1 Peter 1:10-12 - The Prophets Spoke of Salvation

10 As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful searches and inquiries,
11 seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow.
12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things into which angels long to look.

vs. 10-11 - "this salvation" - Peter speaks of this in the previous paragraph - the salvation of your souls.
"prophets who prophesied of the grace... " The prophets told of the grace of God that was to come, but they did not know who the Christ was to be, or when He would come. The Holy Spirit was guiding them in their prophecy. They predicted the sufferings of Christ (see Isa. 53), and the glory of His return. You can bet that these prophets spent time with God, asking to understand what they were saying. We are the beneficiaries of their prophecies. The prophecies did not make it happen; they did tell us it would. Christ's arrival in the world turns out to not be a surprise after all.
If a person shows up unannounced and proclaims to be one with God, and to be a savior, most of us would be skeptical. And well we should. The Jews, especially the Pharisees and Sadducees, were unsure that Jesus was the One. When they became stubborn, they convinced themselves He was wrong. But they were incorrect. This shows two things - ideology trumps evidence, personal arrogance or self-aggrandizement overpower the call to belief. It also shows that we, you and I, can choose to believe. "God does not overwhelm, He can only woo." Screwtape ("Screwtape Letters", C.S. Lewis).

vs. 12 - "...they were not serving themselves..." - The prophets did not predict for themselves but for a later time, for you and me. Their predictions were fulfilled in the gospel. See 1 Cor. 15:3-4 - For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures. The real mystery of Christianity is the death and resurrection of Christ. If you accept and believe the fact of Christ's resurrection there is no argument against committing, nor any reason to not commit your life to the Lord.
A book review in 'The Weekly Standard' magazine of the "The Crucifixion" by Fleming Rutledge, noted the 'death of Jesus generates more material every decade and has for centuries' than any subject of any study in a well stocked university library. Why? Because the subject of Jesus death, burial, and resurrection goes to the core of our being - what is the meaning of life? How do we regulate our lives? Is there life after death? How do we know where we'll be when we die?
These questions must be answered. Where else do you find the answers to these questions?

"the gospel" - That is where you get the answers. The prophets did not know the gospel. They did not know the meaning of the resurrection. They knew God and believed Him. They spoke the words He told them to speak.

"by the Holy Spirit" - In our time, the time of the church, the gospel is preached by the power of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit has been given to us to help and teach. See John 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7 Spiritual questions are answered in the Bible. I was going to say "All spiritual questions..." On the other hand, I suspect there are lots of questions that may have no direct scriptural reference answer. Some will need to wait until we see Jesus face to face. Some of those questions will then appear to be silly, and part of our passive rebellion against giving all to Him. There are lots of questions about how we direct our lives that also have no specific answer in the scripture. These questions are answered "obliquely". There is no scripture that says, "Don't smoke cigarettes." There is no scripture that says, "Don't beat your wife," nor "don't nag your husband incessantly." Instead we are given, "Love one another, as I have loved you", and "Love your neighbor as yourself."

"angels long to look" - that little phrase causes me to stagger a bit. Angels in the presence of our Lord don't understand some of things He has planned for us. They stand agape. As it says in 1 Corinthians 2:9,10 But just as it is written, "Things that no eye has seen, or ear heard, or mind imagined, are the things God has prepared for those who love him." God has revealed these to us by the Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. Wow! Think about that. God has given us everything. His life is ours. His love is ours. His Holy Spirit lives within us to guide, teach, direct us. Are we willing? Will we commit? He has done His all, and awaits our response. Like salvation being our voluntary decision, so living the Christian life is our decision.
You know you are His child. Consider this fact in making your life decisions. Yield to Him as He directs you each day. Be obedient to His calling. See Rom. 6:6, 11, 13, 16.

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1 Pet. 1:6-9 - Trials serve to prove faith

6 In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials,
7 so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
8 and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,
9 obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls..

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vs. 6 - "... rejoice... " - Praise the Lord, that he provided that we may be as He is, through faith. The phrase "In this ..." seems to refer to the salvation given to us and will be revealed later mentioned in verse 5. See 1 John 3:1,2 Look at how great a love the Father has given us that we should be called God’s children. And we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it didn’t know Him. Dear friends, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet been revealed. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him because we will see Him as He is.

"... distressed by various trials ... " - Trial serve to prove our faith. "Prove" can have a couple of directions it can go -

1. To confirm as real and true, such as proving a theorem, to determine if it is correct, if it works as proposed.
2. To test and make mature and complete. Trials are also of little consequence, considering the glory we have in store. This could seem to be a glib statement considering the trials you may face in your lifetime - loss of a spouse, or child, a tragedy which might include a senseless death or incomprehensible injury or disease. Trials are of consequence in this lifetime, in that we may learn to trust in the Lord in any and all circumstances. You would think it would be easy to trust in the Lord when things are going well. Somehow, it doesn't always work out that way. Living good seems to dull my 'need' to depend on the Lord for everything. It is during dire circumstances that we truly lean on Jesus. C.S. Lewis said in "Screwtape Letters" that any faith that folds up under duress is not worth much. See: 2 Cor. 4:17 For our momentary light affliction is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory; James 1:2-4.

Side note: Are all trials that we encounter for our benefit? Or are some of our trials simply the result of a fallen, sinful world? Or are some trials the result of poor decisions on our own part? Can any trial be used to make us a better believer?

vs. 7 - "proof of faith may result... " - He is not speaking of salvation, but the rewards after salvation. See: 2 Tim. 4:7,8 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. There is reserved for me in the future the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that day, and not only to me, but to all those who have loved His appearing.; See also Heb. 4:1; 1 Cor. 3:13-15; 2 Cor. 5:10; James 1:2-4.

"...more precious than gold ..." - Gold, and all other metals (solid at normal temperatures) are purified by heat. The longer the heat is applied, and the hotter, the more pure the final result. The impurities (called dross) are burned off, or sometimes float to the top and are skimmed off. But no matter how pure the final product, for example gold, the result is not permanent. It is perishable; it can be lost, stolen, or just wear away. See: Job 23:10 - ...when He has tested me, I will emerge as pure gold; See also Prov. 17:3; Isa. 48:10; Zech. 13:9; see also, Matt. 6:19-21.

vs. 8 - "...have not seen Him, You love Him... believe in Him... " We can love the Lord by faith, and need not have every thing proved to us ("Unless I handle it with my own hands, I will not believe..."). We need not doubt the Lord. Because we can trust the Lord to keep us safe, we know that He loves us, and we can love Him. See John 20:29; Acts 1:9-11.
At the same time, God does not condemn us if we have questions. I believe God would rather have us our brains, challenge, search, seek for the answers. Thoughtless acceptance give us no means of defense when our faith is challenged. "Always be ready to give a defense for the hope that is in you." 1 Pet. 3:15.

vs. 9 - "... outcome of faith is salvation..." We often think of 'salvation' as the end of things, being in heaven with God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. And this is true. But Jesus came that we might be free here on earth. The final outcome is eternal life. In reality, eternal life seems ethereal, beyond understanding. I think it would be hard to remain faithful simply for that alone. We can believe God, He does not lie. He has promised this. Wrapping your 'head around' that concept is not easy. God has given us freedom from sin, freedom from shame and guilt, power to live a sanctified life. He has given us peace. He has given us power, through the Holy Spirit, to overcome our pet sins, our favorite failures. See Rom. 6:22 - But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life; and see Rom.1:16,17; Rom.10:9-10. See also: Eph. 2:8,9; John 3:16.

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