THE BOOK OF ACTS – Chapter 7,
Stephen’s Defense, Stephen’s Death
Remember, these are the acts of the Apostles. Please also remember that this series is not intended to be a traditional commentary books of the Bible. Nor is it intended to be a narrative about the books of the Bible. It is intended to be “a look behind the scenes”, so to speak. This is about God’s coming to know, understand and to follow God’s primary plan and purpose for His creation and His created ones. This is intended to help us find application of His Grand Plan and Purpose, #1, for our individual lives, #2, for our corporate lives as His Church, and #3, to find and apply His wisdom, His authority and the power that emanates from the Holy Spirit and flows into our lives as we move and exist in His presence.
In the previous chapter, Stephen, full of grace and power, was performing great wonders and signs among the people. The Synagogue of the Freedmen, argued with Stephen, unable to cope with his wisdom and the Spirit by whom he was speaking, they stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes, and they came up to him and dragged him before the Council. They put forward false witnesses who said, “This man does not stop speaking against this holy place and the Law.
(Commentary Break): In the following verses, Stephen presents a “history lesson” of Israel and how they rejected the Chief Cornerstone, the Messiah, and murdered Him out of their arrogance. He rightly accuses them saying their priests demand others keep their Law, but they fail to keep their Law for themselves.
I believe God has provided us with this account so we, like Stephen, would vigorously defend the Gospel Message, and when necessary, holding those calling themselves “leaders in the Church” to account, even to our own peril. Otherwise, this chapter in the Book of Acts is little more than just a ‘bible story’ . (End Commentary Break).
Stephen’s Defense
Acts 7:1, Now the high priest said, “Are these things so?” Verse 2. And Stephen said, “Listen to me, brothers and fathers! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran, verse 3, and He said to him, ‘GO FROM YOUR COUNTRY AND YOUR RELATIVES, AND COME TO THE LAND WHICH I WILL SHOW YOU.’ Verse 4. Then he left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. And from there, after his father died, God had him move to this country in which you are now living. Verse 5. But He gave him no inheritance in it, not even a foot of ground, and yet, He promised that He would give it to him as a possession, and to his descendants after him, even though he had no child. Verse 6. But God spoke to this effect, that his DESCENDANTS WOULD BE STRANGERS IN A LAND THAT WAS NOT THEIRS, AND THEY WOULD ENSLAVE AND MISTREAT THEM FOR FOUR HUNDRED YEARS. Verse 7. ‘AND WHATEVER NATION TO WHICH THEY ARE ENSLAVED I MYSELF WILL JUDGE,’ said God, ‘AND AFTER THAT THEY WILL COME OUT AND SERVE ME IN THIS PLACE.’ Verse 8. And He gave him the covenant of circumcision; and so Abraham fathered Isaac, and circumcised him on the eighth day; and Isaac fathered Jacob, and Jacob, the twelve patriarchs.
Verse 9. “The patriarchs became jealous of Joseph and sold him into Egypt. Yet God was with him, verse 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 his entire household.
Verse 11. “Now a famine came over all Egypt and Canaan, and great affliction with it, and our fathers could find no food. Verse 12. But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our fathers there the first time. Verse 13. And on the second visit, Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and Joseph’s family was revealed to Pharaoh. Verse 14. Then Joseph sent word and invited his father Jacob and all his relatives to come to him, seventy-five people in all. Verse 15And Jacob went down to Egypt, and he and our fathers died there. Verse 16. And they were brought back from there to Shechem and laid in the tomb which Abraham had purchased for a sum of money from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.
Verse 17. “But as the time of the promise which God had assured to Abraham was approaching, the people increased and multiplied in Egypt, verse 18, until ANOTHER KING AROSE OVER EGYPT WHO DID NOT KNOW JOSEPH. Verse 19. It was he who shrewdly took advantage of our nation and mistreated our fathers in order that they would abandon their infants in the Nile, so that they would not survive. Verse 20. At this time Moses was born; and he was beautiful to God. He was nurtured for three months in his father’s home. Verse 21. And after he had been put outside, Pharaoh’s daughter took him away and nurtured him as her own son. Verse 22. Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and he was proficient in speaking and action. Verse 23. But when he was approaching the age of forty, it entered his mind to visit his countrymen, the sons of Israel. Verse 24. And when he saw one of them being treated unjustly, he defended and took vengeance for the oppressed man by fatally striking the Egyptian. Verse 25. And he thought that his brothers understood that God was granting them deliverance through him; but they did not understand. Verse 26. And on the following day he appeared to them as they were fighting each other, and he tried to reconcile them to peace, by saying, ‘Men, you are brothers, why are you injuring each other?’ Verse 27. But the one who was injuring his neighbor pushed him away, saying, ‘WHO MADE YOU A RULER AND JUDGE OVER US? Verse 28. YOU DO NOT INTEND TO KILL ME AS YOU KILLED THE EGYPTIAN YESTERDAY, DO YOU?’ Verse 29. At this remark, MOSES FLED AND BECAME A STRANGER IN THE LAND OF MIDIAN, where he fathered two sons.
