16  In Defense  of the Faith (7:1-53)

And the high priest said, “Are these things so?” 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, and said to him, ‘Depart from your country and your relatives, and come into the land that I will show you.’ 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. 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. 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. ‘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.’ 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. And the patriarchs became jealous of Joseph and sold him into Egypt. And yet God was with him, 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. Now a famine came over all Egypt and Canaan, and great affliction with it; and our fathers could find no food. But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our fathers there the first time. And on the second visit Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and Joseph’s family was disclosed to Pharaoh. And Joseph sent word and invited Jacob his father and all his relatives to come to him, seventy-five persons in all. And Jacob went down to Egypt and there passed away, he and our fathers. 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. But as the time of the promise was approaching which God had assured to Abraham, the people increased and multiplied in Egypt, until there arose another king over Egypt who knew nothing about Joseph. 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. 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. 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. But when he was approaching the age of forty, it entered his mind to visit his brethren, the sons of Israel. And when he saw one of them being treated unjustly, he defended him and took vengeance for the oppressed by striking down the Egyptian. And he supposed that his brethren understood that God was granting them deliverance through him; but they did not understand. 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?’ But the one who was injuring his neighbor pushed him away, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and judge over us? You do not mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday, do you?’ And at this remark Moses fled, and became an alien in the land of Midian, where he became the father of two sons. 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. 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: ‘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. But the Lord said to him, Take off the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground. 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.’ 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. 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. This is the Moses who said to the sons of Israel, ‘God shall raise up for you a prophet like me from your brethren.’ 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. And our fathers were unwilling to be obedient to him, but repudiated him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt, 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.’ And at that time they made a calf and brought a sacrifice to the idol, and were rejoicing in the works of their hands. 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? 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.’ 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. 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. And David found favor in God’s sight, and asked that he might find a dwelling place for the God of Jacob. But it was Solomon who built a house for Him. However, the Most High does not dwell in houses made by human hands; as the prophet says: ‘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? Was it not My hand which made all these things?’ 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. 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; you who received the law as ordained by angels, and yet did not keep it.” (7:1–53)

To reach the world effectively with the gospel, believers must be able to defend their faith. When Paul instructed Titus to ordain as pastors men who were capable of “holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, that he may be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict” (Titus 1:9), it was not only to silence the rebellious, empty-talking deceivers (1:10–11), but also to teach the people so well that they could do the same. Peter instructed believers in general to “always [be] ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence” (1 Peter 3:15). Sadly, many Christians are unable to do that, having little or no understanding of why they believe. Lacking a solid foundation for their faith, they are easily “tossed here and there by waves, and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming” (Eph. 4:14). Tormented by doubt and ignorant of the faith, they are ineffective witnesses for the Lord Jesus Christ.

Apologetics is the study of the defense of the faith. The English word derives from the Greek word apologia, which means “a speech in defense of something.” In Acts 25:16, it describes an accused person’s defense at his trial. Paul gave an apologia to the angry mob in Jerusalem (Acts 22:1). To the Philippians he wrote, “I am appointed for the defense [apologia] of the gospel” (Phil. 1:16). In verse 7 of that chapter, Paul spoke of “the defense and confirmation of the gospel.” That verse delineates the two sides of apologetics: defending the faith against attack, and presenting truth claims of Christianity to unbelievers.

Paul was not only adept at presenting the gospel but also one of its ablest defenders. Acts 17:2—3 describes Paul the apologist at work: “According to Paul’s custom, he went to them [a synagogue in Thessalonica], and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and giving evidence that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, ‘This Jesus whom I am proclaiming to you is the Christ.’” Like Paul, all believers are to “contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3).

There was a great defender of the faith before Paul, however, whose name was Stephen. Unable to best Stephen in open debate, his opponents trumped up false charges of blasphemy against him. They then seized him and hauled him before the Sanhedrin for trial (6:8–15). His defense was based solidly on the Old Testament Scriptures, which he often quoted verbatim. He knew he believed the truth and why he believed it. He ably defended the faith and showed his commitment to it with unflinching courage. So powerful was his polemic for the faith that his accusers sat spellbound until he finished. Then, beside themselves with rage, they stoned him.

