"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 " (1 Pet. 2:1-3).
The new-born babe instinctively turns to its mother's breast, and the young convert, the soul newly born into God's family by faith in Christ, naturally seeks spiritual nourishment out of God's Word. He may not do this very intelligently, nor is it with the same eagerness in all, but in every truly converted soul there is an instinctive desire for the word of God. It is true that some are converted under such circumstances and in such environments as to greatly obscure or hinder that holy and natural desire, but we speak of what is normal. To these the apostle Peter, who was especially commissioned by the Lord to feed the lambs and sheep of His flock (see Jno. 21 :15-17), writes:"As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the Word, that ye may grow thereby." Note the expression, "desire," or " earnestly desire," as the expression really is.
But young believers sometimes complain of a lack of felt interest in the Bible-a lack of real desire for it. This is a condition to be deplored, and the cause and its remedy is to be sought out sincerely before God. The love and desire for God's Word may be stifled by a hankering after worldly things-the reading of trashy or corrupting books, or the indulgence of sin. In such a condition the soul is not only unable to enjoy God's Word, but is in great danger of being betrayed into some alarming sin because of its lack of power to resist temptations. We must exhort such an one to betake himself at once to serious and full confession of it to God his Father. Fear not to tell Him all-in detail, not generalities. Sincere confession will bring relief to your heart, and be the beginning of breaking the spell of coldness and lack of desire for God's Word of which you complain.
Let us ever remember the apostle's expression, " Desire the sincere milk of the Word, that ye may grow thereby." The Word of God and prayer are the God-appointed means to sustain and increase the spiritual life in the believer. The "sincere milk" may be rightly translated the pure, or unadulterated " milk of the Word." How many of God's children are given adulterated milk to-day! Ah, and even worse ; it may be poisonous food, instead of the pure, the unadulterated milk, that is served out in popular pulpits-discussion of social and political subjects, man's opinions, the world's philosophy-all that is of the present world; or, if on religious and spiritual subjects, the truth may be falsified, the credibility of the Holy Scriptures assailed, or tradition substituted or added to it. Oh, what injury is done to new-born souls by pernicious ministry in many places! "Take heed what ye hear," said our blessed Lord Jesus, the chief Shepherd of His sheep (Mark 4 :24). So, take heed, dear young Christian, that you do not imbibe the seductive and popular teaching of this day.
An infant, once, made no progress; it was deathly pale, falling back instead of growing. The parents were alarmed, and the doctor was called in. After careful examination, the doctor asked for the milk that was fed to the infant. When an analysis of it was made, it was found to contain adulterants, and the indignant doctor told the parents their child was not only ill-fed, but somewhat poisoned by the food given. Pure milk was obtained, and the babe soon began to improve and to thrive on this proper and pure food. Many of God's children are thus weak, sickly, " ready to perish," as it were, with no development of the life of Christ within because of the deleterious food received. "As newborn babes, desire the sincere (unadulterated) milk of the Word, that ye may grow thereby."
And in this connection be especially on your guard as to the quasi-religious literature everywhere prevalent-denominational organs and "Advocates," Sunday-school Quarterlies, and "Helps," religious novels, etc., many of which are as harmful as the popular teaching above referred to.
We turn now to the specified hindrances to the healthy, normal appreciation of the Word of God by which man lives (Matt. 4:4).
"Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil-speakings." The apostle here specifies things which in the child of God hinder or destroy his appetite for the food by which he is to grow. Almost any physician can tell us that the most common cause of impaired appetite is improper habits, such as late and irregular hours with tardy rising, improper food or immoderate eating and drinking, and abusing of the body. Spiritually this is the ground taken by the apostle here. He points out the possible or probable causes which hinder our appetite for the Word. He mentions five:malice, guile, hypocrisy, envy, evil-speakings. What a cluster of the "vine of Sodom! "
Before examining them one by one, let us note the verb "laying aside." We find it elsewhere in Scripture:"Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us" (Heb. 12:i); it has reference to the race we are to run, for which needless things should be dropped, as weights, which hinder in the heavenward race. James i:21 also says, "Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the ingrafted word, which is able to save your souls"-that is, able to deliver the child of God from the snares and pitfalls which Satan puts in our way.
