2:6,7
Peter quotes from Isaiah 28:16. The preceding part of Isaiah speaks of those who scoff. We need to understand the world we live in. It is a world that is in rebellion against God and considers God’s ways to be foolish, it rejects His Messiah. But the Messiah the world has rejected is the One laid by God, the One chosen by God. He is precious and although the world rejects Him, and although the world may mock us, if we trust in Him we will never be put to shame.
Verse 7 quotes from Psalm 118:22. In that Psalm it goes on to say that “it is marvellous in our eyes”, and “ “let us rejoice today and be glad”. The world may reject Christ, but He is the cornerstone of all God’s plans, and He is the source of our salvation. So we should rejoice and be glad.
2:8
Then Peter goes back to Isaiah, this time Is 8:14. Again it is worth looking at what comes before the verse quoted. God has just told Isaiah that he is not to fear what they fear, instead the Lord is the One he is to fear. We need to understand the distinction between those who believe and those who do not. Not in the sense of considering ourselves superior, because we are not, but in understanding what is going on, and so that we are not dismayed when the world mocks and goes against what we believe. Some will believe in Christ and will be saved, some will not. In fact Christ will cause some to stumble. Many Jews “stumbled”, they reacted against Christ, just as many do today. The reaction against Christ is not a result of any wisdom or insight on their part, but is a result of disobedience to God. This is what they were destined for. This can be understood in various ways, but whatever the exact meaning it is all part of God’s plan. Nothing unusual is happening when people react against the gospel or against Christ.
No comments:
Post a Comment