The Scripture had to be Fulfilled, Part 2

And in those days, Peter stood up in the midst of the brothers (a crowd of about 120 persons was there together), and said,

“Men, brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit foretold by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus. “For he was counted among us and received his share in this ministry.” (Now this man acquired a field with the price of his unrighteousness, and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle and all his intestines gushed out. And it became known to all who were living in Jerusalem; so that in their own language that field was called Hakeldama, that is, Field of Blood.) “For it is written in the book of Psalms, ‘LET HIS RESIDENCE BE MADE DESOLATE, AND LET NO ONE DWELL IN IT’; and, ‘LET ANOTHER MAN TAKE HIS OFFICE.’ “Therefore it is necessary that of the men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us— beginning with the baptism of John until the day that He was taken up from us—one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection.”

And they put forward two men, Joseph called Barsabbas (who was also called Justus), and Matthias. And they prayed and said, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all men, show which one of these two You have chosen to take the place of this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.” And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell to Matthias; and he was added to the eleven apostles.

I. Introduction: Reivew

II. The Scripture had to be fulfilled

a. The Speech of Peter (1:15-22)

b. Israel Reconstituted (1:23-26)

III. Application: The Promises of God

a. Preaching

b. Prayer

c. Casting Lots

Introduction

By way of introduction, we will briefly review where we have been. We should be able to finish the first chapter today. We began by looking at verses 1-11, wherein we noted that after Christ arose, he chose to speak to the disciples “...about the things concerning the kingdom of God.” (Acts 1:3). We noted that the kingdom was a prominent feature of Christ’s ministry. We saw that throughout his ministry, he proclaimed this kingdom as good news and imminent. He then ascended in verses 9-11 to receive the kingdom as the Son of Man in Daniel 7. The 11 disciples returned to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, entered the upper room, went into the temple daily, and continually devoted themselves to prayer. We noted the importance of the Mount of Olives to Christ's Ascension, in fulfillment of Zechariah 14, and the prominence the Mount of Olives has as a geographical landmark in establishing Christ’s kingship, particularly as the Davidic King, through whom the Davidic Covenant is being fulfilled. We noted last time that Christ’s betrayal, mirroring the betrayal of David in 2 Samuel 15:30-31 on the Mount of Olives, established Christ as the promised King, the Son of David. He then ascended from the same mountain and received a kingdom.    

Today we will look at verses 15-26.

I. Exposition: The Scripture had to be fulfilled

a. The Speech of Peter (1:15-22)

b. Israel Reconstituted (1:23-26)

II. Application: The Promises of God

a. Preaching (1:15-22)

b. Prayer (1:24-25)

c. Casting Lots (1:26)

The Scripture had to be Fulfilled (1:15-26)

The Speech of Peter (Acts 1:15-22)

And in those days, Peter stood up in the midst of the brothers (a crowd of about 120 persons was there together)...”

[Note: Matthew Henry says, 120 persons is the beginning of the church. They are the grain of mustard seed that grows into a tree, the leaven that spreads throughout the loaf. In just 300 years, roughly 10 generations, this 120-person group spread to the world when Constantine declared the Roman Empire a Christian Empire. The Lord is pleased to use small and weak things for the furtherance of His kingdom. The kingdom does not advance because of our abilities or greatness. It advances because of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. Let our works be always in service to Him alone.]

“...and said, Men, brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit foretold by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus. “For he was counted among us and received his share in this ministry.” (Now this man acquired a field with the price of his unrighteousness, and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle and all his intestines gushed out. And it became known to all who were living in Jerusalem; so that in their own language that field was called Hakeldama, that is, Field of Blood.) “For it is written in the book of Psalms, ‘LET HIS RESIDENCE BE MADE DESOLATE, AND LET NO ONE DWELL IN IT’; and, ‘LET ANOTHER MAN TAKE HIS OFFICE.’ “Therefore it is necessary that of the men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us— beginning with the baptism of John until the day that He was taken up from us—one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection.”

