Albert Barnes Commentary Acts 2:28

"Thou madest known unto me the ways of life; Thou shalt make me full of gladness with thy countenance." — Acts 2:28 (ASV)

You have made known, etc. The Hebrew is, "You will make known to me," etc. In relation to the Messiah, it means, You will restore me to life.

The ways of life. This properly means the path to life; as we say, the road to advancement or honour; the path to happiness; the highway to ruin, etc. See Proverbs 7:25, 27. It means, You will make known to me life itself, i.e., You will restore me to life.

The expressions in the Psalm are capable of this interpretation without doing any violence to the text; and if the preceding verses refer to the death and burial of the Messiah, then the natural and proper meaning of this is, that he would be restored to life again.

You will make me full of joy. This expresses the feelings of the Messiah in view of the favour that would thus be shown him: the resurrection from the dead, and the elevation to the right hand of God. It was this which is represented as sustaining him—the prospect of the joy that was before him, in heaven (Hebrews 12:2; Ephesians 1:20–22).

With your countenance. Literally, "with your face," that is, in your presence. The words countenance and presence mean the same thing; and denote favour, or the honour and happiness provided by being admitted to the presence of God. The prospect of the honour that would be bestowed on the Messiah was that which sustained him. And this proves that the person contemplated in the Psalm expected to be raised from the dead and exalted to the presence of God.

That expectation is now fulfilled, and the Messiah is now filled with joy in his exaltation to the throne of the universe. He has ascended to his Father and our Father; he is seated at the right hand of God; he has entered on that joy which was set before him; he is crowned with glory and honour; and all things are put under his feet. In view of this, we may remark:

1. That the Messiah had full and confident expectation that he would rise from the dead. This the Lord Jesus always demonstrated and often declared to his disciples.
2. If the Saviour rejoiced in view of the glories before him, we should also. We should anticipate with joy an everlasting dwelling in the presence of God, and the high honour of sitting with him on his throne, as he overcame, and is set down with the Father on his throne.
3. The prospect of this should sustain us, as it did him, in the midst of persecution, calamity, and trials. They will soon be ended; and if we are his friends, we shall overcome, as he did, and be admitted to the fulness of joy above, and to the right hand of God, where are pleasures for evermore.

* "Countenance," or "Presence"