As chapter 7 opens, his trial begins. The main part of the chapter consists of Stephen’s defense against the false charges brought against him. He stood accused of blaspheming God, Moses, the law, and the temple, the most serious charges imaginable in Jewish society.

While the main thrust of Stephen’s speech was to answer the charges of blasphemy, three other ideas are interwoven throughout. He knew he must capture and hold his audience’s attention. He did that by reciting Israel’s history as the groundwork for his defense. Since they were fiercely proud of their ancestry (cf. Rom. 2:17ff.; 9:4–5; Gal. 1:14) that was a topic they never tired of hearing about.

Another goal of Stephen’s speech was to indict his hearers for rejecting the Messiah. Throughout his message, that indictment slowly builds until it reaches a devastating climax in verses 51–53. He shows them that by rejecting the Messiah, they were imitating their apostate fathers, who rejected Joseph, Moses, and even God Himself. Stephen was not the blasphemer, they were.

Finally, Stephen sought to present to them Jesus as the Messiah, using Joseph and Moses as types of Christ.

This passage presents Stephen’s fourfold defense against the false charges of blasphemy brought against him. Any commentator is best served by not pursuing every possible lengthy discussion of the Old Testament references Stephen employs but by seeking to capture the dramatic themes and flow of this masterful message. Stephen’s purpose is not to recite history but to establish that he is not guilty of blaspheming God, Moses, the law, or the temple. His accusers were, however, because they rejected the Messiah.

GOD

And the high priest said, “Are these things so?” 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, and said to him, ‘Depart from your country and your relatives, and come into the land that I will show you.’ 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. 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. 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. ‘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.’ 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. And the patriarchs became jealous of Joseph and sold him into Egypt. And yet God was with him, 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. Now a famine came over all Egypt and Canaan, and great affliction with it; and our fathers could find no food. But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our fathers there the first time. And on the second visit Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and Joseph’s family was disclosed to Pharaoh. And Joseph sent word and invited Jacob his father and all his relatives to come to him, seventy-five persons in all. And Jacob went down to Egypt and there passed away, he and our fathers. 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. (7:1–16)

Stephen addresses the most serious crime first—the accusation of blasphemy against God. He establishes that he believes fully in the God of Israel, and that the Old Covenant is not abrogated but fulfilled in Christianity—and that is God’s will.

The high priest (probably Caiaphas, who was in office until A.D. 36) began the proceedings by asking Stephen, Are these things so? He was asking, “How do you plead to the charges against you: Guilty or not guilty?” Stephen’s reply does not appear at first glance to be a direct answer to that question. Richard Longenecker comments,

Stephen uses a lengthy historical summation to make his case. His style of reply had its roots in such Old Testament passages as Nehemiah 9:5ff.; Psalm 78, 105, 106. His purpose was to show that Christ and the Christian faith which he preached were the perfect fulfillment of the Old Testament. He traces the line of God’s sovereign will from Abraham through Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, and David to our Lord—“the Righteous One” (v. 52).

Stephen began his historically derived response by appealing to them as brethren, showing his solidarity with them, and acknowledged them as fathers, showing his respect for them as the leaders of the Jewish people. The first person named is the God of glory, the One orchestrating all redemptive history. The title appears only here and in Psalm 29:3. It is the most rich, complete description of the almighty, holy, sovereign God, since His glory is the composite of all His attributes (cf. Ex. 33:18–19). After opening with the sovereign source of the whole plan, he turns to our father Abraham, the father of faith and of God’s people. His opening line, then, established his belief in the sovereignty of the God of Abraham and acknowledged the fatherhood of Abraham over Israel. He was testifying that he was neither a blasphemer of God nor a traitor to his people. That amounted to a “not guilty” plea.

