Once before the Sanhedrin and his accusers, Stephen's sermon summarizes
the entire history of Israel from the call of Abram with the key point
being the pattern of rejection of Abram, Joseph and Moses by their people.
Though each of these had been rejected, God's purpose was especially served
by each. Stephen then links these past heroic figures to Jesus and now
his witnesses as the latest godly ones to be rejected and persecuted by
Israel (7:51ff). Though true, this message led the Council to drive Stephen
out of the city and stone him (7:58), commencing a large persecution and
scattering of the church in Jerusalem (8:2).
| Text | Observations |
| AC 7:2 And he said, "Hear me, brethren and fathers! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran, [3] and said to him, `DEPART FROM YOUR COUNTRY AND YOUR RELATIVES, AND COME INTO THE LAND THAT I WILL SHOW YOU.' [4] "Then he departed from the land of the Chaldeans, and settled in Haran. And from there, after his father died, God removed him into this country in which you are now living. [5] "And He gave him no inheritance in it, not even a foot of ground; and yet, even when he had no child, He promised that HE WOULD GIVE IT TO HIM AS A POSSESSION, AND TO HIS OFFSPRING AFTER HIM. [6] "But God spoke to this effect, that his OFFSPRING WOULD BE ALIENS IN A FOREIGN LAND, AND THAT THEY WOULD BE ENSLAVED AND MISTREATED FOR FOUR HUNDRED YEARS. [7] "`AND WHATEVER NATION TO WHICH THEY SHALL BE IN BONDAGE I MYSELF WILL JUDGE,' said God, `AND AFTER THAT THEY WILL COME OUT AND SERVE ME IN THIS PLACE.' [8] "And He gave him the covenant of circumcision; and so Abraham became the father of Isaac, and circumcised him on the eighth day; and Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob of the twelve patriarchs. | The beginning of the Jewish religion is with Abraham. Stephen's point is that God foresaw that Abraham's descendents would worship him in Judea after a time of waiting and hardship. |
| AC 7:9 "And the patriarchs became jealous of Joseph and sold him into Egypt. And yet God was with him, [10] and rescued him from all his afflictions, and granted him favor and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh, king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all his household. [11] "Now a famine came over all Egypt and Canaan, and great affliction with it; and our fathers could find no food. [12] "But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our fathers there the first time. [13] "And on the second visit Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and Joseph's family was disclosed to Pharaoh. [14] "And Joseph sent word and invited Jacob his father and all his relatives to come to him, seventy-five persons in all. [15] "And Jacob went down to Egypt and there passed away, he and our fathers. [16] "And from there they were removed to Shechem, and laid in the tomb which Abraham had purchased for a sum of money from the sons of Hamor in Shechem. | True to the prophecy, Abraham's descendents went into Egypt during the famine during the time of Joseph. |
| AC 7:17 "But as the time of the promise was approaching which God had assured to Abraham, the people increased and multiplied in Egypt, [18] until THERE AROSE ANOTHER KING OVER EGYPT WHO KNEW NOTHING ABOUT JOSEPH. [19] "It was he who took shrewd advantage of our race, and mistreated our fathers so that they would expose their infants and they would not survive. | Before the promise of God to Abraham could be fulfilled, there were great hardships inflicted upon the people of Israel in Egypt. |
| AC 7:22 "And it was at this time that Moses was born;
and he was lovely in the sight of God; and he was nurtured three months
in his father's home. [21] "And after he had been exposed, Pharaoh's daughter
took him away, and nurtured him as her own son. "And Moses was educated
in all the learning of the Egyptians, and he was a man of power in words
and deeds.
