CHAPTER 7
Then the high priest asked Stephen, “Are these charges true?” Acts 7:1
This is really a strange question for the high priest to ask. The priest probably knew full well that false witnesses had been hired to testify against Stephen. Several commentators feel that the high priest was still Caiaphas. We can see by this how utterly polluted our theology and our thinking can become when we get in the habit of rejecting the truth.
Coffman says of this address: “Stephen’s address was not so much a defense of himself as it was an epic survey of Jewish history as related to their rejection of the promised Messiah; and, while it is true a complete refutation of the charges against himself is apparent in this master oration, it is the glorious figure of the risen Lord which dominates every word of it.” 1
Bruce remarks about the significance of Stephen and other Hellenists saying: “The Christians who embarked on this world mission were Hellenists like Stephen, and in his speech we may recognize the first manifesto of Hellenistic Christianity. Stephen and his fellow-Hellenists…were more farsighted than their ‘Hebrew’ brethren in appreciating the breach with the temple order implied in the teaching and work of Jesus.” 2 They were also more foresighted in their desire to take the gospel to the ends of the earth.
“To this he replied: ‘Brothers and fathers, listen to me! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham while he was still in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Harran” (7:2). We note that Stephen is very respectful as he begins his sermon to this elite group. It will help us understand this important sermon if we realize that Stephen is making two main points as he speaks. First of all, he is saying that God is not restricted in his appearances and his work solely to the land of Israel. Second, God is not restricted solely to the law and to the temple. He begins by showing how God first appeared to Abraham in the far-away land of Mesopotamia. Barker & Kohlenberger add: “…that wherever God meets his people can be called ‘holy ground’…” 3 These authors continue to say that Stephen is, “…delivering a polemic against a veneration of the land that misses God’s further redemptive work.” 4 He will show how men worshipped God long before there was a land of Israel or a temple.
Stephen begins his sermon by speaking of the Lord of Glory (cf. Deut. 5:24). Wiersbe notes that he begins with “the God of Glory and ends with the glory of God (7:55). Throughout his sermon his face continues to reflect that same glory.” 5
“‘Leave your country and your people,’ God said, ‘and go to the land I will show you’” (7:3). Clearly, God’s call first came to Abraham (Abram) in Ur of Mesopotamia. From the scripture it seems that Abraham’s father Terah also heard something of this call and it affected him to some degree (Gen. 11:31). Terah, as the family patriarch, actually moved the family in the direction of Canaan but he stopped and settled at the city of Harran. It was there he died (Gen. 11:32).
We understand by this section of scripture that God is a pilgrim God who is on the move, and his people must be a pilgrim people.6 When we settle down to one place we may begin to miss the glory of his kingdom, much like Terah did. When the people of Israel finally settled down in the land they began to venerate the land and the temple. When they did so, they lost the big picture of their redemption. After all, it is said of Abraham, “For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God” (Heb. 11:10). He was not interested in Ur, Harran, or even in the natural Jerusalem (Salem). In fact, we have no scriptural record that Abraham ever visited the ancient city, although he once sacrificed on the mountain above it (Gen. 22:1-14).
It does seem that Abraham failed to carefully heed God’s command. God told him not only to leave his country but also to leave his people. Instead, Abraham took with him Lot, his deceased brother’s son. It was Lot who later created many problems for the patriarch. Today the multiplied millions of Lot’s Arab descendants (the nation of Jordan and in various other places) have caused immense trouble for modern Israel and have been implicated in several wars against the nation.
Coffman comments on the command to get out of the land saying: “… The young church was about to be scattered; and it was timely for the speaker to focus upon the fact that the father of all the faithful had also been called to get out of his native land and follow the call of the God of glory. On that very day when Stephen spoke, countless numbers of the Christians would say goodbye to Jerusalem…” 7 When God calls we must follow and not cling to the comfortable earthly things around us.
FATHER ABRAHAM’S FAITH JOURNEY
So he left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Harran. After the death of his father, God sent him to this land where you are now living.” Acts 7:4
A number of interpreters see problems with the chronology here but it seems best for us not to get deeply involved in this since it may be a problem originating from the differing ancient translations.8 In short, Barnes sums up the problem: “From Genesis 12:4, it seems that Abraham was 75 years of age when he departed from Haran to Canaan. The age of Terah was therefore but 145 years. Yet in Genesis 11:32, it is said that Terah was 205 years old when he died, thus leaving 60 years of Terah‘s life beyond the time when Abraham left Haran…” 9 Note that most translations have the word spelled Haran, instead of the NIV Harran.
