10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, 11 inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. 12 It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.
1 Peter 1:10-12
Which salvation were the prophets longing for? Before we delve into this most interesting passage, you should understand on which salvation it is all predicated. Please see Day 22.0:Rejoice and Day 23.0:Believe in which we cover the previous verses pretty well.
Peter here writes that the prophets searched and inquired carefully after this salvation. He is, of course, speaking about the prophets of the Old Testament. Christ verifies this in Matthew.
16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. 17 For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.
Matthew 13:16-17
We know from Christ himself that the Prophets were longing to see his coming. They had the Holy Spirit planting the longing within them and guiding them toward salvation. If you, like I did, grew up believing the Holy Spirit never made his way to earth until after the Ascension, please read Psalm 51, or read about Samson, etc.
For a better extrapolation of 1 Peter 1:10 I am going to rely heavily on Charles Spurgeon. Here’s what he says on this matter:
From Moses down to Malachi, all of these lived, and many of them died, that they might bear witness to “the grace which is come unto you.” They themselves were, no doubt saved; but, still, the full understanding and enjoyment of the truth was reserved for us. Unto them it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us, they did minister the things of God. They lighted lamps which shine for future ages; they told of a Christ who was actually to come in the latter days, to work out his redemption after they had all died in faith without a sight of his actual coming. You and I live in the light of a finished salvation. God has appeared in human flesh; Christ has borne the guilt of man; his atonement is completed. Jesus has risen from the dead and gone into the glory, pleading for believers. Surely that which prophets thought it worth their while to study by night and by day, though they knew that they should never see it, ought to be thought worthy of the devout attention of those immediately concerned in it.
Charles Spurgon, Your Personal Salvation, www.spurgeon.org
Cloud of witnesses
Does the New Testament echo this sentiment of prophets and righteous men longing to see the salvation through Christ in any other verse, or are Peter and Christ alone?
13 These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. 14 For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. 15 If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.
Hebrews 11:13-16
Angels?
1 Peter 1:12 mentions that angels, too, have longed to look into Christ’s fulfillment of the salvation of mankind. But, what can he mean by all this angel stuff? I really don’t know. I am not an authority on anything, but very much less the conduct of angels. Let’s see what John Calvin has to say on this topic.
It is indeed the highest praise to the gospel, that it contains treasures of wisdom, as yet concealed and hidden from angels. But some one may object, and say that it is not reasonable that things should be open and known to us which are hidden from angels, who always see the face of God, and are his ministers in ruling the church, and in the administration of all his blessings. To this I answer, that things are open to us as far as we see them in the mirror of the word; but our knowledge is not said to be higher than that of angels; Peter only means that such things are promised to us as angels desire to see fulfilled. Paul says that by the calling of the Gentiles the wonderful wisdom of God was made known to angels. for it was a spectacle to them, when Christ gathered into one body the lost world, alienated for so many ages from the hope of life.
John Calvin, Commentaries, biblehub.com
Charles Spurgeon also wrote about the angels and their interest in the redemption of man.
They were pictured, you know, upon the ark of the covenant, as standing upon the mercy-seat, and looking down upon it with steady gaze. Perhaps Peter was thinking of this holy imagery. They stand intently gazing into the marvel of Propitiation by blood. Can you quite see the beauty of this spectacle? If we knew that a door was opened in heaven, would not men be anxious to look in and see heaven’s wonders; but the case is here reversed, for we see a window opened towards this fallen world, and heavenly beings looking down upon the earth, as if heaven, itself had no such object of attraction as Christ and his salvation.
Charles Spurgon, Your Personal Salvation, www.spurgeon.org
Longing of creation
It isn’t included in 1 Peter 1, but Paul goes further, telling us that not only the prophets, not only the angels, but all of creation – nature itself – has been longing for the culmination of history in the redemption of Christ.
Be careful if you pause to really take this in. I have at times tried to really grasp what the following verses mean. Maybe I wrote that incorrectly. I am not really referring to the meaning, but to the implication. What can we infer from Paul’s writing? I am afraid that I still have not quite got hold of it. But, I do know that it feels overwhelming. There is a sense of awe so great, it is almost terrifying to imagine what may be behind, or within, or underneath (pick your preposition) the concept of nature – the cosmos itself – groaning for freedom from corruption, and the ecstatic joy of it all upon finding itself (themselves?) redeemed.
19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.
Romans 8:19-22
Another longing
Spurgeon closed the sermon to which I keep referring with a plea to his audience. I will make the same plea to any of my readers (either one of the two of you) who are still living in doubt and disbelief. First, let me say, I so very much identify with Spurgeon’s sentiment in the following passage. If you have sinned and fallen short as I have, you too will comprehend his fervor. It reminds me of when Jesus ate in the house of the Pharisee. A prostitute came in while he was eating and bathed Christ’s feet with her tears. She was longing for forgiveness. The Pharisee was aghast, and assumed Christ could not be a legit prophet for if he were, he would recoil at being touched by a sinner. Jesus, knowing the Pharisee’s thoughts, said to him:
“Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. 46 You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. 47 Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” 48 And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” 49 Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this, who even forgives sins?” 50 And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
Luke 7:44-50
Spurgeon’s longing
Ah, my careless hearer, I wish you were in the same plight as I was in once, when I was burdened with a sense of my transgressions. If you felt as I did, you would catch at that word “grace” right eagerly, and be delighted with the promise made to “faith.” You would make up your mind that if prophets searched out salvation, if apostles reported it, if angels longed to know it, you yourself would find it, or perish in searching after it.
Charles Spurgon, Your Personal Salvation, www.spurgeon.
Thank you for the insight and encouragement❤