1 Peter 4:12

1 Peter 4:12 ‘Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you;'

‘do not be surprised' -‘present active, “be not amazed”.' (Robertson p. 126). ‘Surprised, astonished, shocked' (Thayer p. 432). ‘In the nature of things persecution must have been. much more daunting experience for Gentiles than it was for Jews. The average Gentile had little experience of it; but the Jews have always been the most persecuted people upon earth; persecution has been part of their heritage.' (Barclay p. 305) Suffering for doing the right thing should never be viewed as. “strange thing”. The Bible is filled with examples of righteous men and women who suffered for serving God (Hebrews 11:1). Jesus said plenty about such suffering (Matthew 5:11; Matthew 10:34; Mark 13:9; John 15:18).

‘at the fiery ordeal among you' -‘lit., burning, in its later use, smelting, trying metal by fire' (Alford p. 1662). Denotes grievous persecution (Macknight p. 494) ‘trying, severe, and difficult trials. Fire is painful, but fire is also necessary in the refining process.' (Oberst p. 211) (Psalms 66:10; Proverbs 27:21; 1 Peter 1:6).

Points to Note: 1. ‘Unlike the Jews who had for generations been. foreign and culturally distinct minority…..these Gentile converts had no experience of being. cultural minority. Before their conversion they were perfectly at home in their city. And instead of rebelling against God they had accepted the gospel message. But now they were experiencing cultural isolation and personal hostility….Well might they have wondered if something had not gone wrong.' (Davids p. 164). 2. These Christians had already suffered (1 Peter 1:6), but it appears that such suffering would become intensified.

‘which comes upon you for your testing' -‘Comes'-‘present middle, already coming' (Robertson p. 126); ‘the present participles imply that the persecution was already beginning.' (P.P. Comm. p. 174). 1. Far from giving us an excuse to be unfaithful, trials test the genuineness of our faith (1 Peter 1:6). Anyone can look spiritual during the good times. Contrary to popular opinion, how we react under stress is the real us and not an abnormal or fluke reaction. See Genesis 22:16. ‘the trial of man's fidelity, integrity, virtue, constancy, etc…' (Thayer p. 498)

‘as though some strange thing were happening to you' -‘as though something unheard of were happening to you' (Arndt p. 548); ‘as though this were some abnormal experience' (Phi). (Matthew 16:22; Acts 14:22; 2 Timothy 3:12). Points to Note: 1. God allows suffering to happen, because the benefits far exceed the pain. To have your faith tested is of eternal benefit. 2. Far better to make corrections now, then to be surprised at the judgment day. 3. In view of such passages we need to watch what we say when suffering comes. Let us not speak like the world, or act like an unbeliever and say, ‘Why me?'