to repay evil with blessing.” Jesus says we are to love our enemies and Peter says we are to bless those who have evil intent towards us. I was sharing this with a friend recently and his response was, “That’s hard. That is so hard.” I said, “No, that is impossible in and of ourselves. There is nothing within us, even the best of us, that will naturally respond in this way to those who mean us harm. For us to walk in Jesus’ steps means that we have to die to ourselves and allow Him to do in us and through us what we are totally incapable of doing.”
To “bless” those who slander us, speak lies about us, accuse us, and mean us harm is much more than simply biting our tongue and remaining silent. Karen Jobes, in her commentary on these verses, says that to bless the one who is actively seeking our demise means…
…to invoke God’s favor on someone…The self-control implied in this command is truly a supernatural fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:23). For it is exactly when we are insulted and treated with malicious intent that we are most tempted to respond in kind by gossip, exaggerating the extent of the fault, or with outright slander. Those who are able not simply to clench their teeth and remain silent but to maintain an inner attitude that allows one to pray sincerely for the well-being of one’s adversaries are truly a witness to the life-changing power of a new identity in Christ. (Jobes, Karen. 1 Peter. pgs. 218-219)
How did Jesus respond to those who not only meant Him harm, but who were mocking Him as they brutalized Him until He drew His last breath on the cross? “Father, forgive them…” Can we follow in Jesus’ steps? Can we step out of our own emotions of anger, sorrow, and our obsession for vindication so that we might bless those who harm us by praying for them? Can we pray for the Lord to do through us what we are incapable of doing for our enemies?
Karen Jobes was a professor of New Testament Greek at Wheaton College. She was teaching on Jesus’ call to love our enemies and to do good to those who hate us when one of her students shared a story about a soldier, who was a Christian, and living in the barracks with his unit. Each evening, when he would read his Bible and pray before going to sleep, he was ridiculed and insulted by the soldier across from him. One night a pair of muddy combat boots came flying at the soldier. The next morning, the hostile soldier found his boots at the foot of his bed, cleaned and polished and ready for inspection. And it happened night after night. Several of the soldiers in his company eventually became followers of Jesus as a result of the inner strength of one who could return blessing for insult. In Luke 6:27-28, Jesus has something to say to all of us who are here this morning.
27 "But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. (Luke 6:27-28 NIV)
I told you, we serve the King of the upside down Kingdom and those who will follow Him must surrender the ways of this world, the tactics and methods of this world, and allow the King to do what only He can do through them. We need to move on so let’s read together 1 Peter 3:10-12.
10 For, "Whoever would love life and see good days must keep their tongue from evil and their lips from deceitful speech. 11 They must turn from evil and do good; they must seek peace and pursue it. 12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil." (1 Peter 3:10-12 NIV)
I mentioned to you earlier that Peter is quoting from Psalm 34. This is the longest quotation from the Hebrew Bible in either of Peter’s letters. I can’t tell you how much time I have spent this week just thinking about the statement, “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep their tongue from evil and their lips from deceitful speech.” I bet if you were to ask 1,000 people: “What would it take for you to love life and experience good days?” none of them would list what Peter has listed here, which is original to Psalm 34 and King David. What does the “good life” consist of, how can we achieve the good life? I’m convinced that most people would go in the direction of a life free from worry and trouble, material goods, lots of money, fame and fortune.
What’s interesting is that our modern-day mindset about the good life consisting of a worry free life, material goods, wealth, fame, and boundless pleasure is really not a modern-day mindset at all. Long ago, King Solomon went looking for the good life and we can read about his search in the book of Ecclesiastes. For the sake of time let me summarize what he did, which we find in Ecclesiastes 2.
Solomon gathered silver and gold, he was the richest man who ever lived. He had male and female singers to entertain him and a harem which he described as “the delights of a man’s heart.” In Ecclesiastes 2:10 he wrote that he denied himself nothing his eyes desired and he refused his heart no pleasure. Then, in verse 11, Solomon wrote,
11 Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun. (Ecclesiastes 2:11 NIV)
So, being more popular than Taylor Swift, having more money than Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Warren Buffett combined, and having more women than the Playboy mansion, though exciting in the moment, proved to be empty. Or, as Solomon put it, “a chasing after the wind.”
