Got Milk

Even though, my years tell me that I’m no longer a little boy, I still love my milk, whether it’s whole milk, chocolate milk, or hot cocoa. I like milk in various forms; sometimes in ice cream, sometimes in whipped cream, sometimes in holiday flavored coffee creamers. Maybe that comes from growing up the way I did and my early adulthood with access to fresh milk and various ways of using it.

Since the time I’ve been saved, I’ve always had a love for the Bible. I recall that shortly after I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Savior, a literature teacher from high school, who was also a lay pastor, Mr. Hull, gave me a Living Bible. I read that everyday while riding the bus to and from school. I feel empty when I’ve not spent some time studying God’s Word.

Throughout the Bible, we read about various individuals that seemed to not be able to have enough of God’s Word. In fact, the longest chapter of the Bible, , has as its major focus the wonderfulness of God’s Word. One of my earliest Bible verses I memorized was .

Jeremiah 15:16 NASB95

Your words were found and I ate them, And Your words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart; For I have been called by Your name, O Lord God of hosts.

In our nutritional diets, we want to get away from the junk foods with the empty calories and little to no nutrition, and eat and drink healthier. In our spiritual lives, I would suggest that we get away from the things which can fill us up but offer us no benefits in helping us toward maturity and health in Christ. We need to recognize our absolute need and dependence upon the pure nourishment that comes from the Bible. Warren Wiersbe stated: We should have appetites for the Word, just like hungry newborn babes!

As followers of Jesus Christ, we want to have a holy craving for God’s Word.

Today, as we look at the first 3 verses in , our focus will be on getting rid of it, going to get it, and realizing that we got it.

Get Rid of It. - 2:1

We are introduced to a new thought that is a result of connecting to all that Peter has been discussing so far in this letter. He has been busy encouraging these Christians that regardless of their situations, they have been chosen as children of God to experience eternity with Jesus which is guaranteed. He has also reminded them of the fact that they will be able to and ought to love their fellow Christians because they have been born again, regardless of their situations. Of course, we are the current day readers.

Now Peter gets very focused on some foundational truths that will further enable them and us in the Christian walk. He begins with telling what needs to be purged from a believer’s life, especially in light of the fact that these things belonged to the old nature.

1 Peter 2:1 NASB95

Therefore, putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander,

We know that there are occasions when people don’t really want the good and healthy food. That is usually caused by the fact that they’ve been carelessly feeding themselves junk and empty calories. The analogy in this verse seems to show that if all these negative things are part of a person’s life, they will not even have a hunger for that which is good for them.

We know that there are occasions when people don’t really want the good and healthy food. That is usually caused by the fact that they’ve been carelessly feeding themselves junk and empty calories. The comparison in this verse seems to show that if all these negative things are part of a person’s life, they will not even have a hunger for that which is good for them.

Thus, Peter ties these thoughts in with what he has previously written by the use of the word, Therefore. It seems most logical and seems to fit grammatically, that this section is tied back to our last session of verses where Peter speaks of the living and enduring word of God. Indeed, we know that the power of God’s Word combined with His Holy Spirit provided our salvation through Jesus Christ. It stands to reason that this same enduring word has the power to enable us to continue to live as those who’ve been born again.

So what might that look like? Well, if love is going to happen as it should, then we need to get rid of those things which oppose love. Peter gives a strong warning by using an imperative participle when he writes putting aside, get rid of, put away, laying aside, depending on your translation. It is a similar picture seen when a skunk has sprayed your clothing and you hurriedly strip off those clothes and throw them aside without any thought of ever retrieving them. In the church, later on in history, historians state that individuals who were baptized as believers would take off the clothes which they were wearing and literally throw them away. They were then to put on new robes which the local church provided them. What a glorious symbolism for us to look at today! Though this probably was not in the minds of Peter’s readers, we can appreciate the attempts by the church to use such detail. These things which Peter mentions are all negative, poisonous things that do not belong in the life of a Christian. Having any of these characteristics will cause one to not want to pursue the things of God.

Malice seems to be a blanket word that summarizes all evil and wickedness. It carries with it the idea of wanting to hurt someone.

Deceit refers to the idea of manipulation, using whatever means possible to get what you want. Some of the older translations use the word guile. This implies the ability to use words in dishonest ways or to do things with ulterior motives. Quite humorously, deceit literally refers to fishing bait . Obviously, in our culture, a worm, piece of liver, or a plastic lure is not designed for the benefit of a healthy meal for the fish. Its purpose is to fool the fish so it can be caught and eaten.

Hypocrisy immediately follows this, which we would clearly understand as being part and parcel to deceit. We remember from many other times discussing this word that it describes someone on stage doing a play wearing a mask so the audience would think of the actor as that person which the mask represents. A person practicing deceit is quite ready to cloak himself in whatever he can in order to portray something he is not so that he will get what he wants. Obviously, what is said or done is not what the hypocrite is or believes.

Envy is a sad commentary on a person who wants what someone else has and they’re willing to destroy that person to get it. It is certainly a complete lack of contentment. It is even more negative in that it carries with it a hatred and resentment that the other person has something which the envious person doesn’t have.

Slander is one means of fulfilling all of the negative things previously mentioned. It actually is a word that sounds very much like whisperings that are intended to harm someone else. After all, if an individual can destroy the other person’s reputation, that individual feels justified and can proceed to get whatever it is they want.

