The Mystery of Christian Suffering | PD w/ David Wilber

Despite this fallen, broken world that has all of these messed up societal structures and governments. Despite all of that, we need to follow Christ's example because we have hope. We've been born again to a living hope. We know that he is coming one day to set up a righteous kingdom. He is coming to correct all oppression. He is coming to correct all injustice. And we have hope in that future day. So we live in light of that future hope right now.

One of the world's largest objections to God is that he allows suffering in this world. Suffering has broken the faith of some. Some have said I was inclined to believe in God, but then this happened and then they fell away. But on the other hand, a born again believer is strengthened through suffering. Suffering didn't break their faith, but built it. What a contrast this is. But why is this? What is a born again believer? How could one possibly rejoice in suffering? What does God teach us about the role of suffering? And what is our role in a dark and suffering world? And last but not least, how do we overcome our trial? These are some of the questions that are wrestled with in the book of 1 Peter. And today I'm bringing on my dear friend David Wilbur to join me. David just recently wrote a commentary, Born Again to a Living Hope, and that's on One Peter. So David, I'm really excited to have you and to discuss this with you. Is there anything you want to share with people about this recent release?

Yeah, thanks pd. It's wonderful to be with you as always. And as you mentioned, I just wrote a commentary on First Peter. It's Born Again to a Living A Messianic Commentary to First Peter or Messianic Commentary on First Peter. And it is part of a new series that is just recently launched called the Messianic Jewish Application Commentary series, edited by Dr. Agal German. I love First Peter. It is, I think it's often an overlooked book in the New Testament by many believers, but as you just said, it really has so much insight and benefit for us, especially when it comes to the topic of suffering.

Absolutely. And I think that's where we're going to begin. I mentioned how believers born again believers are noted by Peter to have this upside down view of suffering whereby the world sees suffering as this bad thing that is a good reason to not follow God. Born again believers are taught to see it in a very different way. And you know, that's easier said than done. When we're in the middle of suffering, we just want to get away from suffering. I'm going to start with reading 1 Peter 1, verse 3, just for everyone to kind of get on the same page. And. And then we're going to begin there. So we see he says, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, unfading, kept in heaven for you who by God's power are being guarded through, through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. And then he says in this, you rejoice, though now for a little while if necessary, you've been grieved by various trials. So right off the bat he's talking about these trials, but that there's something for us to rejoice in this resurrection of Christ, this idea of being born again by God's power. So, David, maybe we can begin there. What does it mean to be born again? And why is that supposed to help believers in having hope in the midst of trial?

Yeah. So great question. This is a central theme in the letter, basically being born again. It is a metaphor that Peter uses to describe believers becoming part of God's family. So throughout his letter, Peter uses this imagery of family, and he uses this imagery of family to describe the believer's relationship with God and with each other. For instance, in 1st Peter 1, verse 14, followers of the Messiah are called to live as obedient children. In 1st Peter 1, verse 17, they are to call on God as father. Right. In First Peter 2, verse 2, Peter likens believers to newborn infants. And they depend on God's milk. That is his word for spiritual growth. And so like, like an infant depends on his mother's milk. Believers, they depend on God's milk. They depend on God's word. They are like spiritual infants. And so being born again, it means becoming part of God's family. It means being born spiritually, if you will, as his children. And how do we become born again? Well, according to Peter, it. We become born again spiritually according to 1st Peter 1, verses 23 through 25, by believing the good news that was preached, okay? And so by believing the good news that was preached, that is specifically the good news of the Messiah. You read it in, in the verse earlier, we've been born again to a living hope through the resurrection Messiah. By believing that good news, we experience this new birth. We are born again. And so the Messiah's resurrection makes that possible, and this birth gives us a living hope. We're born again to a living hope. That hope that, that hope is that we will be resurrected like the Messiah is resurrected. Just as he was resurrected, we too will be resurrect. And so this is. We can have confident and confidence in this because, yeah, God raised Yeshua from the dead. He raised the Messiah from the dead. We know that, we believe that. And so God has already fulfilled his promise in Yeshua. And so we likewise can confidently place our hope in God, who has promised to bring about our resurrection as well in the future. And so for Peter, it is that hope for the future that really empowers us to overcome trials in the here and now. The Bible of course, answers this. Qu. You know, you asked the question like, okay, what? Why does God permit suffering? And the Bible kind of gives a multifaceted answer to this question. It answers it in many different ways. For Peter, the. The answer that Peter really hones in on is this fact that we have hope that we're not suffering, we're not miserable for no reason. Right. There's a greater purpose to our suffering. There is a resolution that we can look forward to, that one day suffering will be abolished. We have hope for the future, that future resurrection, when pain and death and mourning, all of that will be no more. And that hope empowers us to overcome trials in the here and now.