Solomon wasn’t done searching for the good life. He turned his attention to the pursuit of wisdom. He would read the classics, think deep thoughts as he peered into space, put on a tweed jacket, and share all that he learned with the masses. Now, you need to know that the Bible says Solomon is the wisest man who has ever lived. 1 Kings 4 tells us he spoke three thousand proverbs about life, he wrote one thousand and five songs, he spoke about plant life, animals and birds, and reptiles and fish. His fame was widespread. We read in 1 Kings 4:34,
34 From all nations people came to listen to Solomon's wisdom, sent by all the kings of the world, who had heard of his wisdom. (1 Kings 4:34 NIV)
Solomon was wise, brilliant, and people came from near and far to listen to him speak, but when it came to the good life, wisdom didn’t do the trick. Back in Ecclesiastes 2, Solomon wrote,
16 For the wise, like the fool, will not be long remembered; the days have already come when both have been forgotten. Like the fool, the wise too must die! 17 So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. (Ecclesiastes 2:16-17 NIV)
When we read that loving life and seeing good days consists of keeping our tongues from speaking evil and deceitful speech, turning from evil and doing good, seeking peace and pursuing it with all of our heart–that just doesn’t sound nearly as exciting as what everyone thinks about experiencing the good life. The truth of the matter is that a worry free life doesn’t produce enjoyment in life. Having all the world offers doesn’t translate into experiencing the good life. The good life God desires for you and me, a life of trust in His Sovereign Hand, of hope when things look hopeless, and peace when all evidence points in the other direction, it is available for those who will look to Him.
Look at the lives of those who first received this letter. They were strangers and aliens, persecuted and harassed, yet they were God’s elect, chosen in Christ Jesus and possessing an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade, and kept in Heaven for them. Yet, they weren’t there yet. Their problems persisted in the present. And this takes us to Psalm 34.
David wrote these words that we read this morning in Psalm 34:12-16. When David wrote this Psalm he was on the run from King Saul, the king he had served so faithfully, but who, because of his jealousy, was bent on killing David. I wish we had the time to walk through the entire story of how David was anointed by the prophet Samuel as the next king of Israel, when he was just a young guy, in 1 Samuel 16:13, to when David actually became king over Judah, about fifteen years after Samuel anointed him. During those fifteen years David was between the promise and the fulfillment of God’s promise and his life grew increasingly difficult.
Saul loved David when he defeated Goliath, but then he began to grow jealous when the people praised the young boy David for having killed the enemy of God’s people. Things grew so bad, Saul became so jealous, that David had to flee and live his life on the run from Saul. In 1 Samuel 21 David was so desperate he fled to the Philistine city of Gath in hopes that King Achish would give him shelter. Some of the soldiers recognized David and he had to fake being insane to preserve his life. David was drooling all over himself, he was scratching at the gate, and David was sent away. He fled to the Cave of Adullam where many believe he wrote this Psalm.
During that long season of waiting, God was with David and David’s heart was set on serving the Lord. While David was down in the desert of Engedi, Saul continued to pursue him. In 1 Samuel 24, Saul had gone into a cave to use the bathroom. David snuck up and cut off a piece of his robe when he could have killed him. David remained silent until Saul left the cave. Then David called out to Saul. He held up the piece of Saul’s robe to show him that he could have killed him, but he means him no harm. Then David said, “Why are you listening to the men who are telling you I want to harm you? I have not wronged you, but you are hunting me down to take my life.” Then we read,
16 When David finished saying this, Saul asked, "Is that your voice, David my son?" And he wept aloud. 17 "You are more righteous than I," he said. "You have treated me well, but I have treated you badly. 18 You have just now told me about the good you did to me; the LORD delivered me into your hands, but you did not kill me. 19 When a man finds his enemy, does he let him get away unharmed? May the LORD reward you well for the way you treated me today. 20 I know that you will surely be king and that the kingdom of Israel will be established in your hands. 21 Now swear to me by the LORD that you will not kill off my descendants or wipe out my name from my father's family." 22 So David gave his oath to Saul. Then Saul returned home, but David and his men went up to the stronghold. (1 Samuel 24:16-22 NIV)
David refused to fight fire with fire. And so should we. Our motivation for turning away from evil when evil is done to us and refusing to speak hurtful, cutting words intended to cut those who have cut us, is not simply to be a bigger person than those who do those things. Our motivation is that this is the path Jesus has carved for us, it is the path that He first walked, and He invites us to follow in His steps. When you and I respond as Jesus responded, instead of responding like everyone else responds to those who slander them and say all kinds of horrible things about them, then others take notice.
I know this about all of us, it just isn’t in us to keep our mouths shut when people are talking about us in a negative way and it certainly isn’t in us to pray for the Lord to bless them, to draw them to Himself, and change their hearts. We want a pound of flesh. We want to get even. We want to make them hurt in the same way they have made us hurt. I’m right there with you. And it is acknowledging this about me, owning it that shows me how badly I need Jesus. I need my heart of stone to be changed by Jesus. I need my darkened thinking to be cleansed by Jesus. How about you?
Mike Hays
Britton Christian Church
922 NW 91st
OKC, OK. 73114
September 15, 2023