It is not a secret that if this type of behavior is what a person practices, then there will be no desire at all for the Bible. If there is no desire for God’s Word, that person will stop reading and studying or listening to God’s Word. Heaven forbid, but if this type of person is in the church, they become a destructive force. It is imperative that this sort of behavior be confessed and stopped, so that the believer truly has access to wanting God’s pure milk or the Word.

Go Get It. - 2:2

We’ve often heard the phrase that we need to grow up and stop acting like babies. That is actually some good advice if we are seeing the negative side of what it means to act in an infantile manner. However, Peter is showing us something which is a positive in babies, that we would do well to emulate.

1 Peter 2:2 NASB95

like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation,

There are some individuals that make the description of the Bible, being the milk for the immature and the meat for the mature, an either/or proposition. For babies, it is obviously milk; it’s the Word of God. The young believer is unable to process more than this. However, as we grow and become more mature, the Word of God becomes meat. However, the context in this verse is that the craving for God’s Word should be the same as that of a little baby. It would seem quite obvious that a little baby won’t be interested in a steak. However, Peter refers to this as the intense hunger and desire for God’s Word being compared to the baby’s need and want for the milk.

There are some individuals that make the milk and meat and either/or proposition. For babies, it is obviously milk; it’s the Word of God. The young believer is unable to process more than this. However, as we grow and become more mature, the Word of God becomes meat. The context in this verse is that the craving for God’s Word should be the same as that of a little baby. It would seem quite obvious that a little baby won’t be interested in a steak. However, Peter refers to it as the intense hunger and desire for God’s Word being compared to the baby’s need and want for the milk.

So necessary is this, that Peter uses words which would literally be translated, born just now. Peter is not describing new Christians. The metaphor is to show the absolute necessity of the Word in comparison to a newborn baby. When a baby is born, the one thing that will stop the crying after birth is to be able to have the sustenance of mother’s milk. What a picture of how we ought to be so hungry and focused on receiving the Word of God to sustain us. The newborn baby will not be satisfied with a bag of chips or a candy bar. Neither should the follower of Christ be satisfied with anything other than God’s pure Word.

This is so much so that Peter uses an imperative verb when he tells his readers they must long for the pure milk of the word. This is the idea that nothing else will satisfy, so our quest is totally focused on God’s Word. Think of anything or anyone where you have such an intense longing or desire that you will not be satisfied with anything or anyone else. That is the picture.

Now we might think of milk as just milk; so why describe it as pure milk? Basically, there cannot be anything mixed in with it. It cannot be tainted by that which might lessen its value or attempt to add a different value. Many translation use the word spiritual instead of the phrase of the word. The Greek word is actually logikos which is a form of the word logos. In this context, it is understood to mean the Word of God. The readers would have been knowledgeable about this usage of the word milk being compared to God’s Word. It is seen in Psalms and was commonly spoken of by the rabbis or religious teachers.

There must be a longing for God’s Word before anything can be done with God’s Word. I have to want God’s Word before I can even study it or memorize it or even preach and teach it. Otherwise, I am merely going through the motions. I should desire or long for God’s Word rather than seeing what Facebook is teaching or what the latest cat video is showing. You see, if I’m not, then I will never be able to properly grow in respect to salvation.

That you may grow is actually a passive verb. In other words, God is going to do the work in me; I can’t make myself grow. The more I dine with the pure milk of the word, the more I will grow to become more like Jesus. As I take in God’s Word, His Holy Spirit is doing a great work in my life as He grows me. I will look more and more like one who has been truly saved and is part of God’s family.

So when we find ourselves tempted to feast on that which is not God’s Word, substituting all kinds of other things instead, we need to get rid of those things and go after God’s Word like a starving baby. When we find ourselves living the life of the old nature, throw it away and be satisfied with nothing less that God’s holy, pure Word.

Got It. - 2:3

This verse is merely a reflection of the reality which has indeed happened in the lives of believers. This verse seems to summarize the reason for a follower of Christ to practice the first two verses in this chapter.

1 Peter 2:3 NASB95

if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord.

Psalm 34:8 NASB95

O taste and see that the Lord is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!

Isn’t it interesting how the Bible is the same throughout?! It’s helpful to understand the use of the conditional participle, to help us get a clear grasp of Peter’s meaning. This participle, if, is not a economy seating participle, it’s a first-class participle. (I just had to slip that one in there.) We might more easily understand this if we reword if to since you have. In other words, Peter’s readers and those of us who are born again, have indeed tasted of God’s grace and mercy and His unmeasurable goodness. Yet, there is somewhat of a question for evaluation to also be considered here. If a person is not showing the love which Peter spoke of earlier; if a person is behaving with those negative characteristics described in verse 1; if a person does not have an insatiable hunger for God’s Word as seen in verse 2, then maybe they have not genuinely experienced the kindness of the Lord through salvation in Jesus Christ. Now would be a good time to get matters settled with the Lord.

What’s that got to do with His Word? Very simply, since we already know how blessed we are and how awesome it is that we are eternally saved, we ought to want to get rid of the junk and pursue God’s Word as if it is the very air which we breathe. The song, Count Your Blessings, ought to be a daily exercise in our lives. Thinking about the many undeserved blessings we have in so many areas, knowing that every good and perfect gift comes from the Father above, should move us to only want Jesus and His precious Word.

As followers of Jesus Christ, we want to have a holy craving for God’s Word.