Servant
The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified His servant (3:13a)
Since his message was directed mainly to Israelites, Peter chooses a familiar Jewish description of God. The depiction of God as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers stresses again His covenant faithfulness to Israel. This description seems to have been employed on significant occasions (cf. Ex. 3:6, 15, 16; 1 Kings 18:36; 1 Chron. 29:18; 2 Chron. 30:6; Matt. 22:32; Acts 7:32). By using it, Peter claims continuity with the Old Testament prophets, since he is declaring the same God they preached and the Messiah they promised.
Peter proclaims that the God of the covenant, the God of the patriarchs and the prophets, has glorified His servant. Pais (servant) is an unusual title for our Lord, appearing only here, verse 26, Acts 4:27, 30; and Matthew 12:18. It describes Jesus as God’s personal representative or ambassador.
Servant, however, was a familiar Old Testament designation of Messiah (Isa. 42:1, 19; 49:5–7). It receives its fullest exposition in the familiar passage in Isaiah 52:13–53:12:
Behold, My servant will prosper, He will be high and lifted up, and greatly exalted. Just as many were astonished at you, My people, so His appearance was marred more than any man, and His form more than the sons of men. Thus He will sprinkle many nations, kings will shut their mouths on account of Him; for what had not been told them they will see, and what they had not heard they will understand. Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of parched ground; He has no stately form or majesty that we should look upon Him, nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him. He was despised and forsaken of men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and like one from whom men hide their face, He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely our griefs He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried; yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; but the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him. He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth; like a lamb that is led to slaughter, and like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, so He did not open His mouth. By oppression and judgment He was taken away; and as for His generation, who considered that He was cut off out of the land of the living, for the transgression of my people to whom the stroke was due? His grave was assigned with wicked men, yet He was with a rich man in His death, because He had done no violence, nor was there any deceit in His mouth. But the Lord was pleased to crush Him, putting Him to grief; if He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, and the good pleasure of the Lord will prosper in His hand. As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; by His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, as He will bear their iniquities. Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, and He will divide the booty with the strong; because He poured out Himself to death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet He Himself bore the sin of many, and interceded for the transgressors.
That passage depicts Messiah as the suffering Servant, obedient even to the point of death.
Matthew identifies Jesus as the Servant of Isaiah’s prophecy as in 12:18–21 he quotes Isaiah 42:1–4 and applies it to Him:
Behold, My Servant whom I have chosen; My Beloved in whom My soul is well-pleased; I will put My Spirit upon Him, and He shall proclaim justice to the Gentiles. He will not quarrel, nor cry out; nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets. A battered reed He will not break off, and a smoldering wick He will not put out, until He leads justice to victory. And in His name the Gentiles will hope.
Jesus said of Himself, “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve” (Matt. 20:28). In John 6:38 He said, “I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.” In John 8:28 He added, “I do nothing on My own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father taught Me.” John 13:1–7 gives a beautiful example of our Lord’s humble service:
Now before the Feast of the Passover, Jesus knowing that His hour had come that He should depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end. And during supper, the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, to betray Him, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come forth from God, and was going back to God, rose from supper, and laid aside His garments; and taking a towel, He girded Himself about. Then He poured water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. And so He came to Simon Peter. He said to Him, “Lord, do You wash my feet?” Jesus answered and said to him, “What I do you do not realize now, but you shall understand hereafter.”
When His suffering was over, God glorified Jesus, exalting Him to the position of honor at His right hand (Acts 2:33; 5:31; Phil. 2:9–11; Heb. 7:26).
