1 Peter 2:1–3
Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, as newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.
Peter is showing us something very practical here. The Christian life is not only begun by the Word of God, it is sustained by the Word of God too. We were brought into life by His truth, and now we are to keep coming back to that same truth for strength, nourishment, and growth.
He says we are to desire the sincere milk of the Word as newborn babes. That is such a simple picture, but it says a lot. A baby does not have to be persuaded to want milk. A baby does not put it off until tomorrow. A baby feels its need immediately and reaches for what will satisfy it.
That is how we are to be with Scripture.
Not casual about it.
Not occasional with it.
Not treating it like an extra when everything else is done.
Peter says this hunger for the Word is to mark us all through life.
But notice that before he talks about desire, he talks about removal. He says to lay aside malice, guile, hypocrisies, envies, and evil speakings. In other words, there are things that work against spiritual appetite. There are attitudes and habits that dull the soul and leave a person with very little desire for what is pure.
That makes sense, does it not? If a person fills up on junk food, he should not be surprised when a good meal no longer appeals to him. The meal is not the problem. His appetite has already been spoiled by something weaker, cheaper, and less nourishing.
That is exactly what happens spiritually.
People fill up on the junk food of the world. They feed on bitterness, jealousy, noise, constant distraction, shallow talk, and polluted thinking. Then when it is time for the Word, they feel no hunger for it. Peter says the answer is not mysterious. Lay the junk aside. Get rid of what is poisoning the appetite. Then you will begin to desire again what truly feeds you.
And there is something else here. When believers are in the Word together, unity follows. People with different backgrounds, different personalities, and different opinions find themselves knit together around the same truth. The Word becomes the table where the family gathers.
Think about that.
What politics cannot do, what preferences cannot do, what human effort cannot do, the Word often does quietly and deeply. It brings hearts together because it keeps bringing all of us back to the same grace.
And Peter ends with this beautiful phrase: “If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.” That is the heart of it all. Once you have tasted His grace, you know where real nourishment is found. Once you have known His goodness, the empty things of the world do not satisfy in the same way anymore. They may still tempt you, but they cannot truly feed you.
So Peter’s call is simple and searching.
Lay aside what poisons.
Desire what nourishes.
Come to the Word like a baby comes to milk, because growth is there, strength is there, and the gracious heart of the Lord meets you there again and again.