That's good, brother. Yeah, I appreciate that. Peter also later talks about resurrection further in terms of baptism. You know, I think one thing that I've noticed in the body is through years of tradition, it's been about we die and then we're in heaven. But the idea of the resurrection itself is not been as forefront. But we see in the scriptures, like in 1 Peter, for example, baptism, it's described as this death with Christ and this resurrection with Christ, that we can partake in Christ's death, burial and resurrection. And there's actual hope there through looking at how he was resurrected. So we will be resurrected. I love that. But now there are also people who will say, okay, you know, David, everything you say pd, everything you're saying about being born again, that sounds cool, but if God has come to save me from this ratchet world, why am I still in it? Right? The human expectation is if a Messiah was going to come as Jesus came, he was perfect and he was all knowing and he's all powerful, and then he resurrects and then he leaves. Right? And this even catches the disciples kind of off guard, I think, and everyone else. And now you've left us in this world of suffering, you are there in heaven with the Father. You know why. And I think that that's also something Peter gets into. Do you have any initial thoughts on that?

Well, yeah, so I think that. I think, as I said earlier, hope is. Is something that unbelievers don't have. I really do want to emphasize that because I think that that's the point that Peter really emphasizes is this. This future hope, so that that is something that unbelievers just don't have. You know, there is no For. For unbelievers. There is no future resurrection. There's no future salvation. And so they. They suffer and they die, and that's it. But in. In the meantime, while. While we have hope in the future, while we do have hope that that one day suffering will be over and that we will be with God and that we'll. We'll have that resurrection into immortality, there is a. There are benefits to suffering. There is a redemptive side to suffering. I. Let me see. Yeah. So God uses. You read it earlier in, in verse seven, right? Says. Or verse starting in verse six, he says, in this, you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, verse seven, so that the tested genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. So there's still this. There. There's still this emphasis on future hope, but also there is this current thing that is happening. Paradoxically, the trials that we face in this present age serve a good and necessary purpose. They test the genuineness of our faith. And James also talks about this, right? He says, count it all joy, as you face trials of many kinds, for the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. So, yeah, James talks about how the. The trials that we face, they are bringing us to a spiritual maturity. And I think that's sort of what Peter is also getting at here. He says that your faith is being tested. The genuineness of your faith is being tested. And so here he uses the analogy of refining gold with fire. Why? Because in the ancient world, precious metals like gold, they were heated to high temperatures to burn away impurities. And so in the same way God uses trials to refine his people, he uses trials to purify our faith like a precious metal, if you will. And so these Challenges, they strengthen our trust in Him. They. They enable us to. To become spiritually mature. Like. Like James talks about more explicitly. We also see this in the Psalms, for example, and in Psalm 119, verse 67, it says, Before I was afflicted, I went astray, but now I keep your word. So before I experienced affliction, I was going astray, but now that I have experienced affliction, I keep your word. And so Peter teaches that genuine faith, you know, it helps shape us into the people that God intended us to be for his glory. And so, yeah, I think that. I think that just as we have hope as believers that one day there's going to be this future resolution. Also suffering in the here and now is not meaningless suffering. It's serving God's purposes in our lives. It is. It is bringing about spiritual maturity.

Yeah, and there's a lot. There's. I think a lot of people can connect with this idea where they have perhaps had a loved one or even themselves. They've wandered, they've grown even lukewarm in their faith, perhaps. And then something happens in their life, and suddenly it's like they fell into a pit. And now it's the first time they're actually looking up again in a long time. And they're seeking God, they're seeking deliverance. Sometimes when we grow so comfortable, it seems like everything's just going well. Even as seasoned believers, this can happen where we just. Our eyes drift off of the Father and onto things of this world. And yet, it's like you said, the Father is testing the genuineness of our faith. And you know, when it's easy, when things are easy, when life is easy, it's easy to raise your hand and say hallelujah when things are really hard and, you know, you're confused and you're wondering why. Why could God allow this to happen to me? I've been so good, I've been so righteous. I've done everything in the law and now. Yet, you know, my child is sick or, you know, I just lost my job or whatever. Right. I really like what he. Also, the second part of verse seven, which we just read, it says, though it is tested by fire, that we may be found to result in the praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. So he's actually talking about that moment that Christ is revealed again at the Second Coming, and we all see him. How are we going to respond in that moment? And how we responded to trial right now is going to shape us, but also determine how we will respond when he appears one day again. Those who despised him today because of the trials in their life as his enemies, as Christ's enemies, they will despise him when he appears in the clouds. And on the other hand, those who loved him even in the midst of their trials, they will love him when he appears at his revelation as his servants. And I think in the book of Job, we see this very clearly as well. Yes, you see Job, Job, the first chapter, I'll just summarize for anyone who's not familiar. It talks about the CBNs who came, these messengers coming to Job and saying, oh no, look, the Sebians came. They struck down the servants with the edge of the sword. And then as that messenger speaking, another messenger comes to Job and says, oh no, Pharaoh came from heaven, burned up the sheep. And then as that messenger just is speaking, another messenger comes and says, the Chaldeans came, they struck down servants. And then another messenger comes and says, Job, your sons and your daughters, they were in a house, a wind came and the house fell on them and they died. And now they're dead. And it's just this, you know, if something like this were to happen to a man who did nothing wrong in of himself to deserve this, as the scripture doesn't say that it was a sin, it just happened for other reasons, right? God tested Job and Job responds in such an unexpected way. Let me just, maybe, maybe I can pull that up for everyone to just see. Job 1:21, it says, and he said, naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave. The Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. And it says, in all this, Job did not sin or charge God with wrong. But his wife, on the other hand, of course, David, as you know, comes and says, job, why do you still hold fast your integrity? Just curse God and die. These radically different responses to the same trials. And so I guess the question is why? Why are people suffering is like a sword that divides. It's like God uses it to see who are his. But I wonder what is it that causes people to choose to be as Job's wife cursing God or as Job? Is there any thoughts you have or just in general with the story?

