Acts 4:23 - Meaning and Application

We hear no more at present about the chief priests and what they did after they dismissed Peter and John. Our attention turns to those two witnesses instead. Here we see their return to their fellow believers, the apostles and ministers, and perhaps also some private Christians (Acts 4:23). After being released, they went to their own group, where they may have been gathered in distress for them and praying for them, as in Acts 12:12.

As soon as they were free, they went back to their old friends and to the fellowship of the church. Though God had highly honored them by calling them as his witnesses and helping them speak so well, they were not proud of that honor. They did not think they had risen above their brothers and sisters, but returned to their own company. No increase in gifts or usefulness should make us think we are above the duties or privileges of the fellowship of believers.

Though their enemies had threatened them hard and tried to break their unity and frighten them away from their shared work, they still went back to their own company and did not fear the rulers’ anger. They could have found some comfort if, after being released, they had gone off alone to pray in private. But they were men in public service, and they had to seek the good of all, not only their own personal peace. Christ’s followers do best together, as long as they are with their own company.

They then told the others what had happened. They reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them, and no doubt also how the grace of God had helped them answer and how the trial ended. They shared this, first, so their brothers and sisters would know what to expect from both people and God as they kept doing the work. From people they might expect fear and opposition, but from God they could expect help and courage. People would try their best to bring them down, but God would make sure to hold them up. In this way, believers become bolder through trouble and through what they learn from it (Philippians 1:14).

They also told the church so the event could be preserved for future believers, especially to strengthen faith in Christ’s resurrection. Sometimes an opponent’s silence is very close to agreement and witness. These apostles told the chief priests to their faces that God had raised Jesus from the dead, and even though the whole group was present, the priests had no courage to deny it. Instead, in the most weak and shameful way, they told the apostles not to speak about it to anyone.

They also shared it so they could now join together in prayer and praise. When believers pray and praise with one heart, God is more honored and the church is more built up. So we should tell our brothers and sisters about the ways God has worked in our lives, and about the help and presence we have received from him, so they can join us in thanking God.

When they heard about the weak rage of the priests and the strong courage of the prisoners, they gathered and turned to prayer. They lifted up their voices to God with one accord (Acts 4:24). This does not mean they all said the same words at the same moment, though that could have happened if they were all guided by the same Spirit. Rather, one spoke for the others, and the rest joined with him in heart and purpose. They were of one mind, so though only one voice was heard, they all prayed. One lifted up his voice, and the others lifted up their hearts along with him, which was the same as lifting up their voices to God, because God hears thoughts as clearly as words. Moses cried out to God, even when no spoken words are recorded.

In this prayer they first praised God as the Creator of the world (Acts 4:24). With one mind, and in effect with one mouth, they gave God glory, as Romans 15:6 says. They said, “Lord, you are God alone; you are the Master and sovereign Ruler. You are God, not man. You are the God who made heaven, earth, and the sea, the upper world and the lower world, and every creature in them.” Christians are marked off from the heathen, because the heathen worship gods they have made, while we worship the God who made us and all things.

It is right to begin our prayers, as well as our statement of faith, by confessing that God is the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible. Even though the apostles were deeply occupied with the mystery of the world’s redemption, they did not forget the history of the world’s creation. The Christian faith was meant to confirm and improve the truths that nature already teaches, not to replace or push them aside. It is a great encouragement to God’s servants, both in their work and in their suffering, that they serve the God who made all things and therefore directs their times and every event that touches them, and is able to strengthen them through every difficulty. If we give him the glory for this, we may also take comfort from it.

They then reconciled themselves to what was happening by thinking about the Old Testament Scriptures, which had foretold that the Messiah’s kingdom would face opposition like this when it first began in the world (Acts 4:25-26). The God who made heaven and earth cannot be stopped from carrying out his purposes, since no one can truly stand against him. This had already been written, spoken by the mouth, and written by the pen of his servant David, who, from this passage, is shown to have written the second psalm, and very likely the first Psalm and other psalms not named in their titles.

So this should not surprise them or discourage anyone who accepts their teaching, because Scripture must be fulfilled. It had been foretold in Psalm 2:1-2 that the nations would rage against Christ and his kingdom, angry at any attempt to establish it because that would mean the downfall of false gods and a check on the wickedness of the nations. It was also foretold that the peoples would imagine every possible scheme against it, trying to silence its teachers, discourage its followers, and crush all its interests. If their plans come to nothing in the end, the blame does not lie with those who made them.

