parakupto – Ministry of Grace Church

It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things which angels long to look into.

Truth to Learn

Angels are watching us to learn about salvation.

Behind the Words

The words “they were … serving” are translated from the Greek verb diakoneō, which means “to serve” or “to wait on” just as a waiter does at a restaurant. It is the word from which we get our English word deacon; a position of servanthood within the church. The verb is expressed here in the imperfect tense indicating past, ongoing action.

At the end of this verse, the word “long” is from the Greek verb epithumeō, meaning “extremely strong desire.” It is the word used of the prodigal son’s desire to satisfy his hunger with the husks in Luke 15:16 and of the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes in 1 John 2:16.

The word translated “to look” is the Greek verb parakuptō, meaning “to bend down” or “to stoop down” or “to peer into.” The implication here, as with the prophets, is that the angels are intently looking into these things. James uses this same word in James 1:25, “but whoever looks intently into the perfect law of liberty …” and it also is used of Peter himself in Luke 24:12 when he had arrived at the empty tomb and stooped down looking in to see the grave clothes.

Meaning Explained

The purpose of Peter’s message in these verses is to impress upon those to whom he was writing in the 1^st century (and to us who read these words today) not only the value of the message contained in the scriptures, but also our very privileged position in being able to understand what was written in a way that saints of old were not permitted. The prophets of the Old Testament searched with effort for the true meaning of the message, which was inspired by the Holy Spirit, in order to understand the things of the Messiah and this salvation that we have. Now Peter tells us that the angelic beings have an intense desire to know more about these things as well.

An angel cannot experience salvation as we can. Each angelic being is a separate creation and is responsible to God for his own actions. It is because of the procreation of mankind from a single created being that Christ was able to atone for the sins of Adam’s entire race. Since angels can’t experience salvation themselves, they have to understand it by studying those of us who are experiencing it.

So, the next time you feel like someone is watching you (other than the omnipresent God we serve) it may well be that it is an angel, trying to better understand more about the salvation so freely offered to us, even though we don’t deserve it.

Application

Let’s give praise to God for our salvation, and let’s be a witness of His grace to those around us who we can see, as well as to those who we can’t see. Be a witness to an angel today!

In God's service, for His glory,

But he who having looked closely into the perfect law of liberty and having continued looking closely, not having become a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.

Truth to Learn

God will look favorably on the performance of those who practice what He teaches.

Behind the Words

The word translated “having looked closely” is the verb parakuptō, which is made up of para, meaning “beside” or “alongside” and kupto, meaning “to stoop down.” Hence, this word is a picture of someone bending down to take a close look at something. This verb is expressed as an aorist participle. Thus it means “having looked closely.”

“Having continued” is translated from the Greek word paramenō, which is another compound word made up of para, which we just saw means “beside” or “alongside” and meno, meaning “to remain.” Hence, the picture that James is painting for us here is of someone who bends down beside something to carefully observe it and remains there, taking a good long look at it.

The word translated “doer” is one that we looked at a few verses back. This refers to someone who is a performer, like a musician, who practices constantly to bring his or her life in conformance with what God instructs in the Bible.

Finally, the words “what he does” are translated from poiēsis, which literally means “his performance.”

Meaning Explained

James concludes this little treatise on putting faith into action by telling us:

The person who has bent down to look intently into the Word that gives freedom, and has stayed there observing it, having not become a forgetful hearer but a practicer of the work, this person will be blessed in his performance.

Some people have a natural aptitude for music, like Mozart who began composing at the age of five. Others, like my own father, can only do one thing with music, listen. When it comes to the Word of God, however, just listening is not good enough.

James tells us that we have to put into practice what we read and hear from the Word of God. He tells us that we have to stop and bend down. In order to bend down to carefully observe something we have to stop, not just slow down. When we read a passage in the Bible that we don’t understand, we need to stop and take the time to find out what it really means. When we hear a sermon that touches our heartstrings, or one that feels like our toes just got stomped on, we need to pray about what we heard and ask God to give us the strength and determination to do what He is telling us.

The result, according to James, is that God will bless us in a way that only He can do. And, I can assure you that there is nothing on this earth that can compare to His blessing!

Application

In the Book of Psalms we often encounter the word “selah” which means “pause,” which is written in the fixed imperative form, indicating more than just a suggestion. It is most likely a musical term indicating a pause in the singing or reciting of the words, but it also implies that the reason for the pause is for reflection regarding what was just sung or recited.

The next time the Word of God really speaks to you, stop and pause. Consider intently what God is saying, and then pray that God will help you put it into practice. It will prove to be a double blessing, it will bless God and it will bless your own heart.

In God's service, for His glory,

Ministry of Grace Church

Tag: parakupto

1 Peter 1:12 – Heavenly Observation

James 1:25 – Blessed Performance