Stephen then affirmed his resolute belief in God’s sovereign control of Israel’s destiny. He began by describing the call of Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran. There is an apparent historical discrepancy here. Abraham was originally from the city of Ur (Gen. 11:31). Stephen places his call while he still lived in that city before he lived in Haran. Genesis 12:1–4, however, appears to place God’s call after Abraham had left Ur and settled in Haran. Since Stephen was fully controlled by the Holy Spirit (Acts 6:5, 15; 7:55) his facts must be correct and can be harmonized with other Scripture. Evidently, God originally called Abraham in Ur (Gen. 15:7; Neh. 9:7), then repeated that call in Haran. Both ancient writers Philo and Josephus give that obvious interpretation (F. F. Bruce, The Book of the Acts [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1971], 146).

God commanded Abraham, Depart from your country and your relatives, and come into the land that I will show you. In obedience to that call Abraham departed from the land of the Chaldeans, and settled in Haran. Haran, located about 500 miles northwest of Ur, was noted for its moon worship. Abraham remained there until his father died (Gen. 11:32). This poses another interesting problem with an apparently contradictory text. Homer Kent, Jr.’s, comment is helpful:

God then removed him into this country (Israel) in which they were now living. Abraham’s obedience under God’s sovereignty accomplished God’s purpose for his life.

As Paul was later to do (cf. Rom. 4; Gal. 3), Stephen focuses on Abraham as a man of faith. Completely by faith he obeyed God’s sovereign call and left his homeland, not knowing exactly where he was going. Even when he arrived in his new country, God gave him no inheritance in it, not even a foot of ground. The only land Abraham possessed was his burial plot (Gen. 23). All he received—and that when he had no child—was God’s promise and pledge that He would give the land to him as a possession, and to his offspring after him (cf. Gen. 12:7; 13:15; 15:18; 17:8). The closest Abraham came to seeing such a grand promise fulfilled was the birth of Isaac.

Abraham’s faith was further tested by God’s revelation that his offspring would be aliens in a foreign land, and that they would be enslaved and mistreated for four hundred years (cf. Gen. 15:13). The exact length of Israel’s stay in Egypt was 430 years (Ex. 12:40); Stephen gives a round figure from Genesis. Abraham believed God’s promise that whatever nation to which they shall be in bondage I Myself will judge. God further promised that after their time in bondage, they would come out and serve Him in this place (the land of Israel; cf. Gen. 15:14).

Following the flow of salvation history, Stephen moved into the patriarchal period. God’s sovereign control of Israel’s destiny continued with the succeeding generations, as He reaffirmed the covenant to Abraham’s descendants. The sign of God’s covenant with Abraham was circumcision. After Abraham became the father of Isaac, he circumcised him on the eighth day in obedience to that covenant. Isaac then became the father of Jacob, and Jacob of the twelve patriarchs—the heads of the twelve tribes of Israel.

Stephen now was beginning to lay the groundwork for the blistering condemnation he would deliver in verses 51–53. The twelve patriarchs, among the most revered men in Israel’s history, became jealous of Joseph and sold him into Egypt. By so doing, Joseph’s brothers rejected the very one God had set apart for special blessing (Gen. 37:5ff.; 1 Chron. 5:1). They were a graphic illustration of the nation’s spiritual blindness manifested in the case of Jesus.

Despite his brothers’ rejection, God was with Joseph, 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. Stephen makes inescapably clear that the twelve patriarchs were guilty of opposing God and His purpose. They sold Joseph, but God rescued him. The nation’s rebellion against God thus began with the patriarchs themselves. The Hellenists were doing the very same thing that the founding fathers of the nation were guilty of doing and what they were falsely accusing Stephen of doing.