So what causes that contrast? I think it is natural to react to suffering with bitterness. It's natural. And I think that Job, you know, he. Job's response was very unnatural. You know, it was. It was a. He was responding because he recognized that, you know, in that moment that God is just right that God is the just judge man. There is so much to say on this topic, but I, I think that it is natural to react to suffering with bitterness, with anger, Scripture, and specifically in Peter, because this is the letter we're talking about. Peter, I believe, is calling on believers to respond to suffering in an unnatural way, like Job did. Why? Because they have experienced a spiritual birth. You know, they're, they're spiritual now, and so they ought to react spiritually instead of naturally. And so regardless of what happens to them in this life, as we've been talking about, as Peter really hammers home here, there is hope for the future. We have been born again to a living hope. And like Yeshua suffered unjustly and was vindicated, so too will believers who suffer unjustly be vindicated at the resurrection. And yeah, what, what does it say? 1st Peter 2:23. It says, when he was reviled, he did not revile in return. When he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. And so Yeshua recognized that the Father judges justly and, and he entrusted himself to that just judge. And so, like Job, we, we can recognize that God is just even when we don't understand it from our finite perspective. We're not able to see what God sees. That, that, that's a huge thing in Job, right? You know, we do not know. We have no clue. Like we, we are a little speck of dust, you know, and we, we have no clue what God knows. He is so far above everything that we see, yet we can trust that he is just. And we see that in Job at the end of Job, right, God restores his fortunes and gives him much more. And I think that that is a symbol, if you will, of the resurrection. At the end of time, that hope will be fulfilled. That ultimate resolution will have that in the resurrection. Also, another point to make on this, we mentioned that suffering has a redemptive side, you know, brings us to spiritual maturity. It prepares us for that great day, you know, when we see God, as you mentioned in the verse seven, right? So we may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. So we respond to that with praise and glory. So suffering is preparing us for that great day. Also in the here and now, suffering is really an invitation. It's an invitation to connect with God in the here and now. There's this quote from Corey Ten Boom that I really love. If you don't know Corrie Ten Boom, she is that she's The Christian Holocaust survivor. She wrote a book about her experiences called the Hiding Place. And there's this quote she says, there is no pit so deep that God's love is not deeper still. And so no matter how deep our pit, no matter how. How devastating our suffering is, God's love can meet us there even in that moment. The psalmist says that he is near to the brokenhearted, and he saves the crushed. In spir. Suffering is an invitation to draw near to God. It says he is near to those. He is near to those who are brokenhearted, who are suffering. It's an invitation to draw near to him in those moments and to experience his presence and his love and his affection in a deep and profound way that we would not experience otherwise. We cannot experience that. That depth of his love when everything is happy, go lucky, you know, we will never experience that depth of that affection. And so suffering, yeah, it's. It's an invitation to really draw near to God in a way that we wouldn't be able to otherwise. So that. That's another. That's another redemptive side to suffering. I believe.

That's beautiful. David. If you think about the greatest demonstration of love, we know, that is the picture of Christ on the cross, and that was the deepest, darkest place of suffering. All the world's sin laid upon him, that suffering, like no one has known it before. And yet we look at that and we say, that's love. God's love, specifically.

Yeah.

And so that's exactly what you just mentioned. There's. We're not able to comprehend in any form or fashion God's love until we are faced with a situation where there is struggles, where we need him, where he needs to do something, even though he doesn't have to. Because, of course, he is in a place of holiness, surrounded by a cloud of witnesses. He does not need to come down from his throne and look upon my problems, but he decides to do so because he loves me. And so, you know, I think a lot of people, they have, when they're faced with their plan, their suffering, their trial, we sometimes have this plan in our head of how things should work out, or we have a loved one and, oh, if this loved one could only meet God in this moment, in this format, in this time. Right. We have these ideas oftentimes with whatever our trial isn't. And I think what you said is so key, is trust God, have faith in God. That's what makes Job exceptional, as you said, is that he has faith.

