Acts 7:37-43 Israel Rebels Against God
“This is that Moses who said to the children of Israel, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear.’
“This is he who was in the congregation in the wilderness with the Angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our fathers, the one who received the living oracles to give to us, whom our fathers would not obey, but rejected. And in their hearts they turned back to Egypt, saying to Aaron, ‘Make us gods to go before us; as for this Moses who brought us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’ And they made a calf in those days, offered sacrifices to the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their own hands. Then God turned and gave them up to worship the host of heaven, as it is written in the book of the Prophets:
‘Did you offer Me slaughtered animals and sacrifices during forty years in the wilderness,
O house of Israel?
You also took up the tabernacle of Moloch,
And the star of your god Remphan,
Images which you made to worship;
And I will carry you away beyond Babylon.’”
Acts 7:44-50 God’s True Tabernacle
“Our fathers had the tabernacle of witness in the wilderness, as He appointed, instructing Moses to make it according to the pattern that he had seen, which our fathers, having received it in turn, also brought with Joshua into the land possessed by the Gentiles, whom God drove out before the face of our fathers until the days of David, who found favor before God and asked to find a dwelling for the God of Jacob. But Solomon built Him a house.
“However, the Most High does not dwell in temples made with hands, as the prophet says:
‘Heaven is My throne, and earth is My footstool. What house will you build for Me? says the Lord, or what is the place of My rest? Has My hand not made all these things?’
Acts 7:51-53 Israel Resists the Holy Spirit
“You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers, who have received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it.”
Stephen has been presenting his case in the logical manner approved by traditional Jewish scholars. Stephen begins to mention Jesus by quoting Moses and his prophecy that “‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear.’
“This is he who was in the congregation in the wilderness with the Angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our fathers, the one who received the living oracles to give to us, whom our fathers would not obey, but rejected.” Here Stephen is referring to the Messiah as having been with Moses when Moses received the Law and the Commandments.
Now Stephen moves on to emphasize the failure of the Israelites to be true to God and their insistence on pursuing idols. This idolatry has resulted in numerous prophets being slaughtered because of their righteous stance against sin. As Stephen continues, you can almost see the haughty leaders beginning to stroke their beards and squint their eyes as they glimpse the point Stephen is going to make.
Finally, Stephen reaches his conclusion. “You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers, who have received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it.”
The gloves have come off. Stephen is directly confronting the men responsible for sending Jesus to the cross, and they know it. Not only that, but these men also know that Jesus has risen from the dead and ascended to heaven before crowds of witnesses. But these men have a vested interest in maintaining the status quo, and nothing is more important to most of them. Are there some leaders who believe in Jesus? Likely, yes. But the threat of expulsion from the synagogue is a potent one, and these men are so far keeping quiet. What happens next to Stephen will force those who are undecided to make up their minds.
Reading the story of Stephen may remind us of many recent events around the world. There are always leaders willing to compromise to maintain their power and position. There are always those eager to trounce whistle blowers and silence them by any means necessary. The question for us is this: Where do we stand? If we are challenged to defend our faith, how will we respond? Will we falter or will we follow Stephen’s example and remain firm? May God help us, so that in the time of trial, we will remain true to Him.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to follow hard after You all the days of our lives and help us to remain true, no matter how difficult things become. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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