Jesus
Jesus, the one whom you delivered up, and disowned in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release Him. (3:13b)
Jesus is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Joshua, meaning “the Lord is salvation.” As already noted, it is the most common name of our Lord in the New Testament. It was first revealed to Joseph when the angel told him, “You shall call His name Jesus, for it is He who will save His people from their sins” (Matt. 1:21). Commenting on that verse, Charles Spurgeon said,
The angel spake to Joseph the name in a dream: that name so soft and sweet that it breaks no man’s rest, but rather yields a peace unrivalled, the peace of God. With such a dream Joseph’s sleep was more blessed than his waking. The name has evermore this power, for, to those who know it, it unveils a glory brighter than dreams have ever imagined. (The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, vol. XXIV [London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1879], 518)
There have been many false views of Jesus throughout history, from noble example to political revolutionary. Yet to imagine a Jesus who was not the Savior is as foolish as to imagine a Shakespeare who was not a writer, or a Rembrandt who was not a painter. His name is Jesus not because He is our example, guide, leader, or friend, though He is all those things. His name is Jesus because He is our savior.
Instead of welcoming Him, the nation rejected Him. “He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him” (John 1:11). They were looking for a political or military deliverer to throw off the hated yoke of Rome. Because they “loved the darkness rather than the light; for their deeds were evil” (John 3:19), they were not prepared to accept One Who came to confront their sin and deliver them from it.
Accordingly, the same Jesus whom God glorified they delivered up, and disowned in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release Him. Pilate was well aware that the crucifixion was a blatant injustice. He declared Jesus innocent no less than six times (Luke 23:4, 16, 22; John 18:38; 19:4, 6) and repeatedly sought to release Him (Luke 23:13–22). Even his wife recognized Jesus’ innocence (Matt. 27:19). As a Roman, he came from a people with a strong tradition of justice (cf. Acts 16:37–38; 22:25–29; 25:16). To condemn a man he believed innocent went against that tradition. Yet Pilate had no choice. The Jewish leaders had him backed into a corner. They had already complained to Rome and put his position in jeopardy. Another complaint would probably have cost him his place as governor.
Peter boldly confronts his hearers with the enormity of their sin in executing their Messiah. All truly biblical preaching must follow his example and render men guilty before God. That is the necessary foundation of the gospel message. Only those who see themselves as sinners will recognize their need for a Savior and comprehend the work of Jesus.[1]
13 The designation of God as “the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob” stems from God’s self-identification in Exodus 3:6. It was a common formula among Second Temple Jews (cf. the opening words of the Shemoneh Esrei (“Eighteen Benedictions”)—“Blessed art thou, O Lord our God and God of our fathers, God of Abraham, God of Isaac, and God of Jacob”)—and occurs frequently in various forms in the NT (cf. Mk 12:26 par.; Ac 7:32). The Western text here and at 7:32 has the fuller form, “God of Abraham, God of Isaac, and God of Jacob,” as do also the MT and most LXX versions of Exodus 3:6, the opening words of the Shemoneh Esrei, and the Synoptic Gospels at Matthew 22:32; Mark 12:26; and Luke 20:37. The Alexandrian text may represent a “stylistic pruning,” with the Western reading then being preferred (as UBS4, with “God of” before Isaac and Jacob in brackets, and NRSV). Such a “stylistic pruning,” however, may reflect the Christian tradition from which Luke worked or Luke’s own redactional hand, and so be original to the text (cf. NIV, NASB).[2]
13 “The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers,” said Peter (using time-honored liturgical language, which goes back to the theophany at the burning bush), “has glorified his Servant Jesus.” In order to explain how the cripple had been cured, Peter found it necessary to relate the act of God which had so recently been accomplished in their midst. The cripple had been cured because Jesus had been glorified. From his place of exaltation Jesus had endowed his disciples with power to act in his name, and to perform mighty works such as he himself had performed in the days of his bodily presence among them.
