Dear Student of the Word,
Having recently finished our study of Romans, it was time to choose another book or letter to study. I have chosen 1 Peter as our next focus for this study. Peter was writing to a church scattered abroad that was experiencing trials and persecution. It is always interesting and valuable to study anything from or about Peter, due to his close relationship with Jesus and his struggles in doing so. This week I wrote in part four of this seven-part study (which you can download in its entirety below):
Study One, Part Four
10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, 11 trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. 12 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. Even angels long to look into these things.
1:10&11 – It isn’t clear to which prophets Peter is referring, and perhaps he had no one specific prophet in mind. It seems that all the prophets, while delivering a word about the future, were consumed with the matters of their day. But Peter told us here that some were consumed with trying to find out what they were talking about, focusing on the future. Isaiah, Daniel, Ezekiel and the like spent some time seeking the Lord so they could better understand their message in the context of the coming Messiah and not just the problems of their own day. That facts leads us to the whole subject of study, which is the study and application of God’s word to daily living.
I had a seminary professor who told us to study the whole Bible, but choose one book about which one could become “experts.” He urged us to take that one book apart, so to speak, put it back together, and then take it apart again. For me, that book is Proverbs. I wrote a daily devotional from Proverbs in 1997 called A Daily Dose of Proverbs, and continue to study that book. Even now I am doing more research on wisdom literature in general and Proverbs specifically. I have written an online Proverbs study called A Daily Taste of Proverbs.
What are you studying from God’s word at this point in your life? Do you have anything that you have studied for years and will continue to study? Is there one book of the Bible that is your specialty? One theme or topic about which you have spent more than a little time researching? Or maybe you have considered furthering your education by taking classes at your church or Bible school? Why not start your classes as soon as possible or resume them if you have taken a break?
1:12 – The prophets who searched were all given the same answer: The message they were preaching was to be fulfilled in the future, in the time of and through the person of Christ. At that time, the Spirit would empower individuals to go and preach the good news to that and future generations. Even angels longed to look into what has been preached to every generation since Jesus. So if angels are so anxious to study the matters of salvation, why aren’t you that anxious? If you are, what are you doing to systematize your studies? What are you doing to utilize what you have learned, and to impart it to others?
What if God wants you to serve future generations and not your own? This is what the prophets had to do. Although they had an immediate impact, for the most part their greatest impact was to be in the future. As I write these studies and my other material, it is my hope that God will use them today. There is a chance, however, that my work may be more useful in the future to a generation now maturing or even unborn. So I write in faith, trusting God to use my labors for His glory now or later (or not at all), according to His divine purpose.
Something good always happens when you seek Him. When you seek the face of God, you are changed, whether you obtain what you are seeking or not, and that’s always a plus. My writings have furthered my development into the image of Jesus. You may not receive what you are seeking, but you will be better off for the search.
As always, I welcome your comments to this week's study. For additional Bible studies, check out my website archive, which contains a complete collection of all my verse-by-verse New Testament studies, along with the unpublished volume of The Faith Files.
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