Chapter Seven –
Stephen’s Defense and Death
ACTS 7:38-50:
In our previous lesson, Stephen has established that he could not have
blasphemed against God, as everything leading up to the coming of Moses, was
His power and providence. In addition, he could not blaspheme against God or
Moses, as it was Moses who proclaimed that the Great Prophet to come after
him; “Him you shall hear” –
Deuteronomy 18:15-19.
Stephen is now going to continue his history lesson in order to address the
issue of speaking blasphemy against the temple; then to summarize
universally that it is not he who has spoken evil of the Law of Moses, but
in fact it was they, through disobedience.
Text #1:
Acts 7:38-43
“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,
39
whom
our fathers would not obey, but rejected. And in their hearts they turned
back to Egypt,
40
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.’
41
And they made a calf in those days, offered sacrifices to the idol, and
rejoiced in the works of their own hands.
42
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?
43
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.’”
Highlighted verses are quotes from:
Exodus 32:1,
23;
Amos
5:25-27.
It is now that Stephen introduces that while Moses was on the mount, Israel began what would be an on-going behavior of disbelief in God, apostasy, and rebellion. We know that not all would be part of these who would demonstrate this rebellious behavior; however, Stephen is making the point that the majority were guilty. This introduction will play into his summary towards the guilt of those he is answering to; as they demonstrate the same behavior towards the righteousness of God.
Moloch:
One of the many heathen gods of the Canaanites (specifically the Amorites).
The worship of this god was particularly egregious before God, and included
terrible sexual perversion and the sacrifice of children burned on the altar
– see:
Leviticus 18:21;
20:1-5;
1 Kings
11:7;
2 Chronicles 33:6;
Psalms
106:35-42;
Jeremiah 7:9-11;
19:4-13;
Ezekiel
23:37-39.
Remphan:
Another of the pagan gods, this one worshipped by the Israelites in the
wilderness; probably associated with Sikkuth of –
Amos
5:26.
Text #2:
Acts 7:44-47
“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,
45
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,
46
who found favor before God and asked to find a dwelling for the God of
Jacob.
47
But Solomon built Him a house.”
These verses now cover the books of
Joshua through
2
Samuel in concise summary.
Tabernacle:
This is from the Hebrew, which means; “Tent of meeting”. This was a portable
structure (only in the sense of its transportability from place to place),
for the purpose of collective worship. It was at Mt. Sinai that Moses was
given the Divine plans in intrigue detail for the construction of this
facility (Exodus
25-26). It was constructed exactly as it was prescribed, and to
include the details of its rising, lowering, and transport.
David:
The second king of united Israel whom was a man after God’s own heart, who
would do the will of God (1
Samuel 13:14;
Psalms 89:20;
Acts
13:22). He would express the desire to build God a permanent
house; however, God would not allow David to build this permanent structure,
as he was a man of war and had blood on his hands (1
Chronicles 28:3).
As a side note, it should be mentioned that the kingdom of Israel would not
know the full extent of the borders of promise till king David (Genesis
15:18). In addition, even though he would not be allowed to build
the temple, he would amass many of the supplies for the future construction
(1
Chronicles 22:1-5); as well as securing the place of its
construction (2
Samuel 24:10-25).
Solomon:
The third and last king of united Israel, who pleased God by asking for
wisdom in response to His inquiry; would be he who would be charged with the
actual construction of the temple (1
Chronicles 28:9-19).
Text #3:
Acts 7:48-50
“However, the Most High does not dwell in temples made with hands, as the
prophet says:
49
‘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?
50
Has My hand not
made all these things?’”
Highlighted passage is from:
Isaiah 66:1-2.
This is the last point of Stephen’s defense before he summarizes. In this
last point, Stephen establishes that no one can truly speak blasphemy
against the temple, for God has never actually dwelt there, nor can He dwell
in anything made by the hands of men!
In the passage of the quote (Isaiah
66); Isaiah is teaching concerning true worship in contrast to
false or unacceptable worship. Isaiah is teaching in the first four verses
of this chapter, that God will be worshipped in sincere humility instead of
hypocritical ritualism (vs.
3-4).
This passage is used specifically by Stephen for its application to the Jews
whom he is giving his defense. The Lord Himself, while giving these same
leaders an oral indictment of this same problem in the days of Isaiah, said:
Matthew 23:23-28
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For
you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier
matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to
have done, without leaving the others undone.
24
Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a
camel!
25
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For
you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of
extortion and self-indulgence.
26
Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the
outside of them may be clean also.
27
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For
you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but
inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.
28
Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men,
but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.”
It should also be noted for your records that Solomon actually said the same
thing as Stephen, concerning the temple when he dedicated it at the
conclusion of its construction, note:
2 Chronicles 6:18-21
“But will God indeed dwell with men on the earth? Behold, heaven and
the heaven of heavens cannot contain You. How much less this temple which
I have built!
19
Yet
regard the prayer of Your servant and his supplication, O LORD my God, and
listen to the cry and the prayer which Your servant is praying before You:
20
that Your eyes may be open toward this temple day and night, toward the
place where You said You would put Your name, that You may
hear the prayer which Your servant makes toward this place.
21
And may You hear the supplications of Your servant and of Your people
Israel, when they pray toward this place. Hear from heaven Your dwelling
place, and when You hear, forgive.”
Solomon’s
opening question is rhetorical, as he knows that God is not actually going
to dwell there; however, since Solomon knows this is where the collective of
Israel will gather to offer themselves solemnly to God, he wants God to
train His focus on the site to hear and forgive the people.
Although
Stephen is not going to be given the chance to express it; for you and I, it
is vital to understand that we have been built into a
“Holy temple in the Lord” (Ephesians
2:19-22), where God dwells in our hearts (1
Peter 3:15 – a kind of holy of holies); and we offer ourselves as
sacrifice (Romans
12:1-2), in “a new and
living way” (Hebrews
10:19-22).
In this
phase of the historical defense of Stephen, they did not hear Moses, they
demonstrated unrighteousness constantly, they do not understand the true
nature of the temple; literally demonstrating that they didn’t hear Moses;
thus they didn’t hear God, and they still don’t hear!
Next: “The Conclusion and Death of Stephen”