1 Peter 2:13-17

13 Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme,

14 or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good.

15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men—

16 as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God.

17 Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.

The words “submit yourselves” are the translation of a Greek military term meaning “to arrange in military fashion under the command of a leader.” One could translate, “put yourselves in the attitude of submission to.” The exhortation is not merely to obey ordinances, but to create and maintain that attitude of heart which will always lead one to obey them. — Wuest, pages 60-61.

Put to silence (v.15) = lit. “to close the mouth with a muzzle.”

ignorance (v.15) = want of understanding

foolish (v.15) = lacking reason, reflection, and intelligence.

We have a vivid example of Peter’s words … in the life of Daniel. Even though Daniel remained in captivity under the Medes and the Persians, he willingly submitted himself to the authority of the king. It is said that Daniel had an “excellent spirit.” In other words, he had a good attitude, which won him the favor of King Darius. The king was so impressed by Daniel’s dedication that he set him over all his affairs, for Daniel was a man of integrity, which is an outstanding virtue in any age.

But the officials who served with Daniel were envious of him, so they set into motion a scheme to entrap the prophet. For weeks they secretly followed him hoping to catch him in some type of indiscretion, whether in his business dealings for the king, or in his personal life. what they discovered was that Daniel’s life was above reproach. “They could find none occasion nor fault; forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him” (Daniel 6:4). This is what Peter desired for his hearers. — Sadler, pages 89-90.

as bondservants of God (v.16) — I take this to mean that you obey and honor civil authorities, not out of deference to and reverence for them but out of deference to and reverence for God.

honor (v.17, 2x) = assign value, revere, venerate as valuable

In all things, as long as they don’t require you to disobey God, obey the governing authorities. That’s not easy to do, especially when the government is actively promoting sin and persecuting those who do God’s will. But Peter and Paul (Romans 13:1) wrote these instructions when Nero was emperor and persecution of believers was rampant, so obviously, their instructions are also for us. Of course, the principle does not apply when the government requires disobedience to God. Peter faced this himself when the Jewish authorities forbade him to preach Christ. He replied, “We ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29).

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