In speaking of the exaltation of Jesus, following his humiliation and death, Peter uses language taken from the portrayal of the obedient and suffering Servant of the Lord in Isa. 52:13–53:12, a portrayal which begins with the words: “Behold, my servant … shall be exalted and lifted up, and shall be very high.” The voice from heaven which came to Jesus at his baptism addressed him in the language of Isa. 42:1, where the Servant makes his first appearance: “Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights.” The figure of this Servant has exercised a profound influence on New Testament thought and language.27
Like the prophet, Peter began by speaking of the Servant’s being glorified by God, and then went back to tell of his sufferings. He does not exonerate his Jerusalem audience from a share in the responsibility for Jesus’ death; this is in line with Luke’s passion narrative, according to which “the people” concurred with “the chief priests and the rulers” in demanding the release of Barabbas and the crucifixion of Jesus (Luke 23:13–25). God has glorified his Servant, Peter tells him, but when he was in your power you handed him over to be executed by the Romans; when the Roman governor was disposed to discharge him, you spoke against him.[3]
3:13 / His servant Jesus: No other Old Testament passage has influenced the New Testament more than the so-called Servant Songs of Isaiah (42:1ff.; 49:1–3, 5, 8; 50:4–9; and esp. 52:13–53:12). Apart from the formal quotations (Matt. 8:17; 12:18–21; Luke 22:37; John 12:38; Acts 8:32f.; Rom. 10:16; 15:21), there is a clear allusion to Isa. 53:10–12 in Mark 10:45 and 14:24. Mark 9:12 probably echoes Isa. 53:3, and other possible allusions have been found in Matt. 3:15 (cf. Isa. 53:11) and Luke 11:22 (cf. Isa. 53:12) and in the use of “to be delivered up” in Mark 9:31; 10:33; 14:21; etc., including Acts 3:13 (cf. Isa. 53:12). The voice at Jesus’ baptism outlined his ministry in terms of Isa. 42:1. The actual title “Servant” is confined to this speech in Acts (3:13, 26) and to the prayer of the church in Acts 4:27, 30, but the influence of the Servant figure is clear in Rom. 4:25; 5:19; 8:3f., 32–34; 1 Cor. 15:3; 2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 9:28; and 1 Pet. 2:21–25; 3:18. J. Jeremias concludes that “there is no area of the primitive Christian life of faith which was not touched and stamped by the Ebed (servant) Christology” (“pais theou,” TDNT, vol. 5, p. 712). It belongs, he says, “to the most primitive age of the Christian community” (p. 709) and indeed must be traced back to Jesus himself (pp. 712ff.). See further the notes on 8:32f.
Before Pilate: The Greek (lit. “at Pilate’s face”) can mean simply “before,” “in the presence of,” someone. But sometimes it has a more hostile sense, denoting a face-to-face confrontation (cf. 25:16; Gal. 2:11). So perhaps here. The Jews met Pilate’s proposal to set Jesus free with a point-blank refusal.[4]
Ver. 13.—Servant for Son, A. V.; before the face for in the presence, A. V.; had for was, A. V.; release him for let him go, A. V. The God of Abraham, etc. The continuity of the New Testament with the Old Testament stands out remarkably in St. Peter’s address. He speaks to the “men of Israel,” and he connects the present miracle with all that God had done to their fathers in days gone by. He does not seem conscious of any break or transition, or of any change of posture or position. Only a new incident, long since promised by the prophets, has been added. “He thrusts himself upon the fathers of old, lest he should appear to be introducing a new doctrine” (Chrysostom). God … hath glorified his Servant Jesus. Servant is manifestly right (so St. Chrysostom). It is the constant meaning of παῖς in the LXX.; son is always υἱός (see ver. 26; ch. 4:27, 30). In Matt. 12:18 the A. V. has “servant.” (For the Old Testament usage, see Isa. 42:1; 52:13; 53:11). Delivered up; παρεδώκατε, different from the ἔκδοτον of ch. 2:23 (where see note). The word is applied to the action of Judas in delivering up Jesus into the hands of the chief priests (John 19:11), and to the action of Pilate in sending Jesus to execution (Luke 23:25; John 19:16). Here it is spoken of the whole action of the Jews in procuring the death of Jesus. Denied before the face of Pilate. The reference is exact to Luke 23:13–23. To release him. There is a verbal agreement with Luke 23:16, 17, 20.[5]
13. The immediate explanation does not come until verse 16; first of all, Peter had to set the scene. Ultimately what had happened was due to the action of God, the very same God who had revealed himself to the patriarchs and constituted himself the God of the people of Israel; the reason for stressing this will become apparent in verses 25f. This God had glorified his servant, a phrase drawn from Isaiah 52:13, the first verse of the last and most important of the passages dealing with the Servant of Yahweh. In other words, prophecy was now being fulfilled, for Peter was claiming that what had happened to Jesus was the divine glorification of God’s Servant. The identification of Jesus as the Servant is found in 3:26, 4:27, 30. These are the only places in the New Testament where the name is applied to him, but the prophecies about the suffering of the Servant are cited or alluded to in Mark 10:45; 14:24; Luke 22:37; John 12:38; Acts 8:32f.; 1 Peter 2:22–24; and elsewhere. This combination of references suggests a primitive understanding of Jesus which is remarkably absent from the Letters and later writings.
