In his spiritual maturity the apostle Peter lights the way for Jesus followers living in perilous times. As the light of the world we’re going to experience suffering as our lives collide with the darkness. Words and even wounds are the pains along our pathway. In the days of his ignorance Peter thought of fiery trials to be avoided at all costs, blurting out, “Lord, this will never happen to You!” But now having walked decades as a stranger and sojourner hand in hand with Jesus, his take on trials morphed from making the hurt go away into making our pains an entryway to mercy to those hurting us, opening their eyes wide to the living and loving God. Our submission to God as Jesus did—not trying to get even, not threatening, not name calling—opens up a supernatural day of visitation to trying and difficult people. It’s through our sufferings and afflictions that the Lord Jesus will be supernaturally revealed to others. Perhaps it was this rock solid assurance that emboldened Peter to be crucified upside down. If we welcome Jesus to live the submissive pilgrim life in and through us, we’re going to see God act with lasting impact in the world around us.
Peter has been turning our eyes to Jesus’ example in hardships that we might follow in His steps. This same God will do the same miracles of calling those who are antagonistic towards us out of darkness and into His marvelous light.
Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.
1 Peter 2:12 ESV
The day of visitation is a day of God’s personal presence infused with sympathetic care. It’s a day of compassionate generosity that gives sight to the blind and life to the dead. How did the thief on the cross go from thrashing Jesus with his tongue to all of a sudden acknowledging Him as King of Israel? Because Jesus turned the other cheek, refusing to reciprocate this thief’s reviling, the Father responded by mercifully opening that thief’s eyes! It was his day of visitation!
How did the centurion, as guilty and complicit as the soldiers who drove the spikes into Jesus’ hands and feet, all of a sudden acknowledge Him as the Son of God? Because Jesus, “when he suffered…did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.” As the Father tore the veil in the temple He also tore the veil obscuring Jesus’ true identity, and the centurion went from death to life. It was his day of visitation!
After the Lord Jesus Christ as our prime example, Peter wants to introduce another person for us to consider. Let’s see how this day of visitation worked in Sarah’s life in her times of testing and trial to revel in the God who reveals.
Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct.
1 Peter 3:1-2 ESV
“Likewise” links back to Jesus’ example of being subject to authority. Peter now is enlarging upon this theme of submission to God in fiery trials. In all the history of the people of God, he picks out this illustration of wives to disobedient husbands.
Although obscured in our English translations, the language here ties back to earlier talk of the day of visitation. First off, the word “see” in “when they see your respectful and pure conduct” is epopteuō (ep-opt-yoo’-oh), meaning beholding or eying closely. Its only usage in the whole New Testament is here and back in verse 12: “they may see [epopteuō] your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.” It’s Peter’s way, mimicking the literary devices of the biblical Hebrew writers, of flagging continuity of theme between these two passages. In both epopteuō instances, outsiders’ observation a lifestyle of good works are the seeds that yield the beautiful harvest of divine intervention and illumination.
What’s interesting here is that instead of echoing glorifying God on the day of visitation, Peter introduces the word kerdainō (ker-dah’-ee-noh) that means to win or to gain. “…Even if some do not obey the word, they may be won [kerdainō] without a word by the conduct of their wives.” Whereas glorifying God is the apex in the former, being won over is climax in the latter. The essence of kerdainō is conveyed by Paul: “To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win [kerdainō] Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win [kerdainō] those under the law” (1Co 9:20). Jesus spoke this way: “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained [kerdainō] your brother” (Mt 18:15). So when Peter says, “Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won,” it’s a winning over from relational alienation and brokenness to unified relationship, particularly as it pertains to the Lord Jesus.
Leading up to chapter 3, Peter had been dipping into Isaiah 53, quoting or alluding to familiar references like “By his wounds you have been healed.” As Isaiah 53 reaches its dramatic climax, it refers to the suffering Servant’s winnings or gains: “Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death…” (Isa 53:12). The spoils are the treasures of the enemy gained or won by conquest. For Jesus those spoils were people imprisoned by sin and held captive by Satan. Peter affirms the Lord’s dividing of these spoils to Himself: “For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.” This returning to the Shepherd and Overseer is a winning over, a dividing of the spoil. So as Peter puts Sarah into the spotlight, he’s expanding upon the day of visitation to include winning the disobedient or unbelieving one to the Lord. So cool!
So to tie a bow on the linked comparison, in the former they see (epopteuō) your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation whereas in the latter they see (epopteuō) your respectful and pure conduct and are won without a word. So while both instances of epopteuō bring about divine intervention, in the former they glorify God, implying their eyes being opened (i.e., revelation) whereas in the latter they are won to God (i.e., reconciliation). In other words, this second linked usage of epopteuō adds color and definition to the first. The exciting implication is that a day of visitation not only brings blessed revealing of who Jesus is but also gains the closeness of relationship to Him! “Today you will be with Me in paradise.”
Peter now points out an exemplar for wives, specifically citing Sarah among the company of holy women who trusted in God.
Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear—but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious. For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening.
1 Peter 3:3-6 ESV
This story that we’re to look into kills two birds with one stone, aligning perfectly with Peter’s narrative. Sarah’s submission to a trial in her life yielded both God’s day of visitation to the people around her and at the same time won over her unbelieving husband. Many times I’d read this thinking that the unbelieving husband is an unsaved husband. What’s interesting to note here is that the unbelieving husband is Abraham! Although wives can certainly apply these passages to unsaved husbands, its first application in the context of Peter’s letter is concerning Abraham as the unbelieving husband. Seeing this rightly makes for our faith to receive strong encouragement. We need to understand the story Peter is alluding to.
Now, Abraham is not a full-fledged unbeliever in the story we’re about to explore, but there’s an area of his life where he’s not fully surrendered in faith to the Lord. God, though, is going to win Abraham over from disobedience to faith through Sarah’s deference to him as her husband. So Abraham is the rascal. He’s the one instigating Sarah’s fiery trial. It’s his unbelief that’s bringing hardship to his wife. But the beauty is that her trial she hoped in God, which brought about a day of visitation for both Abraham and the lost Gentiles around her.
As we dive into the Genesis story, there are three things to watch for. I will point them out as we go along. Watch how Abraham is an unbelieving husband, not trusting God to protect him at the moment. Second, watch the submission of Sarah. Lastly, watch how God reveals Himself to the world because Sarah’s godly submission.
From there Abraham journeyed toward the territory of the Negeb and lived between Kadesh and Shur; and he sojourned in Gerar. And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.” And Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah.
Genesis 20:1-2 ESV
Prior to this escapade, the Lord had paid a personal visit to Abraham and Sarah, promising them a miracle child. Then Sodom and Gomorrah went down in flames, Lot barely escaping with his two daughters. Sarah at this time is about ninety years old. Apparently her ninety is not the ninety of today. The king of Gerar is so enamored by her physical beauty that he brings her into his harem to be another wife. At this time in history, the life spans, while not attaining to near a millennium like Methuselah, were still way beyond the life spans of today where the age of one hundred limits most of humanity. Sarah will die at 127 years of age (Gen 23:1). Abraham will pass onto glory at a ripe old age of 175 years (Gen 25:7). So although ninety years old, incongruent to the artwork of children’s Bibles, Sarah still apparently retained her youthful appearance, although she’d passed the age of childbearing.
A lot’s at stake here. She’s still barren but clinging to God’s promise of a son. The future promised Seed to bless the nations through Abraham is in jeopardy by the sexualized advances of a pagan king. Like Adam before him, Abraham, instead of being her protector, just passively stands by watching all this happen. That was a trial for her. Abraham’s fear put her into this situation. Now she’s stuck in this harem. She’s in a dangerous place, completely vulnerable because her husband abdicated his role to be her shield. But Sarah did have a shield!
