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Commentaries
English
Acts
  
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.30Therefore, 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,31he, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption.32This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses.”


In this sermon Peter addresses the hearers as his brethren, though they had not yet joined the family of God. Yet, he saw the Holy Spirit working in their hearts, so he clarified to them that King David’s prophecy mentioned in (Acts 2: 25- 28) could not refer to the king himself, since David in fact, who was the father of a numerous offspring, died, and his well-known tomb was not found empty. He was a true prophet, anointed with the Holy Spirit, and had received a promise from God, which no other prophet, king, or priest received, that one of his sons would be the Son of God at the same time, whose kingdom will not be destroyed (2 Samuel 7: 12- 14). All the Jews knew this widely known promise about Christ, and waited longingly and expectantly for the Son of Man who was the Son of God. The scribes thought too much about the coming Christ. They searched the Scriptures, and knew that this divinely anointed would overcome death, for he was born of the Holy Spirit, and filled with the divine element, and therefore his body cannot be corrupted, and his soul cannot remain bound in the power of death, for his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and he had overcome in his person the power of death. He did not reign as a mortal, temporal king, but he is the King of Kings, everlasting, one with God the Father, and having his power in his heart.
Then, urged by the Holy Spirit, Peter testified openly that Jesus who was crucified and rejected is the Son of David, and the everlasting King who God had raised. Peter did not fear his enemies after that, and did not discuss these matters with them, but bore witness of the fulfillment of the truth in the power of God. He had eyed God’s triumph, and heard the words of forgiveness of his sins from him who was raised and is living. Jesus ate with them when he rose from the dead, with his spiritual body, and showed them the print of the nails. The Nazarene is living. The Son of God is not dead. The Lord is risen. Are we his witnesses?
With this statement the third part of the sermon of the Holy Spirit ended on Peter’s tongue. First, he clarified to them that the outpouring of the Holy Spirit was a fulfillment of the prophecy in Joel. Second, he called the Jews the killers of him who was crucified. Third, He proved to them from the Scriptures that Christ had truly risen.

Prayer
O Lord Jesus Christ, you are the Prince of Life. We worship to you, and believe in your resurrection and your life. You are our King and Life-Giver. You are our only hope. Fill many people with your Holy Spirit, and turn them to you that they may live.
Question
What did Peter want to clarify to the hearers through mentioning David’s prophecy?