22 For Moses truly said to the fathers, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear in all things, whatever He says to you.
23 And it shall be that every soul who will not hear that Prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.’
24 Yes, and all the prophets, from Samuel and those who follow, as many as have spoken, have also foretold these days.
25 You are sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’
26 To you first, God, having raised up His Servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities.”
Quote (v.22) — from Deuteronomy 18:15. Moses warned the Israelites not to follow the idolatry of the Canaanites but to trust God who promised to send a prophet. Peter is explaining that the prophet Moses foretold was Jesus Christ.
prophet like me (v.22) — like Moses (see Hebrews 3:1-6). Christ is like Moses in that He is:
deliverer of His people from slavery
Mediator of the covenant
revealer of God’s Word and will
worker of miracles
faithful Servant appointed by God
Yet, Moses brought the law — Christ brings grace and truth (John 1:17). Moses failed to bring Israel to the Promise Land — Christ is and will do so.
from your brethren (v.22) — of Israel (as in Deuteronomy 3:18) and not referring to Ishmael, as the Muslims claim.
destroyed (v.23) — complete destruction. In Deuteronomy, the original states, “I will require it of him.” Peter substitutes a quote from Genesis 17:14; Exodus 31:14; Leviticus 7:20 and other places.
Samuel and those who follow (v.24) — Samuel and the other prophets also prophesied of Christ.
these days (v.24) — the offering of the kingdom, as we saw in Acts 2:16, and in Joel’s prophecy (Joel 2:28-32)
you (v.25) — emphatic — “You of all people.” They should have known better, but their response was to arrest the apostles (chapter 4).
sons of the prophets (v.25) — The Jews Peter spoke to were the heirs of the Old Testament prophets and, therefore, heirs of the promises of the kingdom
to you first (v.26) — “you” is emphatic — Romans 1:16; Acts 13:46. This isn’t Paul’s way of giving preference to Jews. It is his defense for going to the Gentiles.
iniquities (v.26) = active wickedness — perverse delight in evil
It is doubtless this prophecy from Moses’ writings that forms the background of our Lord’s repeated cry: “He that hath ears to hear let him hear!” and of the Father’s command: “Hear ye Him,” and of the Samaritan woman’s observation: “I know that Messiah cometh, which is called Christ: when He is come, He will tell us all things” (Matthew 11:15; 17:5; John 4:25). — Stam, page 147
In Peter’s address in the temple, Jesus Christ is mentioned by seven different names:
Servant of God
Holy One
Righteous One
Author of Life
Christ of God
Prophet
Seed of Abraham
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