Acts 4:25-28 Who by the mouth of your servant David have said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things?… — The hand of God: — "For to do," or be the means of doing, that by which Christ became the Saviour of the world. This was the effect, 'although the secondary agents were ignorant of it. In their blindness and sinfulness they did just so much and no more than God had determined to be done. God decreed the salvation of the world by the death of Christ, but He did not decree the means — man's sin; but overruled it to the accomplishment of His purpose. This is ascribed to the "hand" of God, which in Scripture implies — I. POWER. This was displayed in the work of our deliverance from the slavery of Satan — the strong man; and this deliverance was effected by the suffering and death of Christ, in "which the great power of God was displayed. II. PROVIDENCE OR DIRECTION. It was not Jewish malice that procured our redemption, but malice overruled by Divine providence. III. OPERATION. God by the death of Christ has wrought our redemption, and established His Church as a channel of salvation. IV. MERCY AND GRACE. The work of our salvation was wrought through the mercy God bears towards us, V. WISDOM (Job 28:11; Ezra 8:18; Nehemiah if. 8, 18). (W. Denton, M. A.) Parallel Verses KJV: Who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things? |
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