Imagine the vulnerabilities of a watchman who refuses to keep his eyes open to every possible angle from which danger could arise. No doubt the enemy would scout the land observing the bad habits of the watchman. If the watchman fails to examine each point of entry, the enemy will attack from the unprotected angle. In like manner, believers are to walk circumspectly. The word circumspect means to look all around. Believers are to be sober and vigilant knowing that their enemy, the Devil, “walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). God’s enemies always search for the weak spot where the hedge has been cut down or ignored. This is why there is no angle in the believer’s life that can be safely ignored.
Many Bible passages connect watchfulness and prayer. While preaching sounds the trumpet of alarm in the ears of men, prayer sounds the alarm in the ears of God. As a watchman, each believer has a responsibility to his brother or sister in Christ. While some believers are spiritually sleeping, unaware of their present danger, other believers ought to be standing upon the tower of watchfulness and calling upon the Lord. This was the point of Paul’s teaching in Ephesians 6:18 when he said, “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.”
Many Bible words have been subjected to loose interpretations and the word modest is one such word. Generally, today’s passage is used to teach that a lady’s apparel ought to be loose fitting and flowing. Though this is certainly true, that is not the primary interpretation and application. Something that is modest is something that is not extravagant. In fact, the Lord placed an explanation within the passage. The lady was not to adorn herself with such items as “gold, or pearls, or costly array.” In other words, a person should not dress in a way that would purposely draw the attention of others to the attire itself (see 1 Peter 3:3-5). This includes insuring that clothes are not form fitting, but the application has a much broader context.
