We’re continuing our journey through Peter’s first letter to the church. In my last post I talked about the salvation that’s available to all of us. Peter continues that thought.
Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.
1 Peter 1:10-11 NIV
Now the apostle talks about the relationship of the Old Testament prophets with this salvation. They only saw it as a far off, unclear picture of what God would accomplish in Christ.
The words Peter uses mean they tried to search out, investigate, and thoroughly explore the grace that would come to us. They were trying to get a handle on the times and seasons of its fulfillment.
It’s kind of like what we do in looking forward to the return of Christ. We try to figure out the times and seasons of His coming.
The prophets of old predicted the sufferings of Christ. They also saw the glory of His resurrection. They just didn’t know how long it would take to arrive.
It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.
1 Peter 1:12 NIV
God revealed to these prophets that it was not for them. It was us they were actually ministering to. According to Peter, even the angels were longing for a closer look.
They saw so many glories that would be available to us. I just want to look at a few.
According to Job, the first book written down, Christ is our arbitrator and redeemer. (Job 9:33-34; 19;25-27)
This Old Testament saint went through a lot of troubles. But it was to get the revelation of Christ as our mediator with God the Father.
Then there was Abraham who found out that Christ was to be a blessing to all nations. (Genesis 22:18)
He waited 100 years for a son. Then, Abraham was asked to sacrifice him. In doing so, he learned that this blessing would come through the death and resurrection of the Messiah.
Much later the prophet Isaiah learned that Christ was to be the perfect sacrifice for our sins. (Isaiah 53:5-6)
Isaiah had a vision of the Lord. He saw how sinful he was. But God had an angel take a live coal from heaven and touch his lips. He experienced the cleansing power of the Lord.
Finally, Malachi, the final call of the Old Testament, sees Christ rising as the sun of righteousness with healing in His wings. (Malachi 4:2)
He had to deal with a people who felt that serving God was an inconvenience. But God gave him hope in his struggle.
Why did these prophets and others have to suffer and seek to receive the message? It was for our benefit. It was so we could get a clearer picture of who Christ is and what He’s done for us.
Question: What are some of the glories that you’ve experienced in Christ?
© 2025 Nick Zaccardi
The Spirit and the Word 