" Laying aside all malice " is the first thing mentioned here. Malice is defined as "ill-will," "spite," "disposition to harm others." It is the exact opposite of "good-will." In i Cor. 5 :8 it is seen in bad company, "The leaven of malice and wickedness." In Col. 3:8 it is put between "anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication." In Eph. 4:31 it is associated with " bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor and evil speaking," put last there as a kind of trailer to other evils. In Peter it is put first as probably more characteristic of the Jew than of the Gentile, as witness the book of Acts, where the bearers of the gospel are pursued everywhere by the Jews.
What a terrible thing to harbor malice in the heart! How unlike our Saviour-God who would have all men to be saved, who wishes ill to none, even to His enemies. It is easily understood how such an evil mind would effectually prevent a soul's enjoyment of God's holy Word. Let us, then, drive away from our hearts this hateful bird, and fear it as poison which would ruin our soul's happiness and prevent our delight in God's precious Word.
"All guile" comes next. Guile is a close associate of deceit. They are paired together in psalm 55:11; and in i Thess. 2:3 it is one of the unlovely trio-deceit, uncleanness, guile. "Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile," was our Lord's commendation of Nathanael ; and here Peter calls upon his fellow-believers to lay aside all guile. What is more lovely in a little child than its guilelessness, its beautiful, artless candor! Oh Christian, beware of guile; lock your heart against its entrance.
"Hypocrisies"-what scorn attaches to the word! Who does not hate it in others ? We commonly associate it with an unreal profession of religion, but it is not confined to this. Does not the Spirit of God detect some measure of it at times in the heart of the true Christian ? Faithful old Cruden, in his. Concordance, defines hypocrisy as "an affectation of the name, with a disaffection of the thing." True Christians often affect to be, to feel, to believe, and love, more than what is actually true in the heart. It may intrude in our conversations, our professions of love for brethren, for meetings, and may intrude even in public prayer. It is the offspring of pride, and is to be unsparingly judged in our inmost heart. " Pure, and without hypocrisy " is a lovely Scripture combination in Jas. 3:17, for us to pursue with perseverance. Malice, guile, hypocrisy-what a trinity of evil !-all these and more are in our very nature; let us be on our watch against them, remembering that we are "called un-the fellowship of Jesus Christ our Lord" (i Cor. i:9), and as the "elect… of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ " (i Pet. i:2).
"Envies and all evil "speakings" are the last two mentioned; they are morally related, and usually go in company. "Who can stand before envy?" (Prov. 27 :4). It has been aptly defined as "an evil affection of the heart which frets at the good name and prosperity of others." Pilate knew that "for envy" the chief priests had delivered Christ into his hands to be crucified. " Filled with envy" they cast Christ's faithful witnesses into prison (Acts 5 :17, marg.'). "Moved with envy," Jacob's sons sold their brother Joseph for slavery in Egypt (Acts 7:9); and "filled with envy" the unbelieving Jews pursued Paul from city to city (Acts 13 :45; 17:5). Oh, Envy, Envy, what evils does not Scripture and every-day history lay at thy door!
"Evil speaking" is both the offspring and handmaid of envy. All the evils mentioned before-as a quartet of inward ills-for very shame lie concealed in the heart, but if unjudged there, give vent in evil-speakings. Alas, that such evil things should ever be seen among the redeemed of the Lord ! But it is not by hiding them from ourselves, or closing our eyes to them, that they are overcome, but in judging them before the Lord ; and His grace shall triumph over them, and enable the soul to feed in peace upon His word. Then shall we be enabled like David to say, "Search me, O God, and know my heart :try me, and know my thoughts; and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting" (Ps. 139:23, 24). C. K.
(Concluded in next number.)