It was also foretold that the kings of the earth would rise up against Christ’s kingdom, as if they feared it would interfere with their power or take away their privileges, though they had no real reason for such fear.

The rulers most favored and honored by God’s providence, and those who should have done the most for him, are often strangers to his grace and even act against him. The rulers gathered together against God and Christ. This was not only true of single kings, but also of councils and senates, where power rests in many hands. They met to plan and decide against the Lord and against his Christ, against both natural religion and revealed religion.

What is done against Christ, God counts as done against himself. Christianity had no help from kings and rulers, no power or money from them. Instead, those rulers opposed it and tried to crush it. Yet the gospel still made its way.

The apostles then pointed out how these earlier predictions had now come true in the hatred of the rulers against Christ. What had been foretold, they said, had now been fulfilled, in Acts 4:27, Acts 4:28. “It is true,” they mean, “it is plainly so, and no one can deny it.” Herod and Pilate, the two Roman governors, with the Gentiles, meaning the Roman soldiers under them, and with the people of Israel, meaning the Jewish rulers and the crowd they influenced, were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. Some copies add that this happened in your holy city, where he should have been welcomed above all places.

Yet in all this they did only what your hand and your purpose had decided beforehand should happen. Here we see God’s wise and holy plan concerning Christ. He is called the child Jesus, as he was in his infancy (Luke 2:27, Luke 2:43), to show that even in his glory he is not ashamed of his humble life among us. He is still meek and lowly in heart. In the height of his glory, he is still the Lamb of God, and still the child Jesus. He is called the holy child Jesus, the holy one, and God’s holy servant. The word means both a son and a servant. He was the Son of God, and yet in the work of redemption he acted as his Father’s servant (Isaiah 42:1). He was the one God anointed, that is, set apart and equipped for the work. That is why he is called the Lord’s Christ in Acts 4:26.

This is part of the reason the rulers raged against him so fiercely. God had anointed him, and they refused to submit to him, or even give up their own power to him. Saul envied David because David was the Lord’s anointed. The Philistines came to attack David when they heard he had been anointed as king (2 Samuel 5:17). In the same way, God who anointed Christ also decided what should happen to him under that anointing. He was anointed to be a Savior, so it was appointed that he should also be a sacrifice for sin. He had to die, so he had to be killed. But it had to happen through certain hands, not by his own hands, and not by the hands of angels or good people.

God’s hand and his purpose decided it, his will and his wisdom. Here “his hand” means his power and action, but it stands for his purpose and decree, because with God, speaking and doing are not separate things as they are with us. His hand and his counsel always agree, for whatever the Lord pleased, he did. Some have taken this as a picture from the high priest casting lots over the two goats on the day of atonement (Leviticus 16:8), where the Lord decided which goat would be sacrificed. The result came from the Lord (Proverbs 16:33). Others think “his hand” may point to God’s writing hand, as in Job 13:26, where bitter things are written against us. God’s decree is also described as something written in the scriptures of truth (Daniel 10:21), and in the volume of the book it was written of Christ (Psalm 40:7). It was God’s own hand that wrote it, and his hand acted according to his counsel.

At the same time, the wicked men used to carry out this plan were fully guilty, even though they did not mean to serve God’s purpose. Herod and Pilate, Gentiles and Jews, who had been enemies with each other, united against Christ. God’s using their actions to fulfill his own purpose did not excuse their evil at all, just as God’s making the blood of the martyrs the seed of the church did not lessen the guilt of the persecutors. Sin is no less evil because God brings good out of it. He is all the more glorified by it, and that will be plain when God’s hidden purpose is fully completed.

The apostles then asked for help in their present trouble. Since the enemies had gathered against Christ, it was no surprise that they were now against his ministers. A disciple is not greater than his Master, and should not expect better treatment. So, after being threatened, they prayed. First, they asked God to notice the evil intent of their enemies: “Now, Lord, look at their threats” (Acts 4:29). They asked him to look on them as he is said to do in the psalm already quoted (Psalm 2:4). When the enemies thought they could break God’s bonds and throw off his ropes, the one who sits in heaven laughed at them and held them in derision. Then the virgin daughter of Zion could despise even the weak threats of the great king of Assyria (Isaiah 37:22).