Although he waits until the conclusion of his sermon to openly declare that Jesus is the Messiah (v. 52), even in his historical summation Stephen gives glimpses of Christ. Joseph’s life in many ways is analogous to Christ. Both were from the nation of Israel. Jesus, like Joseph, was delivered up out of envy (v. 9; cf. Mark 15:10). Jesus was condemned to death by the testimony of false witnesses; Joseph was imprisoned because of the false accusations of Potiphar’s wife. Just as God freed Jesus from the prison of death and exalted Him, so also did He free Joseph from prison and exalted him to high office. As Joseph was able to deliver his sinful brothers from physical death, so Jesus delivers His brothers from spiritual death.

After Joseph’s rejection by his brothers, Stephen reminds them, a famine came over all Egypt and Canaan, and great affliction with it; and our fathers could find no food. Similarly, Israel’s rejection of Jesus plunged them into a spiritual famine—a famine that will last until that day “when all Israel will be saved” (Rom. 11:26).

Because of the severity of the famine, when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent the fathers there the first time. It was not until their second visit, however, that Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and Joseph’s family was disclosed to Pharaoh. It is only just before Christ’s second coming that Israel will recognize Him for who He is (cf. Zech. 12:10–13:1; 14).

After revealing himself to his brothers, Joseph sent word and invited Jacob his father and all his relatives to come to him, seventy-five persons in all. Genesis 46:26–27; Exodus 1:5; and Deuteronomy 10:22 say that seventy people went down to Egypt. However, the Septuagint text of Genesis 46:27 reads seventy-five. Stephen, being a Hellenist, would naturally have used the Septuagint’s figure. The larger figure was apparently arrived at by including in the total Joseph’s descendants born in Egypt. Gleason Archer writes,

After Jacob went down to Egypt, he passed away in that nation, along with all the fathers. After their deaths, 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. Verse 16 presents two difficulties. First, Jacob was not buried in Shechem but in Abraham’s burial plot in Machpelah (Gen. 50:13). Because of that, the antecedent of they in verse 15 is to be restricted to the fathers (Joseph and his brothers) only, and does not include Jacob. According to Joshua 24:32, Joseph was buried at Shechem; Stephen here informs us that Jacob’s other sons were also buried there.

A more serious difficulty lies in Stephen’s statement that Abraham purchased the tomb for a sum of money from the sons of Hamor in Shechem. According to Joshua 24:32, it was Jacob who bought the plot at Shechem. Many explanations have been offered, but two seem most reasonable. First, it is entirely possible that Abraham made the original purchase from the sons of Hamor (the people, or tribe to which he belonged) in Shechem. He built an altar there (Gen. 12:6–7) and quite likely purchased the plot of ground on which he built it. Abraham did not settle there, however, and over time the site may have reverted to the occupying people of Hamor, thus necessitating Jacob’s repurchase of it (Archer, Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties, 379—81; W. Arndt, Does the Bible Contradict Itself? [reprint, St. Louis: Concordia, 1955], 14–17).

A second possible explanation is that Stephen telescopes the accounts of Abraham’s purchase of the Machpelah site and Jacob’s acquisition of the Shechem site. That would be consistent with his telescoping of the two calls of Abraham in verse 2 (Bruce, The Book of the Acts, 149 n. 39; Simon J. Kistemaker, New Testament Commentary: Acts [Grand Rapids: Baker, 1990], 249).

It would be rash to charge either Stephen or Luke with an error based on our limited knowledge. It is utterly inconceivable that someone as steeped in the Old Testament as Stephen would have made such an obvious historical blunder. Further, he may have had a definite purpose in mind in referring to Shechem, since in his day that city lay within the territory of the hated Samaritans. (For a discussion of Stephen’s theological motives for mentioning Shechem, see Rex A. Koivisto, “Stephen’s Speech: A Theology of Errors?” Grace Theological Journal 8 [Spring 1987]: 101–14.) Nor is it plausible that a careful and divinely inspired historian such as Luke (cf. Luke 1:1–4) would have erroneously recorded Stephen’s speech.

