Black = Me; Blue = Sunday School Teacher, John; Green = Insight from someone else in class
Summary sentence:
"Peter is telling the dispersed that they are elected by the foreknowledge of God the Father to suffer through various trials for the sanctification of their faith in order to obey with holiness and with a joyful hope that their faith will lead to a salvation of a glorious, imperishable inheritance kept in heaven for them."
In short: Obediently suffer with holiness and hope and glorious joy!
Other "neat" insights: (well, neat to me, but that's what this blog is for writing:))
v. 1 - People from 4 of those places were present at Pentecost when Peter spoke, so he probably had previous relationship with them.
"Exile" is term used of Israel, but Peter is speaking to Gentiles (all Roman cities) of the Church. An exile lives in a land opposed to his God and living unholy. Peter is expecting them to live like God expected Israel to live while in exile. Do we feel like we are in exile? How comfortable are we in "this land"?
v. 2 - "foreknowledge"...God foreknew they were going to be exiles. God foreknows our various trials. It was helpful for me to have that perspective when facing my trials.
John asked us to look into the word "sprinkled". I thought that it was just a word connecting to the death of Jesus Christ. But upon further cross referencing, the blood sacrifice sprinkled in Leviticus was to set apart His people. Cleanse from sin in order to be in God's presence! This struck me as it fits with the "Call to Holiness" (See 1 Peter Overview).
The PRIESTS were "sprinkled with blood" for work in the temple (cross reference us being called priests in 1 Peter 2)!
v.4 - I thought putting difference words to describe our inheritance was helpful as we often get read over something we've read a lot without really pondering it. Our inheritance remains forever (imperishable), is holy (undefiled - like we're called to pursue!), and glorious (unfading)!
v. 5 - "Last Time" is a term of present and future. In Old Testament "Last times" started when Messiah appears. So the "last times" starts in Matthew and goes through Christ's second coming. This was a helpful explanation of "last times" for me because I've tended to get tripped up when I've come across that term.
v.6 - "if" in great can be written to assume "yes" or "no". This "if" assumes "yes" it WILL be NECESSARY for you to have trials (not a contingent "if"...if you happen to come across a trial.) The way we will survive suffering is to focus on the future hope. The future propels the Christian from the uncomfortable present because the present is NOT going to be comfortable for the person living in exile.
v. 7 - I have this verse memorized in NIV and I'm studying it in ESV. We were encouraged to read through 1 Peter in different translation and when I read it in NASB I was really struck! NASB reads, "so that the [fn]proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which [fn]is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ;" (from www.blueletterbible.com) For some reason, the phrase "proof of your faith" struck me. It occurred to me that HOW I handle "this trial" is proof of my faith. What kind of faith do I have? Does this trial prove that my faith is more focused on myself and my comfort or does this my response to this trial prove that I am trusting God. Does it prove I am worrying about money more than I am putting faith in the faithfulness of God. God has brought that phrase to mind more than the other translations...what I am proving about my faith (and my God) by how I am responding to these inevitable trials!
v.8 - To be continued...
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