observe – Ministry of Grace Church

having observed your pure behavior accompanied by fear.

Truth to Learn

The pure lifestyle of a God-fearing woman is a thing of wonder to behold.

Behind the Words

The phrase, “having observed” comes from the Greek word epopteuō, which is a compound of epi, meaning “on” or “upon” and a form of optomai, which means “to gaze.” There are a number of words in the Greek that are used for different types of looking, words that mean to see, to look at, to look closely at, to stare, to be a spectator, and to spy on. These are all distinctly different than this word which means, “to gaze upon (that is, with wide open eyes, as at something remarkable).” The word is expressed here as an aorist participle, implying continuous action which occurred before the main verb of this sentence (“they … may be won” in the previous verse). So, we could translate this as, “they having observed…”

The word translated “pure” is the Greek word hagnos. This comes from the same root as hagios, a word we’ve looked at before, meaning “holy” or “pure.” The word in today’s verse means “clean, innocent, modest, chaste, or pure.”

“Behavior” is translated from anastrophē, which is made up of ana, meaning “up,” and a form of strephō, meaning “to turn.” Hence, this word literally means “to turn up,” but by application it means “to go back and forth” and has come to mean “manner of living, lifestyle, behavior, or conduct.”

Meaning Explained

When a Christian woman is totally committed to God and living a submitted life (to God and to her husband), even an unsaved husband will look at her with wonder. The thing which causes such amazement in her husband, according to Peter, is her “pure behavior.”

This pure lifestyle is the most effective witness to an unsaved husband. Unfortunately, some women married to unsaved men feel like they need to preach at their husbands or badger them into going to church on Sunday. Instead, Peter says that a woman in this situation is to live a life totally devoted to God and submitted to her husband. That doesn’t mean that the woman has to do whatever her husband wants if what he wants is contrary to the teaching of Scripture. Her top priorities have to be obedience to God and a pure lifestyle. But Peter does teach us (from the previous verse) that “they (unsaved husbands), without a word, may be won by the behaviou of their wives.” In the next couple of verses, Peter will give us more details about how this type of woman conducts herself.

Let me say that a pure lifestyle and a submissive spirit are exactly the qualities, coupled with a solid faith and reverential fear of the Lord, which caused me to first gaze at and admire the young woman who eventually became my wife more than forty years ago. Qualities that I still find remarkable even today!

Application

Ladies, do you want your husband to gaze at you in wonder, as he looks at something remarkable? That, according to Peter, comes from your clean lifestyle and submission to your husband. Not as a patsy or a door-mat, but as a life partner who has a solid, abiding faith in God.

In God's service, for His glory,

Observe then how carefully you walk, not as fools but as wise,

Truth to Learn

Be careful that you live a godly example, loving others.

Behind the Words

“Observe” is translated from the Greek verb blepō, which is one of several verbs used with regard to seeing. Blepō refers to the ability to see or perceive, as opposed to being blind. It also means “to look at” something, that is “to observe.” It is expressed here in the imperative mood, indicating a command.

“Walk” is from peripateō, which we learned earlier in this chapter is a metaphor for how a person lives his or her life.

The word “carefully” is translated from akribōs, which is derived from akribēs, meaning “accurate or exact.” Akribōs means “accurately, diligently, carefully, or exactly.”

The word “wise” is from sophos, referring to someone who possesses wisdom (the ability to understand and skillfully apply what one knows). In the New Testament, however, this word also implies an understanding of who God is and what He wants from man.

“Fools” is translated from asophos, which is made up of a, meaning “not” and sophos, meaning “wise.” Thus, it literally means “unwise,” which in our vernacular means “a fool.”

Meaning Explained

Paul has been teaching us to avoid close fellowship with those who live their lives in an ungodly manner. In yesterday’s verse he challenged us to wake up and to stand up from among the dead ones. In doing so, Paul tells us that God will give us His light. That is, not only will He illuminate us with the understanding of His word, He will give us His light to reflect onto the dead ones around us.

Now Paul gives us a couple more nuggets of truth regarding how we should live. He starts today’s verse with “observe then how carefully you walk.” Some translations translate the word akribos as “circumspectly.” The English word “circumspectly” means “looking around,” that is, “being cautious.” This is not the message Paul is giving us. He is not saying “be cautious.” He is saying “be diligent, exact, or careful” regarding how you live your life.

In other words, Paul is telling us to observe ourselves, to look at our own manner of living. As we reflect the light of God’s truth on those who are living for themselves, producing unfruitful works of darkness, we need to be aware of how we are living. We need to be careful that we are living a godly example. Too many Christians live their lives in fear – in fear of attacks from our enemy, or in fear that God will punish them for sinning. God does not want us to live in fear, but in hope. Others have learned a set of rules and are living their lives based on those rules. Often this produces a legalism that looks a lot like the Pharisees of Jesus’ time.

In the opening part of this chapter Paul tole us to “be imitators of God” and to “walk in love.” If we are watching our own manner of life, we should see godly, loving actions and nothing else.

Application

Instead of living in fear, live your life imitating God and loving those around you. If you do, you won’t have to worry about whether or not you’re breaking the rules. Rather, do as James said, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.”

In God's service, for His glory,

Ministry of Grace Church

Tag: observe

1 Peter 3:2 – Wondrous Pure Conduct

Ephesians 5:15 – Carefully, not Fearfully