“Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.”
My Notes
What Does 1 Peter 1:12 Mean?
Peter reveals a stunning truth about the prophets: unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.
Not unto themselves, but unto us — the prophets were told that their ministry served a future generation. They spoke and wrote knowing they would not see the fulfillment. They ministered not for their own benefit but for ours — for the generation that would see what they foretold.
They did minister the things — the prophets were servants of a future they would not inhabit. Isaiah described a suffering servant he would never meet in the flesh. Daniel saw visions of a kingdom he would not enter. Jeremiah promised a new covenant he would not live under. They ministered these truths to us.
Which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven — the gospel that reached Peter's readers was the fulfillment of what the prophets foretold. The same Spirit who inspired the prophets was sent from heaven at Pentecost to empower the preaching of the gospel. The continuity is the Spirit.
Which things the angels desire to look into (parakupto) — the word means to bend over and peer in, to crane the neck to get a better look. Angels — who have seen God's glory firsthand — are fascinated by the gospel of redemption. They long to understand what grace does for fallen humans. The gospel is so extraordinary that celestial beings are captivated by it.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What does it mean that the prophets knowingly served a generation they would never see?
- 2.How does knowing you are living in the fulfillment era the prophets longed for change your perspective on the gospel?
- 3.Why would angels — who see God's glory firsthand — desire to look into the gospel of human redemption?
- 4.What aspects of the gospel have you started treating as ordinary that angels find astonishing?
Devotional
Not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister. The prophets knew. They knew they were writing for people they would never meet. They spoke God's word knowing they would not live to see its fulfillment. They were servants of a future generation — your generation. What Isaiah wrote, what Jeremiah wept over, what Daniel saw in visions — they ministered those things to you.
Which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you. The gospel you heard is what the prophets foretold. The preaching that reached you is the fulfillment of centuries of prophecy. You are living in the era that the prophets served but never saw. They looked forward to this. You are standing in it.
With the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven. The same Spirit who moved the prophets to speak was sent from heaven to empower the preaching that reached you. The Spirit is the thread connecting Isaiah's pen to the sermon that changed your life. One Spirit. One message. Centuries apart. Delivered to you.
Which things the angels desire to look into. Angels. Beings who stand in God's presence. Beings who have seen his glory with their own eyes. And they are craning their necks to get a better look at the gospel. The thing you have — the redemption, the grace, the forgiveness through Christ — is so extraordinary that angels are fascinated by it. You are living in a story that captivates heaven. Do not treat as ordinary what angels find astonishing.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
Unto whom it was revealed,.... The salvation they searched and inquired into, and the grace of it; the time of its being…
Unto whom it was revealed - They were not permitted to know fully the import of the predictions which they were made the…
Unto whom it was revealed - We may presume that, in a great variety of cases, the prophets did not understand the…
The apostle having described the persons to whom he wrote, and declared to them the excellent advantages they were…
Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us The better MSS. give "you" instead of "us," obviously…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture