1 Peter 3:18-22
Lord Jesus, if only I understood a small part of your Word,
and then applied those truths to my life, I would be a success. As I began to read these verses my
thinker the part of my mind that reasons said, I understand verse 18-20, “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous
for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the
flesh but made alive in the spirit, in which he went and proclaimed to the
spirits in prison, because they formerly did not obey, when God’s patience
waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few,
that is eight persons, were brought safely through water.”
Sure we get it, Jesus obeyed His Father and stepped out of
being worshipped to take on flesh an identify with His creation, to be rejected
and hated by the ones He called His chosen people, and to suffer and die on a
cross so that sin would be paid for.
That you and I could by faith have a relationship with the Father, Son
and the Holy Spirit, in the same manner as Adam before the fall. That covers it, I have by faith
believed and now it’s time to live life, or does that cover it?
Japan lost thousands of it’s citizens, in Joplin Missouri
hundreds lost their lives and Christians and non-Christians are shocked an
amazed at the loss of property and life, but those events are small in contrast
to what happened in the days of Noah.
God did not awake one morning and announce to all His creation that
today was the day He was going to destroy all of mankind, with the exception of
eight persons. I found many answers
from the minds of men on the time line for the building of the ark, and they
did not agree, but they had opinions from 98 years to 17 years. This may be the best answer: “There is
no scripture that gives us a the definite answer, but it was a big project, and
Peter tells us "God waited patiently while the Ark was being built."
It wasn't quick then.”
Could it be that often we totally miss the heart of God when
we read an account like the verses above?
This is the heart of God; “The Lord is not
slow to fulfill his promises as some count slowness, but is patient toward you,
not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” (2
Peter 3:9) After years of reading
the Scriptures, looking at my own life and observing others who I’ve come in
contact with or read what they believe, I’ve come to this understanding;
mankind does not want a moral authority.
That was true in the days of Noah and is also true today.
Therefore, we must look once more at verse 19, Jesus after
He was crucified, while in the tomb, went to proclaim to the spirits in prison,
the ones who formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of
Noah, while they watched Noah and his sons build the ark, and made fun of them
and refused the invitation of safe passage. Why, because they did not want anyone telling them how to
live life on planet earth, they did not want a moral authority. The mystery is why did Jesus go see the
spirits in prison? The only answer
I have is, God let this group see the fulfillment of His plan of redemption.
From the Back Porch,
Bob Rice
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