These are the remaining significant changes between Peter (Luke) and Joel :
Peter (NT) | Joel (OT) |
---|---|
TERRIBLE | glorious |
IT SHALL BE IN THE LAST DAYS | or some on Mount Zion in Jerusalem will escape, just as the LORD has said. These will be among the survivors whom the LORD has called |
These two statements go together. Notice Joel’s “Then, after doing all those things” has become “AND IT SHALL BE IN THE LAST DAYS,’ God says.”
Peter has stripped the prophecy of its “terrible” nature and turned into a “glorious” reference of God’s promise to do a new thing for all mankind. The whole of the Joel prophecy was a judgement message in its original context. But Peter has stripped it of the judgement references and used it only to explain to what was happening at the time of Pentecost. The “after doing these these things” is a fast forward of centuries to the New Thing that God was going to do. Remember a thousand years is like a day where God is concerned; He stands outside of time. We human beings are trapped in time. This is why so often Biblical prophecies appear as though they will happen in the next period of time, yet we wait centuries for the fulfillment. Peter overlooks the Judgement portion of Joel’s statement and uses it to refer only as the explanation for what is happening here.
In the same way, Peter removes the original intent of the Psalms he quotes in order to point only to link to Messiah. The use of Psalm 110 (A Coronation Psalm for the King of Kings) explains that this is happening because of its relationship to Jesus as Messiah. Messiah Himself has promised them all that He wouldn’t leave them but would always be with them. This then is the beginning of a new era. One they could never have imagined in all of their wildest dreams. Messiah wasn’t coming to reign over a piece of a physical part of earth but was coming to reign over human hearts and to live within them. For that reason Peter uses Psalm 16 in two ways. The first is suggesting He will never leave us for “the LORD is always with me. I will not be shaken, for He is right beside me.” Then he uses it to prove the LORD Christ has been resurrected because God Himself would not leave His Holy one to suffer decay. For that reason, it’s “no wonder my (our) heart is glad, and I (we ought to) rejoice. My body rests in safety”. Peter’s inference is more strongly connected to implications of all of the happenings rather than WHAT was happening per se (as the specific focus). The focus is not the tongues and the wind and the fire. Oh those things point to this being something that God Himself is behind but that is not the purpose of it all. For that you need to look at the words Peter uses surrounding the quotes that He makes from the Old Testament. Notice again Peter has chosen to use quotes from the Tanakh (The Prophets and The Writings – without a reference to the Law as such). It is still strong. These are all references to the utterances of God which will always come to pass. It is a strong series of thus saith the Lord comments.
To assist you to understand the whole I have removed Peter’s comments from the Old Testament references above and placed them here below.
“Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know– this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death.
“But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power.
“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.
“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. “For it was not David who ascended into heaven, but he himself says
“Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ–this Jesus whom you crucified.”
This is all the same passage as we had before. I have simply rearranged it. I have put the quotes first and the taken all of Peter’s extra comments and brought them together. This helps us to see what Peter himself makes of what happened at Pentecost. Take some time to look over it before we deal with the summary of Peter’s speech in the next Gems. Don’t miss the point that it’s the signs and wonders and the explanation that lead those present to understand what was going on. That’s the point of this passage. That is where the emphasis rightly lies. We will investigate that in the next two Gems.
Don’t expect to get confirmation from people around you on what God is doing in you. They can’t see the big picture as clearly as God does.
Ian Vail
When you understand that life is a test, you realize that nothing is insignificant in your life.
Rick Warren
The most pathetic person is the person who has sight, but has no vision.
Helen Keller
Some of us think we are too educated or elevated to repent!
Anon