The Betrayal of Judas (1:15-20a)

Peter connects the betrayal of David with the betrayal of Christ. He connects the events surrounding Judas with the Words of David in Psalm 69:25 and says that “...the Scripture had to be fulfilled.” Peter reassured his audience that everything was going according to plan. Yes, Christ had been betrayed and crucified, and died, but he rose again according to the Scriptures and He also ascended. The Scriptures are being fulfilled. Everything is under control. God’s control in fact.

We saw last time that Christ goes up to the Mount of Olives just as David went up to the Mount of Olives. Christ points out the betrayal of Judas as David pointed out the betrayal of Ahithophel. Then Peter notes the connection when he says that the Holy Spirit foretold what was going to happen concerning Judas through the words of David regarding Ahithophel.

So, Peter connects the events of Judas with the events of Ahithophel to demonstrate the Sovereign plan of God being fulfilled in Christ. And he quotes Psalm 69:25 as the specific passage that is being fulfilled.

“May their camp be desolate; May none dwell in their tents.” (Psalm 69:25)

Peter connects the curse of desolation made by David regarding Ahithophel with Judas, and Luke gives us a parenthetical statement which explains exactly how this applies to Judas:

1. He acquired a field with the blood money.

2. He fell, burst open, and his intestines gushed out.

3. The field that was purchased is known as “The Field of Blood.”

The parallel passage in Matthew 27 points out that these details also fulfill prophecies of Jeremiah (chapter 19) and Zechariah (chapter 11), Matthew also adds that Judas hung himself, and that strangers were buried in this field.

Schreiner, interestingly, connects the gruesome details of this passage with another gruesome story: that of Naboth’s Vinyard. Consider this,

1. Jezebel acquires land with the price of blood (they unjustly condemn and kill Naboth).

2. God condemns her wickedness.

3. Jezebel falls and bursts open (fulfilling God’s Word).

4. Her end is desolation:

a. “‘In the property of Jezreel the dogs shall eat the flesh of Jezebel; and the corpse of Jezebel will be as dung on the face of the field in the property of Jezreel, so they cannot say, “This is Jezebel.”’ (2 Kings 9:36-37)

So, Peter and Luke establish that what happened with Judas is all going according to plan. And is, in fact, the same end that has been brought on all those who oppose the plan of God: utter desolation. And God is still doing what He has always done, turning the wicked schemes of evil men into good.

The Ground for Replacing Judas (1:20b-22)

He then quotes Psalm 109:8 as grounding for their next action.

“Let another take his office.” (Psalm 109:8b)

And Peter says, based upon the connection of Judas and Ahithophel, out of obedience to the text of Scripture, that it was necessaryfor them to replace Judas. And he gives stipulations for the replacement, 1) He had to be a man and, 2) He had to have been with them from the baptism of John until the Ascension. And this man’s purpose as an Apostle would be (must be) as a witness of the resurrection of Christ. No one else would be qualified in this way to be an Apostle again. And it is interesting that even when James is put to death by Herod later, he is not replaced (Acts 12:2). This points to the meaningfulness of the choosing of Matthias. This was not a mistake or an accident, it had to happen so that the Scriptures would be fulfilled.   

Israel Reconstituted (1:23-26)

“And they put forward two men, Joseph called Barsabbas (who was also called Justus), and Matthias.”

[Note: Whether these are the only two qualified or the only two elected is uncertain and whether the “they” refers to the 11 or the 120 is also ambiguous.]

“And they prayed and said, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all men, show which one of these two You have chosen to take the place of this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.” And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell to Matthias; and he was added to the eleven apostles.”

Ezekiel 37 was the passage that we read this afternoon for the Bible reading. The reason it is connected here is because it says this,

“...and I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel; and one king will be king for all of them...And My servant David will be king over them, and they will all have one shepherd; and they will walk in My judgments and keep My statutes and do them...My dwelling place also will be with them; and I will be their God, and they will be My people. And the nations will know that I am Yahweh who sanctifies Israel, when My sanctuary is in their midst forever.” (Ezekiel 37:22, 24, 27-28).