Yeah. And draw near to God in Those moments. What do we see in Job? We have, however, many chapters of this dialogue that he's having with his friends, trying to make sense of everything and what happens. God shows up. God shows up and meets Job. Like Job has an encounter with God. Like in. In the depth of despair, in the devastation of suffering. He gets to talk to God. Like he gets to have this incredible encounter with God. And. And I think that that is one of the answers that the Bible gives to suffering, is that it is an invitation to meet God, is. It is an invitation to draw near to Him. I love this quote. I just pulled up this quote from Charles Spurgeon because it came to mind as. As we were talking, and I just want to read it really quick. But he. He says, quote, have you never known what it is in times of peace and quietness to feel as if you missed the grandeur of the presence of God? I have looked back to times of trial with a kind of longing not to have them return, but to feel the strength of God as I felt it then, to feel the power of faith as I have felt it then, to hang upon God's powerful arm as I hung upon it then, and to see God at work as I saw him then. God is with us in our suffering in a profound way. It's an invitation to see him at work in a way that. To experience him in a way that we would not be able to experience him at a depth that we would not be able to experience him in times of peace and quietness, as Spurgeon puts it. And I love that quote because in my own personal life, I just. I resonate with that. In times of suffering, in my own personal life, I've. I have felt God's presence in a deep and profound way. And it's an experience that I can look back at with longing, as Charles Spurgeon puts it. I long to feel the depth of his love and that I had in those moments. I don't want the trials. You know, I don't like the suffering, but I. You know, the experience that I had with God's presence in those moments is something that is powerful.

Amen. You know, David, I'm hearing your child in the background there, and I want to move on that, like, say something about that. You know, Yeshua talked about children, and he said, have the faith of a child. And this is something that is very interesting to me because he's basically telling us to become as children, even though we're all adults, usually we say, grow up to people, and he Says in regarding faith, well, grow little. And if you think about children, children have innocence. They've not experienced the. The deceit of man. They have not experienced the betrayal of a friend. They have not experienced the same suffering that we as adults have. And so children, they believe anything we say to them. They trust us. We even have to tell them to not. We have to teach them to not trust people. We have to tell them, don't talk to strangers, don't get into a car with a stranger. Because if we don't teach them to not trust, they'll just trust anyone. So that innocence is so precious. And I think that God is calling us to retain that childlike faith. But how do we do that? It is by trusting God, as if suffering could never touch that trust. You know, we've become so jaded sometimes. We've said, all these things have happened to me. I can't trust anyone. And then I can't trust God. And I built all these walls around me. But God is actually saying, break down the walls between yourself and heaven. Yes, people will betray us, but the wall between you and heaven, break that down. Because you have to trust that God is, as Job saw him, holy and righteous and good, even when we don't see the picture and the plan. So become like a child to the Father. In that sense, this is what I would really encourage anyone.

Amen. And. And just really quick to go back to first. Peter 2:23. Yeshua exhibited that faith, says when he did not threaten, but can. When he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. So he kept trusting his Father because he knows that. That his Father is good, that his Father is just.

He's giving us an example of Yeshua. That's what Yeshua did. That's what Job did. And that's if Yeshua did that, how much more can we have reason to trust the Father in our time of need? Okay, so next we see that Peter, he moves into a admonition to us on how to love. And I want us to talk about this for a moment. Starting from verse 13. We see that God not just makes us born again through his Spirit, but he then puts his spirit in us and changes our life from the old, sinful, unholy, wretched life of old into this new life, repurposing our life in that resurrection. So resurrection is not just something that we're looking forward to one day, but it's something we can start living out now as well. And Peter gives this saying that's famous. You shall be holy as I am holy is what the Lord said. So I want us to just read that. And David, I'd love to hear some of your thoughts on that. We see, he says, therefore, preparing your minds for action and being sober minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passion of your former ignorance. But as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct. Since it is written, you shall be holy, for I am holy. You know, for those who don't know, of course he's quoting Leviticus 19:2 here when he says, you shall be holy for I am holy. Leviticus in mainstream Christianity is certainly seen as an old book, not quite as relevant as it used to be. I'm saying that from the perspective of many, why is Peter quoting from Leviticus talking about very much new covenant ideas, right? Being born again and the resurrection of Christ and all of these things. Why is Leviticus now suddenly the topic?