But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night and said to him, “Behold, you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is a man’s wife.”
Genesis 20:3 ESV
This dream is Abimelech’s day of visitation! At first blush it comes across as a severe judgment; however, as we go along we’ll see the mercy of the Lord expressed to this king.
Now Abimelech had not approached her. So he said, “Lord, will you kill an innocent people? Did he not himself say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And she herself said, ‘He is my brother.’ In the integrity of my heart and the innocence of my hands I have done this.” Then God said to him in the dream, “Yes, I know that you have done this in the integrity of your heart, and it was I who kept you from sinning against me. Therefore I did not let you touch her. Now then, return the man’s wife, for he is a prophet, so that he will pray for you, and you shall live. But if you do not return her, know that you shall surely die, you and all who are yours. So Abimelech rose early in the morning and called all his servants and told them all these things. And the men were very much afraid. (Genesis 20:4-8 ESV)
So not only does the king get a visitation, but all king’s servants hear about the visitation as well. The revelation of God is spreading and advancing.
Then Abimelech called Abraham and said to him, “What have you done to us? And how have I sinned against you, that you have brought on me and my kingdom a great sin? You have done to me things that ought not to be done.” And Abimelech said to Abraham, “What did you see, that you did this thing?” (Genesis 20:9-10 ESV)
So here’s a pagan king rebuking the prophet. The prophet found himself in a disobedient place where a pagan king has to rebuke him and instruct him what a righteous prophet ought to be doing. How ironic! Now we know that Abraham is the father of faith. This is just a moment where God is working out salvation in his life, saving him from leaning to his own understanding that he might trust in the Lord with all his heart. Scripture elsewhere testifies of Abraham being a faithful man. This was just not one of his better days.
Caught red handed in his lie, Abraham confesses his rationale to the offended king of Gerar.
Abraham said, “I did it because I thought, ‘There is no fear of God at all in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.’ Besides, she is indeed my sister, the daughter of my father though not the daughter of my mother, and she became my wife. And when God caused me to wander from my father’s house, I said to her, ‘This is the kindness you must do me: at every place to which we come, say of me, “He is my brother.”’” (Genesis 20:11-13 ESV)
So after God’s exposing, Abraham confesses why he told a half truth, which was really a lie. This is a repeat performance of Abraham and Sarah in Egypt back in Genesis 12. Abraham didn’t learn the lesson of faith, but Sarah did. I’m passing by the Egypt incident with Pharaoh because the current story better illustrates where Peter’s going with the day of visitation to the Gentiles.
So what was Abraham hoping in? He was moving in fear. He was moving in unbelief. He didn’t think that the Lord was going to protect him, so he had to concoct a scheme after the flesh to save his life. This is where Abraham was exposed as the unbelieving husband. Furthermore, his idea that there was no fear of God among the people of the land was wrong! There was a fear of God. When God showed up, “the men were very much afraid.”
Can you see now why Peter picked out this incident with Sarah? His audience could very much relate to Abraham’s fear. Peter’s readers in the Roman Empire lived in the specter of fear where telling the full truth of their identity as Christians might cost them their lives. So similar to Abraham’s cultural situation. Peter is adapting the story of God in Sarah’s and Abraham’s time for the people of God in his day and age. As we think upon this account with fresh eyes in the light of Jesus having come, will we hope in God as Sarah did? Or will we tell the world only part of the truth, omitting what could get us into trouble like Abraham did? So Peter draws from this story to showcase Sarah’s submissive faith that we might follow in her steps.
For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord.