It seems that Luke is taking pains to connect Christ with the fulfillment of the Davidic covenant. We saw this in verses 1-11 when we looked at the kingdom theme and saw Christ’s ascension to the throne. It is now even more explicit through Peter’s connection of the betrayal of David pointing to, or foretelling, the betrayal of the greater King, Christ.  Now notice in Ezekiel that the reign of King David is connected with the establishment of God’s Temple or Sanctuary in the midst of his people forever. What event is about to take place in our text? Pentecost: when the Spirit of God begins to build the House of God on the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets, in and among His people, with Christ as the chief cornerstone. However, a central theme of the text of Ezekiel is also the reunification of the divided kingdom. The kingdom is promised to be unified in conjunction with the Davidic King taking the throne and God’s sanctuary being established among men. And we noted this last time, that the choosing of Matthias was symbolic of this unification of the nation of Israel. We saw that the heavenly Jerusalem and the earthly sanctuary are built upon the foundation of the twelve apostles. Therefore, the foundation needed completion prior to the building of the house. Hence why they needed to choose the 12thApostle prior to the outpouring of the Spirit.

So, you can see the three elements that Luke is presenting for us in this first chapter of Acts:

1. Christ has ascended to the throne (Ezekiel 37:24 – David will be king)

2. They choose the 12thApostle (Ezekial 37:22 – I will make them one nation)

3. Pentecost (Ezekiel 37:28 – God’s sanctuary is established among the people)

“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep. After that, He appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also. For I am the least of the apostles, and not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.” (1 Corinthians 15:3-9)[1]

It seems in this text that Paul is referring to “the twelve” as a particular office with a particular number that served a particular function. They are the foundation stone, along with the prophets, with Christ as the chief cornerstone. The Gentiles are grafted into this house and Paul is the one sent, Apostolos, to do that.  

There are other ways of dealing with this text regarding Matthias, but we do not have time to explore the other ways people have interpreted it. My position is that the 12 Apostles are symbolically establishing the reunited kingdom of Israel by finishing the foundation of the Church through choosing Matthias as the 12th Apostle. If this is a fulfillment of Ezekiel 37, then this had to occur in conjunction with the establishment of the Davidic king and the establishment of the sanctuary of God on earth, which occur at the Ascension and at Pentecost respectively. Peter’s language, “the Scripture had to be fulfilled...it is necessary...he must be...” all support that this passage is important for what will occur regarding Pentecost. And this language of inevitability, supports that this is in fulfillment of these promises of God, in my opinion.

The manner of choosing the 12th apostle was by the casting of lots. This is significant because it points backwards to one of the ways that God led his people prior to what? The pouring out of the Holy Spirit. James Jordan points out that this is the final time that lots are cast in the Bible. From this point onward, the Holy Spirit will guide His people through the application of the Word of God, which will be written by these very Apostles. Christ told them that they would not need to prepare to speak before the rulers because the Spirit would teach them what to say (Luke 12:11-12). Christ ascended, and they appeal to His sovereignty over all things in their use of the casting of lots prior to the comforter being sent (fulfilling John 16:5-15). They pray to the Lord, kyrios, which is the title often used for Christ, then cast lots and let Christ choose who the next Apostle would be based upon their criteria. This could be a way in which Christ is handing the torch of leadership to the Apostles by the Holy Spirit just as Moses handed the torch to Joshua.

Christ ascends, His promises are given, and Peter, takes leadership and responsibility by applying the Scripture to them and advocating obedience to it. They still ultimately rely on the sovereign working of the Lord: he is called Kyrios and they cast lots. Then, the Holy Spirit is poured out.

Summary of the exposition

To summarize chapter 1, Christ rises from the dead and speaks to His disciples about the kingdom. He then ascends to the throne in fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant. The 11 Apostles go back to Jerusalem and choose the 12th Apostle to replace Judas, the traitor, which completes the foundation of the reunified Israel, the Church, the House of the Living God. The only event that needs to take place now is the establishment of the presence of God among the people. Just as the glory of God rested on the completed tabernacle. Once the foundation was complete through Matthias, the glory of God can now rest upon these men.  

