“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy” (1 Peter 2:9-10).
The brief New Testament epistle of 1 John offers two insights that pertain to our look at this portion of Scripture. The first of those insights involves God’s nature, and the second involves our relationship to God’s nature…
“This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth” (1 John 1:5-6).
In this context, “light” is synonymous with the qualities of truth, goodness, and integrity. “Darkness” conveys the characteristic attributes of falsehood, evil, and corruption. These references are easy to grasp in view of the fact that we continue to employ these descriptive phrases in various ways today.
To illustrate this concept, let’s consider the example of Count Dracula, the well-known fictional character. Dracula is often characterized as the “Prince of Darkness” for his ability to bring human beings under his control and condemn them to a bleak and predatory future as members of the undead. In one sense, Dracula typifies Satan, for as 1 John 5:19 tells us, “…the whole world is under the control of the evil one” (GW).
So in contrast to the God of light, the Scriptures associate Satan and his affiliated behaviors with the concept of darkness. Thus, we can say that our text from 1 Peter identifies what we have been called from (darkness) and what we have been called to (light). The purpose of that calling is identified as well: “…so that you may proclaim the excellencies [the wonderful deeds and virtues and perfections] of Him who called you” (AMP).
This passage also features another Old Testament allusion in referencing those “…who once were not a people but are now the people of God.” That concept finds its origin in the book of the prophet Hosea and serves to demonstrate the value associated with a good working knowledge of the Scriptures. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Peter used this Old Testament imagery to make an important spiritual connection. In a similar manner, we can facilitate our spiritual growth under the guidance of the Holy Spirit when we prayerfully read God’s Word each day.