It might seem odd to declare that Jesus had been glorified as God’s Servant. After all, he had died on a gallows. But Peter insisted that this had taken place because of the action of the Jews themselves in denying him when he was on trial before Pilate, even though Pilate regarded him as innocent of any capital crime and wanted to release him (cf. 13:28).[6]
13. “The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus, whom you handed over and disowned in the presence of Pilate, although he had decided to release him.”
Luke presents only an abstract of Peter’s address. Nevertheless, the record clearly shows that Peter appeals to the religious motives of his audience. After addressing them as “men of Israel,” he notes that God is the God of the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Here Peter touches a basic part of Israel’s religious foundation. God revealed himself to the forefathers, of whom Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are the first three generations. Here are the same words God spoke to Moses from the burning bush: “I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob” (Exod. 3:6, 15). Jesus also referred to these same words when he, in his address to the Sadducees about the doctrine of the resurrection, told them that God is a God of the living and not of the dead (Matt. 22:32; Mark 12:26–27; Luke 20:37–38). And last, Stephen mentions them in his address before the Sanhedrin (7:32). The words are hallowed by reverential use. Conclusively, God is the God of Israel’s forefathers (compare Matt. 8:11; Acts 22:14).
Peter continues and says, “The God of our fathers has glorified his servant Jesus.” He indicates that Jesus stands in the line of the patriarchs and the spiritual forefathers of the Jewish people. God has glorified Jesus, whom Peter deliberately calls “servant” to remind his listeners of Isaiah’s prophecy concerning the suffering and glory of the Lord’s servant (Isa. 52:13–53:12). They should know that Jesus fulfilled this messianic prophecy (compare Matt. 12:18). Jesus is the servant of God (see v. 26; 4:27, 30). During his ministry he refers to his fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy (e.g., Isa. 53:12 and Luke 22:37). Jesus is the suffering servant, but God has glorified him; that is, he was “raised and lifted up and highly exalted” (Isa. 52:13, NIV).
Why has Jesus been raised up? Because, says Peter to his fellow Jews, “You handed [him] over and disowned [him] in the presence of Pilate, although he had decided to release him.” He puts the burden of guilt where it belongs. The Jews are responsible for the death of God’s servant, whom God glorified by raising him from the dead. He subsequently ascended to heaven to take his place at God’s right hand.
In the presence of Pontius Pilate, the Jews disowned God’s servant, who had come to his own people (John 1:11). And even when Pilate wanted to set Jesus free because he found no basis for a charge against him (Luke 23:4, 14), they put Pilate to the test. The Jews first forced him to maintain his allegiance to Caesar and then made him yield to their demand to crucify Jesus (John 19:12–16).[7]
3:13 “The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob” This shows that Jesus’ ministry and the gospel were vitally connected to the Covenant God and Covenant people of the Old Testament (cf. Exod. 3:6, 15; Luke 20:37).
Christianity must be characterized as some type of extension or development from Judaism. Modern Jews would see it as a perversion, but NT writers saw it as a fulfillment. The followers of Jesus are the promised fruition of the “new covenant” of Jer. 31:31–34. Israel did not complete her missionary task of being a kingdom of priests for the world (cf. Exod. 19:5–6). The church has been given the mandate (cf. Matt. 28:18–20). God’s goal is the restoration of His image in mankind, so that His initial purpose of fellowship can be accomplished. If there is only one God (i.e. monotheism), then there cannot be a special people, only servants to serve God’s universal purposes with all humanity.
“has glorified” This term can be understood in several ways.
