Thirdly, That the resurrection of Christ was the performance of the promise made to the patriarchs; it was not only true news, but good news; "In declaring this, we declare unto you glad tidings, (v. 32, 33. ) which should be in a particular manner acceptable to you Jews; so far are we from designing to put any slur upon you, or do you any wrong, that the doctrine we preach, if you receive it aright, and understand it, brings you the greatest honour and satisfaction imaginable; for it is in the resurrection of Christ, that the promise which was made to your fathers, is fulfilled to you." He acknowledges it to be the dignity of the Jewish nation, that to them pertained the promises, (Rom. 9. 4.) that they were the heirs of the promise, as they were the children of the patriarchs to whom the promises were first made. The great promise of the Old Testament was that of the Messiah, in whom all the families of the earth should be blessed, and not the family of Abraham only; though it was to be the peculiar honour of that family, that he should be raised up of it, yet it was to be the common benefit of all families, that he should be raised up to them. Note, 1. God hath raised up Jesus, advanced him, and exalted him; raised him again; so we read it, meaning from the dead. We may take in both senses. God raised up Jesus to be a Prophet, at his baptism; to be a Priest to make atonement, at his death; and to be a King to rule over all, at his ascension; and his raising him up from the dead was the confirmation and ratification of all these commissions, and proved him raised of God to these offices. 2. This is the fulfilling of the promises made to the fathers, the promise of sending the Messiah, and of all those benefits and blessings which were to be had with him and by him; "This is he that should come; and in him you have all that God promised in the Messiah, though not all that you promised yourselves." Paul puts himself into the number of the Jews, to whom the promise was fulfilled, to us their children. Now if they who preached the gospel, brought them these glad tidings, instead of looking upon them as enemies to their nation, they ought to caress them as their best friends, and embrace their doctrine with both arms; for if they valued the promise so much, and themselves by it, much more the performance. And the preaching of the gospel to the Gentiles, which was the great thing that the Jews found themselves aggrieved at, was so far from infringing the promise made to them, that the promise itself, that all the families of the earth should be blessed in the Messiah, could not otherwise be accomplished.
Fourthly, That the resurrection of Christ was the great proof of his being the Son of God; and confirms what was written in the second Psalm; (thus ancient was the order in which the Psalms are now placed;) Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee. That the resurrection of Christ from the dead was designed to evidence and evince this, is plain from that of the apostle; (Rom. 1. 4.) He was declared to be the Son of God with power, by the resurrection from the dead. When he was first raised up out of obscurity, God declared concerning him by a voice from heaven, This is my beloved Son, (Matt. 3. 17.) which has a plain reference to that in the second Psalm, Thou art my Son. Abundance of truth there is couched in those words; that this Jesus was begotten of the Father before all worlds; was the Brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, as the son is of the father's: that he was the λόγος, the eternal Thought of the eternal Mind; that he was conceived by the power of the Holy Ghost in the womb of the virgin; for upon that account also, that Holy Thing was called the Son of God; (Luke 1. 35.) that he was God's Agent in creating and governing the world, and in redeeming it and reconciling it to himself, and faithful as a son in his own house; and as such was Heir of all things. Now all this which was declared at Christ's baptism, and again at his transfiguration, was undeniably proved by his resurrection. The decree which was so long before declared, was then confirmed; and the reason why it was impossible he should be held by the bands of death, was, because he was the Son of God, and consequently had life in himself, which he could not lay down but with a design to resume it. When his eternal generation is spoken of, it is not improper to say, This day home I begotten thee; for from everlasting to everlasting, is with God as it were one and the same eternal day. Yet it may also be accommodated to his resurrection, in a subordinate sense, "This day have I made it to appear that I have begotten thee; and this day have I begotten all that are given to thee:" for it is said, (1 Pet. 1. 3.) that the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, as our God and Father, hath begotten us again to a lively hope, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
Fifthly, That his being raised the third day, so as not to see corruption, and to a heavenly life, so as no more to return to corruption, to the state of the dead, as others did who were raised to life, further confirms his being the Messiah promised.
1. He rose to die no more; so it is expressed Rom. 6. 9. As concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, that is, to the grave, which is called corruption, Job 17. 14. Lazarus came out of the grave with his grave clothes on, because he was to use them again; but Christ, having no more occasion for them, left them behind. Now this was the fulfilling of that scripture, (Isa. 55. 3.) I will give you the sure mercies of David; τὰ ὅσια Δαβὶδ τὰ πιστά—the holy things of David, the faithful things; for in the promise made to David, and in him to Christ, great stress is laid upon the faithfulness of God, (Ps. 89. 1, 2, 5, 24, 33.) and upon the oath God had sworn by his holiness, v. 35. Now this makes them sure mercies indeed, that he who is intrusted with the dispensing of them, is risen, to die no more; so that he ever lives to see his own will executed, and the blessings he hath purchased for us, given out to us. As if Christ had died, and had not risen again, so if he had risen to die again, we had come short of the sure mercies, or at least could not have been sure of them.
2. He rose so soon after he was dead, that his body did not see corruption; for it is not till the third day that the body begins to change. Now this was promised to David, it was one of the sure mercies of David; for it was said to him in Ps. 16. 10. Neither wilt thou suffer thy Holy One to see corruption, v. 35. God had promised to David, that he would raise up the Messiah of his seed, who should therefore be a Man, but should not like other men see corruption. This promise could not have its accomplishment in David, but looked forward to Christ.
(1.) It could not be accomplished in David himself, (v. 36.) for David, after he had served his own generation, by the will of God, who raised him up to be what he was, fell asleep, and was laid to his fathers, and saw corruption. Here we have a short account of the life, death, and burial, of the patriarch David, and his continuance under the power of death. [1.] His life; He served his own generation by the will of God, before he slept the sleep of death. David was a useful good man; he did good in the world by the will of God, he made God's precepts his rule; he served his own generation, so as therein to serve God; he so served and pleased men, (as whatever the king did, pleased the people, 2 Sam. 3. 36.) as still to keep himself the faithful servant of