Here we need to point out that there are a number of textual problems in Stephen’s speech that have perplexed Bible interpreters for centuries. As we encounter these problems we need to remember that Stephen, like many early Christians, was not using a translation of the Bible based on our current Masoretic Hebrew text (MT). He was using the Greek Septuagint (LXX) translation. This translation was made in Egypt during the third and second centuries BC. It was the popular version of the Bible for the multitudes of Greek speakers in the First Century. We see that Paul even used it a lot. It is possible that Stephen also made some use of the Samaritan Pentateuch (Second Century BC). Keener says, “Where his points differ from the standard Hebrew text, they generally agree with the Samaritan text or the Septuagint.” 10
Let us note about these differing translations that none of them perfectly transmits the original word of God. It is this original word of God that was delivered flawlessly to his people, but the thousands of years of translating have sometimes taken a toll on its original meaning. In addition to the MT, LXX and the Samaritan versions we today have a new tool in translating, and that is the Dead Sea Scrolls (DSS). Most of these scrolls were discovered between 1946 and1956 in the caves around the site of Qumran, near the Dead Sea. Many of these scrolls had crumbled into tiny pieces. As these bits and pieces of scripture have been put back together, they have revolutionized Bible scholarship. Now we have a Hebrew text that is a thousand years older than the Masoretic text we had before.11 Often, these ancient scrolls can shed new light on how a text was originally translated and interpreted.
“He gave him no inheritance here, not even enough ground to set his foot on. But God promised him that he and his descendants after him would possess the land, even though at that time Abraham had no child” (7:5). It is an amazing thing that Abraham never received an inheritance in the physical Holy Land. He only owned the tiny plot where he buried his wife (Gen. 23:3-20). Not only did he not have any land, but he did not even have an heir. What an impossible situation! However, Abraham knew that with God all things were possible and he walked on in faith. Still, God assured Abraham that his descendants would eventually possess the land.
“God spoke to him in this way: ‘For four hundred years your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated. But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves,’ God said, ‘and afterward they will come out of that country and worship me in this place’” (7:6-7). This was a little like the “good news, bad news” scenarios we often hear today. The good news was that they would possess the land, but the bad news was that they would be slaves in a country they did not own, and that for 400 years.
It is interesting that God talked to Abraham in specifics. Yet, the number of 400 years has caused a lot of difficulty with Bible interpreters. In Exodus 12:40, we read that the captivity in Egypt lasted 430 years. So, how can we deal with this apparent contradiction? There are two things we should remember. First, the Bible often speaks in rounded numbers (cf. Gen. 15:13, 16; Gal. 3:17).12 Second, we must refer back to what we said about the various ancient translations of scripture. In time, they did not all wholly agree with God’s original, pure and perfect revelation. The original word is God-made, but translations are man-made, with hopeful guidance from the Holy Spirit.
“Then he gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision. And Abraham became the father of Isaac and circumcised him eight days after his birth. Later Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob became the father of the twelve patriarchs” (7:8). The covenant of circumcision was given to Abraham many years after he had become justified by faith (Rom. 4:9-12). It was a sign of the imputed righteousness he possessed by faith. So, again, it was not the law, or circumcision but it was faith in the coming Messiah that was critically important. We remember that Abraham rejoiced to see the Messiah’s day (Jn. 8:56).
Circumcision was not just a practice of the Hebrews. While they practiced infant circumcision most of Israel’s neighbors, with the exception of the Philistines, practiced circumcision at puberty as a rite of passage into manhood. Moslems still practice this kind of circumcision today. With Israel, the practice was a rite into the covenant with God.13
JOSEPH, AND ISRAEL’S JOURNEY INTO EGYPT
Because the patriarchs were jealous of Joseph, they sold him as a slave into Egypt. But God was with him and rescued him from all his troubles. He gave Joseph wisdom and enabled him to gain the goodwill of Pharaoh king of Egypt. So Pharaoh made him ruler over Egypt and all his palace. Acts 7:9-10
In a mere three sentences, Stephen tells of Joseph’s spellbinding story of captivity and rise to power in Egypt. In this whole account, we see clearly that much of the redemption story happened outside the land of Israel. This whole account ran over 400 years.