1 Peter 3:5-6 ESV
Sarah went along with what Abraham said. She called him lord. According to Peter here, she was doing it in faith, hoping in God. The king of Gerar pays Abraham 1,000 pieces of silver to testify to everybody of Sarah’s innocence (Gen 20:14-16). So it was in faith she submitted herself to her husband’s disobedience and God openly rewarded her as a woman of virtue. She entered into this terrible situation of the harem trusting God. She’s singled out as a holy woman who hoped in God. So Sarah had faith. As a result of her faith, Abraham is won over to the word without a word from her. God had come to the rescue, rebuking Abraham’s unbelief through the pagan king. Like our Lord Jesus, Sarah’s meek and quiet spirit invited God to show up. Was God glorified in the day of visitation? Yes. After God showed up in a dream to the king, the mercy continued.
Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, and also healed his wife and female slaves so that they bore children. For the Lord had closed all the wombs of the house of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham’s wife.
Genesis 20:17-18 ESV
Because Sarah hoped in the Lord, Abraham was won over to faith. If it weren’t enough that God acknowledges him as prophet, Abraham becomes the first faith healer in the Bible! Now Abraham is tasting a bit of his heavenly calling to bless the nations, a little foretaste of the promised Seed, Jesus, who’d come forth from he and Sarah.
So now it should be obvious why Peter had us focus on this particular story showcasing the submission of Sarah. Abraham’s fear in a culture likely to kill him over being truthful resonated with Peter’s readers in Roman Empire times of fear where the end of the road for truthfulness could be the mouth of lions. Sarah’s hope in Jesus shouts out, “Don’t be afraid of trials!” Don’t be afraid of what people can do, for if you’ll humbly trust the Lord, He’s a very present help in time of trouble. He is not a distant and indifferent God. God’s got your back! He’ll be your shield! The Shepherd-Visitor not only loves you but delights to unveil Himself to the people persecuting you so He can win them over to Himself. Like He did for you. Don’t disguise who you really are in Christ. By surrendering yourself to the way of Jesus, not leaning to your own understanding, not reviling for reviling nor threatening those who make you suffer, you open up a day of visitation to them! This eye-opening visitation results in them glorifying God and being won over to Jesus. Not everybody will be won, but there’s a thief or a centurion or a pagan king in the crowd who will receive God’s torrent of tender mercy. How awesome!
In closing, I’ve heard many testimonies of how the Lord is visiting many Muslims in the Middle East, particularly Iran, by dreams and visions. A common denominator is the appearance of Jesus in these dreams, which sparks seeking out Christians or churches in spite of their culture of fear and intimidation. This may be why in heavily persecuted places like Iran, the church has just exploded, from 100,000 in 1994 to 3 million just two decades later.
As but one example, a British pastor helping Muslim refugees from Iraq and Iran reported conversions to Christianity after having dreams about Jesus. “One man, Hassan, had a dream. In this dream, Jesus came to him as a light. He told him to come to this church and be baptized,” testified Rev. Sally Smith of St. Mark’s Church in Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire, England. “He knew it was the Lord who had wrapped himself around him.” Some of the reputable churches I follow online periodically report on missionaries from the Middle East who testify about these amazing dream encounters in Iran and other hard to reach places.
I’d always thought these dream invasions were cool, marveling at the Lord’s amazing goodness. But I’d never made the connection to the truth of 1 Peter 3. Now rather seeing these dreams as random acts of God’s sovereign kindness, disassociated from any specific revelation from His word, now I see them as a day of visitation that Peter highlighted. These supernatural encounters during the night are an expression of His word for the people of God in our day, as it was in Peter’s day, and as it was in Sarah’s day. In places like Iran where the government’s pressure is extreme—imprisonment and death for converting Muslims to Christianity—as Jesus people submit themselves in a meek and quiet spirit, God is responding again and again with His day of visitation! America has been a land of freedom, but it may not always be that way. I’m stocking up on my faith in God should that day of adversity ever come.
Thank You, Lord, for Your amazing mercy on full display! We have nothing to fear because You are with us and are for us and not only us but for those outside the fold that You yearn to bring in. Amen.
Glory Unveiled: Discovering Jesus 