Well, yeah, it's a great question and man, there's so much to say. Get the commentary. I have a lot to say on this passage. But yeah, well, the reason is that the New Covenant has everything to do with the law, you said. Why does he bring this up in the context of living out the New Covenant? Well, the New Covenant, According to Jeremiah 31:33, is that God will write the Torah on our hearts and he will enable us to walk out the Torah. And so the, the law of Moses is not done away with. It's very much part of this New Covenant experience that has been unleashed, this New Covenant era, if you will, that has been unleashed through the Messiah's resurrection. And so, yeah, the, the law is not abolished. Yeshua, all the apostles, they fully affirm the law. And, and so in that same spirit, Peter is appealing to the law. He says, be holy for I am holy. Or he says in, in, yeah, verse 14, as obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance. But as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct. And then verse 16 says, since it is written, you shall be holy, for I am holy. And so as you mentioned, he's quoting Leviticus. There, this, this phrase, be holy for I am holy shows up a few times in Leviticus, specifically in Leviticus 11:45 through 46, I believe. And then also Leviticus 19, verse 2. You know, we, we have this phrase and, and it Shows up a couple other spots as well in Leviticus. But yeah, he's definitely appealing to Le Leviticus. Why? Because Peter believes the ways to be holy are written in Leviticus. That's why he quotes it. That's why he appeals to it. He says, be holy. And because it is written, be holy for I am holy. And so Leviticus for Peter, it defines holy conduct for us if we are to be holy in all our conduct. What does that mean? What does that look like? Well, Leviticus explains what that looks like. And if you look at where this commandment appears, you, you have it pulled up right there in Leviticus 19. There are many commandments that, that define what holy conduct looks like. You shall be holy, for I, the Lord your God, I'm holy. And then it's. Then what does this say? It says, every one of you shall revere his father and his mother, and you shall keep my Sabbaths. I am the Lord your God. And so revering our father and mother and keeping God's Sabbaths is part of what it means to be holy. Also part of what it means to be holy is not taking idols as we see there in verse four. And you know, as we keep going, you know it, you know, do not defraud your neighbor. Love your neighbor as yourself. Right? So, yeah, in, in that, that famous, the famous commandment that Yeshua quotes when he's asked what is the greatest commandment of the law, he says, love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength. Quoting Deuteronomy, and he says, love your neighbor as yourself. He's quoting Leviticus 19, verse 18 there. Love your neighbor as yourself. And so, yeah, Leviticus is very much part of, of what the apostles believe. We need to, we need to live out when it comes to being holy.

That's excellent. To just prove your point further. When Peter writes in 1 Peter 2, 1, we see, he says, put away all malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander. And when you go in that same chapter of Leviticus 19 that we were just in verse 11, he's saying in Leviticus 19, you shall not steal. You shall not deal falsely. That's to deal in deceit. You shall not lie to another. And then he says Also in verse 16, right here, you shall not be a slanderer among your people. And of course, we just read in one Peter, put away all slander. So, you know, if someone was to write a sermon on Leviticus 19, that would be Peter right now, because he is grabbing all of these Statements be holy as I'm holy. He's talking about slander, he's talking about hypocrisy, which also is what the whole chapter is about and the deceit and so on. And so it's beautiful. And it calls us all back to Peter's source material. Of course, Peter is giving us incredible revelation, fulfilling, filling up, filling up the revelation for us or making it relevant for us, but yet also of course at the same time pointing us all back to Leviticus in this case, as Christ did.

Yeah, that's, that's a really great way of putting it. Pd if someone wanted to write a commentary on Leviticus, it would be First Peter because yeah, throughout First Peter he is, he's constantly appealing to Leviticus even, even when he talks about honoring your elders in chapter five. That harkens back again to Leviticus 19 because Leviticus 19 has, you know, you shall rise above, you rise before the, the older man, you shall rise before the man with gray hair. And so that, that's teaching us to honor our elders in Leviticus. And, and yeah, so yeah, throughout, throughout First Peter there are these constant appeals to Leviticus.

Yes. And Peter's point is, is interesting to me. He's saying this is all in order for us to love better. And if I could read it here, verse 22, having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth, which is what is the truth? Right. It's God's law. Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth. For a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart. So Peter sees that the law is showing us how we can best love our brothers, our sisters, and of course God best. And so love is both the goal of the law and of course the marker of being a disciple of Christ. Now of course, I just want to say on this that many people have a really bad taste of the Law in their mouth and it is because of a bad witness of the law that there has been in history. Right. Yeshua had a lot of issues with the Pharisees who had knowledge of the law, but who twisted the law for their own aspirations and added their own man made burdens, mixing it with the law of God and causing a lot of confusion for people. And above all this idea that Peter has to love our brothers using the truth and the law of God. No, the Pharisees, they did not use the law of God to love, but to oppress. And so yeah, I want to just put that out there that Peter is actually setting things straight here. That just as Yeshua said, the greatest commandment and everything that the Torah hangs on, on is to love.