Verse 30. “After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in the flame of a burning thorn bush. Verse 31. When Moses saw it, he was astonished at the sight; and as he approached to look more closely, the voice of the Lord came: Verse 32. ‘I AM THE GOD OF YOUR FATHERS, THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, AND ISAAC, AND JACOB.’ Moses shook with fear and did not dare to look closely. Verse 33. But the LORD said to him, ‘REMOVE YOUR SANDALS FROM YOUR FEET, FOR THE PLACE ON WHICH YOU ARE STANDING IS HOLY GROUND. Verse 34. I HAVE CERTAINLY SEEN THE OPPRESSION OF MY PEOPLE WHO ARE IN EGYPT, AND HAVE HEARD THEIR GROANING, AND I HAVE COME DOWN TO RESCUE THEM; AND NOW COME, I WILL SEND YOU TO EGYPT.’
Verse 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. Verse 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. Verse 37. This is the Moses who said to the sons of Israel, ‘GOD WILL RAISE UP FOR YOU A PROPHET LIKE ME FROM YOUR COUNTRYMEN.’ Verse 38. This is the one who was in the assembly in the wilderness together with the angel who spoke to him at length on Mount Sinai, and who was with our fathers; and he received living words to pass on to you. Verse 39. Our fathers were unwilling to be obedient to him; on the contrary they rejected him and turned back to Egypt in their hearts, verse 40, saying to Aaron, ‘MAKE US A GOD 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.’ Verse 41. At that time they made a calf and brought a sacrifice to the idol, an d were rejoicing in the works of their hands. Verse 42. But God turned away and gave them over to serve the heavenly lights; as it is written in the book of the prophets: ‘YOU DID NOT OFFER ME VICTIMS AND SACRIFICES FOR FORTY YEARS IN THE WILDERNESS, DID YOU, HOUSE OF ISRAEL? Verse 43. YOU ALSO TOOK ALONG THE TABERNACLE OF MOLOCH AND THE STAR OF YOUR GOD ROMPHA, THE IMAGES WHICH YOU MADE TO WORSHIP. I ALSO WILL DEPORT YOU BEYOND BABYLON.’
Verse 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. Verse 45. Our fathers in turn received it, and they also brought it in with Joshua upon dispossessing the nations that God drove out from our fathers, until the time of David. Verse 46. David found favor in God’s sight, and asked that he might find a dwelling place for the house of Jacob. Verse 47. But it was Solomon who built a house for Him. Verse 48. However, the Most High does not dwell in houses made by human hands; as the prophet says:
Verse 49. ‘HEAVEN IS MY THRONE,
AND THE 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 REST?
Verse 50. ‘WAS IT NOT MY HAND THAT MADE ALL THESE THINGS?’
Verse 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. Verse 52. Which one of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? They killed those who had previously announced the coming of the Righteous One, and you have now become betrayers and murderers of Him; verse 53. you who received the Law as ordained by angels, and yet did not keep it.”
(Commentary Break): I encourage you, brothers and sisters, followers of Jesus, with great caution in my soul, to carefully study these words of Stephen, as well as the rest of the scriptures, in order to be encouraged and to be made able to preserve the truth and the sanctity of the mission and message of Jesus. Study Jesus. Pray and submit yourself to Him entirely.
Throughout history, the True Church has been the beacon of salvation, self-sacrifice and service in the Name and the Ways of Jesus, even unto death. This is our model and our calling.
But, be wary of the “wolfves in sheep’s clothing” which can appear as an angel dressed in light, but are in fact an agents of this present darkness. Avoid churches and church leaders that present the Gospel cloaked in unnecessary emotionalism and fanfare but deny the power therein.
Be part the Army of God. Join the resistance. Maintain your strength in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God and stand firm against the schemes of the devil, against the ruler and powers against the world forces of this darkness, against the forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Speak boldly as you ought to speak.
Now, peace be to you, brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus, Grace be to all of you who love our Lord Jesus with an incorruptible love! (End Commentary Break).
Stephen Put to Death
Verse 54. Now when they heard this, they were infuriated, and they began gnashing their teeth at him. Verse 55. But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, looked intently into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God; verse 56, and he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” Verse 57. But they shouted with loud voices, and covered their ears and rushed at him with one mind. Verse 58. When they had driven him out of the city, they began stoning him; and the witnesses laid aside their cloaks at the feet of a young man named Saul. Verse 59. They went on stoning Stephen as he called on the Lord and said, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” Verse 60. Then he fell on his knees and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” Having said this, he fell asleep. (End text for Chapter 7).
These final verses, 54 through 60, give us a clear and frightening “behind the scenes look” that which is being manifested before our eyes, that which comes from the dark spiritual realms. But we have no need to fear. He has ordained that we will overcome the accuser by the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of our testimony and that we do not love our life even when faced with death (see Revelation 12:10-11). Amen and amen!
Now, let’s do everything from a kind heart but with a resolute mind in serving our Lord and the Gospel.
Your Brother and Friend,
Mike Young.
PREVIOUSLY: THE BOOK OF ACTS – Chapter 6, Choosing the Seven
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