There is emphasis in the word “now.” It shows that this is the time when God often appears for his people, when their enemies are boldest and most threatening. They did not tell God what to do. They left the matter with him, like Hezekiah did (Isaiah 37:17). “Open your eyes, O Lord, and see,” they mean. “You know what they are saying. You see their trouble and hatred” (Psalm 10:14). “We bring this to you. Look at their threats, and either stop their hands or change their hearts. Make their rage, as far as you allow it, praise you, and hold back whatever is left” (Psalm 76:10). It is a comfort to us that when we are wrongly threatened and bear it patiently, we can bring the matter before the Lord and leave it with him.

Second, they asked that God’s grace would strengthen them and keep them steady in their work: “Grant to your servants that with all boldness they may speak your word,” even though the priests and rulers had ordered them to be silent.

When danger threatens, our main concern should not be only to avoid trouble. We should ask God to help us keep going in our work and duty with courage and joy. The believers did not pray, “Lord, look at their threats, frighten them, and shut their mouths.” Instead, they prayed, “Lord, look at their threats, and give us courage. Open our mouths and fill our hearts with boldness.” They did not ask for an easy way out of serving God now that it had become risky. They asked for grace to keep working and not fear what people might do.

Those who are sent on God’s errands should speak his message boldly, with full freedom and clarity. They must not hold back any part of God’s counsel, even if it offends people. They should not speak with doubt or fear, but with confidence that God will stand by them. God should be asked for this boldness, and those who seek his help can trust him to give it. They should go forward in the strength of the Lord God.

Threats from enemies are meant to weaken us and push us away from our work. But they should stir us to greater courage and steadiness. Are those who oppose Christ bold in their fight? Then we who are for him should not act timidly. The believers also prayed that God would still give them power to work miracles, to confirm the message they preached. They had already seen how the healing of the lame man helped their success, and they knew it would help even more. So they prayed, “Lord, grant us boldness by stretching out your hand to heal.”

Nothing strengthens faithful ministers more than clear signs that God is with them and working through them. They asked God to stretch out his hand to heal both bodies and souls. Without that help, their own efforts would be useless, whether in preaching (Isaiah 65:2) or in healing (Acts 9:17). They also asked that signs and wonders be done in the name of Jesus, the holy servant of God, so people would be convinced and enemies silenced.

Christ had promised them power to do miracles as proof of their mission (Mark 16:17-18). Yet they still had to pray for that power, and even after receiving it, they had to keep asking for its continued help. Even Christ himself must ask, and it will be given him. Their request gave all honor to Christ, because they wanted the wonders done in the name of Jesus. His name was to receive all the glory.

God answered this prayer, not with words, but with power. First, he gave them a sign that he had accepted their prayer (Acts 4:31). After they had prayed, perhaps one after another according to the rule (1 Corinthians 14:31), and when the day’s meeting was finished, the place where they were gathered was shaken. A strong wind came, like the one at Pentecost when the Spirit was poured out on them (Acts 2:1-2). The house, now their house of prayer, was shaken. This was meant to fill them with awe, stir up their expectations, and give them a clear sign that God was truly with them.

It may also have reminded them of the prophecy, “I will shake all nations, and I will fill this house with glory” (Haggai 2:7). It showed them that they had more reason to fear God, and therefore less reason to fear man. The God who could shake that place could also make the hearts of those who threatened his servants tremble. He cuts off the spirit of princes, and he is terrible to the kings of the earth. The place was shaken so that their faith would be made firm and unshaken.

Second, God gave them greater fullness of his Spirit, which was exactly what they had asked for. Their prayer was surely accepted, because it was answered. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit more than before. This did not only encourage them, it also enabled them to speak the word of God with boldness and without fear of proud human looks. The Holy Spirit taught them not only what to say, but how to say it.

Even those already given the Spirit’s gifts still needed fresh help for each new duty. They were filled with the Holy Spirit before the council (Acts 4:8), and now they were filled again in the place of preaching. This teaches us to depend on God’s grace moment by moment, as each day’s work requires. We need fresh help for each fresh task, like a new anointing of oil.

As in God’s providence, so in his grace, we do not only live in a general sense. We move in every particular action by his power (Acts 17:28). Here we see God keeping his promise to give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him (Luke 11:13). They asked, and he filled them with the Holy Spirit. We also see what should follow such a gift: it must be used and put to work. Gifts are not meant to be buried. When they found the Lord helping them by his Spirit, they knew they would not be put to shame (Isaiah 50:7).