It's the misuse of the law that. That Yeshua condemns with the. With the religious leaders of his day. And he came like he said he came. I did not come to abolish the law or the prophets, but I came to fulfill them. And I take that to mean that he came to fully do and teach them. He came to show us how to live out the law properly. He came to correct the misuse of the law by the. As we see throughout Matthew 5, he came to correct the misuse of the law that the religious leaders of his day were, you know, putting on the people. And he came to show us how to live out the law properly. And I think Peter is the same way. I mean, all the apostles, all the New Testament authors, they are, they are. You know, when the New Testament was being written, there was no New Testament. Yet, you know, they are. They are working from the Old. The Hebrew Scriptures, what we call the Old Testament. And so they are explaining how to actually live out the Hebrew Scriptures correctly through the power of the Holy Spirit that writes the Torah on our hearts and in accordance with Yeshua's perfect example and teachings.

Amen. And, you know, on this whole line of thinking we've talked about in suffering, this world that we're now in where, you know, Christ has left us, and he said, you are the light of the world. Of course, that is now in accordance with what Peter has told us to be holy as the Lord is holy. And so then Peter talks about how that is a witness to the world as well. He says, keep your. In verse 12, keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation. So we're seeing another reference to this day of visitation, this revelation of Christ where when he appears, how are we going to respond? And he's now saying, well, you can actually not only affect how you will respond, but how others will respond at that day of visitation when they witness the holiness of God working in you through your obedience to God. And that is something. There's something to say about that you are in a world now that has suffering, that suffering will affect you by just the fact that we're in this world. But at the same time, you can actually overturn suffering in this world by walking out in holiness. That's beautiful. It's like, well, would we want to Ask Christ to eject us out of this world while this world just burns and everyone suffers. And well, Christ has a heart for this world. He loves this world. He died for this world and he sent us. And isn't that like, more of an honor than anything? So we can, yes, we have to deal with the world, but we can also play a part in God's salvation to it.

Yeah, we can turn suffering against itself pretty much. Yeah. I like the way that you said that. Turn suffering on its head, because Peter actually calls it part of our apologetic when he talks about, when he talks about defending your hope in 1st Peter 3, verse 15, he says, in your hearts, honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks, asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you. Yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience so that when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil. And so it's interesting, we often point to this verse to say, like, you know, to talk about the importance of apologetics, right? You know, that we need to be able to offer a reasonable defense of what we believe. And yes, that's true. But it's fascinating that suffering is also part of that apologetic. It is part of putting your opponents to shame. You know, when you have a good conscience, and when you have a good conscience while being slandered, while suffering, though your opponents are put to shame when you do that. And so that reveals something deep, something true about what you believe. It reveals something authentic about the hope that you have to other people, because you're not going to suffer for something that you don't believe is true. You're not going to suffer for something that you don't really have hope in. But if you have hope, you will be willing to suffer for it. You will be willing to have a good conscience and to engage with people and be willing, willing to suffer if that be God's will. And, and that serves as an apologetic. It serves as a defense of, of your hope. It reveals to people like, yeah, it reveals to people like, wow, this is the real deal, that there is, there is something to this, right? You know, your, your good works. You said it earlier in, in the Sermon on The Mount, Matthew 5, it says, you are the light of the world, a city set on the hill. He says, in the same way, let your light shine before others so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. This comes right before verse 11. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you, and utter all things, all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven. For so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. And so, yeah, when we, we're blessed when others revile us, we're blessed. When we suffer, it's. It's part, it becomes part of our testimony depending on how we handle it. As long as we maintain that good conscience, as long as we continue to do good works, that becomes part of our testimony. It becomes part of our witness that, that what we are suffering for, that it is real, that it is authentic, and that you can have hope as well.

And that's beautiful. There's a lot of people, I mean millions historically, who have come to faith because of the testimony of Paul the Apostle, right? This man who was vehemently against the disciples in Christ, and he turned on a dime his life around because of this encounter of Christ losing everything and lived a life of great suffering for it, of course, and this suffering that he endured, basically he did not have anything to gain, rather he had a lot to lose. And that in of itself was a large testimony to the first century fellowship of the saints, but also to us today. I love what you said, that as long as you handle it correctly, I think you said, when we were suffering, how do we handle it? Peter mentions this as well. I'll just read this for everyone. For this is a gracious thing. When mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. For what credit is it if when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it, you endure. This is a gracious thing in the sight of God. For to this you've been called because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example so you may follow in his steps. Suffering because we have sinned is not what we are talking about here today. We're talking about suffering unjustly. God is talking about when we experience suffering without cause, without us having caused that evil to come upon our own life.

Amen. What's really interesting about that passage too is that it's in the context of Peter's instructions for regarding how servants are to relate to their masters, specifically slaves. You know, as I explain in my commentary, Peter is not endorsing slavery here. He characterizes it as a human institution. So he recognizes that slavery is part of this fallen world. It's part of this world that humans inhabit. And so it's a pro. It's a human institution. I think that's in verse 13 is where, where he uses the, where he calls it a human institution. Yeah.

