November 2 / II Peter 1:12-21

II Peter 1:12-21

…I know that the putting off of my body will be soon … And I make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things. (vv. 14-15) Peter here is speaking of his death and his intention to continue to remind his audience of the things he has thus far spoken of in this letter. When he says that he will make every effort (to keep them “reminded”) I wonder if he is talking about him dictating a Gospel to Mark? You may recall that at the end of his first letter he include his “son, Mark” in his closing remarks. Interesting…!

For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to Him by the Majestic Glory, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with Him on the holy mountain. And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed… (vv. 17-19a) My interest is in that last sentence. My Study Bible spent a whole paragraph explaining that sentence and the next two verses, explanations that were mostly lost on me. However, I went back to the Transfiguration passage in Luke and was referred to Isaiah 42:1, Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My chosen one in whom My soul delights… (NASB) This Old Testament verse is also cited at Jesus’ baptism (Matthew 3:17) and by Jesus Himself in Matthew 12:18. So when Peter says that he has the prophetic word more fully confirmed, it seems to me that he is simply referring back to that Isaiah prophecy, that he saw Isaiah’s prophecy fulfilled at the Transfiguration. He then goes on to warn us against interpreting prophecy by our own efforts, noting that we can only do so in the power of the Holy Spirit. I think that with these words he is also chastising “those people” who were misleading his audience – a major topic in his first letter. A good day’s reading…!

Slava Bohu!