1 Pet. 5:1–4 —KJV
Ҧ The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a part
1 Pet. 2:9–10 —KJV
“But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.”
That refers to gentiles
Let me just deal with this part of your post for now. First of all when God says in a letter to a group of people that they are a chosen generation, he actually means something by the words. What does the word generation in this letter written to the strangers in these five different locations mean. The question you must ask yourself is do I believe he actually means the generation of the people in that day when the letter was written is who he has in mind as my first application? How you answer that question will determine if you will be able to advance your knowledge of God and his ways. What does he mean by chosen? What about a royal priesthood? A peculiar people, and a holy nation? A holy nation? Is it possible for you to consider these strangers scattered over this region of the world as a nation, much less a holy nation.
Well, I want you to know that I believe every word of it. I don’t know what you believe.
Now, the key to understanding this is in verse 10. I am going to copy and paste it here so we can look at what it says.
Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.”
Have you seen this message before in the scriptures? It is speaking about time past when they were not a people. However, now they are the people of God. Something happened to change the status of these people. What was it ? Who are these people? Well, before, in time past, God said they had not obtained mercy, but now they have obtained mercy. This news makes me curious.
I read about them in Romans chapter 9. Let me quote that to you.
Romans 9:22-26
22 What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction:
23 And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory,
24 Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?
25 As he saith also in Osee, I will call them my people, which were not my people; and her beloved, which was not beloved.
26 And it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people; there shall they be called the children of the living God.
What was the reason God gave in the passage you quoted to me in 1 Peter for showing mercy now. Look at what he says there and compare it to verse 23 above.
1 Peter 2:12
Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.
It is for the glory of God.
So, in verse 25 of Romans 9 he is drawing from a prophecy from Hosea chapter 1 concerning the northern 10 tribes who are a nation and the people of God when Hosea delivered his prophecy to them. But, before I do, I am going to prove the both nations, Judah and Israel are in view and in the exact same time frame. Notice when and to whom Isaiah delivered his prophecy.
Isaiah 1:1
The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.
Now notice when and to whom Hosea delivered his prophecy.
Hosea 1:1
The word of the LORD that came unto Hosea, the son of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel.
Now notice what Hosea says about this nation called Israel. Because of length of post I will not quote the whole chapter but you should read it.
Hosea 1:5-11
5 And it shall come to pass at that day, that I will break the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezreel.
6 And she conceived again, and bare a daughter. And God said unto him, Call her name Loruhamah
: for I will no more have mercy upon the house of Israel; but I will utterly take them away.
7 But
I will have mercy upon the house of Judah, and will save them by the LORD their God, and will not save them by bow, nor by sword, nor by battle, by horses, nor by horsemen.
8 Now when she had weaned Loruhamah, she conceived, and bare a son.
9 Then said God, Call his name Loammi:
for ye are not my people, and I will not be your God.
10 Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered; and
it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, there it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons of the living God.
11 Then shall the children of Judah and the children of Israel be gathered together, and appoint themselves one head, and they shall come up out of the land: for great shall be the day of Jezreel.
The prophecy of verse 10 came to pass because Jesus died for Israel and through him God had mercy on them and when they believed the preaching of his apostles they were born again and became “children of the living God” just as Hosea said.
Judah had national identity during the days of the apostles, but Israel did not. The plan of God is still to fulfill that last verse, verse 11, in the near future.
Maybe this will help the reader see that it is wise to believe every word of God because he can say what he means better than we can.