[23] "But when he was approaching the age of forty, it entered his mind to visit his brethren, the sons of Israel. [24] "And when he saw one of them being treated unjustly, he defended him and took vengeance for the oppressed by striking down the Egyptian. [25] "And he supposed that his brethren understood that God was granting them deliverance through him; but they did not understand. [26] "And on the following day he appeared to them as they were fighting together, and he tried to reconcile them in peace, saying, `Men, you are brethren, why do you injure one another?' [27] "But the one who was injuring his neighbor pushed him away, saying, `WHO MADE YOU A RULER AND JUDGE OVER US? [28] `YOU DO NOT MEAN TO KILL ME AS YOU KILLED THE EGYPTIAN YESTERDAY, DO YOU?' |
Moses was specially protected by God to lead them out of Egypt, but he was rejected by them. |
| AC 7:29 "And at this remark MOSES FLED, AND BECAME AN ALIEN IN THE LAND OF MIDIAN, where he became the father of two sons. [30] "And after forty years had passed, AN ANGEL APPEARED TO HIM IN THE WILDERNESS OF MOUNT Sinai, IN THE FLAME OF A BURNING THORN BUSH. [31] "And when Moses saw it, he began to marvel at the sight; and as he approached to look more closely, there came the voice of the Lord: [32] `I AM THE GOD OF YOUR FATHERS, THE GOD OF ABRAHAM AND ISAAC AND JACOB.' And Moses shook with fear and would not venture to look. [33] "BUT THE LORD SAID TO HIM, `TAKE OFF THE SANDALS FROM YOUR FEET, FOR THE PLACE ON WHICH YOU ARE STANDING IS HOLY GROUND. [34] `I HAVE CERTAINLY SEEN THE OPPRESSION OF MY PEOPLE IN EGYPT, AND HAVE HEARD THEIR GROANS, AND I HAVE COME DOWN TO DELIVER THEM; COME NOW, AND I WILL SEND YOU TO EGYPT.' | Moses fled Egypt in disgrace, only to be sent back to Egypt by God in the vision of the burning bush. |
| AC 7:35 "This Moses whom they disowned, saying, `WHO MADE YOU A RULER AND A JUDGE?' is the one whom God sent to be both a ruler and a deliverer with the help of the angel who appeared to him in the thorn bush. [36] "This man led them out, performing wonders and signs in the land of Egypt and in the Red Sea and in the wilderness for forty years. [37] "This is the Moses who said to the sons of Israel, `GOD SHALL RAISE UP FOR YOU A PROPHET LIKE ME FROM YOUR BRETHREN.' [38] "This is the one who was in the congregation in the wilderness together with the angel who was speaking to him on Mount Sinai, and who was with our fathers; and he received living oracles to pass on to you. | Moses, though rejected, was indeed God's true ruler for the people. And Moses said that God would one day raise up a prophet like him. |
| AC 7:39 "And our fathers were unwilling to be obedient to him, but repudiated him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt, [40] SAYING TO AARON, `MAKE FOR US GODS WHO WILL GO BEFORE US; FOR THIS MOSES WHO LED US OUT OF THE LAND OF EGYPT--WE DO NOT KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM.' [41] "And at that time they made a calf and brought a sacrifice to the idol, and were rejoicing in the works of their hands. | Though Moses was the ruler and performed mighty deeds in the sight of all Israel, the people rejected him again. |
| AC 7:42 "But God turned away and delivered them up to serve the host of heaven; as it is written in the book of the prophets, `IT WAS NOT TO ME THAT YOU OFFERED VICTIMS AND SACRIFICES FORTY YEARS IN THE WILDERNESS, WAS IT, O HOUSE OF ISRAEL? [43] `YOU ALSO TOOK ALONG THE TABERNACLE OF MOLOCH AND THE STAR OF THE GOD ROMPHA, THE IMAGES WHICH YOU MADE TO WORSHIP THEM. I ALSO WILL REMOVE YOU BEYOND BABYLON.' | As Israel rejected Moses, it also rejected God and worshipped false gods. |
| AC 7:44 "Our fathers had the tabernacle of testimony in the wilderness, just as He who spoke to Moses directed him to make it according to the pattern which he had seen. [45] "And having received it in their turn, our fathers brought it in with Joshua upon dispossessing the nations whom God drove out before our fathers, until the time of David. | The first dwelling place for God was the tabernacle in the wilderness, made according to the plan given to Moses. |
| AC 7:46 "And David found favor in God's sight, and asked
that he might find a dwelling place for the God of Jacob. [47] "But it
was Solomon who built a house for Him. [48] "However, the Most High does
not dwell in houses made by human hands; as the prophet says: [49] `HEAVEN
IS MY THRONE,
AND EARTH IS THE FOOTSTOOL OF MY FEET; WHAT KIND OF HOUSE WILL YOU BUILD FOR ME?' says the Lord; `OR WHAT PLACE IS THERE FOR MY REPOSE? [50] `WAS IT NOT MY HAND WHICH MADE ALL THESE THINGS?' |
David wanted to build a permanent temple, but God gave
that task to his son Solomon.
Even in giving that command, it was understood that no building could possibly house God. |
| AC 7:51 "You men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit; you are doing just as your fathers did. [52] "Which one of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who had previously announced the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become; [53] you who received the law as ordained by angels, and yet did not keep it." | Stephen concludes the sermon linking the present rejection
of Jesus and the apostles with the past rejections of Abraham, Joseph,
Moses and the prophets. Through the Holy Spirit, God moved through these
men to accomplish his will, just as he was moving now in the church.
Stephen's point is that Israel may have received the law ordained by angels, but their rejection of God's message and messengers proved that they were not keeping that law. |
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