Chapter CONTEXT from MHCC: Wherein the apostle describes the duties of husbands and wives one to another, beginning with the duty of the wife (v. 1-7). He exhorts Christians to unity, love, compassion, peace, and patience under sufferings; to oppose the slanders of their enemies, not by returning evil for evil, or railing for railing, but by blessing; by a ready account of their faith and hope, and by keeping a good conscience (v. 8-17). To encourage them to this, he proposes the example of Christ, who suffered, the just for the unjust, but yet punished the old world for their disobedience, and saved the few who were faithful in the days of Noah (v. 18 to the end).
Our text for today comes from a very familiar place Psalm 34:12-26, Peter appears to be affirming David’s call to those who want blessings in this life. Peter takes David’s list in verses 13-14 and consolidates them herein to being righteous and praying. God hears the pleas of His righteous people, by implication, His face is turned towards His people and He sees all that is going on in their lives.
For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous,…. Who are so not merely in the sight of men, but of God; nor in their own account, and by their own works, but in the esteem of God, through the imputation of the righteousness of his Son unto them: and because he loves this righteousness, and is well pleased with it, seeing by it his law is magnified and made honourable, therefore his countenance beholds with pleasure and delight those righteous ones who are clothed with it; his eyes of omniscience, love, care, and protection, are always upon them, watching over them, delighting in them, running to and fro in the earth on behalf of them; he sees every injury done them, and in his own time and way will do them justice; which is a reason why they should not take vengeance themselves, but leave it with him, whose it is:
and his ears are open to their prayers; or “prayer”; in the Hebrew text, “to their cry”; he is a God hearing prayer, and his righteous ones have his ear; he hears them while they are speaking, and will sooner or later answer, and avenge his elect, who cry unto him day and night; for as he has an ear to hear their cries, which is not heavy, he has an arm to save them, which is not shortened; and this is another reason why they should behave as before directed, and which is still strengthened by what follows;
John Gill’s Commentary
Of course, there are always consequences for the unrighteous. Like David, Peter makes it clear the face of the Lord is against them that do evil. Be careful not to interpret this to mean that God does not see or know what is happening to those that do evil. God is all-knowing, and everywhere nothing escapes Him.
No, both David and Peter were referring to something like getting the cold shoulder from God? God sees them, He hears them, and ignores any plea (except one of true repentance) from them.
but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil; it is added in the psalm, “to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth”: by “the face of the Lord” is meant, as the Jewish writers y interpret it, the anger of the Lord; it intends, not his kind, pleasant, and loving countenance, but his angry one with the former he beholds the upright, and with it he looks upon his righteous ones; but the latter is upon and against the wicked, and is dreadful and intolerable, and the consequence of it is everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power.
John Gill’s Commentary
Maybe it is just me but having the face of God looking favorably upon me sounds a whole lot better than not. Are you living your most righteous life today?
Faithful Steward Ministries and FSM Women's Outreach 