Digging into the Word

Well now, it's time to get back into the studies of I Peter, don'tcha think? (Grin) We will look into chapter two and see what we find.....

Our passage for this week is this:

Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. 2 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, 3 now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. (I Peter 1:1-3)

Let's dive in!
I believe that if Peter could be here and talk to us today, he would be very excited -- he would be enthusiastic as he told us, "Get into God's Word! Consistently! Even more than the food you eat, you need God's Word!" He might tell us to cut out television and newspapers, to stop looking at social media so much, and to spend that time in the Bible.
His point is that we must have God's Word to grow in our salvation. It imparts life to us, and then it nurtures it. If we don't spend time in His Word, we will find ourselves in serious trouble!

Peter tells us in verse two that the Word is pure; the Greek word he uses means "not deceitful." It also carries a meaning from that day of "not watered down." Dishonest merchants of the time would add water to their milk to make more profits. This was, then, "deceitful" milk..... it may have looked like milk, but it would have tasted watery, and it would not have been as nutrient-dense. Peter tells us to long for the pure milk of the Word.
Our practical application is this: the Bible, if you "take it straight" and not watered down, tells us the honest truth about ourselves.  It reaches inside of us and exposes the thoughts and motives of our hearts -- there is nowhere to hide!

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. (Hebrews 4:12-13)

Have we ever felt like the preacher or speaker must have known about what we needed to hear? Do we ever feel like someone must have told them about our problem or dilemma (or maybe our sin) and they are talking right to us? It's not the preacher; it's not the speaker; it is the Word of God! The Spirit can take their words and aim them right at us, to "take care of something that needs fixin'" as my grandma used to tell me. The Word of God cuts right through the fog and the deception, and tells us what we need to hear.
Now, I suppose you are aware, as I am, that there are many churches where the Word of God is being "watered down" by preachers and leaders that want to be liked. They want to grow their numbers, as they say, and to do that, they make everyone feel good about themselves. No negativity there! But that is somewhat like going to a doctor who prescribes sugar coated pills instead of real medicine! It tastes good but it doesn't deal with the root of the problem. In the Old Testament, God said:

“From the least to the greatest,    all are greedy for gain;
prophets and priests alike,    all practice deceit. They dress the wound of my people    as though it were not serious." (Jeremiah 6:13-14a)

The Bible tells us that the root of our problems is our sin. If we confront our sin and take the Bible's remedy for it, God will bring lasting healing and eternal life. The Word is pure, and shows us His path when we go astray.
I found in the commentaries that the next part of verse 2 says the Word is "rational." The word translated "spiritual" also means "rational" in the Greek, and it's also used in Romans, when Paul says that presenting our bodies as a living sacrifice to God is our "spiritual (or rational) service of worship."  What does he mean? Well, it's a spiritual thing to do, because we don't literally offer our bodies as a burnt offering, but yield ourselves to the will of God. And when we think about God's great mercies to us, it's a reasonable and grateful thing to do!
So, I think that Peter uses that term to show us that he is not talking about literal mother's milk, but about the spiritual milk of the living Word. This spiritual milk is grasped and understood with the mind.
Where the purity of the Word will expose our sin and move us emotionally, I believe Peter is saying that the Word will also be revealed and understood with our minds. Many Christians operate on the basis of feelings; emotional highs and lows of spirit. Other Christians operate on a theological basis, and are afraid to show their emotions.  Perhaps a better way would be to avoid those two opposites: to let the Word fill our minds with the knowledge of God, and to also move our hearts when we consider His majesty and love.

Lastly, God's Word is nourishing to believers. Peter makes the analogy to newborn babies. Perhaps he wanted to make a point slightly different from Paul's mention of Gods' Word as meat, in I Corinthians. This "milk" is simple enough for the youngest infant, the newest believer, and is solid enough for the mature saints among us, as well!
Our great Creator designed a mother's milk as the most perfect food for her newborn child. It carries immunitive powers to protect the baby from many illnesses. It has everything needed to nourish the baby so that healthy growth occurs. In the same way, God's Word will protect us from the spiritual diseases and sins that we are prone to, and will nourish us so that we grow in the Lord.

Our home has a special place on our screened porch where there are lots of pencil marks and numbers and names. That post on the porch is where the kiddos would back up and stand, and once we made sure they were not standing on their toes, we'd mark their height and see how they had grown from the last time we measured. The children were so excited to see they had grown!
God's children should be just as excited about growing in their salvation. Just as physical growth may not be readily visible from day to day, spiritual growth may not be instantly seen. But if we keep feeding on the milk of the Word, we will be nourished and we'll grow over the long term!

We'll talk more about this next time!