[aron]

Another failure of Peter was his "I am going fishing" episode in John chapter 21. Peter declared he was going fishing. The brothers said they were going with him. All of them tried all night, but caught nothing. Then at dawn the Lord appeared. Suddenly they got all the fish they could ask for, not only in the net, but on the shore, cooked and ready to eat!

Then came the hard question. "Peter, do you love Me?" When answered in the affirmative, came the rejoinder: "Shepherd My sheep... feed My lambs". Jesus was shepherding Peter, in resurrection, just as He had done before his death. And His shepherding example was now drawing Peter to do the same, to shepherd others.

Now look at Peter's first epistle, in the passage where he writes to the more experienced ones. 1 Peter 5:1 "To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder and a witness of Christ’s sufferings who also will share in the glory to be revealed: 2 Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; 3 not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. 4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away." (NIV)

Peter's many failures became a kind of 'cautionary tale', as David's had been, for the ones who were attempting to follow in the footsteps of the flock. In this sense we do not hide history, but rather admit it. Because our history shows that we are nothing, that God is everything. Our history shows that God's enemy is always sneaking around, trying to snare us. Paul said, "We do not let the adversary get an advantage over us. We are not ignorant of his schemes. We place no confidence in our flesh" (2 Cor 2:11; Phil 3:3; see also 2 Cor 3:4). And most of all, our history of repeated failures displays the open triumph of our righteous God's mercy. "Mercy triumphs over judgment". Satan's rebellion has failed. God has triumphed in His Christ, not in punishment, but in restoration. He is truly the Savior of the world.