Oh, that's interesting.

Yeah, to every human institution. And so then, then he goes into all of these examples, right? He talks about submitting to government authorities and then he talks about masters submitting to slaves. And so, yeah, he's not endorsing slavery. He recogn as a human institution. This is a product of the world. This is a product of your current reality. Slavery was part of the social structure of Peter's time. And what is Peter doing? He recognizes the less than ideal reality of the situation and he is giving guidance on how to navigate this as believers. He's giving practical guidance for helping these believers live in a way that brings God glory in a society that has human institutions like slavery as, as part of everyday life. And slaves were treated very unjustly. So they, they were, yeah, they were treated unjustly. So, so the world being the way that it is, it is not an excuse to return reviling for reviling. You know, we may complain about all of the problems that we see in this world. We may complain about our current, our modern social structures that we don't like, our modern government that we are not a fan of, that the policies and the laws that the governmental laws that we are not a fan of and that we may feel are oppressive. That does not give us an excuse to return reviling for reviling. We are to, as Peter, as Peter talks about, you know, we, we are to navigate that situation by blessing. We are to navigate that situation by, by living, by doing good deeds. Just as Yeshua talks about in his Sermon on the Mount, verse 5, Peter also talks about doing good deeds in even while suffering. And so, and then ultimately in this context and in the previous chapter, chapter two, he talks about looking to Christ's example. We are not to retaliate, but we are to respond to mistreatment by trusting God who judges justly. And so, yeah, the world is messed up. It was messed up when Peter wrote his letter. It was, it was very messed up. It was messed up. It was more messed up in some ways than our current world. World is messed up. I mean, they still had slavery. They still had slavery in Peter's world. And, and yet even in that world, you know, he's, he's calling on us to, to say, yeah, it's a Human institution. It's. The world is messed up. That's not an excuse. That's not an excuse not to live righteously. And so we don't have an excuse either. The world is messed up today. We need to, we need to follow Christ's example. And we need to recognize that despite this fallen, broken world that has all of these messed up societal structures and governments, despite all of that, we need to follow Christ's example because we have hope. We've been born again to a living hope. We know that he is coming one day to set up a righteous kingdom. He is coming to correct all oppression. He is coming to correct all injustice. And we have hope in that future days. And so we live in light of that future hope right now. And we keep pressing forward and we keep doing good deeds. We keep suffering. If that be God's will, maintaining a good conscience so that others might come to that living hope as well.

Absolutely. The world is expecting us to act like they act. They expect us to rage when they rage at us, to hit back when they hit us, to slander when they slander us. And it's the moment we turn the table and respond in an unexpected way with the love of Christ, that with sympathy, with gentleness, with patience, with goodness. These are unexpected moments for them. And then they have to stop and ponder even perhaps their own actions and ponder why your actions are different than theirs. And the answer should be, and is that you are born again and they should desire the same. You are a witness then, not of evil or for the world, but a witness of God.

Yeah, and just to add a quick caveat to that, because Peter gives this caveat and so I feel compelled to mention it, but yeah, it's not a guarantee that you're going to persuade people, like even, even when you suffer for doing God's will, even when you do good deeds and when you maintain a good conscience, as Peter calls us to, you may persuade some people, some people might look upon your good works and give glory to God. Peter mentions that in, in chapter two. But also that might not happen. It's not a guarantee that people will be persuaded. We are to walk it out anyway because we know, because in the end there will be vindication. We will be vindicated. In the end, at the resurrection, all injustice will be corrected. And, and so we, we have that hope that that's something that Peter is constantly pointing to. And so I, I think he does that for a reason. Because it's important for us to recognize that even if things don't look the way we think they should look. Even if things don't work out the way we think they should work out, we can have hope, we can look forward to that day that injustice will be corrected.

Absolutely. Have an eternal perspective on your trials.

Amen. Yes.

David, as we conclude here tonight, for anyone right now who is struggling with a trial of whatever sort on their plate, is there any advice that you would want to give them or any word that you want to share with them right now to that would strengthen them?