It is also apparent that Stephen is using the story of Joseph to illustrate how Israel had rejected her own deliverance. Joseph is clearly a type of Christ in the Old Testament. He was rejected by his brothers, the heads of Israel’s future tribes. Then he was sold into slavery by them. Some years later, through miraculous means, he was lifted to become the second in command to the mighty Pharaoh of Egypt. In that position he was able to become the deliverer for the whole family of Israel. Again, all this wonderful story of deliverance happened in Egypt, far from the land of Israel. Stott points out how in these seven verses Stephen repeats the word “Egypt” seven times. It seems he wants to make certain that his hearers have fully grasped its significance.14
Barclay says of the Jewish people: “The Jews were lost in the contemplation of their own past and imprisoned in the mazes of their own law. But Joseph welcomed each new task, even if it was a rebuff, and adopted God’s view of life.” 15 Thus, in a faraway land he was not only able to be a deliverer for others but to save his own nation from starvation. He was able to help write the redemption story, but much of this story was not written in Jerusalem or even in Israel.
THE DRAMA OF REDEMPTION
Then a famine struck all Egypt and Canaan, bringing great suffering, and our ancestors could not find food. When Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our forefathers on their first visit. Acts 7:11-12
The story of Joseph and the salvation of his family is one of the classic dramas of all time. Just about every Sunday School child knows this story. They know how young Joseph was sold as a slave by his brothers; how he ended up in prison in Egypt; and how through miraculous means he was lifted to become second in command to mighty Pharaoh (Gen. 41). Then they know how the famine predicted by Joseph wasted the land but how Joseph had stored up abundant grain during the seven good years he had predicted. They also know how Joseph’s brothers finally came down to Egypt and to Joseph to buy grain, since Joseph was in charge of all the bountiful grain storage in that land. Godbey says, “The people all come to Joseph for bread. He has plenty. What a glorious emblem of Christ, dispensing the bread of life!” 16
“On their second visit, Joseph told his brothers who he was, and Pharaoh learned about Joseph’s family” (7:13). So, Joseph at last revealed himself to his brothers with much tears. (Gen. 45:1-4). Then, the whole family of Jacob was brought down and settled in Egypt. What a redemption story! Stephen no doubt wished the court to understand how redemption can come in a seemingly “foreign” manner.17 He no doubt wanted them to catch the vision of Christ the Redeemer, long before pictured so clearly in Joseph.
“After this, Joseph sent for his father Jacob and his whole family, seventy-five in all. (7:14). Once again we have a conflict here in scripture. Stephen tells us that 75 people went down into Egypt. However, this figure seems to be based on the text of the Greek Septuagint (cf. Gen. 46:27; Exo. 1:5), while the Hebrew text mentions 70 people. As we can see, trying to determine the exact meaning of some ancient texts can become a tricky thing. Interestingly, the Dead Sea Scrolls are in agreement with the Septuagint.18 Then again, the Hebrew author may have been rounding off the number so far as we know.
“Then Jacob went down to Egypt, where he and our ancestors died. Their bodies were brought back to Shechem and placed in the tomb that Abraham had bought from the sons of Hamor at Shechem for a certain sum of money” (7:15-16). It seems that there are textual problems popping up all over Stephen’s speech. It is true that all the ancestors died down in Egypt. However, scripture tells us that Joseph requested that his bones be brought back and buried in Israel, and Moses complied with this request when he and Israel left the country (Gen. 50:25; Exo. 13:19). Joseph was later buried in Shechem (Josh. 24:32). Today, Joseph’s Tomb still stands at ancient Shechem (present day Nablus). However, the Moslems have made many attempts to destroy it over the years.
One of the problems that arises here is Stephen’s mentioning that all the bodies of the fathers were brought back to the land of Israel and buried at Shechem. The scriptures do not give us this information. Pett comments: “We may assume from this that there was a Jewish tradition that most of the patriarchs were finally buried there (there were certainly Jewish traditions of the patriarchs being buried in Canaan)…But if Joseph had made arrangements for his bones to be carried back to Canaan it is quite possible, even probable, that the others had as well, with the bones of Joseph getting special prominence because of his importance…” 19 Barnes adds, “As the scriptures do not anywhere deny that the patriarchs were buried in Sychem [sic], it cannot be proved that Stephen was in error.” 20 Since Shechem was in Samaria, and was the leading city of that people, Stephen may have been drawing information from certain Samaritan sources.” 21
We know that Jacob was buried at Hebron (Gen. 49:29-32; 50:13). And he was buried in the family tomb of Abraham. That tomb (the field of Macphelah) was the burial place of Abraham, Sarah, and others of the patriarchal family. Abraham bought this tomb from Ephron the Hittite (Gen. 50:13). The tomb of the patriarchs still stands today in the ancient city of Hebron. I have visited this tomb but it remains a place of political contention.
