Steve
I am curious about a some passages in 1 Peter that don t make a lot of sense to me but I have a feeling that they might fit into the 10 tribes thing. In the beginning of 1 Peter he is adressing his letter to the pilgrims of the dispersion. Most commentaries will say that means to the Jews but then in 2:9 he says 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. Why does Peter be use direct citations from Hosea which dealt exclusivley with the Northern(10 tibes) if he was writing to Jews. If he meant non hewbrew or gentiles in the once were not a people then when were they a people. The not obtained mercy quote is also strait out of Hosea dealing with God divorcing the Northern kingodom. These are some question
s I haven t been able to reconcile. If you have any insight I would really appriciate it.
Thanks
jivenjie
MyReply
Dear Jivenjie,
In Matthew 10:6, Jesus Christ sent the apostles to “the lost sheep of the house of Israel (the ten tribes)” so it would be natural for Peter to address an epistle to some of the tribes of Israel scattered in the regions mentioned in I Peter 1:1. I believe I Peter 2:9 is clearly addressed to the people in those regions who had become believers.
Jeremiah 51:5 clearly states that God had not forsaken either Israel or Judah, and this was written well after the ten tribes were exiled from the Promised Land. I believe the key to reconciling the difference you refer to is in recognizing there were two covenants that God made with the Israelite tribes. The covenant made between God and the Israelites via Moses at Mt. Sinai was conditional and pertained to the Promised Land. The tribes all sinned and were eventually “divorced” from the Promised Land according to the blessings and curses associated with that covenant. However, the other covenant that God made with Abraham also pertained to Abraham’s descendants and it was unconditional, and God continued to honor that covenant even after the exile. Hosea 1 is a key in understanding this difference in covenants. Even though Hosea is a book about looming prophetic judgment against the ten tribes, Hosea 1:10 records God’s promise to nonetheless vastly increase their populations after they were sent into exile. This promise refers directly to God’s covenant made with Abraham (Genesis 13:16, 17:1-7, 22:17-18).
Steve