To charge either Luke or Stephen with an error has serious implications for the doctrine of inspiration. To do so is either to affirm that the Spirit of Truth inspired error, or to deny that all the Bible is inspired. The former is absurd to the point of blasphemy; the latter contradicts 2 Timothy 3:16. And if all of Scripture is not inspired, who decides what is and is not inspired? Fallible human reason is certainly not qualified to sit in judgment on the Word of God. The problem, then, lies with the veracity of neither Stephen nor Luke, but only with our lack of complete information.

Stephen thus defends himself against the accusation that he blasphemed God. He does not but affirms the great covenant work of God through Abraham and the patriarchs.

MOSES

But as the time of the promise was approaching which God had assured to Abraham, the people increased and multiplied in Egypt, until there arose another king over Egypt who knew nothing about Joseph. 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. 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. 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. But when he was approaching the age of forty, it entered his mind to visit his brethren, the sons of Israel. And when he saw one of them being treated unjustly, he defended him and took vengeance for the oppressed by striking down the Egyptian. And he supposed that his brethren understood that God was granting them deliverance through him; but they did not understand. 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?’ But the one who was injuring his neighbor pushed him away, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and judge over us? You do not mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday, do you?’ And at this remark Moses fled, and became an alien in the land of Midian, where he became the father of two sons. 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. 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: ‘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. But the Lord said to him, ‘Take off the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground. 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.’ 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. 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. This is the Moses who said to the sons of Israel, ‘God shall raise up for you a prophet like me from your brethren.’ (7:17–37)

Having successfully defended himself against the charge of blaspheming God, Stephen now moves to the second accusation, rejection of Moses. He shows that just as he reveres God, so also does he honor Moses. Again, he pleads “not guilty.” Stephen elucidates that defense by continuing his historical survey. In the first sixteen verses, he has covered the period from Abraham to Joseph, from the call of Abraham to the captivity of Israel in Egypt. Now he moves into the second great period of Israel’s history, from Moses to the Babylonian captivity.

The time of the promise refers to the time when God would fulfill His promise to Abraham. That promise was that “He would give [the land] to him as a possession, and to his offspring after him” (Acts 7:5). By this time, the patriarchs were dead (cf. Heb. 11:13), and the people of Israel had increased and multiplied in Egypt. They were content there, and had not returned to the land God had promised them. The time for God’s promise to be fulfilled had arrived, and He sovereignly orchestrated events to move Israel out of Egypt.

At this time, there arose another king over Egypt who knew nothing about Joseph (Ex. 1:8). This is another quote from the Old Testament that shows Stephen’s knowledge of the text. Alarmed at the growing Israelite population, and fearing they might unite with an invader, this pharaoh began to oppress the children of Israel. He took shrewd advantage of the Jewish race, forcing them into slavery and hard labor (Ex. 1:13–14). He mistreated them, compelling them to expose their infants so that they would not survive. This infanticide by throwing babies out to be left to the elements was limited to male infants (Ex. 1:15–22).

God had prepared His deliverer, however. It was at this crucial time in Israel’s history that Moses was born. The details of Moses’ life and ministry were well known to the Sanhedrin, so Stephen merely summarizes them to make his point. Sensitive to the accusation that he had blasphemed Moses, Stephen makes a point of praising him, describing him as lovely in the sight of God.

Moses could not escape the peril of the time, and, after being nurtured three months in his father’s home, he also was exposed. Like so many other infants, he was to be thrown into the Nile to drown (Ex. 1:22). His parents, however, placed him in a basket so he would not die. According to God’s sovereign plan, Pharaoh’s daughter found him, took him away, and nurtured him as her own son (Ex. 2:1–6). As the adopted grandson of the pharaoh, Moses was educated in all the learning of the Egyptians. Stephen continues to show his respect for Moses by describing him as a man of power in words and deeds. Moses was a remarkable man. His natural leadership qualities, coupled with the most comprehensive education in the ancient world, made him uniquely qualified for his task.

