22 “Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God did through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know— 23 this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of lawless men and put Him to death. 24 But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power. 25 For David says of Him,
‘I saw the Lord continually before me;
Because He is at my right hand, so that I will not be shaken.
26 Therefore my heart was glad and my tongue exulted;
Moreover my flesh also will live in hope;
27 Because You will not forsake my soul to Hades,
Nor give Your Holy One over to see corruption.
28 You have made known to me the ways of life;
You will make me full of gladness with Your presence.’
29 “Men, brothers, I may confidently say to you regarding the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 And so, because he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn to him with an oath to set one of the fruit of his body on his throne, 31 he looked ahead and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that He was neither forsaken to Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption. 32 This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses. 33 Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured out this which you both see and hear. 34 For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says:
‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at My right hand,
35 Until I put Your enemies as a footstool for Your feet.”’
36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ—this Jesus whom you crucified.” Acts 2: 22-36 LSB
Acts 2: 22-36 Peter's argument for Jesus
We just left off with the first part of Peter's message where he explains what the crowd was witnessing, as according to and fulfilling the prophecy of Joel. Joel was writing about the last days and the pouring out of the Spirit. If you saw this, if you were a witness to it, to them speaking about Jesus, in tongues that the speakers didn't previously know, well then you were a witness to the fact that the last days had begun, officially with the coming of Jesus. Now he is going to explain Who Jesus is, what they missed.
V. 22 Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs - Peter makes his appeal to what they had seen and known to be true of Jesus' ministry. They witnessed miracles like the healing of the blind, the raising of the dead, the healing of the lame. They witnessed wonders, like his power over the elements in taking a small amount of food, enough for one boy, and then feeding the multitudes. They had the Old Testament, so they could see what the prophets had to say about Him, especially in recent months, the events leading up to, and even His crucifixion, just read Isaiah 52:13 through 53:12.
…2Meanwhile John heard in prison about the works of Christ, and he sent his disciples 3to ask Him, “Are You the One who was to come, or should we look for someone else?” 4Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see:…
…5The blind receive sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. 6 Blessed is the one who does not fall away on account of Me.” 7As John’s disciples were leaving, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swaying in the wind?… Matthew 11: 2-7
…16At first His disciples did not understand these things, but after Jesus was glorified they remembered what had been done to Him, and they realized that these very things had also been written about Him. 17Meanwhile, many people continued to testify that they had been with Jesus when He called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead. 18That is also why the crowd went out to meet Him, because they heard that He had performed this sign.… John 12: 16-18
V. 23 Delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God - This was foretold in Scripture, and foreordained by God from eternity. Satan even tried to counteract the prophecies about Christ, attempting to wipe out His line by way of Athaliah and later by the decree of Herod. Many struggle with the idea of God's sovereignty, but knowing about something doesn't make it happen, yet when God speaks, whatever He says is bound by His decree. He didn't just foresee that the earth would be created, no, He spoke it into being. We can observe this in that everything is wrapped up in language, even we consists of His words, just look at DNA.
