1 Peter 1:10-12 – Our awesome privilege

From verses 10-12, Peter related the great salvation to the Old Testament prophecies. He revealed that the prophets of old affirmed this great salvation through their prophecies. He linked the word “grace” to salvation partly because of the largely Gentile readers and partly because the Grace of God included the salvation of the Gentiles. And though the prophets were given the revelation, they did not fully comprehend what they had received and communicated. Hence, they made careful search and investigation concerning what was revealed to them.

Here, Peter made clear one thing: it was the Spirit of Christ Who was at work through the prophets. While the prophets had the revelation; and predicted that the Messiah would experience both suffering and glory, they did not know how their prophecies would fit together and when all these would happen. It was not possible for them to understand fully till the earthly ministry of Christ had taken place.

What they understood then, was that God would not fulfill what they had been prophesying in their days. But their prophecies were meant for sometime in the future. Peter wanted to encourage the readers by telling them that they (the readers) however, had the privilege. Through the Gospel preached to them by the Holy Spirit sent from Heaven, they had the full picture. They had a fuller picture of what the angels longed to see and what the prophets did not fully understand.

What’s the point? God cares for us believers. This is a demonstration of His great and amazing love. What we have received were carefully engineered and crafted by the loving hands of God. The prophets searched and presented the truth of the Gospel; the chain of messengers of God brought the messages around and we have the privilege of receiving the truth. What’s more encouraging is that angels look intensely and longingly at what God had done for us. Our salvation was the glad and joyful service of God’s servants, saints and sages of old. And we are the privileged recipients of God’s wonderful news.

With this encouragement, we must resolve to attain a life with a strong spiritual fortitude, to remain faithful to God in wherever lot He has planted us. Let our hearts be stirred to worship Him forever! And let our minds and lives be forward looking, and be fixed to glorify Him in everything we seek to do!