“Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation.” (1 Peter 2:2)

by Joseph Ho

The word “long for” (evpipoqe,w, epipothēo) basically means to “desire earnestly.” This word is used in the New Testament in the context of desiring or yearning to see someone (Romans 1:11; Philippians 1:8; 1 Thessalonians 3:6). It is also used in the Septuagint (The Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament) in Psalm 42:1 to express one’s desire for God, “As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God.”

Here in the context of 1 Peter 2:2, Peter is exhorting us to long for the Word like newborns longing for the mother’s milk. We see in this metaphor that just like newborns, we have received our spiritual birth in Christ through the living Word (1 Peter 1:3, 1:23). Just like newborns, we are dependent on the Word for our spiritual nourishment and growth.
One of the characteristics of the newborn is the baby’s undistracted desire to eat. Newborns are never interested in the stimulations of the environment, but rather, they focus solely on feeding and growth! Similarly, we ought to cultivate the same intensity and focus to desire the Word of God.

We see this desire in the life of Apostle Paul. He says in Philippians 3:13-14, “Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

We also see this desire in Mary. We read in Luke 10:38-42, “Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”
Even though Martha did a lot more for Christ, Jesus was more pleased with Mary because her sole desire was to sit at His feet and listen to His teaching. This year’s theme is “One Thing I Do.” In our relationship with the Word of God, the one thing we must do is to earnestly feed on it.

Interestingly, we learned through modern science that the mother’s milk has antibodies. It gives the baby defense against infection. The mother’s milk has the perfect balance of nutrients. It causes the newborn to grow very quickly. During breastfeeding, the hormone, oxytocin, is released which causes the baby and the mother to bond with each other. The feeding time nurtures the intimacy between the mother and the child.

Apostle Peter probably didn’t have this scientific knowledge when he wrote 1 Peter, but I believe he chose to use this metaphor because he saw the amazing growth of the newborns upon feeding on the mother’s milk. In the same way, when we feed on the pure milk of the Word, we grow in our intimacy with God; we have a deeper delight in spiritual things; we increase in spiritual understanding; we gain wisdom to deal with the issues of life; we have greater love and stronger faith in God; we desire less for the things of this world; and we are able to obey His Word more consistently, and as a result, we receive blessings from God.

Psalm 1:1-3, “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.”

This is God’s true prosperity gospel. No, God is not going to necessarily give you wealth, fame, or comfort. But when you desire his Word, he will prosper you by drawing you closer to Him, drawing you closer to the blessings not of this earth but of heaven.

Jeremiah 15:16, “Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart.”

(Editor’s Note: we encourage you to listen to Joseph’s sermon on this topic here.)