Application

1) Preaching (1:15-22)

Notice what Peter did in his speech. It is a good framework for solid preaching. He demonstrated how the Scriptural principle was relevant to their situation and how it pointed to Christ:

The Scripture must be fulfilled: He demonstrated that Scriptural principle was relevant to them and that they must obey it. He proclaimed to the people that God’s Word is being fulfilled in Psalm 69, and that they must choose a replacement in obedience to Psalm 109. The principle here is that good preaching demonstrates Scriptural principles that demand obedience. 

God is Sovereign and over all things. Even the schemes of the wicked will be used by God to fulfill His divine purposes. We can rest assured that God’s kingdom will come, that his will shall be done on earth as it is in heaven.  

The end of the wicked, the end of all who oppose the Son of the Living God, will be desolation, or vanity. In contrast with the righteous who possess the lasting heritage of God’s Law (Psalm 119:111). There are only two options: for Christ or against Christ. On which side are you? For those of us who are for Christ, let’s be reminded that to live is Christ and to die is gain. And for those of you undecided, repent of your sins, believe in Christ as your savior, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.

Christ is the center of the story: But he is also pointing out the Christ-centric nature of the Scripture. We have a faithful narrative of events concerning David in 2 Samuel 15, but Peter tells us that this account is actually about Christ. Are we reading our Bibles that way? Are we looking for Christ in all the Scripture? The Legacy Standard Bible actually helps with this (as the NASB did before it) because New Testament texts emphasize by capitalization when they are quoting the Old Testament. There are many ways in which the Apostles point us to Christ as He was presented in the Old Testament types and shadows. So, let’s search the Scriptures to see Christ.

2) Prayer & Obedience in the face of God’s Promises (1:24-25)

We noted last time that prayer plays a key role in the narrative of Acts. It arrives at all the decisive points. This is one such point. They believed Peter’s words, that it was necessary for them to choose a replacement for Judas according to Scripture, and they prayed that God would do what He had promised: “...show which one of these two You have chosen...” And we should operate in the same way today, we know what God has promised, that of Christ’s rule there will be no end, and that He is putting all His enemies under His feet. We should pray that this might be so, yet we should take personal steps of obedience to see it fulfilled. By doing so, we are not taking matters into our own hands. We are being obedient. We are being good stewards, faithful servants. When we address sin in the public square, or proclaim the Gospel to our neighbor or coworker, we are not attempting to extend the kingdom by human means. We are doing what God commanded. Peter knew that Christ promised to pour out the Spirit upon them and he also knew that they needed to replace Judas. So, they prayed, obeyed, and waited.

We do not need to be concerned that we will ruin God’s plans. Look at Judas! He was trying to ruin the plan of Jesus and God turned it to the greatest good. The point for us is, obey! Trust God, pray that His promises would be fulfilled, and obey.

A) God knows our hearts

Notice their language in the prayer. They point out that the Lord knows the hearts of men. This is the concept of coram deo, in the sight of God. God knows our hearts. It is of no use to pretend to be something that you are not. God knows every idol that we retain in our affection. He knows our hypocrisy. Repent of your sin and get right with God. How long will you halt between two opinions? If God is the Lord, then serve Him. Say with Joshua, “As for me and my house, we will serve Yahweh.” Break down your high places and your groves, whether that is the TV, Computer, alcohol, drugs, or anything. Smash them to pieces and present your body as a living sacrifice to the Lord, who knows all our hearts.

B) The greatest are servants

The word ministry is the Greek word, diakonia, which means, service. This is the same root of the word deacon which means servant. The greatest, the Apostles, are servants. This is Gospel logic: if anyone would be great, let him be least. Christ washed the feet of His disciples. Do we despise menial tasks? Let’s be faithful to our Lord and follow Him as we do what appears to us to be lowly and let us do it with joy. We must lay down our lives daily: Husbands should be giving up their lives for their households, particularly their wives. Wives should be giving up their lives for their households, particularly the children. And we all should be giving up our lives for Christ. We die daily. And remember, Christ said that he came to give life, that we may have it more abundantly. Christians can have the most fulfilling lives. Don’t listen to the lie of Satan which tells you that your fleshly needs being met now is how you have a meaningful life. Abundant life comes through sacrifice and by no other means.    