God’s call came when he was approaching the age of forty. At that time, it entered his mind to visit his brethren, the sons of Israel. Although raised in Pharaoh’s household, Moses had never forgotten his people. No doubt his mother instilled that into him during the years God had providentially arranged that she serve as his nurse (Ex. 2:7–9). He decided to help his beleaguered people. Seeing one of them being treated unjustly, he defended him and took vengeance for the oppressed by striking down the Egyptian. By taking that murderous action, Moses supposed that his brethren understood that God was granting them deliverance through him. His goal in visiting them was not to pay a social call but to deliver them from their oppressors. They, however, did not understand. Although Moses had shown his commitment to them by killing an Egyptian, they failed to recognize or acknowledge him as their deliverer.

On the following day he appeared to two of 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?” Moses saw himself not only as the deliverer of the nation but also as a peacemaker among individuals. His efforts were not appreciated, however, and he was rejected. The one who was injuring his neighbor pushed him away, saying sarcastically, “Who made you a ruler and judge over us?” Then he added ominously, “You do not mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday, do you?” (Ex. 2:14). Realizing his killing of the Egyptian had become widely known, Moses fled, and became an alien in the land of Midian, where he became the father of two sons (Ex. 2:15, 22). No doubt viewing him as the leader of a Jewish insurrectionist movement, Pharaoh sought unsuccessfully to execute him (Ex. 2:15). Israel’s foolish rejection of Moses served to lengthen their time in bondage by forty years. That, too, is analogous to Israel’s rejection of the messianic Deliverer and consequent lengthened forfeiture of blessing.

Moses lived among the Midianites for those forty years. At the end of that time, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in the flame of a burning thorn bush (Ex. 3:1ff.). The fire represented the presence of God. 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: “I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob” (Ex. 3:6). God was renewing the covenant, as the reference to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob indicates. Unlike many today who gratuitously claim visions of God, Moses shook with fear and would not venture to look. God’s presence called for reverential fear, not flippant familiarity. Therefore the Lord said to him, “Take off the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground” (Ex. 3:5). Like the Holy of Holies in the temple, the area around the burning bush was made holy by the presence of the Holy One of Israel.

After forty years in the desert, the time had come for Moses to lead the people to the Promised Land. “I have certainly seen,” God told him, “the oppression of My people in Egypt, and have heard their groans, and I have come down to deliver them (Ex. 3:7); come now, and I will send you to Egypt” (Ex. 3:10). Although His people were continually unfaithful to Him, God remained faithful to His covenant.

Stephen reaches his point. The very 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. This is a constant pattern in Israel’s history—spiritual pride coupled with spiritual ignorance that causes them to reject the deliverers God sends them. It is sometimes argued that Jesus could not have been the Messiah, or else Israel would have recognized Him. As Stephen points out, however, they rejected both Joseph and Moses. This was their typical response to those God sent to deliver them. Jesus spoke of this attitude in Matthew 21:33–46.

Moses accomplished his mission and led them out, performing wonders and signs in the land of Egypt and in the Red Sea and in the wilderness for forty years. Israel’s further rebellion against God under Moses, in spite of the wonders and signs they had seen in the land of Egypt and in the parting of the Red Sea and in the wilderness, caused them another delay. Because of that rebellion, they wandered outside the Promised Land for forty more years.

From Stephen’s discussion of Moses, it is obvious that he has the utmost respect for him. The charge of blaspheming Moses is as false as that of blaspheming God. Indeed, Stephen turned the tables on the Sanhedrin, showing that the nation itself had been guilty of rejecting Moses. The Jews’ response to Moses’ life, like their response to Joseph’s, parallels their response to Christ.

Stephen reminds them that Moses predicted Messiah would come, prophesying to the sons of Israel, “God shall raise up for you a prophet like me from your brethren.” That passage, taken from Deuteronomy 18:15, was well known to all of Stephen’s contemporaries. In John 6:14, the crowd said of Jesus, “This is of a truth the Prophet who is to come into the world.” They affirmed that He was the One Moses had promised would come, an affirmation with which these Jews would not agree. They were thus doing again what their fathers had done—rejecting the God-sent deliverer. Only this was more serious than all the others combined. This was the Messiah they were rejecting.

