14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words. 15 For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. 16 But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 17 ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams. 18 And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; And they shall prophesy. 19 I will show wonders in heaven above And signs in the earth beneath: Blood and fire and vapor of smoke. 20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord. 21 And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the Lord Shall be saved.’ 22 “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know—23 Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; 24 whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it. 25 For David says concerning Him: ‘I foresaw the Lord always before my face, For He is at my right hand, that I may not be shaken. 26 Therefore my heart rejoiced, and my tongue was glad; Moreover my flesh also will rest in hope. 27 For You will not leave my soul in Hades, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption. 28 You have made known to me the ways of life; You will make me full of joy in Your presence.’ 29 “Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, He would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne, 31 he, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption. 32 This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. 33 Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear. 34 “For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he says himself: ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, 35 Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.” ’ 36 “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” 37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” 38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”
Commentary
Vs. 14-16 14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words. 15 For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. 16 But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
Having endured their hostility, Peter being filled with the Holy Spirit now stands up with the eleven and raises his voice and warns the crowd not to attribute the Work of the Spirit of God though them to drunkenness! Since as he says, it is only the third hour of day, (about 9:00 am), thus it was far to early for them to have begun eating and drinking on this celebratory Feast day, rather what they have heard and witnesses is the fulfillment of the Word of God spoken through the prophet Joel!
Vs. 17-21 17 ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams. 18 And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; And they shall prophesy. 19 I will show wonders in heaven above And signs in the earth beneath: Blood and fire and vapor of smoke. 20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord. 21 And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the Lord Shall be saved.’
Vs. 17 ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams.
Therefore, Peter being filled with the Spirit of God, and thus now having a true understanding of the Work of the Lord and the Word of God, now begins to declare to them that what is occurring is in fulfillment of the Word of God spoken through the prophet Joel. And so, Peter begins by boldly declaring to them the entire prophecy spoken by Joel (Joel 2:28-32), that in the last days God would pour out His Spirit on all flesh. Thus, what they were now observing was just that, the Holy Spirit’s outpouring into the world, beginning with those who believe at Pentecost! Now as a consequence of God pouring His Spirit out on all flesh, God foretold that their sons and daughters would prophesy, that their young men would see visions, and that their old men would dream dreams (some of which was then being fulfilled in the early church, however some of it is also going to be fulfilled when Israel as a nation comes to know the Lord). And so once again Israel would again become a nation by which God’s Person and Presence was clearly known and seen by all! Thus, with the Holy Spirits outpouring into the world at Pentecost the only thing that hinders this prophecy from taking hold in Israel is Israel itself! For until they (or anyone else) receives the Lord Jesus Christ for themselves, they cannot have the fulfillment of the entire prophecy enacted upon themselves.
Vs. 18 And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; And they shall prophesy.
That said God’s prophecy and promise extends well beyond the boundaries of Israel, but will see its fulfillment to the ends of the earth. On everyone who believes in God’s Son, who themselves then is willingly God’s servant, will prophesy, that is they will declare the Word of the Lord and His Mighty works because of the Holy Spirit being upon them and in them!
Vs. 19-21 19 I will show wonders in heaven above And signs in the earth beneath: Blood and fire and vapor of smoke. 20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord. 21 And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the Lord Shall be saved.’
God Himself then has verified these times by showing great and mighty wonders and signs in the heavens and on earth, some of which were seen at the Lord Jesus Christ’s Crucifixion, and some of which will be shown leading up to His Return, but the most graphic and intense will only be seen at the coming of the great and awesome Day of the Lord which is the Day of judgment for the unrepentant and unbelieving, but is the Day of salvation for everyone who now calls upon the Name of the Lord (vs. 21)! Therefore, now is the time to repent and believe, now is the time to call upon the Name of the Lord and avail oneself to all of God’s grace and the everlasting blessings and benefits of believing in and belonging to the Lord Jesus Christ! For it is by faith alone in the Lord Jesus Christ that one receives remission of all their sins and everlasting life!
Vs. 22-24 22 “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know—23 Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; 24 whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it.
Peter then having declared to them the Word of the Lord given through the prophet Joel that, “Whoever calls upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved.” Now declares to them the Person and Work of the Lord. That is Jesus of Nazareth who was attested to by God by all the miracles and wonders and signs which God did through Him in the midst of Israel, can neither be denied by them or anyone else. And yet it was the Son of God Jesus Christ who being delivered up to death by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, Israel thus took by lawless hands and Crucified to death! Nonetheless their doing so neither thwarted nor hindered God’s Redemption plans, for with their Crucifying the Christ, God showed Himself way above them (and above Satan and even death itself) and raised His Son from the dead! For it is not possible that that Jesus Christ in suffering Crucifixion death for us all in the fulfillment of Scripture should be held it!
Vs. 25-28 25 For David says concerning Him: ‘I foresaw the Lord always before my face, For He is at my right hand, that I may not be shaken. 26 Therefore my heart rejoiced, and my tongue was glad; Moreover my flesh also will rest in hope. 27 For You will not leave my soul in Hades, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption. 28 You have made known to me the ways of life; You will make me full of joy in Your presence.’