- the immediate context to the healing of the lame man in His name
- the larger context of Peter’s sermon to Jesus being resurrected and thereby glorified
- the OT context to Jesus as the coming Messiah
- in John’s Gospel this term is always used by Jesus Himself for His crucifixion (cf. 7:39; 12:10, 23; 13:31–32; 16:14; 17:1).
| SPECIAL TOPIC: GLORY
The biblical concept of “glory” is difficult to define. Believers’ glory is that they understand the gospel and glory in God, not in themselves (cf. 1:29–31; Jer. 9:23–24).
In the OT the most common Hebrew word for “glory” (kbd) was originally a commercial term relating to a pair of scales (“to be heavy”). That which was heavy was valuable or had intrinsic worth. Often the concept of brightness was added to the word to express God’s majesty (cf. Exod. 19:16–18; 24:17; Isa. 60:1–2). He alone is worthy and honorable. He is too brilliant for fallen mankind to behold (cf. Exod 33:17–23; Isa. 6:5). YHWH can only be truly known through Christ (cf. Jer. 1:14; Matt. 17:2; Heb. 1:3; James 2:1).
The term “glory” is somewhat ambiguous: (1) it may be parallel to “the righteousness of God”; (2) it may refer to the “holiness” or “perfection” of God; or (3) it could refer to the image of God in which mankind was created (cf. Gen. 1:26–27; 5:1; 9:6), but which was later marred through rebellion (cf. Gen. 3:1–22). It is first used of YHWH’s presence with His people during the wilderness wandering period in Exod. 16:7, 10; Lev. 9:23; and Num. 14:10.
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“His servant” The term “servant” (pais in the LXX) was an honorific title in the OT used for Jacob, Moses, Joshua, and David (cf. Ps. 105; Luke 1:69). This term was used in the Servant Songs of Isaiah (i.e. 42:1–5; 49:1–7; 50:4–11; 52:13–53:12) for (1) the nation of Israel (cf. 41:8–9; 42:19; 43:10; 44:1, 21; also LXX Luke 1:54) and (2) God’s Messiah (cf. 42:1; 52:13; 53:11). There is a clear distinction between the corporate and individual aspect, especially in the last Song (i.e. Isa. 52:13–53:12). In context it cannot refer to Israel.
- the nation cannot be the innocent one who brings redemption because the nation deserves the judgment (cf. Isa. 53:8d)
- the Septuagint changes “you” in Isa. 52:14 to “Him” (also in v. 15). The Jewish translators before Jesus’ birth (possibly 250–150 b.c.) saw this text as Messianic and individual.
Pais is used of Jesus as the Servant/Messiah in Acts 3:13, 26; 4:27, 30!
“Jesus” When Jesus is used by itself, it usually emphasizes His humanness (cf. v. 6).
“whom you delivered and disowned” The “you” is emphatic! It was not only the Jewish leaders who were responsible for Jesus’ death (cf. v. 17; 2:23). Peter makes a specific reference to the crowd’s responses before Pilate (cf. Luke 23:18–25). It is possible some of these may have been there, but Peter addresses this crowd as if they were responsible as a group (cf. v. 15). God’s chosen people (Jews) “delivered” and “disowned” God’s Messiah.
“Pilate” See Special Topic below.
| SPECIAL TOPIC: PONTIUS PILATE
I. The Man
A. Place and time of birth unknown
B. Of the Equestrian order (upper middle class of Roman society)
C. Married, but no known children
D. Earlier administrative appointments (of which there must have been several) unknown
II. His Personality.
A. Two different views
1. Philo (Legatio and Gaium, 299–305) and Josephus (Antiq. 18.3.1 and Jewish Wars 2.9.2–4) depict him as a cruel and uncompassionate dictator.
2. NT (gospels, Acts) a weak, easily manipulated Roman procurator
B. Paul Barnett, Jesus and the Rise of Early Christianity, pp. 143–148 gives a plausible explanation of these two views.
1. Pilate was appointed procurator in a.d. 26 under Tiberius, who was pro-Jewish (cf. Philo, Legatio and Gaium, 160–161), but by Sejanus, Tiberius anti-Jewish advisor.