Had the Sanhedrin been willing to consider the facts, they could not have missed the parallels between their nation’s history and their behavior toward Jesus. Nor could they have missed the parallels between Jesus and Moses. Moses humbled himself by leaving Pharaoh’s palace; Jesus humbled Himself by becoming man (Phil. 2:7–8). Moses was rejected at first, so was Jesus (John 1:11). Moses was a shepherd; Jesus is the Good Shepherd (John 10:11, 14). Moses redeemed his people from bondage in Egypt; Jesus redeems men from bondage to sin. The history of Moses foreshadows the history of Jesus Christ.

THE LAW

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. And our fathers were unwilling to be obedient to him, but repudiated him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt, 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.’ And at that time they made a calf and brought a sacrifice to the idol, and were rejoicing in the works of their hands. 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? 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.’ (7:38–43)

It is an easy transition from Moses to the law, since the two of them are closely associated. While Moses was with the congregation of Israel in the wilderness, he received the law from the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai and who was with our fathers. That angels were involved in the giving of the law is evident from verse 53 (cf. Gal. 3:19; Heb. 2:2), though the nature of their involvement is not made clear in Scripture. The living oracles were the law, which, like the rest of Scripture, is “living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword” (Heb. 4:12). It is divine, authoritative revelation.

Stephen affirms his belief in the law, again making a “not guilty” plea. He declares that God was the author of the law, angels were its mediator, and Moses was its recipient. That certainly was not blasphemy, and the Sanhedrin knew it.

Having defended himself sufficiently and more, Stephen now goes on the offensive. Our fathers, he reminds them, were unwilling to be obedient to him, but repudiated him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt. It was not Stephen who disobeyed the law, but the very fathers the Sanhedrin revered. Stephen did not reject Moses, but those same fathers repudiated Moses and the law, and in their hearts turned back to Egypt. Incredibly, though they had been cruelly oppressed there, they looked back with longing at their time in Egypt (Num. 11:5).

While Moses was on Mount Sinai receiving the law from God, the people turned to Egyptian idolatry. They said 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” (Ex. 32:1, 23). Their rejection of Moses overlapped their rejection of the law. Aaron obliged them and made a calf, and the Israelites brought a sacrifice to the idol, and were rejoicing in the works of their hands. Calf worship was an integral part of Egyptian religion. Israel’s penchant for idolatry, which began at Sinai, contradicts the proud claims of the Sanhedrin that Israel was the people of the law. Before it was even delivered to them, they had rejected it.

Although God had every right to destroy the nation, He remained faithful to His covenant. Three thousand were executed (Ex. 32:28), but the nation was spared. God turned away in judgment, however, and delivered them up to serve the host of heaven. Just as He judicially abandoned the Gentiles (Rom. 1:24, 26, 28), so also did God abandon His people to idolatry (cf. Hos. 4:17). From the time of the wilderness wandering through the Babylonian captivity, idolatry was a ceaseless problem for Israel.

Stephen supports his point by quoting God’s words, 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? 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 (Amos 5:25–27). It should be noted that Amos used the word “Damascus” where Stephen uses Babylon. Both the Hebrew and the Septuagint say “Damascus.” Amos was prophesying the captivity of the northern kingdom at the hands of Assyria—a deportation which took them beyond Damascus. Later the southern kingdom was taken captive to Babylon. Stephen, led by the inspiring Spirit, chooses to expand the text of Amos to embrace the judgment of God on the whole nation. Stephen’s use of that prophecy succinctly summarizes the sad, idolatrous history of Israel (cf. Deut. 17:3, 2 Kings 17:16; 21:3; Jer. 8:2; 19:13), which culminated in the Babylonian Captivity.

