Submit God's way is an excerpt from Peter: the common man's apostle.
Peter continues in chapter three to show us what true
liberty is. True freedom is in the heart and produces free acts of submission.
In example of this we can see that Daniel was free to serve
YHWH in prayer because He was free in His heart. He did not dishonor or disobey
the Kings decree; for the decree was no man shall request of man or god other
than the king under penalty of being turned over to the lions. If Daniel had
closed all his windows and went into a hidden place in order to seem to obey
the decree of the king it would have shown that he did not honor the king and
that he was a slave for he could not do that which YHWH had placed in his
heart. However Daniel was free for he submitted himself to YHWH openly and also
by doing this thing publicly with no attempt to escape the kings decree he also
showed that he was submitted to the king for YHWH’s sake.
In like manner Yeshua who knew it was not robbery to be
equal with YHWH submitted Himself as a son to YHWH’s redemption giving Him the
freedom to suffer arrest, judgment, shame, and death.
Also Paul driven by
the Spirit to Jerusalem forewarned by the same Spirit through his brethren what
awaited him there was submitted to the work of YHWH living in him that when men
placed him in chains his liberty confesses “I am the prisoner of Messiah”.
So Peter has said in chapter two we submit ourselves to the
decree of rulers by submission to YHWH first; making us free in our actions to
do the work of YHWH with no fear of becoming a slave to men.
Peter will now bring this liberty by submission closer to
home, literally. We must remember that Peter is not speaking of men and woman
but husbands and wives. In Messiah every believer is one with YHWH by the
Spirit and so also one with each other. YHWH is no respecter of persons but when
we speak of relationship there is a set order.
Peter encourages wives to submit to their own husband by
first submitting to YHWH in order that just as Daniel by his meekness submitted
to a king who did not believe in YHWH as the one true God. In the same way that
Daniels submission served to show the king the love of Daniel and the glory and
power of YHWH so even an unbelieving husband can be shown the love and
faithfulness of YHWH by the humble and meek heart of a wife who by her liberty
in Messiah submits to her husband.
Peter uses the example of Sarah. Since Sarah was seeking the
will of YHWH then to call Abraham lord did not make her Abraham’s servant but
instead an equal servant of YHWH. Consider that Eve was not made to be a servant
of Adam but a helpmate and could not be less than Adam in any way because she
was made from Adam; only when the two became one could the promise of YHWH’s
redemption be brought to pass. In the same way the promise of the seed spoken
to Abraham could not come to pass without the ministry of Sarah.
Of note when Sarah and Abraham tried to bring the promise to
manifestation in a way that Sarah was not the means of delivery YHWH would not
have it; for Abraham and Sarah where one and when YHWH made His promise to
Abraham it was equally to Sarah.
If we understand this then we also can understand why Peter
tells husbands to live with their wife in knowledge giving them honor for our
wife is a minister of YHWH by which the support of the ministry He gives us
comes.
If we consider her somehow less than us then we believe the
life of Messiah in her and the work of YHWH done in and through her are
unworthy and make ourselves the enemy of YHWH’s will and work in ourselves.
Peters conclusion of how our liberty is lived out is that we would be one with each other, by
compassion giving all that is in us for the good of others and love for one
another as equal brethren in YHWH’s household. We are to bless even in the face
of attack as our Master gave forth blessing by enduring through love the attack
of those who hated Him without cause.
So if need be we suffer for good we show ourselves in
fellowship with Him who suffered for us. Those who have become one with Him He
has proclaimed as dead to fleshly motives and actions by himself going into the
grave. In like manner when the Spirit resurrected Him death passed away from
all who have His fellowship.
In the day of Noah all men who put their trust in the ways
of men were buried in death beneath the flood; only the eight souls of Noah’s
family put their trust in YHWH’s ways and His prepared salvation.
This is an image of our baptism into Yeshua for the water is
not to wash the dirt from the body but to bury the ways and thoughts of man
witnessing them as both dead and buried that we may trust in only Him by the resurrection
of Messiah.