Stephen also tells us that Abraham also bought the tomb at Shechem from the sons of Hamor. We see in scripture that it was Jacob who bought the tomb (Josh. 24:32). There are several possible explanations for this. It is entirely possible that Abraham did purchase a plot in Shechem. Wiersbe says, “The simplest explanation is that Abraham actually purchased both pieces of property and that Jacob later had to purchase the Shechem property again. Abraham moved around quite a bit, and it would be very easy for the residents of the land to forget or ignore the transactions he had made.” 22 Even in our day, if an owner is not vigilant, a “squatter” can take possession of unused property and eventually gain legal title.
Pett comments: “We in our more pedantic way would say ‘the Abrahamic tribe, to whom the promises were made, bought’. It was important that it was connected with Abraham here, because it was to Abraham that the promises had been made (Acts 7:5).” 23
Regarding all the apparent textual problems we have encountered, we should note that Stephen’s hearers do not seem to have had any problems with his use of scripture. Since they were quite hostile toward him and his approach, we would expect that they would have objected strenuously to his use of scripture if they deemed it in any way out of order.
OPPRESSION IN EGYPT
“As the time drew near for God to fulfill his promise to Abraham, the number of our people in Egypt had greatly increased.” Acts 7:17
Joseph, with Pharaoh’s blessing, had planted Israel in Goshen, the choice part of ancient Egypt. There, the small nation bountifully increased. Exodus 1:7 says, “but the Israelites were exceedingly fruitful; they multiplied greatly, increased in numbers and became so numerous that the land was filled with them.” While the rabbis maintain that Israel only went to Egypt for a visit, it was becoming like “home-sweet-home.” That was about to change.
“Then ‘a new king, to whom Joseph meant nothing, came to power in Egypt’” (7:18). This account can be seen in Exodus 1:8-10. Today there is a rather strong debate among scholars as to dating the Pharaoh of the Exodus. Some identify him as being from the XVIII dynasty (c. 1445 BC) while others think he was from the XIX dynasty (1290 BC).24 A number of writers, as well as popular culture, identify the Pharaoh of the Exodus as Ramesses II (reigned 1279–1213 BC). This transition could have had something to do with the shift away from Semitic rulers (Hyksos) to native Egyptian rulers.25 These new rulers would have wanted nothing to do with Joseph or the Semitic Jewish people.
“He dealt treacherously with our people and oppressed our ancestors by forcing them to throw out their newborn babies so that they would die” (7:19). We find this account related in Exodus 1:10ff. Quite simply, this new Pharaoh was intent upon forcing genocide upon the Jewish people. We learn in the Exodus account that this Pharaoh placed slave masters over the people and began to oppress them, but this was not satisfactory to him. Then the order went out that the midwives should kill all the male Hebrew children. The Hebrew families began to live in great oppression and fear because of this decree.
THE BIRTH OF MOSES
“At that time Moses was born, and he was no ordinary child. For three months he was cared for by his family. Acts 7:20
When Moses was born his parents realized that he was a special baby. Because they were not afraid (Heb. 11:23), the family hid him away from the king’s wrath. Some have described the baby Moses as being “exceeding fair” or “divinely fair” in his appearance.26
“When he was placed outside, Pharaoh’s daughter took him and brought him up as her own son” (7:21). We know from the account in Exodus 2:5ff., that the parents were finally under such pressure that they placed the baby Moses in a basket to reeds and committed him to the grace of God and to the Nile River. Later he was spied by Pharaoh’s daughter and taken as her own child. Some have tried to identify this daughter but others have called it a vain task.27 If we cannot be sure about the Pharaoh’s identity, we certainly cannot identify his daughter. Of course, as an adopted son of Pharaoh, young Moses would be blessed with all the advantages of the royal family in Egypt.
“Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in speech and action” (7:22). The First Century Jewish writer, Philo of Alexandria, felt that Moses was proficient in many studies, such as geometry, arithmetic, poetry, music, philosophy and other fields. He described Moses as having unique wisdom, stature and beauty.28
It is truly interesting that while in Egypt Moses was powerful in speech. Yet, after God’s dealing with him for 40 years in the wilderness he had lost all his eloquence (Exo. 4:10). God had humbled him and brought him down to the dust. When he went before Pharaoh after that 40 years, he had to have his brother Aaron speak for him (Exo. 4:10-16).
MOSES IS REJECTED BY HIS PEOPLE
“When Moses was forty years old, he decided to visit his own people, the Israelites. He saw one of them being mistreated by an Egyptian, so he went to his defense and avenged him by killing the Egyptian. Acts 7:23-24
Moses was now at the end of the first of three 40-year periods in his life. It was a tradition among the Jewish people that Moses spent 40 years in Pharaoh’s court, another 40 years in Midian, and a final 40 years delivering and serving Israel.29 It is said of him in Hebrews 11:24-26: “By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.”
