A Thought From the Word

“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.” I Peter 1:12

Life can be very hard. The Christian life included. While carrying heavy burdens of pain and suffering, disappointment, and unpleasant circumstances, we are not immune to sometimes questioning God's care for us. Even great people of faith like Jeremiah, Job and Elijah had their perception of things twisted by their sufferings. That's why it is essential that we continue to come to God's word for Him to speak truth and reality into our lives.

This verse (and the previous two verses) in I Peter leaves no doubt of the depths of God's love for His people. Peter had been pointing out that the Old Testament prophets, who foretold the sufferings of Christ, did not have the degree of clear understanding that believers do in these gospel times. We not only see the prophecies of His death and glory, like Isaiah 53 for example, but we can see the very fulfillment of them in Christ. So, because of God's love for you, believer, He has given you access to more clear knowledge of what His Son did for you, than what He gave to Isaiah, Daniel and the other prophets. It is His will that you and I see what great lengths He has gone to to secure our salvation. Think about that, God, on purpose, has given you and I clearer light of the gospel's fullness than He gave to huge numbers of people in centuries past!

In addition to that, this verse notes that the glory of Christ in loving and giving Himself for us is so impressive, that the angels themselves would like to know more about it! Angels are greater than us in terms of power. But, they are not loved as we are loved. They are not adopted by the Heavenly Father. They have not been chosen to be the bride of Christ. If angels talk among themselves, we can imagine them saying, “Do you see how the Almighty loves these lower creatures! He gave His Son as a sacrifice to make them clean. What grace, what generosity, what kindness!” If the angels are in awe of how much you are loved, then you should be too.