Studies in First Peter Part 19
“10For, ‘The one who desires life, to love and see good days, must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit. 11He must turn away from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it. 12For the eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous, and His ears attend to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil’ (quoting Psalm 34:12-16) 13Who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good? 14But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. Do not fear their intimidations, and do not be troubled “ (I Peter 3:10-14).
Continuing on this path of our good reputation, Peter quotes from Psalm 34 about keeping our tongue from evil, doing good, and pursuing peace. Are these actions required to join God’s family? No, we are saved by our belief in His Son. Are these actions required to stay in God’s good graces? No, God has promised to never turn His back on you. Are these actions required for God to hear our prayers? No, because righteous is who we are in our core identity, and God’s eyes are always “toward” us.
So what is Peter saying here? This quote from the Psalms is similar to the wise sayings in the book of Proverbs. They are wise approaches to life. They are wise ways to live. They are most likely scenarios. They are not iron-clad promises.
Peter is saying that if you want to see good days and live a joyous life, do what you can to stay away from the sin that entangles us. Live graciously. Let grace lead you into godly living. And the most likely outcome of pursuing this godly living is a peaceful life. But again, these are not promised outcomes.
As Peter points out in verse 14, you may suffer exactly because of your righteous actions. In that case, we are to face that persecution with courage; “do not fear their intimidations, and do not be troubled.”
But as far as it depends on us, let us seek to do good, to keep our tongue from evil, to seek peace, and to turn away from evil. And may we experience life, love, and good days in that pursuit.