2. Tiberius suffered a loss of political power to L. Aelius Sejanus, praetorian prefect who became the real power behind the throne and who hated Jews (Philo, Legatio land Gaium, 159–160).
3. Pilate was a protege of Sejanus and tried to impress him by:
a. bringing Roman standards into Jerusalem (a.d. 26), which other procurators had not done. These symbols of Roman gods inflamed the Jews (cf. Josephus’ Antiq. 18:31; Jewish Wars 2.9.2–3).
b. minting coins (a.d. 29–31) which had images of Roman worship engraved on them. Josephus says he was purposefully trying to overturn Jewish laws and customs (cf. Josephus, Antiq. 18.4.1–2).
c. taking money from the Temple treasury to build an aqueduct in Jerusalem (cf. Josephus, Antiq. 18.3.2; Jewish Wars 2.9.3).
d. having several Galileans killed while offering a sacrifice at Passover in Jerusalem (cf. Luke 13:12).
e. bringing Roman shields into Jerusalem in a.d. 31. Herod the Great’s son appealed to him to remove them, but he would not, so they wrote Tiberius, who demanded they be removed back to Caesarea by the sea (cf. Philo, Legatio and Gaium, 299–305).
f. having many Samaritans slaughtered on Mt. Gerizim (a.d. 36/37) as they searched for sacred objects of their religion, which had been lost. This caused Pilate’s local superior (Vitellius, Prefect of Syria) to remove him from office and send him to Rome (cf. Josephus, Antiq. 18.4.1–2).
g. Sejanus was executed in a.d. 31 and Tiberius was restored to full political power; therefore, #1, 2, 3, and 4 were possibly done by Pilate to earn Sejanus’ trust. Numbers 5 and 6 could have been attempts to earn Tiberius’ trust, but may have backfired.
h. It is obvious with a pro-Jewish emperor restored, plus an official letter to procurators from Tiberius to be kind to Jews (cf. Philo, Legatio and Gaium, 160–161), that the Jewish leadership in Jerusalem took advantage of Pilate’s political vulnerability with Tiberius and manipulated him to have Jesus crucified. This theory of Barnett brings the two views of Pilate together in a plausible way.
III. His Fate
A. He arrived in Rome just after Tiberius’ death (a.d. 37).
B. He was not reappointed.
C. His life is unknown after this. There are many later theories, but no secure facts.
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“when he had decided to release Him” This refers to Luke 23:4, 14, 22, where Pilate says three times, “I find no guilt in Him,” as well as the three times he tried to release Him (cf. Luke 23:16, 20, 22). Many scholars believe Acts was written to show that Roman officials did not find Jesus treasonous. Pilate was forced by the Jewish leadership to do that which he was reluctant to do himself.[8]
[1] MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1994). Acts (Vol. 1, pp. 105–108). Chicago: Moody Press.
[2] Longenecker, R. N. (2007). Acts. In T. Longman III & D. E. Garland (Eds.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Luke–Acts (Revised Edition) (Vol. 10, p. 768). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
[3] Bruce, F. F. (1988). The Book of the Acts (pp. 80–81). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
[4] Williams, D. J. (2011). Acts (p. 75). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.
[5] Spence-Jones, H. D. M. (Ed.). (1909). Acts of the Apostles (Vol. 1, p. 94). London; New York: Funk & Wagnalls Company.
[6] Marshall, I. H. (1980). Acts: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 5, p. 97). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
[7] Kistemaker, S. J., & Hendriksen, W. (1953–2001). Exposition of the Acts of the Apostles (Vol. 17, pp. 128–129). Grand Rapids: Baker Book House.
[8] Utley, R. J. (2003). Luke the Historian: The Book of Acts (Vol. Volume 3B, pp. 52–54). Marshall, TX: Bible Lessons International.
Through His covenant with Abraham, God promised to bless all families of the earth. So how is this ancient promise significant for us today? Be sure to listen as we continue our new Christmas study on Truth For Life with Alistair Begg.
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