In order to protect his fellow Israelite Moses killed the Egyptian. “Moses thought that his own people would realize that God was using him to rescue them, but they did not” (7:25). So far in Stephen’s sermon, his Jewish listeners of the Sanhedrin were no doubt bored. They had heard all of these stories since childhood and no doubt even had them memorized.
Suddenly Stephen gives them a pin prick that no doubt caused them to sit up straight in their seats and open their eyes wide. Moses was their great hero who had given them the law. Now Stephen is saying that when Moses first appeared to Israel the people rejected him. They could not help but make a similar comparison of how they had recently rejected Jesus.30
“The next day Moses came upon two Israelites who were fighting. He tried to reconcile them by saying, ‘Men, you are brothers; why do you want to hurt each other?’ But the man who was mistreating the other pushed Moses aside and said, ‘Who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?’” (7:26-28). It seems that Moses in this early part of his life already felt a calling to help and even deliver his people. The problem he now had was that he was trying to deliver them by fleshly means alone and that attempt failed miserably. Clearly, he was rejected by Israel. He was rejected, “Just as his hearers in court had failed to recognize their God-sent Savior in Jesus, even though he too had come preaching peace.” 31 They had rejected Jesus who himself was one greater than Moses (cf. Heb. 3:3). “Here he ties together both his preceding themes: God reveals himself outside the Holy Land, and Israel rejects its deliverers.” 32
“When Moses heard this, he fled to Midian, where he settled as a foreigner and had two sons” (7:29). When Moses realized he was found out he fled for his life (Exo. 2:11-22). Utley points out how this shows that there were some tensions already in the royal family of Egypt due to his being adopted by the daughter of Pharaoh.33
MOSES IN THE WILDERNESS
“After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to Moses in the flames of a burning bush in the desert near Mount Sinai. Acts 7:30
With this verse, we now see that Moses has been in the wilderness for 40 years. In that awful and forsaken place, God appeared to him in a burning bush (cf. Exo. 3:2). Once again Stephen makes his point that some of the great events in Israel’s history took place outside the Holy Land. Bruce reminds us of that old hymn by William Cowper:
Jesus, wher’er thy people meet,
There they behold thy mercy-seat;
Where’er they seek thee, thou are found,
And every place is hallowed ground.34
So Stephen has well made his points: He, “emphasizes that God is not tied to one city or land; He appeared to Abraham in Mesopotamia, was with Joseph in Egypt and revealed himself to Moses in the wilderness…” 35
Stephen continues:“When he saw this, he was amazed at the sight. As he went over to get a closer look, he heard the Lord say: ‘I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.’ Moses trembled with fear and did not dare to look” (7:31-32). Moses not only saw the miraculous sight of a burning bush that was not consumed, but he heard the Lord speak. Here the Lord, the eternal “I am” spoke to Moses. He clearly identified himself with the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, or the God of the patriarchs. Moses was afraid before him. This amazing account is found in Exodus 3:5-6.
“Then the Lord said to him, ‘Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground. I have indeed seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their groaning and have come down to set them free. Now come, I will send you back to Egypt’”’ (7:33-34). The place where Moses was standing, down deep in the wilderness, was holy ground (Exo. 3:5). Stott says, “This statement was central to Stephen’s thesis. There was holy ground outside the Holy Land. Wherever God is, is holy…” 36
“This is the same Moses they had rejected with the words, ‘Who made you ruler and judge?’ He was sent to be their ruler and deliverer by God himself, through the angel who appeared to him in the bush. He led them out of Egypt and performed wonders and signs in Egypt, at the Red Sea and for forty years in the wilderness” (7:35-36). “The very man whom his people had refused was the man chosen by God to be their ruler and redeemer.” 37 How true it was that in Stephen’s day they had made the same tragic mistake once more as they had rejected their deliverer, Jesus. Utley adds: “Again God came to an Israelite outside the Promised Land… Much of Israel’s history occurred outside Canaan and before the temple in Jerusalem. All through the Israelites’ history God’s leaders were rejected by their peers (cf. Acts 7:9, 27-28, 35, 39). This is a recurrent theme.” 38
“This is the Moses who told the Israelites, ‘God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your own people.’ He was in the assembly in the wilderness, with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our ancestors; and he received living words to pass on to us” (7:37-38). Moses was a very popular figure with the First Century Jewish people. “All parties within Judaism of the first century AD – whether Sadducees, Pharisees, Essenes, Zealots, Apocalypticists, Hellenists, Samaritans, or the so-called People of the Land – were united in this veneration and idealization…” 39
But what did this Moses say? He said something very important that all Israel soon forgot. He said that God would raise up a prophet like him. He said, “The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him” (Deut. 18:15). What a charge that was given to Israel. They must listen to this prophet who will be like Moses. We can imagine that the Sanhedrin members were now squirming in their seats because, as scholars, they certainly knew about this prophecy. It was Moses who received all these living words to give them.
