Taste and see. I remember my mom using this phrase when she would make something that I was not sure about. She would also say “taste it; you will like it.” Very few times did her encouragement disappoint me. You usually taste to try out something, so you can determine if it is good to you or bad.
Peter uses this phrase in I Peter 2:3, here it means to partake of or have a genuine experience. They had already experienced the new birth in Christ. He had exhorted them to brotherly love, and obedience that led to a holy life. Now he encourages them to see the goodness of God.
I Peter 2:3 “If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.”
David makes a statement very similar to this one in Psalm 34:8. He had found protection from the Lord and was experiencing the goodness of the Lord. He’s like a young convert who is so filled with joy because of what the Lord has done. He wants everyone to experience what he has found. He is happy and satisfied with his life with the Lord.
Psalm 34:8 “O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.”
Peter uses this phrase to encourage them to have a committed desire for spiritual growth. For this to happen he tells them in verse 1 they must be determined to put away 5 things.
- Malice, which is the intent or desire to do evil to anyone, such as revenge or being spiteful.
- Guile refers to deceit or any intentional misrepresentation of the truth.
- Hypocrisy is the practice of claiming to have moral standards, but your behavior doesn’t back up your claim.
- Envies can also be translated as jealousy. This kind of jealousy leads to bitterness and rivalry.
- Evil speaking literally speaks to language that would put others down. Such as slander, backbiting, or saying something to cause others to question a person’s character.
I Peter 2:1 “Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings,”
In this committed desire for their growth Peter points out all the negative they need to put off, but he doesn’t leave them there. He proceeds to tell them what the next step should be. He urges them to set their desires on food that is pure and has no mixture of deceit. When a baby is a newborn all he needs, and all he can handle, is pure milk. As they drink and grow their body matures. Soon they begin to handle solid food. However, there must first be a lot of milk, and they must drink it often. Newborn babies are usually eager to drink their milk. Most of the time if you put them in the position to eat they start turning their head to find either Mom or a bottle. They are eager, and when they are hungry, it is all that will satisfy and calm them down.
I Peter 2:2 “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:”
That is how we should be. Nothing should satisfy our soul like feeding on His word. We should be eager to spend time with our Savior. The more time we spend with Him the more we will see His goodness. As we feast on His word and taste His goodness, it will create a desire for more. As that baby grows, it takes more and more milk to satisfy, until one day it is just not enough. Now it is time for cereal, then vegetables, fruit, and finally meat. How long has it been since you had a strong desire for God’s word? When you feast on His word, does it drive you to want more of Him? God has so much He wants to share with us, so much the Holy Spirit wants to reveal to us through His word. He won’t force-feed us, we have to be like that suckling baby and open ourselves to what he has for us. His desire is for us to grow, and grow, and grow. There is never to be a stopping point or an attitude of “I’ve arrived.” We are to grow until we leave this earth.
Have you prepared yourself for growth? Are you born again? Have you put away deceitfulness, backbiting, jealousy, hypocrisy, and any evil speaking? Prepare yourself for the best feast in the world.
God is so good. There is none like him. When you experience Him by feeding on His word you will see that it is a recipe that will satisfy your cravings. You will never find anything better. Taste and see!
