What does Acts 4:24 mean?
Peter and John have been released by the Sanhedrin after being commanded to stop preaching in Jesus' name. They've rejoined their close-knit group and explained what happened. The group is probably comprised of the other apostles, Jesus' family, and a few others in the initial group that stayed together after Jesus' ascension (Acts 1:13–15; 2:46–47). It may include people like Barnabas, Philip, and Stephen. Their initial response is to pray, first by affirming God's sovereignty over the Jewish leaders.When faced with persecution, they put the situation into context. Because they had dedicated themselves to the truth of the apostles' teaching and the empowerment of prayer (Acts 2:42), they can rightly interpret what is happening and determine the correct response. They understand that Jesus has authority over any worldly leader who would try to stop them from telling people about Him (John 19:10–11; Job 12:17–25). In large part, His sovereignty is due to the fact He created the earth (John 1:1–3; Genesis 1).
Their prayer includes the text from Psalm 146:6, but Psalm 146:1–5 directly relate as well. The psalm starts by praising God, then gives the admonition to not trust in princes or other men. God blesses those whose help and hope are found in Him.