As Peter the
apostle continued to give instructions to the
“wives”, he told them they should not
emphasize the “outward adorning
of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of
apparel;”,
and in chapter three and verse four of his letter, Peter told the
“wives”
to let their adorning be “the hidden
man of the heart”
where we read:
But
let it be the hidden
man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even
the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit,
which is in the sight of God of great price.
The verse begins, “But let
it be the hidden man of the heart, in
that which is not corruptible,...” Peter
began with the word, “But”
which is a disassociation conjunction that means what is about to be
written takes precedence over what was just stated, “moreover,
nevertheless and notwithstanding” “let it
be the hidden” or “allow it to be the
concealed, secret, inward or private” “man”
which refers to “person or individual” “of
the heart” which refers to “the center
and seat of spiritual life”, “in that
which is not
corruptible” which means “incorruptible,
immortal and imperishable”. Rather than putting emphasis upon their
outward appearance, “wives” were to concentrate and improve on
their “inward woman”.
The
verse goes on to say, “...even the ornament
of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great
price.” Peter continued with, “even
the ornament of a meek” or “mild
disposition, gentleness of spirit and meekness” “and
quiet” which means “tranquil, still,
undisturbed and peaceable” “spirit”
which refers to “the vital principal by which the body is animated
and the rational power by with the human being feels, thinks and
decides”, “which is in the sight”
or “in the presence of and before” “of
God” which refers to “the Godhead bodily
and trinity which is comprised of God the Father, Christ the Son and
the Holy Spirit” “of great price”
which means “precious, very costly, excellent and surpassing
value”. Peter shared the characteristics of the “inner woman”
of the “wives” who
were to follow his instructions. They were to have a valuable “meek,
tranquil, still and undisturbed” disposition before God Almighty.
When
we meditate upon these words of Peter, we begin to understand the
importance of our “hidden man of the heart” which is
“incorruptible”. Not only are the “wives”
supposed to have “meek and quiet spirits”, but we are as
well. Let us be reminded that the “wives” were to win
their husbands by their “chaste” manner of living, and
when they emphasized the “hidden man”, they would manifest
the Spirit of God to their husbands. Let us take knowledge of these
incorruptible traits, and always remember there is great value in
living in this manner before the Lord Jesus' eyes.
Next
time Peter shares about the way women were “in old time”,
so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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