Peter then in declaring the Lord Jesus Christ’s Crucifixion death and Resurrection from the dead now again recalls the prophetic Word of the Lord in Psalm sixteen where David foresaw these things, that the Lord would always before his face, that the grave would not keep Christ, nor would He see corruption, for He must reign as God, just as David saw Him, at his right hand ever with him. Therefore, David seeing this could boldly say that his own flesh would rest in hope, because as his Lord the Lord Jesus Christ would be delivered from death and raised from the dead, so he himself (and thus all who believe in Christ who are dead), will also be raised from the dead on the last Day! That is the vision and promise given in verse twenty-seven that God Himself will not leave His Sons soul (nor ours) in Hades (i.e. the grave, the place of the dead), rather at death just as David saw the Lord Jesus Christ’s soul in heaven so will ours be! However, unlike us who die, whose mortal bodies will see corruption down here if we die physically, David foresaw that God would not allow His Holy One to see corruption! Therefore, David knowing our Lords and thus his own future and glory could triumphantly boast in the Lord saying, “You have made known to me the ways of life; You will make me full of joy in Your presence.” Vs. 28 Thus this prophecy was given to foretell and declare the Lord Jesus Christ’s Death and Resurrection, because without that there is no resurrection (thus new and everlasting life) for anyone else. Thus, first is Jesus Christ’s Resurrection then everyone else’s on the last Day. And so that is exactly what the Apostle Peter will do declare Christ’s Resurrection when he gives us the interpretation of the passage starting in verse twenty-nine.
Vs. 29 “Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.”
The Apostle Peter then having declared the Word of the Lord spoken through the patriarch David in Psalm sixteen now gives us the interpretation. In this he begins by saying that David in saying: “For You will not leave my soul in Hades, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.” Was not referring to himself as the principal of the fulfillment of the prophecy, for David himself as Peter notes to them is both dead and buried, that his tomb if with them to this day. Thus, the prophecy was not given about David’s person, but the Lord Jesus Christ’s!
Vs. 30-31 30 Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, He would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne, 31 he, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption.
The patriarch David then being a prophet of God, who having an oath sworn to him by God that He would raise up an offspring from him (i.e. of the fruit of his body) to sit on his throne, David foresaw that this would be God’s Christ (Vs. 30). Therefore, David foreseeing this also went on to speak of the Lord Jesus Christ’s Resurrection, notably saying that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption (vs. 31).
Vs. 32 “This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses.”
Thus, in fulfillment of the prophecy spoken through David the Apostle Peter now says that it is this Jesus whom he was preaching to them that God has raised up from the dead, of which he and the other disciples are all witnesses of (1 Cor. 15:3-7).
Vs. 33 “Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear.”
Jesus Christ then being raised from the dead and exalted to right hand of the Father (thus having conquered death) then received the promise from the Father, so that His Spirit was thus poured out. Which is what those who were observing the disciples were themselves then seeing and hearing!
Vs. 34-35 34 “For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he says himself: ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, 35 Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.” ’
Again, David did not rise from the dead and ascend to heaven to bring salvation to Israel, or to anyone else, rather it is the Lord Jesus Christ who has! For even David himself foresaw this when He said: ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, 35 Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.” ’
Vs. 36 “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”
The Apostle Peter now hits them with the damming truth, that in their misguided zeal they themselves are the ones who Crucified this Jesus whom Peter was preaching to them, whom God made both Lord and Christ!
Vs. 37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?”
Having heard this the conviction of what they had done now rests heavily upon them, for as the Scripture says, they were cut to the heart, and so feeling the weight of their own guilt they now ask Peter and rest of the apostles, what they are to do? Therefore, bringing about one’s guilt and or conviction of sin is never wrong if it is done in a Godly manner; (thus not recklessly, or cruelly, or done to shame the already wounded); but rather with the goal of one’s repentance and restoration in mind, by which all may rejoice is always a Godly and sound move.
Vs. 38-39 38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”
The Apostle now tells them what they, and all who have not yet done so, need to do, and that is “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” For without repentance (i.e. a change of mind about oneself, and or what one has done, and thus that one is indeed a sinner in need of salvation, or God Himself that He alone is Good and has provided salvation for us) there can be no salvation, for the two are unmistakably intertwined throughout the Scripture. Thus, repentance begins by honestly acknowledging one’s sin and guilt before God, which often leads to throwing oneself on the mercies of God. For repentance is the beginning of seeing oneself as one truly is, and thus also seeing one’s own inability to either save oneself, or redeem oneself from one’s sins and transgressions. And in this there was nothing that Israel could now do to undo what they have done, all they can do is repent of what they had done, so that the doors of salvation would open to them. Therefore, Peters saying that they were to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins so that they would receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, is his saying that having repented of what they had done to Him they now need to identify themselves as believing in Him. And in this baptism by full water immersion is how they could clearly and undeniably publicly identify themselves as believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, who Himself like all who belong to Him in the N.T. were likewise fully water baptized. For having repented of what they had done to Him (and or once thought or said about Him) they now need to turn to the Lord Jesus Christ in faith, which again is here to be demonstrated by their being baptized in water which would be they’re now identifying themselves with Him as believing in and thus belonging to Him. Now in the Believers Bible Commentary they make the point that water baptism here was commanded only of Israel for the remission of their sins, and so water baptism here for them is their washing away the guilt of bloodshed from their hands, for its not water baptism that brings the remission of our sins and eternal life, it is only faith in the Lord Jesus Christ by which we receive the Holy Spirit, and thus we receive the washing and renewing and regeneration that comes by the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:4-7). Therefore, having declared to them the way of salvation, the Apostle Peter in exhorting them to repent and believe now says to them: “For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.” The Promise then of eternal life by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is not then just to the Jews then there in Jerusalem, but to as many as the Lord our God will call! Therefore, please here the call of the Lord Jesus Christ to you and repent of your sins and believe in Him so that you may also have remission of all your sins and everlasting!
Scripture Quotations
New King James (1982):Thomas Nelson.
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