Today’s Bible reading is Numbers 23 and 1 Peter 2.
So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. (1 Pet 2:1-3)
Have you tasted? It’s one thing to see the Krispy Kreme HOT NOW sign glowing red, to hear the sizzle coming from a perfectly-prepared prime rib, or to hold a giant slice of ripe watermelon in your hands. It’s quite another to taste. To taste is to enjoy a higher level of personal experience, to perceive things you could never fully comprehend without partaking. How would you ever describe chocolate to a person who had never actually tasted it for themselves? Some things must be personally experienced in order to be fully understood.
Have you tasted that the Lord is good? Maybe you’ve only heard the claim. Perhaps you’ve watched as others drink deeply from what they describe as “living water.” Maybe you’ve sat for years in a church pew, but never personally invested to the point of actually tasting for yourself.
Could I challenge you to taste for yourself this Sunday?
- Don’t just bow your head; set your mind to approach the throne of God in prayer
- Don’t simply mouth the words; make melody to the Lord with your heart
- Don’t allow your mind to wander during the Lord’s Supper; remember and evaluate
- Don’t stare like an idle spectator as God’s word is preached; examine and exult
The Holy Spirit is teaching us in 1 Peter 2 what happens when we taste for ourselves. Malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander are put away–not only as unsatisfying, but disgusting. Cravings are refined and redirected. We come to long for the best. We grow up into salvation.
Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good!
Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him! (Psa 34:8)
He’s challenging you. Inviting you. Promising that you won’t be disappointed.
What will you do today to taste and see that he knows best?