Got Milk? Series

GOT MILK?

1 PETER 2:1-3

INTRODUCTION… Some History of Milk (healthyeating.org + milk.procon.org)

3100 BC Cows and milk were used in Ancient Egypt and other ancient cultures as a normal part of life.

1700-1200 BC In the Bible, the land of Palestine was described as “flowing with milk” which shows how important it was to life.

1525 The first cows in the New World arrived in Mexico by the Spanish and were also set into the wild.

1624 The first cows were brought to the Plymouth Colony for settlers.

1679 Jesuit priests bring dairy cattle to missionaries in Baja, California. Milk becomes a staple of the local diet.

1850s Before the Industrial era, nearly every family in the U.S. has its own cow—and debates rage over whose turn it is to milk the cow.

1864 French scientist Louis Pasteur invents pasteurization; by the early 1900s, it’s required by law in dairies across America.

1912 The year Oreos are first sold. Milk and cookies will never be the same.

1950-1960 Wax-lined milk cartons come into use by most milk manufacturers.

1957-1963 Like most mothers, June Cleaver serves her children milk at every meal on Leave it to Beaver.

1993-present The milk mustache gets serious street cred as everyone from models to pop stars appear in dairy advertisements.

Why in the world am I sharing with you some highlights about the history of milk? “Milk” is the primary word in the passage we will look at today. The Apostle Peter uses a metaphor about milk to describe for us some basic teaching about the Christian life. We are only looking at 3 verses today, so I thought we would read from 3 different translations today to get a full view of what the Apostle Peter is saying to us. Sometimes reading a passage in a different English translation can help us understand the words on the page. This is something you can do when reading the Bible on your own. The YouVersion Bible App allows you to do this easily or you can use the website biblegateway.com to look up one passage and read it in different translations. It is important when reading the Bible to understand the words you are reading.

READ 1 Peter 2:1-3 (YLT)

Having put aside, then, all evil, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envyings, and all evil speakings, 2 as new-born babes the word's pure milk desire ye, that in it ye may grow, 3 if so be ye did taste that the Lord [is] gracious.

READ 1 Peter 2:1-3 (KJ21)

Therefore laying aside all malice and all guile, and hypocrisy and envy and all evil speaking, 2 as newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the Word, that ye may grow thereby, 3 if so it be that ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.

READ 1 Peter 2:1-3 (NIV1984)

Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. 2 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, 3 now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.

THE KEY WORD: “CRAVE”

One of the important words as we look at 1 Peter 2:1-3 is the word “crave.” The word that is translated “crave” means “to intensely long for” or to “desire after.” The Apostle Peter commands us as followers of Jesus Christ to have an intense longing and desire for the things of God. This is idea that we should have a longing after God is not an idea unique in this passage.

We see this same word used in the Old Testament. It is the word in Psalm 41:2 which says, “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God.” It is the same word in Psalm 83:3 which says, “My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.” Psalm 119 says in three places, “My soul is consumed with longing for your laws at all times” (verse 20), “I open my mouth and pant, longing for your commands” (verse 131), and “I long for your salvation, O LORD, and your law is my delight” (verse 174).

We see this same word used in the New Testament. 2 Corinthians 5:2 shares with us, “Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling.” James 4:5 questions us, “Or do you think Scripture says without reason that the spirit he caused to live in us envies intensely?”

The picture we get from the word used in this passage is that we need to develop a craving in our lives for God and not for the things of this world. 1 Peter 1:2 tells us to get ride of malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander. Peter’s list is not random, but rather a list of sins that seem to dig deep into our lives and get under our skin permanently. These sins become part of who we are as people and often change our personality. The Apostle Peter is commanding us in our lives that if we desire to seek after an authentic relationship with God, we have to get un-addicted to the habits of sin and addicted to craving God and what He desires.