The words the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God are a Greek construction governed by the Granville-Sharp rule. This grammatical rule simply states that when two nouns are joined by the word “and” (Greek kai) and the first noun has the definite article (article = "the") in front of it and the second does not, both nouns refer to the same thing. In Acts 2:23, this rule shows that the word foreknowledge refers to the same act as does the phrase predetermined plan and is an additional description. Predetermined is in the perfect tense (past completed act with ongoing effect) which refers to the past act of God "putting limits upon something" (so to speak) with the present result that that certain thing (in this case the crucifixion of His Son) has been appointed or decreed. God did not just foreknow, but He actually foreordained the crucifixion. The predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God describes this consultation as one that had as its purpose the fixing of limits upon, thus determining the destiny of God's Son. In other words, in eternity past (2Ti 1:9+; Re 13:8+), the Trinity, determined that the Lord Jesus Christ should be given over into the hands of godless men to be crucified. The word foreknowledge (see below) refers to the same act, and therefore includes in it the truth indicated by the predetermined plan. Foreknowledge, however, adds the idea of the foreordination or appointment in advance of the Person whose destiny was decided upon in the plan referred to. Stated succinctly the Granville Sharp rule in Acts 2:23 equates foreknowledge to a predetermined plan. According to Peter, God's foreknowledge is a deliberate choice. God foreknew not by prior observation, but by bringing into reality His predetermined plan. - Precept Austin
As J I Packer put it God "knows and foreknows, all things, and His foreknowledge is foreordination; He, therefore, will have the last word, both in world history and in the destiny of every man." - PA
Foreknowledge (4268)(prognosis from verb proginosko from pro = before + ginosko = to know) literally means to know beforehand. God's foreknowledge means not only that He knew beforehand but that He also planned beforehand (cf. similar idea in Ex 33:17; Jer 1:5; Amos 3:2; Matthew 7:22; 7:23 [note]). As used of God, the word prognosis means foreknowledge with a purpose that can never be frustrated.
John MacArthur on prognosis - Significantly, the word appears here in the instrumental dative case. That shows that it was the means by which Christ's deliverance to His enemies took place. Yet, mere knowledge cannot perform such an act. Foreordination can act, however, and that is the New Testament meaning of prognōsis. (MacArthur NT Commentary - Acts)
The natural human tendency is to believe that God's foreknowledge simply refers to His foresight, the idea that He knew beforehand. In a discussion of God's foreknowledge regarding election, Dr MacArthur explains why men equate foreknowledge with foresight. Click here (select Chosen by God - Part 2 - Scroll down to heading entitled "Man's Decline"). - Precept Austin
V. 23b You nailed to a cross by the hands of lawless men - Though it was the predetermined plan of God, yet your hearts acted against God's law and His Servant. God has overruled your evil and brought forth good, but that was not your intent. This is not a foreign concept to the Jews that Peter is preaching to.
…6I will send him against a godless nation; I will dispatch him against a people destined for My rage, to take spoils and seize plunder, and to trample them down like clay in the streets. 7But this is not his intention; this is not his plan. For it is in his heart to destroy and cut off many nations. 8“Are not all my commanders kings?” he says.… Isaiah 10: 6-8
…19But Joseph replied, “Do not be afraid. Am I in the place of God? 20As for you, what you intended against me for evil, God intended for good, in order to accomplish a day like this— to preserve the lives of many people. 21Therefore do not be afraid. I will provide for you and your little ones.” So Joseph reassured his brothers and spoke kindly to them.… Genesis 50: 19-21
27And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 28And we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose. 29For those God foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers.… Romans 8: 27-29
V. 24 It was impossible for Him to be held by its power - Death is owed to those that sin, but Christ did not sin, He was the spotless Lamb, the guiltless for the guilty.
…22But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the fruit you reap leads to holiness, and the outcome is eternal life. 23For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6: 22-23
…19that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting men’s trespasses against them. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ: Be reconciled to God. 21God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.… 2 Corinthians 5: 19-21
Vs. 25-28 For David says of Him - Now Peter moves back to the OT that he had grown up with at synagogue and what he had been taught by Christ. He is making the case that the One Whom they saw perform the miracles and signs they witnessed, is the Messiah prophesied in the OT. David was a forerunner of Christ, an earthly parent in the human line that Jesus would enter through one from David's tribe, Mary, of the line of Judah. David rejoiced in seeing God before him, knowing his presence, but even more so, the Son of God, ALWAYS, for He was present with the Father from eternity. We also know that He did not see decay, though David did, for his body remained in the tomb, awaiting his new resurrected body, yet Jesus rose from the dead on the third day.
