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2:4-8
Peter quoted Isaiah 28:16 and Psalm 118:22 in his description and pointed out that Jesus Christ, though chosen by God, was rejected by men. He was not the kind of Messiah they were expecting, so they stumbled over Him. (Wiersbe, 902)
Here Peter is employing the picture of a stone that has been dressed or cut and sits ready for incorporation in a building. The builders have passed it over as being unfit for the task. They cannot see that it is the right stone. (Marshall, p 67)
A spiritual sacrifice is not material (or not only material) but is an offering of the self (Roman 12:1), expressed in praise, thanksgiving and doing good … Like material sacrifices in the Old Testament, a spiritual sacrifice must be an offering that God is willing to receive. Not all sacrifices are acceptable to him, particularly those offered from wrong motives or not accompanied by the right attitudes towards God and other people (Micah 6:6-8). (Marshall, p 68f)
It goes without saying that these offerings are not for sin. The sin offering has been made once and for all by Jesus, and there is a total absence in the New testament of any language which suggest that Christian share in it. But Christians often forget that sacrifices were prescribed in the Old Testament not only as means of atonement for sin but also as expressions of thanksgiving and communion with God. (Marshall, p 69)
2:9-10
The basic meaning in the Bible is a person who serves God and has the right of access to him. That is why he is able to bring sacrifices on behalf of people who do not have access to God. Whereas in the Old Testament this privilege was restricted to one of the tribes of Israel, it is now extended to all the members of the new Israel— all members of the church are priests. (Marshall, p 75)
… they are God’s special property. The Greek phrase here behind a people belonging to God conveys a sense that they are particularly significant and precious possession to him, and therefore the object of his special care. (Marshall, p 75f)
We are obligated to declare the wonderful deeds of God to the world around us. The ignorance of the non-Christian world should be dissipated by the knowledge of God. The message will not be universally accepted, but the obligation is not there by diminished. (Marshall, p 77)
Christians have a life of hope in this world, solidly rooted in the fact of the resurrection of Jesus and in their own experience of new birth, and joyfully maintained despite the sufferings that they undergo since these are means of strengthening and proving their faith. (Marshall, p 77)
We must live lives of a character that can be recognized for its quality even by non-Christians. (Marshall, p 78)
Scripture quotations [unless otherwise noted] are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Most Works Cited. Please click here to access the web-page for all of the works cited, save those above–if any. Most of the works cited on the linked web-page correspond to the verses they are outlined with. In the case of background information and other general reference citations, one will find cited material with the Bible books the citations are associated with. ¶ Furthermore, all citations with URL linked, numbered notes are from Thomas Constable’s, “Dr. Constable’s Expository (Bible Study) Notes.” These links are preserved “as is” at the time of this work’s formation.
Biblical Worship. Editors, Benjamin K. Forrest, Vernon M. Whaley, and Walter C. Kaiser Jr., Kregel Publications, February 23, 2021.
Marshall, I. Howard. 1 Peter. The IVP New Testament Commentary Series, Ed. Grant Osborne, et al., InterVarsity Press, 1991.
Michaels, J. Ramsey. Word Biblical Commentary: 1 Peter. Ed. David Hubbard, et al., Word Publishers, 1988.
Wuest, Kenneth. First Peter in the Greek New Testament. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, eighth ed. 1960.
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