1 Peter 5: Shepherd the Flock of God
Peter charges elders to shepherd willingly, calls all to humble themselves and cast their cares on God, to resist the devil, and stand firm in grace.
1 Peter 5 (WEB)
1 I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and who will also share in the glory that will be revealed.
2 Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, exercising the oversight, not under compulsion, but voluntarily, not for dishonest gain, but willingly;
3 neither as lording it over those entrusted to you, but making yourselves examples to the flock.
4 When the chief Shepherd is revealed, you will receive the crown of glory that doesn’t fade away.
5 Likewise, you younger ones, be subject to the elder. Yes, all of you clothe yourselves with humility, to subject yourselves to one another; for “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time;
7 casting all your worries on him, because he cares for you.
8 Be sober and self-controlled. Be watchful. Your adversary, the devil, walks around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
9 Withstand him steadfast in your faith, knowing that your brothers who are in the world are undergoing the same sufferings.
10 But may the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a little while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.
11 To him be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.
12 Through Silvanus, our faithful brother, as I consider him, I have written to you briefly, exhorting, and testifying that this is the true grace of God in which you stand.
13 She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, greets you; and so does Mark, my son.
14 Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace be to you all who are in Christ Jesus. Amen.
1 Peter 5 (KJV)
1 The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed:
2 Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;
3 Neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.
4 And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.
5 Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.
6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.
10 But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.
11 To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
12 By Silvanus, a faithful brother unto you, as I suppose, I have written briefly, exhorting, and testifying that this is the true grace of God wherein ye stand.
13 The church that is at Babylon, elected together with you, saluteth you; and so doth Marcus my son.
14 Greet ye one another with a kiss of charity. Peace be with you all that are in Christ Jesus. Amen.
1 Peter 5 (ASV)
1 The elders therefore among you I exhort, who am a fellow-elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, who am also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed:
2 Tend the flock of God which is among you, exercising the oversight, not of constraint, but willingly, according to the will of God; nor yet for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;
3 neither as lording it over the charge allotted to you, but making yourselves ensamples to the flock.
4 And when the chief Shepherd shall be manifested, ye shall receive the crown of glory that fadeth not away.
5 Likewise, ye younger, be subject unto the elder. Yea, all of you gird yourselves with humility, to serve one another: for God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble.
6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time;
7 casting all your anxiety upon him, because he careth for you.
8 Be sober, be watchful: your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
9 whom withstand stedfast in your faith, knowing that the same sufferings are accomplished in your brethren who are in the world.
10 And the God of all grace, who called you unto his eternal glory in Christ, after that ye have suffered a little while, shall himself perfect, establish, strengthen you.
11 To him be the dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
12 By Silvanus, our faithful brother, as I accounthim, I have written unto you briefly, exhorting, and testifying that this is the true grace of God: stand ye fast therein.
13 She that is in Babylon, elect together with you, saluteth you; and so doth Mark my son.
14 Salute one another with a kiss of love. Peace be unto you all that are in Christ.
Summary
Peter closes by addressing the elders as a fellow elder and a witness of Christ's sufferings who will share in the glory to be revealed. He charges them to shepherd the flock of God among them, exercising oversight not under compulsion but willingly, not for shameful gain but eagerly, not domineering over those in their charge but being examples to the flock, so that when the chief Shepherd appears they will receive an unfading crown of glory. The younger are to be subject to the elders, and all are to clothe themselves with humility toward one another, for God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. Therefore they are to humble themselves under God's mighty hand, that he may exalt them in due time, casting all their anxieties on him because he cares for them. Peter calls them to be sober and watchful, for their adversary the devil prowls like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour; they must resist him, firm in faith, knowing the same sufferings are being experienced by their family of believers throughout the world. He promises that the God of all grace, who called them to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish them after they have suffered a little while, and he ascribes to God dominion forever. He has written briefly through Silvanus, his faithful brother, to encourage them and testify that this is the true grace of God in which they stand. He sends greetings from the church in Babylon and from Mark his son, and closes with a kiss of love and peace to all who are in Christ.
Main Characters
- Peter — A fellow elder and witness of Christ's sufferings who charges the elders, calls all to humility, and testifies to the true grace of God in which they stand.
- The elders — The shepherds of the flock, called to oversee willingly and humbly as examples, who will receive an unfading crown when the chief Shepherd appears.
- The chief Shepherd — Christ, whose appearing will bring the crown of glory, and the God of all grace who restores, confirms, strengthens, and establishes his suffering people.
- The adversary, the devil — The enemy who prowls like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour, whom believers must resist, firm in faith.
- Silvanus and Mark — Peter's faithful brother through whom he writes, and Mark, whom he calls his son, sending greetings along with the church in Babylon.
Key Verse
1 Peter 5:7 (WEB)
casting all your worries on him, because he cares for you.
Lessons Learned
- Elders are to shepherd God's flock willingly and humbly, leading by example rather than domineering.
- God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble, so we are to humble ourselves under his mighty hand.
- We can cast all our anxieties on God because he genuinely cares for us.
- We must stay alert and resist the devil, firm in faith, trusting God to restore and establish us after we have suffered a little while.
- Shepherd willingly, not for gain. Elders are to oversee “not under compulsion, but voluntarily, not for dishonest gain, but willingly” (1 Peter 5:2, WEB). Godly leadership is glad, generous service.
- Lead by example, not by force. Elders are to be “not… lording it over those entrusted to you, but making yourselves examples to the flock” (1 Peter 5:3, WEB). Influence comes through modeled faithfulness.
- Humble yourself under God's hand. “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time” (1 Peter 5:6, WEB). The path down is the path God lifts up.
- Cast your cares because he cares. “Casting all your worries on him, because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7, WEB). We can release anxiety because God himself tenderly attends to us.
- Resist the devil, firm in faith. “Withstand him steadfast in your faith” (1 Peter 5:9, WEB), knowing the whole family of believers shares the same struggle. We stand together, not alone.
- How does Peter describe the right way and the wrong way to shepherd God's flock?
- Why does Peter link humility with casting our anxieties on God in verses 5-7?
- What does Peter's image of the devil as a roaring lion teach us about spiritual vigilance, and how are we to respond?
- How does the promise of verse 10 encourage believers who are suffering “a little while”?
- What is one anxiety you sense God inviting you to cast on him, trusting that he cares for you?
- Elders are to shepherd willingly and eagerly, not under compulsion or for shameful gain, and as examples rather than domineering lords (5:2-3). Christlike leadership serves the flock for love's sake and leads by modeling faith, in contrast to leadership that exploits or controls.
- Humility and trust go together: to cast our cares on God is itself an act of humbling ourselves under his mighty hand, admitting we are not in control and he is (5:6-7). Pride clings to anxiety as if everything depends on us; humility releases it to the God who cares.
- The image warns that the enemy is real, active, and dangerous, seeking to devour the unguarded (5:8). The response is not panic but sober watchfulness and steadfast faith, resisting him while remembering that believers worldwide endure the same struggle and the same grace (5:9).
- Peter assures sufferers that the God of all grace, who called them to eternal glory, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish them after they have suffered a little while (5:10). The suffering is real but bounded; the glory is eternal, and God himself guarantees the outcome.
- This is a personal-application question with no single answer. As leader, gently invite members to name—aloud or silently—one specific worry to entrust to God, resting in the promise that he cares for them (5:7). Model surrender yourself, and avoid pressing anyone to share more than they wish.