A Study of Acts: Peter Explains Psalm 16
Acts 2:29-33; 2 Samuel 7:8-13 - Peter invokes the Davidic covenant and eyewitness testimony to confirm that Jesus is the Christ.
““Brethren, 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. And so, because he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn to him with an oath to seat one of his descendants on his throne, he looked ahead and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that He was neither abandoned to Hades, nor did His flesh suffer decay. This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses. 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 forth this which you both see and hear.”
Acts 2:29-33 NASB1995
Peter explains to the crowd that Psalm 16 is not about David. David died and was buried and his tomb was still there on that Pentecost day. In fact, Peter could probably point at the tomb, which is alleged to be in Mount Zion, just outside the wall of Jerusalem. Peter says that God had sworn to David to seat one of his descendants on the throne, who will not be abandoned to Hades or suffer decay of His flesh. Psalm 16 and Peter’s commentary are referring to the Davidic covenant, as noted in 2 Samuel 7 and told to David by the prophet Nathan:
“Now therefore, thus you shall say to My servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, “I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, to be ruler over My people Israel. I have been with you wherever you have gone and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make you a great name, like the names of the great men who are on the earth.
I will also appoint a place for My people Israel and will plant them, that they may live in their own place and not be disturbed again, nor will the wicked afflict them any more as formerly, even from the day that I commanded judges to be over My people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies. The Lord also declares to you that the Lord will make a house for you.
When your days are complete and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me; when he commits iniquity, I will correct him with the rod of men and the strokes of the sons of men, but My lovingkindness shall not depart from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. Your house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be established forever.” ’ ” In accordance with all these words and all this vision, so Nathan spoke to David.”
2 Samuel 7:8-17 NASB1995
I like this commentary from Enduring Word on the covenant in 2 Samuel 7:
Your throne shall be established forever: God promised David that the reign of his dynasty would last forever.
Each of these great promises was partially fulfilled in Solomon, David’s son and successor to his throne.
Solomon ruled on David’s throne.
God’s mercies never departed from Solomon, though he sinned.
Solomon built God a magnificent house.
But the prophets foretold a greater fulfillment of these promises.
Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, that I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; a King shall reign and prosper, and execute judgment and righteousness in the earth…. Now this is His name by which He will be called: The LORD Our Righteousness. (Jeremiah 23:5-6)
For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder…. Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it…from that time forward, even forever. (Isaiah 9:6-7)
And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end. (Luke 1:31-33)
God’s promise of a house for David is completely fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
Jesus does reign and will reign on David’s throne forever.
The Father’s mercies never departed from Jesus, even when He was made sin for us.
Jesus is building the Father a magnificent house (Hebrews 3:3-6) in the sense that we are God’s temple (1 Peter 2:5) and the church is God’s new house.
Jesus, of course, was sinless, but He bore the burden of humanity’s sin on the Cross. He was not abandoned by the Father even as He carried this dreadful burden. He has fulfilled prophecy!
Now Peter exclaims that they (the twelve disciples and others in their group, perhaps all 120) were witnesses to the Resurrection of Jesus; Peter also refers to Him as the Christ (Messiah) for the first time in this passage. This is the physical proof that he shares and it is hard to reject the testimony of many who saw Jesus many times after the Resurrection.
The proof is also in what has been poured forth on that day. Jesus ascended to be at the right hand of God so that the Holy Spirit could be brought to them. I found this commentary on Precept Austin from Simon Kistemaker, who helped author the Baker Biblical commentary:
"Because Peter’s audience had not seen Jesus in the forty-day period between his resurrection and ascension, they needed proof that what the eyewitnesses proclaimed was true. Therefore, they wanted to know the relationship between Jesus’ resurrection and the coming of the Holy Spirit. To meet the questions of his audience, Peter alludes to Jesus’ ascension and mentions Christ’s place at the right hand of God (compare Acts 5:31)....From his exalted position, Jesus has fulfilled the promise that the Father would send the Holy Spirit (refer to John 7:39; 14:26; 15:26). On the day of Pentecost Jesus’ words concerning the coming of the Spirit are being fulfilled. Consequently, everyone present at the temple area in Jerusalem is able to see the evidence of the outpouring of the Spirit. The listeners must know, therefore, that Jesus, seated at the right hand of God, has the authority to commission the Spirit to come and live in the hearts of the believers." (Baker NT Commentary - Acts).
The crowd has seen the evidence of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and they are hearing the scriptural prophecies and the eyewitness testimony of the disciples of Jesus, who are now confirmed as apostles because they (through Peter in his first sermon) are the church teachers and leaders!
My next devotional examines Acts 2:34-36, where Peter quotes from Psalm 110.
Heaven on Wheels Daily Prayer:
Dear Lord - Thank you for the insights today into the fulfillment of the covenant with David and for the beautiful preaching of the Apostle Peter. Amen.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Commentary from Enduring Word by David Guzik is used with written permission.
Precept Austin was accessed on 8/1/2024 to review commentary for Acts 2:29-33.