…7Because the Lord GOD helps Me, I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set My face like flint, and I know that I will not be put to shame. 8The One who vindicates Me is near. Who will dare to contend with Me? Let us confront each other! Who has a case against Me? Let him approach Me! 9Surely the Lord GOD helps Me. Who is there to condemn Me? See, they will all wear out like a garment; the moths will devour them.… Isaiah 50: 7-9
I saw the Lord always in My presence - Peter is quoting from the Septuagint which is why the words are not quite the same as in David's words above, which are the translation of the Hebrew text (rather than the Septuagint). As we have discussed above, while these words applied to David in his day, they had a greater application to the Son of David, the Messiah. And with that thought in mind we can interpret the Lord as a reference to God the Father and the possessive pronoun My as referring to the the Son, Who saw sees Himself as always in the presence of His Father. The idea is that Jesus always practiced and was always conscious of the presence of God, right before His eyes. - PA
Recalling that the heart (kardia) refers to the center of one's being, the center of the personality, Lenski writes that Messiah's heart "was filled with gladness, the same verb that is used for making merry at a celebration in Luke 15:32+; and His tongue jubilated, exulted in songs and expressions of praise....From the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh; heart and tongue go together." (HOW'S YOUR TONGUE BEEN TODAY? IT'S AN EXCELLENT BAROMETER OF YOUR HEART! AN EXCELLENT BAROMETER OF WHO IS IN CONTROL -- SELF OR SPIRIT!) (Borrow the interpretation of the acts of the apostles) - PA
…34“How can this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” 35The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the Holy One to be born will be called the Son of God. 36Look, even Elizabeth your relative has conceived a son in her old age, and she who was called barren is in her sixth month.… Luke 1: 34-36
V. 29 His tomb is with us to this day - David's body saw decomposition, they even knew where he was buried.
Vs 30-32 One of the fruit of his body on his throne - This points to a Millennial Kingdom, spoken of much by the same prophets who foretold Jesus first coming as the atoning Lamb.
…43As you saw the iron mixed with clay, so the peoples will mix with one another, but will not hold together any more than iron mixes with clay. 44In the days of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will shatter all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, but will itself stand forever. 45And just as you saw a stone being cut out of the mountain without human hands, and it shattered the iron, bronze, clay, silver, and gold, so the great God has told the king what will happen in the future. The dream is true, and its interpretation is trustworthy.”… Daniel 2: 43-45
…27“Look,” Peter replied, “we have left everything to follow You. What then will there be for us?” 28 Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, in the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on His glorious throne, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for the sake of My name will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life.… Matthew 19: 27-29
…24Even before they call, I will answer, and while they are still speaking, I will hear. 25The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, but the food of the serpent will be dust. They will neither harm nor destroy on all My holy mountain,” says the LORD. Isaiah 65: 24-25
16 Then all the survivors from the nations that came against Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the LORD of Hosts, and to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. 17And should any of the families of the earth not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of Hosts, then the rain will not fall on them.… Zechariah 14: 16-17
14Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will fulfill the gracious promise that I have spoken to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. 15In those days and at that time I will cause to sprout for David a righteous Branch, and He will administer justice and righteousness in the land. 16In those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell securely, and this is the name by which it will be called: The LORD Our Righteousness.… Jeremiah 33: 14-16
Vs. 33-34 Therefor having been exalted to the right hand of God - This is what He promised them.
18they will pick up snakes with their hands, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not harm them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will be made well.” 19 After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, He was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. 20And they went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked through them, confirming His word by the signs that accompanied it.… Mark 16: 18-20
…48You are witnesses of these things. 49And behold, I am sending the promise of My Father upon you. But remain in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” 50When Jesus had led them out as far as Bethany, He lifted up His hands and blessed them.… Luke 24: 48-50
Vs. 34b-36 The Lord said to my Lord - Yahweh says to Adonai. Peter explains that this falls in line with David referring to Jesus as Lord, though He is also David's Son, yet the LORD, Yahweh says to David's Lord, Adonai, come sit at my right hand. This first part has been accomplished. He then indicts the crowd for Jesus' murder, "this Jesus whom you crucified". Yes, they had Rome carry it out, those soldiers held the whip and drove the nails, but they are every bit as guilty of the blood of Christ as David was for that of Uriah.
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