Commentary on First Peter (18)
But there is more, for second, Peter writes that the prophets also knew and spoke about "the glories that would follow" the sufferings of Christ. These would include his resurrection, ascension, and exaltation to the right hand of the Father over all of creation. Even in Isaiah 53, we notice something about the glories that would follow his sufferings: "After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied…Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong."
There is Psalm 45:7, which says, "You love righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy." The verse addresses "God," and then says, "your God, has set you…." This can only be a reference to Christ, who is God and man, the eternal Son of God and also the natural Son of David.
Similarly, Psalm 110:1 says, "The LORD says to my Lord: 'Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.'" Jesus used this verse to challenge the people: "How is it that they say the Christ is the Son of David? David himself declares in the Book of Psalms: 'The Lord said to my Lord: Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.' David calls him 'Lord.' How then can he be his son?" (Luke 20:41-44). Again, the answer is that Christ would be the eternal Son of God incarnate, following the line of David in terms of his human nature. And the Lord God says to this Lord, "Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet." The New Testament says that this has been fulfilled in the person of Jesus (Acts 2:34-36; Hebrews 1:13).
Then, there is Daniel 7:13-14: "In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed."
The New Testament writers refer often to Old Testament prophecies about the glories of Christ and their fulfillment in him. John 12:41 says, "Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus' glory and spoke about him" (see Isaiah 6:11). Concerning David and Psalm 16, Peter says, "But he was a prophet and knew…Seeing what was ahead, he spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to the grave, nor did his body see decay" (Acts 2:30-31).
Remember, the point here is that the prophets knew and spoke about both the sufferings and the glories of Christ. We have been looking at the prophecies that they gave in the form of explicit statements, but if we will also take account of the Old Testament figures of Christ, such as Moses, Joseph, David, Jeremiah, and so on, we will see that even through the lives of these prophets, God had been telling the story of Christ over and over again to his people, through his many servants, in different words and in various ways. This is why when Christ came, the Jews had no excuse to fail to recognize him, or to reject him once it was evident that he was the one foretold (John 5:39-40).
May 13 2006 | Expositions