Oh, gosh, I mean, yes, several of the things that we, we just talked about. I'll try to get practical, but, you know, big picture, I think, just, just to kind of tie together some of these threads. You've been born again to a living hope. You do have hope. You are born into God's family. You have an inheritance as his child. And so you. That inheritance is kept in heaven for you. It is kept secure. God himself is keeping it for you. So that on that day at the resurrection, that future salvation, you'll come into that inheritance. And so that is something that you can look forward to that, that is something you've been born into. It's your inheritance. You can't take that away. It's your inheritance as his child. And so rejoice in that practically. My advice is to read First Peter, to get to read First Peter. That's something practical for you and really soak that in. Really take these promises to heart and write it down, you know, like, yes, this is my inheritance, this future glory, this future salvation that God promises. That is my inheritance, and God is keeping it in heaven for me. Yes, I have been born again to a living hope. Write that down, memorize it. Let it just soak that in. Let it transform your perspective so that you begin to see everything in your life through that lens of eternity. Also, we talked about how there is a redemptive side to suffering. Even right now in our present day, that suffering is preparing us for that future day of glory. It is also in the here and now, making us spiritually mature. The psalmist says, before I was afflicted, I went astray, but now I keep your word. And so suffering has a way of bringing us to maturity. It has a way of, of equipping us to, to live righteously and to live holy lives, as Peter calls us to, if we let it. And so that is another thing that we can think about as we experience trials is that is to ask God, practically ask God, God, what are you trying to teach me through this? What is it in my life that you want me to put away. Is there something in my life that you want me to put away so that I can put on holiness, so that I can put on righteousness? And what are you teaching me through this? So practically? That's something that you can ask. Also, we talked about how another redemptive side of suffering is that it is an invitation to meet God. Just like Job in his devastation, in his deepest pit, he had an encounter with God. God met him there. Similarly, in our suffering, in our trials that we are experiencing, it is an invitation to draw near to God. Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. Jane says, and so we can look at suffering as an invitation. We can draw near to God. God is near to the brokenhearted. We can. We can ask God, where are you in this moment? Ask him like God, I. I want to be near to you. You say that you're near to the brokenhearted. Where are you? Where are you, God? Come. Come. Come visit me, Lord. Come be with me, Lord. I want to feel your presence. I want to. To sense that you are here with me right now in this moment. And as the Word says, draw near to God. He will draw near to you. I believe that he will meet you in that moment. And so that is something I would encourage you guys with is. Is to look at suffering as an invitation to meet with God, not as. It's not something that that is meant to draw us away from God. It's all about how we respond, right? Like people. Pete, Petey, you mentioned earlier, it's all about how we respond to it. Do we respond the way that Job's wife did, or do we respond the way that Job did? I would. I would ask you guys to consider looking at suffering as an invitation to meet with God.

I love that, brother. Thank you for sharing that. One last thing I will add for anyone, listening is as far as possible, in the midst of your trial, continue with. With the work of the ministry that the Lord is giving you. Staying busy with the Father's work also helps us to have an outlet where the Holy Spirit can use us. It's so easy for us to want to just kind of get in a hole somewhere. And my life is difficult. And that's actually what the enemy would want, is to get you under control, kind of of the enemy's depressions, but rather break free from that and break out for the sake of the Holy Spirit's work that he wants to do through you. Even when life isn't perfect in our lives, we can still be a light to others. And in fact, there's oftentimes great miracles that come by when life is hard. You mentioned Corrie 10 boom and how, you know, there was a holocaust. Life was as hard, more harder than most of us would ever experience. And yet there is still in that deep, dark place, a light that wants to shine out of us. But will we. Will we open our mouth? Will we give encouragement? Will we share what we have with someone else? Whatever that looks like? I would encourage that. So, yeah, thank you so much, David. This was so encouraging. Can you share with us? For anyone who wants to dive deeper, please, how can they find your book?

Brother, it's always a blessing to join you and to talk scripture with you. Thank you so much for the invitation. Yeah, so if you want to dive deeper into First Peter and some of the things that we were talking about, I would invite you guys to check out out my new commentary on First Peter again. It's called Born Again to a Living Hope, a Messianic commentary on First Peter. It's part of the new Messianic Jewish Application commentary series edited by Dr. Agal German. And yeah, it's available online, anywhere you get your books. Search for it on Amazon. The title again, is Born Again to a Living Hope. You can also get it at on the website pronomian publishing.com. that's the publishing company again, would love for you to check it out and that would be a good resource for you guys if you're interested in this topic.

All right, well, thank you so much, David. Guys, get it. It's a blessing. I'd love to take a moment to pray for anyone right now who's been listening to this and who's who may feel like. Like they're going through trial. Father, I thank you for just this time, Lord, we can spend together in your word. I thank you, Lord, that you have given us hope. I thank you, Father, that you have sent your son Yeshua to die for us on the cross. And thank you, Lord, that we have a promised resurrection in our future and even the power of the resurrection with us right now. And so I ask, Lord, that just as you said by your stripes, we are healed. I pray, Lord, that whatever situation needs healing right now out there for anyone listening, that your Holy Spirit would go and touch people, that you would heal them, heal their relationships, their families, that you would open doors for them. And Father, I thank you, Lord, that no matter what we face, that you are with us, your spirit is with us, that you are our comforter. In times of trial. We praise you. We give you honor and glory. And I pray that all of us would give you praise, honor and glory until the day of your revelation. In the name of Yeshua, Amen. Thank you guys so much for joining me. May God bless you and keep you and like this video. Subscribe to the channel if you're new here. Here and we'll see you guys in the next one. Shalom.