In 1 Peter 2:1-3 Peter shifts from demonstrating the glory and eternal character of God’s Word to giving us direction on how we should receive and apply it in our lives. He gives us direction in how we should live with those around us. “So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander.” He calls out five things we are to put aside and keep from being part of our life:
- Malice
- Deceit
- Hypocrisy
- Envy
- Slander
All of those are undesirable traits for us a humans, but definitely not aligned with God’s Word and instructions on how to live together in holiness.
Peter challenges us to ‘long for’ God’s Word. “Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.” In the Septuagint (an ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament) it is used for man’s deepest longing for God: “As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God” (Psalm 42:1). It speaks of the desire each believer should have for the word of God. A healthy new baby has an instinctive yearning for its mother’s milk. When things are right, you don’t have to tell it to want the milk.
The failure to either desire or to receive this pure milk of the word is the reason for so many problems in both individual Christian lives and in congregations. Meyer wrote “The sickly condition of so many Christians sets forth a lamentable complaint of the food with which they are supplied. To say nothing of strong meat, they do not even get milk. Hence the Church of God too much resembles the wards of a children’s hospital.” The Word of God is necessary for the growth of the Christian. We will never mature in our faith on our own, and definitely cannot without the trust of the Gospel in our life.
Who are the newborn babes? In a sense, we all are. Meyer wrote “The most advanced among us, in knowledge and attainment, are, in comparison with what they shall be, only as babes.” We will never master God’s Word. It’s something we will pursue the rest of our lives, and realize that our understanding may increase but will never achieve completeness. Grudem writes “To drink the milk of the Word is to ‘taste’ again and again what he is like, for in the hearing of the Lord’s words believers experience the joy of personal fellowship with the Lord himself.” God’s Word gives us insight into who He is and what His desires are for us as we strive to live a life worthy of our Lord.
“Portions of this blog post have been taken from the Enduring Word commentary, (c) 2023 The Enduring Word Bible Commentary by David Guzik – ewm@enduringword.com“
“Scripture (bold and italicized) has been taken from the English Standard Version, © ESV.org – www.esv.org”
Arlin Sorensen's Thoughts on Scripture 