3) The Casting of Lots (Acts 1:26)

Lastly, the way that they chose Matthias was through the casting of lots. Prior to the pouring out of the spirit, lots was one of the ways that God led His people. It says in Proverbs, “The lot is cast into the lap, But its every judgment is from Yahweh.” (Proverbs 16:33). If you remember in the story of Jonah, the sailors cast lots to figure out who the culprit for the storm was (Jonah 1:7).[2]The Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary says,

“Often in the ancient Near East people, especially priests, made difficult and significant decisions by casting lots on the ground or drawing them from a receptacle. Several times Scripture mentions the practice. We do not know exactly what the lots looked like. Nor do we know how they were interpreted. We do know that people of the OT and NT believed God (or gods in the case of non-Israelites or non-Christians) influenced the fall or outcome of the lots (Prov. 16:33). Thus, casting lots was a way of determining God’s will.”[3]

 As was already mentioned, the last time that lots are spoken about in the Bible is this text in Acts. After the outpouring of the Spirit, the Apostles are led by the Spirit in their activities establishing the church. They are also inspired to write the Scriptures. After this time of the early church, we have the completed Canon of Scripture as well as God living among us. Therefore, we have no need to cast lots.

Something that John MacArthur said has always stuck with me: there are parallel passages in Colossians and Ephesians:

“And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord...” Ephesians 5:18-19

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with gratefulness in your hearts to God.” Colossians 3:16

He says, if the result is the same then the cause is equivalent: To let the word of Christ dwell in you richly is equivalent to being filled with the Spirit. This is how we make decisions today. We ought to be so saturated with the Word of God that our very intuition is guiding us in a way that is pleasing to the Lord. We should not be living our Christian lives through the figurative casting of lots: being tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine. We need to know what Christ says and be obedient to it. This is what the Holy Spirit uses in our lives. The Word of God as a means of grace. As we live in accordance with its truth, it brings us life. Not on the merits of, or by means of, our obedience, but simply as a result of living as we are supposed to live, in fellowship with our life-giving God. So, would you be filled with the Spirit of God? Then let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly, with all wisdom.

Application Summary

 In verses 15-22, we see proper preaching:

· Peter explains the responsibility that the people have considering Scripture: it was necessary for them to choose a replacement for Judas.

· He points them to Christ in the text, applying the words written by David about Ahithophel to Judas. And we cannot help but be confronted by the words that Peter applies to Judas: the end of the wicked is desolation.

[In verses 23, we see that the leadership is men...]

In verses 24-25, we see prayer and obedience:

· We pray & we obey.

o Coram deo

o Reasonable Service

In verse 26, we see the casting of lots,

· Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly.

We have arrived at the end of chapter one, next time, we will explore Pentecost. Let’s pray!

[1]15:8 as to one untimely born. This self-deprecating remark may be an ironic criticism of the Corinthians who held Paul in low esteem (2:1 note). The Gk. word rendered “one untimely born” typically refers to a miscarriage or infant born prematurely, so Paul may allude to the fact that, unlike the Twelve (including Matthias, Judas’ successor), he did not experience an extended “gestation period” of association with Jesus during His earthly ministry (cf. Acts 1:21–22). What the apostle means is suggested by the phrase “last of all.” The appearances of the risen Lord had ceased with His ascension, and Paul was a persecutor of the church when he received his calling to be an apostle (Gal. 1:13, 23; Phil. 3:6; 1 Tim. 1:13–16). Although Paul had not been with Jesus during His earthly ministry, he was granted the privilege of seeing Jesus risen from the dead, and was commissioned as the last apostle, with a special ministry to the Gentiles (Acts 9:3–5, 15; Gal. 1:15, 16). Paul strongly suggests that the apostolic office was a unique, foundational gift to the church, not one expected to continue in later generations (Eph. 2:20).

R. C. Sproul, ed., The Reformation Study Bible: English Standard Version (2015 Edition) (Orlando, FL: Reformation Trust, 2015), 2039.

[2]Other instances in which lots are used: Saul as king (1 Sam. 10:20-24), Saul discovered Jonathan disobeyed (1 Sam. 14:41-42), The promised land was divided (Num. 26:52-56).

[3]Albert F. Bean, “Lots,” ed. Chad Brand et al., Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2003), 1053.