1 Peter 2:3 - The Lord is Good

now that you have tasted
This phrase suggests a personal experience and encounter with the divine. The metaphor of "tasting" implies an intimate and firsthand experience, similar to Psalm 34:8, "Taste and see that the LORD is good." This connection emphasizes the experiential nature of faith, where believers are invited to personally encounter God's goodness. The use of "tasting" also reflects the cultural context of the time, where meals and shared food were central to community and fellowship, symbolizing the deep relationship between God and His people.

that the Lord is good
The goodness of the Lord is a central theme throughout Scripture, affirming God's benevolent nature and His desire for the well-being of His creation. This phrase echoes the Old Testament understanding of God's character, as seen in Exodus 34:6, where God is described as "compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness." The goodness of the Lord is also a type of Christ, who embodies God's goodness through His life, death, and resurrection. In the New Testament, Jesus is the ultimate revelation of God's goodness, offering salvation and eternal life to those who believe. This phrase reassures believers of the trustworthiness and faithfulness of God, encouraging them to continue in their faith journey with confidence.

Persons / Places / Events

1. Peter
The apostle of Jesus Christ, traditionally believed to be the author of this epistle. He writes to encourage and instruct believers in their faith.

2. The Recipients
Early Christians scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, facing trials and persecution for their faith.

3. The Lord
Refers to Jesus Christ, whose goodness and grace are central to the Christian experience and salvation.

Teaching Points

Experiencing God's Goodness
The phrase "tasted that the Lord is good" suggests an intimate, personal experience with God's grace and kindness. Believers are encouraged to reflect on their own experiences of God's goodness in their lives.

Spiritual Growth and Maturity
Just as tasting leads to a desire for more, experiencing God's goodness should lead to a deeper hunger for spiritual growth and maturity. Believers are called to crave pure spiritual milk to grow in their salvation.

Living as Witnesses
Having tasted the Lord's goodness, Christians are called to live as witnesses to His grace, demonstrating His love and kindness in their interactions with others.

Perseverance in Trials
The context of 1 Peter is one of suffering and persecution. Recognizing the Lord's goodness provides strength and encouragement to persevere through trials.

(3) If so be ye have tasted.--The "if so be," as elsewhere (2Thessalonians 1:6, Note), constitutes a strong appeal to the readers to say whether it were not so. St. Peter confidently reckons that it is so. It should rather be ye tasted, looking back to a quite past time, probably that of the first conversion, when the taste of spiritual things is the most delicious. How sad to be past the relish for evangelical truth! The quotation, or rather adaptation, from Psalm 34:8 is, no doubt, suggested by the metaphor of "milk." A curious little point about our translation here is that the word "gracious" has been adopted to suit the Prayer Book version of the Psalm. It is scarcely suitable to the Greek word, which, originally signifying "usable," "serviceable," passes on to be used of anything mild and pleasant, as, for instance, in Luke 5:39, of the mellowness of old wine. Here, therefore, the word seems to be peculiarly used with reference to the sense of taste. A more important point, doctrinally, is that St. Peter is here applying to Jesus Christ (as the next verse shows) a passage which otherwise we might not have thought of applying to Him in particular. It gives quite a new complexion to the 34th Psalm, when we see that in St. Peter's view the Psalmist was speaking prophetically of our Lord. We shall find him quoting the same Psalm in the same sense again in 1Peter 3:10.

Verse 3. - If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious; rather, if ye tasted. If ye once tasted the good Word of God (Hebrews 6:4, 5), if ye tasted of the heavenly gift which comes through that Word (1 Peter 1:23), long after it that ye may g-row therein. The "if" does not imply doubt; the apostle supposes that they have once tasted, and urges them, on the ground of that first taste, to long for more. The first experiences of the Christian life stimulate God's people to further efforts. The words are a quotation from Psalm 34:8, "Oh taste and see that the Lord is good!" This makes it less probable that St. Peter is intentionally playing, as some have thought, on the similarity of the words χρηστός and Ξριστός. The confusion was common among the heathen; and Christian writers, as Tertullian, sometimes adopted it; Christus, they said, was chrestus, "Christ was good;" and Christians, followers of the good Master, followed after that which is good. But St. Peter is simply quoting the words of the psalm, and applying them to the metaphor of milk. It is possible that there may be an under-current of allusion to the Lord's teaching in John 6. The Lord himself is the Bread of life, the food of the soul. The epithet χρηστός is not infrequently used of food (see Luke 5:39). Parallel Commentaries ...

Greek

now that
εἰ (ei)
Conjunction
Strong's 1487: If. A primary particle of conditionality; if, whether, that, etc.

you have tasted
ἐγεύσασθε (egeusasthe)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Middle - 2nd Person Plural
Strong's 1089: (a) I taste, (b) I experience. A primary verb; to taste; by implication, to eat; figuratively, to experience.

that
ὅτι (hoti)
Conjunction
Strong's 3754: Neuter of hostis as conjunction; demonstrative, that; causative, because.

the
ὁ (ho)
Article - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

Lord
Κύριος (Kyrios)
Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 2962: Lord, master, sir; the Lord. From kuros; supreme in authority, i.e. controller; by implication, Master.

[is] good.
χρηστὸς (chrēstos)
Adjective - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 5543: Useful, gentle, pleasant, kind. From chraomai; employed, i.e. useful.

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