Of this salvation the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, have sought diligently and searched carefully,
Truth to Learn
Even the prophets of the Old Testament searched the Scriptures to understand the truth of this salvation that we have received.
Behind the Words
The words “sought diligently” are from the Greek word exezēteō, which is in an intensive form of dzēteō, meaning “to seek out or to look diligently.”
The word translated “searched carefully” is the Greek word exereunaō. This is also expressed in an intensive form and it means “to explore earnestly,” like a prospector digging with effort and persistence for precious nuggets of gold.
Meaning Explained
Now, concerning this salvation which Peter has just described, he goes on to impress upon his readers its rarity and preciousness. It is of such rare value that the prophets themselves have earnestly sought out its meaning.
The Greek construction does not say that they sought “after it” but “concerning it.” They were not looking for salvation, they were trying to understand salvation in the very messages they were delivering through the Spirit of God. According to Albert Barnes in his Notes on the Bible:
they perceived that in their communications there were some great and glorious truths which they did not fully comprehend, and that they diligently employed their natural faculties to understand that which they were appointed to impart to succeeding generations.
The prophets, who were the channel of God’s revelation to the Israelites and to us, were themselves constantly seeking the meaning of their messages, even digging through other scripture to get deeper meaning. An excellent example of this is portrayed in Daniel 9:2:
in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, observed in the books the number of the years which was revealed as the word of the LORD to Jeremiah the prophet for the completion of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years.
Daniel obviously spent a lot of time searching the scriptures of his day, especially the prophesies of those who came before him. It was through this study of God’s Word and gold mining for information in “the books” (actually scrolls) that the Spirit of God revealed to him the time when the Israelites would be allowed to return to Jerusalem.
In today’s verse the use of “sought diligently” and “searched carefully,” both in their intensive form, emphasizes the effort and care that was put into understanding the details of this salvation that we have. Isn’t it a shame that we, with the entire revelation of God in our hands, take the reading of His Word and this salvation so lightly?
Application
Let me urge each of you to renew your commitment to God and to the understanding of His message for us. Let us search the scriptures daily and let us lock His Word in our hearts to be meditated on and shared with others.
To God be the glory!
In God's service, for His glory,
Copyright © 2016 Will Krause. All rights reserved