“Epistemic Appetite,” a desire to know, is a more accurate term than “curiosity.” The angels have a desire to know. It’s not just curiosity because the angels exist purely for the glory of God. They are not just curious about “this salvation” of which Peter speaks, “the salvation of your souls” (1:9). Peter then says the angels long to know the what and how and when of this salvation.
Let me begin with 2 Cor. 8:9: For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich. What do you suppose the angels thought when they heard this news, that God the Son was going to earth in such a way. Listen to Spurgeon:
Oh, how surprised angels were, when they were first informed that Jesus Christ, the Prince of Light and Majesty, intended to shroud himself in clay and become a babe, and live and die! We know not how it was first mentioned to the angels, but when the rumor first began to get afloat among the sacred hosts, you may imagine what strange wonderment there was. What! was it true that he whose crown was all adorned with stars, would lay that crown aside? What! was it certain that he about whose shoulders was cast the purple of the universe, would become a man dressed in a peasant’s garment? Coult it be true that he who was everlasting and immortal, would one day be nailed to a cross? Oh! how their wonderment increased! They desired to look into it.
Why might imagine the angels being confused? The angels are zealous for the glory of God. When sin entered the human race, God set two angels at the entrance to Eden to make sure that no sinner would enter there to diminish the Creator. When God revealed His plan by which He would dwell with men, two angels watched over the “mercy seat” where the Presence rested: And the cherubim shall stretch out their wings above, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and they shall face one another; the faces of the cherubim shall be toward the mercy seat (Ex. 25:20).
In Daniel 8 we see the “epistemic appetite” of the angels. Ch. 8:1-12 contains a vision of Daniel. Gabriel’s interpretation of the vision (8:15-26) tells us what Daniel was seeing. The Medes and Persians who ruled the world and particularly Israel (8:20) were about to be replaced by Alexander the Great (8:21) who would then be replaced by four rulers (8:22). In the latter time of this “four part empire” the king ruling Israel would destroy the “holy people,” causing sin to thrive (8:23-24), even rising against the Prince of princes (8:25-26). In 8:13 we see that a “holy one” was stirred to ask, “How long will the vision be?” Why would this angel be concerned? The answer is that he knows that Israel is the means by which salvation would come. If the holy people are destroyed, what will come of the promised salvation?
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