“This is quoted to remind his Moses-worshipping audience of the grand testimony of their faithful lawgiver, that he himself was not the last and proper object of the church‘s faith, but only a humble precursor and small model of him to whom their absolute submission was due.” 40 Pett mentions how the Prophet like Moses was known in the Dead Sea Scrolls and how the Samaritans looked for one like Moses to come.41
ISRAEL’S IDOLATRY
“But our ancestors refused to obey him. Instead, they rejected him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt. Acts 7:39
In spite of all God had done to deliver them from Egypt and to sustain them in the wilderness; In spite of God’s giving Moses and the law, the people refused to obey and instead turned back to Egypt in their hearts. They disobeyed and repudiated the leadership of Moses.42 It was none other than the ancestors of those in the Sanhedrin who rejected Moses’ leadership. The message was clear. Just as their ancestors rejected Moses the Sanhedrin leaders had already rejected the one like Moses who was sent for their salvation and deliverance. By this, Stephen was subtly proving that the sins of the Sanhedrin were much greater than the sins for which they were condemning him.43
“They told Aaron, ‘Make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who led us out of Egypt—we don’t know what has happened to him!’” (7:40). Let us remember that Moses had already received the tablets of the law and was ready to come down from the mountain and give these tablets to Israel. What a time of rejoicing it should have been! Unfortunately, the people had prevailed upon Aaron to make them an idol (Exo. 32). Keener says, “The episode of the golden calf was the incident in Israel’s history of which the rabbis were most ashamed; they felt it was the most sinful of Israel’s acts.” 44
“That was the time they made an idol in the form of a calf. They brought sacrifices to it and reveled in what their own hands had made” (7:41). It is no wonder where the people got the idea of a calf. The Apis Bull was one of the favorite gods of Egypt. It is simply amazing that Aaron the high priest of Israel was cajoled into making this idol. Wiersbe says, “…No sooner had the people received the law than they disobeyed it by asking Aaron to make them an idol (Ex. 32), and thereby broke the first two of the Ten Commandments (Ex. 20:1-6).” 45
“But God turned away from them and gave them over to the worship of the sun, moon and stars. This agrees with what is written in the book of the prophets: ‘Did you bring me sacrifices and offerings forty years in the wilderness, people of Israel?’” (7:42). There are times when God gives humanity over to idolatrous worship. That worship was really horrible in ancient times. The pagan temples were populated with great numbers of prostitutes and homosexuals. This was the perfectly normal worship in those times. Sometimes young children were offered in sacrifice. For God to give people over to this was dreadful. We see a similar thing described in Romans 1:18-32. Pagan worship was not worship at all but an institutionalized form of spiritual and fleshly dissipation.
Marshall says of Amos 5:25-27, “…the question ‘Did you offer me sacrifices?’ has been taken to expect a negative answer and to imply that Amos thought no sacrifices were offered in the wilderness period…” 46 Rather, Utley says, “Amos asserts that Israel was always offering sacrifices to foreign gods. It was a regular, and early, pattern of their history (cf. Josh. 24:20).” 47
According to Jewish thinking in the First Century, the wilderness time was idealized as a time of Israel’s purity.48 Stephen corrects that false assumption. It was not a time of purity but a time of false worship. Some people had apparently brought their favorite gods along on the trip.
“You have taken up the tabernacle of Molek and the star of your god Rephan, the idols you made to worship. Therefore I will send you into exile’ beyond Babylon” (7:43). Molek (Gk. Moloch) was the despicable Canaanite god who required the sacrifice of little children. In addition to Molek the Israelites were apparently involved in astral worship of the star-god Rephan (Gk. Rompha). Stephen is here taking his information from the Septuagint.49
The Old Testament passage he is dealing with is found in Amos 5:25-27. Many of the popular gods and goddesses had their origin in ancient Babylon. Pett notes that Stephen is bringing home the lesson that Israel was returning back to the very thing from which Father Abraham had escaped.50
THE TABERNACLE
“Our ancestors had the tabernacle of the covenant law with them in the wilderness. It had been made as God directed Moses, according to the pattern he had seen. Acts 7:44
The tabernacle in the wilderness was an incredible structure. It likely was the most important structure ever seen by human eyes. The tabernacle was designed by God and the instructions for building it were handed down from Heaven to Moses. He was charged to build it according to the heavenly pattern (Exo. 25:9). Yet, the Jewish people rejected the tabernacle and sought to build God a house. This was unfortunate, because the tabernacle in symbolic manner lays out a very clear picture of redemption.
