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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | DownloadPaul Kretzmann Commentary - 1 Peter 1:10 - 1:12
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The revelation concerning God's gift:
v. 10. Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you;
v. 11. searching what or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ, which was in them, did signify when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.
v. 12. Unto whom it was revealed that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the Gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.
The apostle now places the proper emphasis on the greatness of the salvation which the believers confidently expect: Concerning which salvation even prophets searched and enquired, they that prophesied of the grace intended for you. The very men who, by the inspiration of the Spirit, revealed the gracious and good will of God, preached of the grace of God as it was intended for all men, these men were, for their own persons, so earnestly concerned about this promised salvation that they searched most eagerly and assiduously how they might become partakers of it, how they might understand its glorious import more fully. Of this the apostle writes: Pondering in reference to whom and what time the Spirit of Christ in them revealed, testifying in advance of the sufferings that were to come upon Christ and of the subsequent glories. Here it is plainly shown that the holy men of God did not put down their own philosophy, their own ideas; for they themselves pored over, and studied, the prophecies which the Spirit of Christ made known through their preaching and writing. Christ, who was thus in existence also during the time of the Old Testament, used His Spirit, the Holy Spirit, to bear witness in advance of the Passion of the Messiah and of His exaltation to the glories of heaven, also according to His human nature. The prophets themselves tried to find out to whom these sayings would apply and at what time their fulfillment was to be expected. Thus Jesus Christ, the Savior, is the theme of the Old Testament prophecy, as the apostle indicates in this very letter by quoting Psa_2:7; Psa_118:22, and Isa_53:1-12 as Messianic passages. Note that the searching of the prophets presupposes the existence of documents containing these prophecies.
The apostle continues by stating concerning the office of the Old Testament prophets: To whom it was revealed, that not to themselves, but to you they might minister these things, which are now proclaimed to you through those that preach the Gospel to you in the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven, into which the angels longed to get a glimpse. While the prophets of old were searching the Scriptures regarding the coming of the Messiah, the Lord continued to make known to them, and through them to the people, the facts concerning the Messiah, fixing the time with sufficient accuracy for their knowledge, Isa_2:2; Mic_4:2; Hos_3:5; Jer_31:1. All this was done for the sake of the New Testament believers; for through their writings the prophets conveyed the revelations granted to them for our benefit, through their ministry we have become acquainted with the facts of the salvation of men as set forth in the prophecies of old, the grace and salvation intended for us long before the coming of Christ has been transmitted and imparted to us. And the same facts are now, in the present dispensation, declared to us by the men whom God has given us to preach the Gospel to us, the apostles. These men, as the teachers of the New Testament, were inspired by the Holy Spirit given to them from heaven, by the exalted Christ, on the Day of Pentecost. This testimony of the Spirit is present to this day in the word of the apostles, which is therefore able to work in us the certain conviction of our salvation. So great and glorious is this salvation that, as the apostle says, the very angels long to get a glimpse into its transcendent beauties. Although the angels are blessed spirits, living before God in eternal happiness, yet the world to come is not put in subjection to them, Heb_2:5, they cannot possibly feel the unspeakable joy which is the portion of sinners that have been saved by the blood of the Lamb. That is a bliss which is reserved for the perfected saints.