In this chapter we get the coming of the Holy Spirit to dwell in redeemed men, and with the assembly, or church, on earth. We have seen it figuratively in the Old Testament, (as in Exo. 15:2, 13, 172The Lord is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father's God, and I will exalt him. (Exodus 15:2)
13Thou in thy mercy hast led forth the people which thou hast redeemed: thou hast guided them in thy strength unto thy holy habitation. (Exodus 15:13)
17Thou shalt bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of thine inheritance, in the place, O Lord, which thou hast made for thee to dwell in, in the Sanctuary, O Lord, which thy hands have established. (Exodus 15:17)) in the tabernacle, and in the temple at Jerusalem, and God dwelt among them in the pillar of cloud. Also God visited Adam, Abraham, Joshua and others; but in this chapter God comes actually to dwell in and with His people on earth. The atoning work of His beloved Son on the cross, has made it possible, and believers, ever since Pentecost, have the Holy Spirit dwelling in them forever (John 7:3939(But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.) (John 7:39); Eph. 1:13; 4:3013In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, (Ephesians 1:13)
30And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. (Ephesians 4:30); Rom. 8:99But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. (Romans 8:9).) We cannot now pray for the Holy Spirit to be sent, for He has already come, and is here. Here to lead and to teach His people the deep things of God (Rom. 8:1414For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. (Romans 8:14); 1 Cor. 2:10, 12; 110But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. (1 Corinthians 2:10)
12Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. (1 Corinthians 2:12) John 2:20, 2720Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? (John 2:20).)
The great sin of Christendom today is, that they do not recognize His presence, and by their human arrangements, set Him aside. “The day of Pentecost,” this leads us back to the feasts of Jehovah in Leviticus 23. The Passover (ver. 5) points to the death of Christ.
The wave sheaf (vs. 10, 11) points to the resurrection of Christ; and notice, it was waved on the morrow after the sabbath, that is, the first day of the week, what we call the Lord’s day (Rev. 1:1010I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, (Revelation 1:10)); for Christians, not being under the law, have no sabbath, but they have the Lord’s day, a day to use for the Lord.
Then we count from the wave sheaf (ver. 15) fifty days, that is, Pentecost, and again on the morrow after the sabbath we find a new meat offering offered, two wave loaves baken with leaven. This is the type of the church, though the church is a redeemed people, yet it is baken with leaven. (There is no leaven or honey in any type of Christ [Lev. 2:1111No meat offering, which ye shall bring unto the Lord, shall be made with leaven: for ye shall burn no leaven, nor any honey, in any offering of the Lord made by fire. (Leviticus 2:11)], leaven is a type of evil.)
Verses 1-4. We have seen the believers together in prayer and supplication since the Lord went on high (1:14), and here on the fiftieth day, the first day of the week, they were again all with one accord in one place. Suddenly a sound is heard as of a mighty wind. It came from heaven, and filled all the house where they were sitting, and there appeared unto them divided tongues as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, or languages, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
This was not like the dove descending upon the Lord Jesus, but, as we can see, it was for testimony. It testifies to their redemption, and also is their power for testimony for Christ. What a contrast from under the law (as in 1 Kings 8:1111So that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud: for the glory of the Lord had filled the house of the Lord. (1 Kings 8:11)), where the priest could not enter into the temple because of the glory, but enter into Himself has come to dwell in men redeemed by the precious blood of Christ. Under the law, the high priest never went inside the veil with the garments of glory and beauty on (see Lev. 16), but now, the sound of the golden bells around the skirt of His garments of glory and honor, tells us of the acceptance glory and fruit of His work done on Calvary’s tree, and of the place prepared for His redeemed ones there with the blessed Son of God, a Man in the glory with the Father.
The judgment of God fell on Babel when men confederated to make themselves a name to forget God, but now the grace of God makes them speak with tongues, or languages, intelligent to all those from the different countries who were present, and a plain indication that the gospel is to all.
Verses 5-21. The pious Jews recognize what they say, as the wonderful works of God, though they were uneducated Galileans, It confounded and troubled them and made them ready to hear the testimony of the truth, and they say, “What meaneth this?”
“Others mocking”; it seems the Jews of Judea and Jerusalem say, “These men are full of new wine.” But Peter, standing up with the eleven, addresses them, “Be this known unto you, and hearken to my words: for these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day.” Then he quotes Joel 2:28-3228And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: 29And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit. 30And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. 31The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the Lord come. 32And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord hath said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call. (Joel 2:28‑32) not to show as if it was fulfilled, but to lead their minds to see that it was the outpouring of the Spirit, though in a different way, and for a different purpose. Joel will be fulfilled in the time of Israel’s restoration, but this was not on all flesh, but to form the church, or assembly, of God.
Verses 22-36. “Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a Man approved of God among you by miracles and signs, which God did by Him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know; Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that He should be holden of it.” Then he proved by the 16th Psalm that David did not speak of himself, but, being a prophet, he spoke of Christ, for David is both dead and buried, and saw corruption, but David’s greater Son, who was to sit on David’s throne, was to be raised up, and to see no corruption. “This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He hath shed forth this which ye now see and hear. For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, ‘The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit Thou on My right hand, until I make Thy foes Thy footstool.’ Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made this same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.”
Verses 37-42. This convinced many of them of their guilt, and they said to Peter and to the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?”
Peter’s answer is ready, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the Holy Spirit, for the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.” With many other words also did he testify and exhort, saying, “Save yourselves from this untoward generation.”
Here is God bringing good out of man’s wickedness; God’s love meeting man’s need at the very time when man’s enmity was declared in its deepest way: God bringing salvation to the rebel that would own his guilt, and baptism was the way to express it. It was submission to the One hitherto despised and rejected, and it was separation from the murderers. They were brought among the believers by being baptized, and thus forgiveness of sins was administered to them, and they received the Holy Spirit. (Compare John 20:2222And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: (John 20:22).)
How different are sheep in their feelings and behavior when shut up in a sheepfold, and when at liberty outside the fold following the shepherd into the green pastures and by the still waters! So is it with those now brought out of Judaism into the liberty of grace (compare John 10:33To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. (John 10:3) with ver. 9). So we find those newly delivered ones continuing steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in breaking of bread and in prayers. The Lord, by His Holy Spirit given to them, feeds them, and leads them in this blessed liberty of grace. “Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty.” This is not license to do what the flesh likes, but to be in subjection, ever careful lest we should grieve or quench the Spirit. So we get nothing to copy: there are no meetings described, no forms given us; we need to gather the mind of the Lord from Scripture for the occasion. We see in such a verse as 46, how we need to feed on the Word; and we are to remember the Lord; and we are to be together in prayer. So we should not forsake the assembling together of ourselves for these purposes, and each meeting would have its own character. The Holy Spirit, and the presence of the Lord, are there, but the presence of the Lord should engage us, and will, if the Spirit has His way.
Verses 44, 45 show us that these were a community, and still waiting for the King to come back from heaven. They were still on Jewish ground in their minds; they continued daily with one accord in the temple; their remembrance of the Lord in His death for them was daily, and they lived with gladness and singleness of heart, praising God, and having favor with all the people.
The Lord added daily to their number such as should be saved: that means, the godly ones were brought in from among the ungodly Jews, as well as some who were newly brought to the Lord.