It is clear that the building of a house for God, or a temple, opened Israel up to many abuses. Wiersbe says: “The witnesses accused Stephen of seeking to destroy the temple, but that was exactly what the Jewish nation did!…the worship at the temple degenerated into mere religious formality, and eventually there were idols placed in the temple (2 Ki. 21:1-9; Ezek. 8:7-12)…they had turned God’s house into a den of thieves (Jer. 7:1-16).” 51 John Wesley once said, “Whenever the Methodists get to building fine houses they are a ruined people.” 52
Barker and Kohlenberger state: “Stephen’s assessment of Israel’s worship experience lays all the emphasis on the tabernacle…Stephen seems to have viewed the epitome of Jewish worship in terms of the tabernacle, not the temple…he felt the mobility of the tabernacle was a restraint on the status quo mentality that had grown up around the temple.” 53
“After receiving the tabernacle, our ancestors under Joshua brought it with them when they took the land from the nations God drove out before them. It remained in the land until the time of David, who enjoyed God’s favor and asked that he might provide a dwelling place for the God of Jacob” (7:45-46). It was with the tabernacle that Joshua conquered the land and drove out the pagan nations who had lived in it. It was the tabernacle that had remained the place of worship for Israel up to the time of David.
David desired to build God a house. However, the prophet, after first giving approval, came back with God’s answer. God informed David that he had not desired a house, nor had he asked anyone to build him a house. Rather, God promised that he would build a house for David and it would be an eternal house (2 Sam. 7:5-13).
Clearly, Stephen was seeing into the spiritual world and thinking of that heavenly tabernacle (cf. Heb. 8:2; 9:11).54 No doubt he was thinking of that time when God would dwell with those who were contrite in heart and who trembled at his word (Isa. 66:2).55
“But it was Solomon who built a house for him” (7:47). God knew that Israel would finally build him a house. He did not permit David to do it, but he knew that Solomon, his son, would build it (2 Sam. 7:12-13). Toward the end of his life, David busied himself preparing the materials for the temple (1 Chr. 22). Later, Solomon did construct the house for God but even he realized that God did not dwell in houses (1 Ki. 8:27). The house eventually led Israel to make it a thing of worship. Bruce says, “It was rather the state of mind to which the temple gave rise – a state of mind which could not have been engendered by the mobile tabernacle – that Stephen reprobated, as Jeremiah had done in his day.” 56
On the positive side, God would acknowledge the temple as his house of prayer (Mk. 11:17). Jesus would even attempt to cleanse it (Mk. 11:15-16). He would use the stones of the temple to teach valuable lessons about how the church is to be built with those who are like living stones (1 Pet. 2:5) Jesus would even be called the living stone (1 Pet. 2:4).
“However, the Most High does not live in houses made by human hands. As the prophet says: ‘Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house will you build for me? says the Lord. Or where will my resting place be? Has not my hand made all these things?’” (7:48-50). With these verses Stephen reaches the climax of his sermon. He is quoting here from Isaiah 66:1-2, in the Septuagint version. Guthrie says, “Stephen regards the building of the temple as a retrograde step, and counters the idea that God could dwell in a house…This unmistakable attack on the most cherished center of the national religion probably caused an explosion of anger, which drew forth the denunciation of v. 51.” 57
STEPHEN’S CHARGE
You stiff-necked people! Your hearts and ears are still uncircumcised. You are just like your ancestors: You always resist the Holy Spirit! Acts 7:51
At this point we have to appreciate the boldness of Stephen. He no doubt knew that in shifting to second person and making this charge directly against the members of the Sanhedrin he would be killed. He was a very brave and courageous Christian.
The charge of being stiff-necked was one often made by God himself, by Moses and the prophets of Israel (Exo. 32:9; 34:9; Neh. 9:16-17; Jer. 17:23). This metaphor was taken from oxen that were not broken to the yoke and whose necks could not be bent to the right or to the left.58
Stephen charges Israel also with being uncircumcised in heart and ears. We see in scripture that circumcision not only has to do with the male sexual organs but it has to do with hearts (Deut. 10:16), and with ears (Jer. 6:10). Thus, we realize that circumcision is not just an outward thing but that the Lord means it to go deep into a person’s being. Israel’s leaders unfortunately had majored on outward things. They had neglected to pursue the spiritual truths that are evident all through the Bible.
