Daily Meditations on the Bible
…you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house…
What kind of house do you suppose that Peter is visualizing? What kind of house would Jesus want to be a part of? I realize that Peter is using a metaphor of sorts here and he doesn’t mean a house like anything we have ever seen.
Continue reading “1 Peter 2:5 (a) — Building Blocks”
… rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him—
There are several ways of looking at Jesus. Each one highlights a different aspect of who and what he is. I don’t claim to understand them all myself. However, as I have matured in my faith, I find that my understanding of who Jesus is has changed.
Yesterday, we explored the meaning of Peter’s reference to Jesus when he calls him a “living Stone.” (See “Cornerstone”) We learned from the comments yesterday that Jesus is also referred to as the “Capstone.” (See Zechariah 4: 7 – Thank you, Rich!) Ron gave us a collection of verses pointing to God’s nature as Alpha and Omega. He is both the beginning and the end of all things.
Continue reading “1 Peter 2:4 (b) — Door to Door”
As you come to him, the living Stone—
These are the opening words of a beautiful passage. Peter is beginning a description of a house built of stone. But more than a house, it is a temple. A holy place.
The Scripture reference that he uses as the “foundation” of his own words is from the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 28: 16). Isaiah is chastising Israel and Judah for abandoning the Lord. Through Isaiah, God explains his plan going forward.
Continue reading “1 Peter 2:4 (a) — Cornerstone”
… now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.
I don’t know why this should be, but there are some verses in the Bible that seem to jump off of the page. Then they grab me by the lapel and shout, “ISN’T THIS THE MOST AMAZING THING EVER?!” For me, this is one of those verses.
Peter has been talking about nourishing our spirit using the food we feed our bodies with. Specifically, he uses the example of a newborn baby craving milk. His example is ripe with all kinds of inferences that color our understanding of what he means. Then he goes on to say, “now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.”
Continue reading “1 Peter 2:3 — Yum!”
Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart.
So far in these first few words of Peter’s letter to us, he has touched on a number of points:
He continues with more insights into the Christian life:
Continue reading “1 Peter 1:22 — Checklist For Love”
Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.
Who do you place your hope in? Jesus Christ or God the Father?
It is an interesting question, isn’t it? Is there a difference? Well, yes. Jesus prayed to his Father in heaven. On occasion, God spoke to his Son. Then, of course, Jesus taught his disciples that, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.” (John 14:9 b)
Peter provides us with a very interesting logical construct.
Continue reading “1 Peter 1:21 — Logic”
For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.
Imagine, if you will, that the year is 1912. BC. Before Christ. It is many years after the flood, and Noah’s family has repopulated the earth. Everyone you know is a relative, but like today, not all the relatives get along.
Tribes have separated and arguments break out. Already some people have turned their backs to God. There is a shortage of manpower and it is not unheard of that one tribe will raid another. Children and women are taken and used as slaves. If the men cannot be subdued, they are killed. Life is hot, difficult, and harsh.
Continue reading “1 Peter 1:18-19 — Many Moons”
Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear.
The question today is what does Peter mean when he writes, “…a Father who judges each person’s work impartially…?”
Wait a minute…
Doesn’t Peter know about grace? Doesn’t he understand that if we believe in Jesus we get a pass on judgment? How can he say that God is judging our “work?” What is going on here?
Continue reading “1 Peter 1:17 — Boxes”
Even angels long to look into these things.
Every once in awhile a verse seems to jump out of the Bible at me. This is one of those verses.
Peter is telling us about salvation. Broadly speaking “salvation” in this case refers to several things. It begins with God’s plan for redeeming His creation. Remember the story in Genesis where God says, “… you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die”? (Genesis 2: 16-17)
Interestingly, the current version of the NIV is in the minority here. Thirty-eight of fifty-two translations available at Biblegateway.com use some version of “day,” as in “… in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” (ESV) As I understand the text, when Adam and Eve eat the forbidden fruit in Genesis 3, God’s word holds true. They “die” from God’s point of view.
Continue reading “1 Peter 1:12 (b) — Beyond Measure”
It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven.
What sets a prophet apart is being called by God to be a messenger of God’s Word. I am capitalizing “Word” because these messages are holy. Mundane or spectacular, the Word from God is special. But never forget, prophets are people, too. They are not Superman. They have feelings like you and me.
Continue reading “1 Peter 1:12 (a) — Whom do you serve?”