Shepherd the Flock of God Part 2
1 Peter 5:4 And when the Chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown 👑 of glory that fadeth not away. KJV Note: NKJV=New King James Version
After having exhorted and encouraged the men who were selected by God to lead His flock of true believers here on the earth 🌎, Peter now reminds them that their faithfulness of handling the Word of God in or with sincerity and truth will be judged not by other believers only, but by the very One who has placed them in the position of feeding His flock our Lord, Master, and Savior Jesus Christ. The Apostle Peter calls Him alone the 'Chief Shepherd' and never himself or anyone of the other Apostles. Here is one place where many have taken off on a tangent and twisted the Word of God to their own destruction and to the defiling of many sincere souls seeking the truth, but being led into error. Peter never meant that he was the chief shepherd of God's flock of true believers, for there in the text this reality, this truth should be clearly seen, as it is written by Peter with these words, "And when the Chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown 👑 of glory that fadeth not away." (1 Peter 5:4) (KJV). It should be so easily discerned, disclosed, and discovered by any of God's true sheep 🐑 that in using the little adverb 'when' and the little English phrase 'shall appear' which is translated by the Greek word phaneroo which means to render apparent (literally or figuratively): - appear, manifestly declare, make manifest, shew self that Peter is not referring to himself for he is already physically before all the other believers and therefore could not be speaking 🗣️ of himself. Also he has clearly declared himself at the beginning of his discourse on this subject matter (1 Peter 5:1) only an elder along with all the other elders. First, let me say that none of us will ever be 100% accurate in our pursuit of understanding the Word of God, for we can and should recall these words of the Apostle Paul to the believers @Rome when he wrote, "Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgements and His ways past finding out! 'For who has known the mind of the LORD? Or who has become His counselor?' 'Or who has first given to Him and it shall be repaid to Him?' For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen." (Romans 11:33-36) (NKJV). However, there is much in God's Holy Word that He wants and requires of us that we be diligent, dutiful, and determined to dig out every beautiful and glorious nugget of truth through study, prayer 🙏, and yielding to God the Holy Spirit that He may illuminate as much deep truth that we desire to behold, therefore, we should likewise heed these words given also to the Apostle Paul when he wrote to Brother Timothy, "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth." (2 Timothy 2:15) (NKJV). This little English phrase Paul uses in (2 Timothy 2:15) 'rightly dividing' is translated by the Greek word orthotomeo (it is used this one time only in the entire New Testament) it means to make a straight cut, that is, (figuratively) to dissect (expound/elaborate) correctly (the Divine Message). Although, we will never understand the mind of God, we are tasked by God Himself to declare His Divine Truth accurately because it will be the difference between life (Revelation 22:14) and death (Revelation 22:15) for sinners seeking to know the truth. Jesus Christ is the 'Chief Shepherd' of His flock and not Peter or Paul or anyone else. Christ alone will judge correctly how His elders have fed His sheep 🐑 the truth of His Word and He will reward accordingly each with the unfading 'crown of glory' that will be taken off by each true under shepherd and cast at Christ feet in honor and love 💕 for their 'Great Shepherd' who counted them worthy to serve Him.
Here is what the Expositor's Bible Commentary had to say of 1 Peter 5:4, "For their consolation the Apostle sets before the elders their Judge in His self-chosen character. He is the Chief Shepherd. Judge He must also be-when He is manifested; but while He must pass sentence on their work, He will understand and weigh the many hinderances, both within and without, against which they have had to fight. Of human weakness, error, sin, such as beset us, He had no share; but He knows whereof we are made, and will not ask from any of us a service beyond our powers. Nay, His Spirit chooses for us, would we but mark it, the work in which we can serve Him most fitly. And He has borne the contradiction of sinners against Himself. In judging His servants, then, He will take account of the willfulness of ears that would not hear and of eyes 👀 that would not see, of the waywardness that chose darkness rather than light 🕯️, ignorance rather than Divine knowledge, death rather than life. Therefore His feeble but faithful servants may with humble minds welcome His appearing. He comes as Judge. 'Ye shall receive.' It is a word descriptive of the Divine award at the last. Here it marks the bestowal of a reward, but elsewhere (2 Peter 2:13) the Apostle uses it for the payment to sinners of the hire of wrongdoing. But the Judge is full of mercy. Of one sinner's feeble efforts He said, 'She hath done what she could. Her sins are forgiven.' And another who had labored to be faithful He welcomed to His presence: 'Enter into the joy of thy Lord.' To share that joy, to partake of His glory, to be made like Him by beholding His presence-this will be the faithful servant's prize 🏆, a crown 👑 of amaranth, unwithering, eternal."
If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray 🙏 this from your heart ❤️ to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking 🗣️ directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn 🛞 from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart ❤️ and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen!!!
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