“Was there ever a prophet your ancestors did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him— you who have received the law that was given through angels but have not obeyed it.” (7:52-53). Marshall says “There was a well-established tradition in Judaism that the Jewish people had been responsible for the deaths of the prophets (cf. 1 Ki. 19:10; 14; Neh. 9:26; Jer. 26:20-24; Lk. 6:23; 11:49; 13:34; 1 Thess. 2:15; Heb.11:36-38)…” 59 There were well-known Jewish traditions that the prophet Jeremiah was stoned to death, and another tradition that the prophet Isaiah was sawn in two.60
Stephen goes on to push his attack to the maximum and charges that they did not obey the law that was given through angels, and that they had at last murdered the Righteous One. Israel felt that the law was delivered by angels (cf. Deut. 33:2 LXX; Gal. 3:19; Heb. 2:2). Also, already in Acts 3:14 and later in 22:14, Jesus is called the Righteous One (cf. Isa. 53:11; Jer. 23:6; 1 Jn. 2:1). “By rejecting the Messiah, they had filled up the measure of their fathers.” 61
STEPHEN’S MURDER
When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. Acts 7:54
The Psalmist in speaking of the wicked once said, “Like the ungodly they maliciously mocked; they gnashed their teeth at me” (Psa. 35:16). Jesus even speaks of the final destruction as a place of gnashing of teeth (Mt. 8:12). The deep hatred of the Sanhedrin had turned its members into snarling animals. Keener quips, “Luke leaves no doubt as to who is really on trial before God…” 62
“But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God” (7:55). So far in Acts, we have seen that being filled with the Spirit was a pretty normal thing for the early Christians (cf. 2:4; 4:8, 31; 6:3, 5). We must stop and wonder why it is not normal for Christians today. We actually have a command to be filled with the Spirit (Eph. 5:18).
In the Bible, the normal picture of the risen Christ is a picture of him sitting at the right hand of God (Matt. 26:64; Col. 3:1; Heb. 1:3). This is based on the very popular Psalm 110:1. However, Stephen here sees Jesus standing at God’s right hand. Most commentators see this as an indication that Jesus has stood to welcome his first martyr.63
“‘Look,’ he said, ‘I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God’” (7:56). While the title “Son of Man” seems to be Jesus’ most favorite self-designation in the Gospels, it is used scarcely in other places, such as Daniel chapters 7 and 8 and in Revelation chapters 13 and 14. On many occasions Ezekiel is called “son of man” by God. The expression seems to speak not only of Christ’s divinity but of his humanity. Stephen’s listeners had heard enough, they could not bear it any further.
“At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul” (7:57-58). In their great anger they had obviously lost control of themselves. They were determined to put an end to Stephen and to his message. This dignified body had become a lynch mob. They were obviously trying to drown out his words.
They were so distraught that they apparently did not remember that their organization did not have the legal authority to put someone to death (Jn. 18:31). The Romans had taken that authority away many years before.64
We are told that they dragged Stephen outside the city according to the instructions of Leviticus 24:14 and began to stone him. We remember that a short time before, Jesus was also taken outside the city and crucified (cf. Heb. 13:12). Barker and Kohlenberger note a progression in the punishment that the Sanhedrin was handing out to Christians. There were first threatened…then flogged…and finally stoned.65 When we think of stones we are likely to think of gravel or other small stones. The stones used in stoning were huge stones.
There seems to be some effort to dress this up as a legal action. There were witnesses, although they were false ones. According to Old Testament law, the witnesses were to cast the first stones (Lev. 24:14; Deut. 13:9-10; 17:7). The witnesses were present and they laid their clothes down at the feet of a young man named Saul. This probably suggests that Saul had an official part in the execution.66 Because Saul or Paul later speaks in Acts 26:10 of casting his vote against the Christians, it is thought by some that he was an actual member of the Sanhedrin.67
“While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’ Then he fell on his knees and cried out, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them.’ When he had said this, he fell asleep” (7:59-60). Augustine said that if Stephen had not prayed, we may not have had Paul.68 Stephen asked Jesus to receive his spirit, a very similar request that Jesus himself had made on the cross (Lk. 23:46). Then Stephen did another thing that Jesus also did at his crucifixion. He prayed that the sin would not be held against them (cf. Lk. 23:34). Then it is said that Stephen simply fell asleep. This was a common euphemism for death at that time.
Wiersbe closes this traumatic section of scripture saying: “For the church in Jerusalem, the death of Stephen meant liberation. They had been witnessing “to the Jew first” ever since Pentecost, but now they would be directed to take the message out of Jerusalem to the Samaritans (Acts 8) and even to the Gentiles (Acts 11:19-26).” 69