THE TEMPLE

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. 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. And David found favor in God’s sight, and asked that he might find a dwelling place for the God of Jacob. But it was Solomon who built a house for Him. However, the Most High does not dwell in houses made by human hands; as the prophet says: ‘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? Was it not My hand which made all these things?’ 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. 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; you who received the law as ordained by angels, and yet did not keep it. (7:44–53)

In response to the accusation that he spoke against the Jewish house of worship, Stephen traces the history of the temple to show his respect for it because it was ordained by God. He begins before the temple with the tabernacle of testimony in the wilderness. The Lord God, says Stephen, spoke to Moses and directed him to make it according to the pattern which he had seen (Ex. 25:8, 9, 40). The wilderness generation could not plead ignorance of God’s glory, since the tabernacle was in their midst. Nor could the later fathers who, having received the tabernacle in their turn, brought it in with Joshua upon dispossessing the nations whom God drove out before Israel (Josh. 3:14ff.; 18:1; 23:9; 24:18). From the time of the conquest until the time of David, Israel had the tabernacle—a constant symbol of God’s holy presence. Yet they persisted in falling into idolatry. Again, Stephen points to the apostasy and rejection of the representatives of Himself that God sends.

After God gave David victory over all his enemies, he asked that he might find a dwelling place for the God of Jacob (2 Sam. 7). David’s request was denied, however, and it was Solomon who built a house for Him. Stephen makes only a brief reference to Solomon’s temple, since the Sanhedrin was very familiar with its history. Further, the current temple was not Solomon’s, which had been destroyed by the Babylonians (Ezra 5:12). That temple had been replaced by one built by Zerubbabel (Ezra 5:2), which had also been destroyed. The current temple had been built by the non-Jew Herod. And within the lifetime of many of Stephen’s hearers, in A.D. 70, that temple too would be destroyed.

The transitory nature of the temple leads to Stephen’s point, namely that the Most High does not dwell in houses made by human hands. Solomon understood that truth. In his prayer at the dedication of the temple he asked rhetorically, “Will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain Thee, how much less this house which I have built!” (1 Kings 8:27).

Stephen buttresses his point by quoting Isaiah the prophet, who wrote, “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? Was it not My hand which made all these things?” (Isa. 66:1). Stephen was not guilty of blaspheming the temple. They were, for confining God to it. Instead, with Solomon and Isaiah, he argued that God was greater than any temple. The temple was the symbol of God’s presence, not the prison of His essence.

Throughout Stephen’s speech the tension must have been building. As he pointed out Israel’s rejections and apostasies, the Sanhedrin must have become increasingly uneasy. They no doubt wondered what point he intended to make. Their wait was over as Stephen, having laid the historical foundation for it, hit them with a devastating indictment: They were just like their fathers in the days of Joseph, Moses, and David. They were stiff-necked, or obstinate, echoing God’s evaluation of their predecessors (Ex. 32:9; 33:5). The term pictures a person who defiantly refuses to bow before the Lord. Because they prided themselves on their physical circumcision and ritual behavior, Stephen’s description of them as uncircumcised in heart and ears was especially pointed. Their sin had never been forgiven. They were as unclean before God as uncircumcised Gentiles. That was the ultimate condemnation.

Their stubborn resisting of the Holy Spirit made them guilty of doing just as their fathers did. As their fathers had rejected Joseph and Moses and the tabernacle presence, so did they reject the Messiah. Stephen forcefully drives that point home by asking them, Which one of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? His words echo those of the Lord Jesus Christ:

Stephen then draws the parallel to its bloody conclusion. As their fathers had killed those who had previously announced the coming of the Righteous One, the Messiah, so had they become His betrayers and murderers. While priding themselves on having received the law as ordained by angels, they did not keep it. They were without excuse, since the law pointed to Christ (John 5:39). Stephen once again echoes the words of his Lord, who said to these same leaders, “If you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote of Me” (John 5:46). They had no real respect for Moses or the law or they never would have murdered the One Moses promised (Gen. 18:15) or the One of whom the law spoke.

Despite their proud boast that “if we had been living in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in shedding the blood of the prophets” (Matt. 23:30), they had done far worse. Their fathers had murdered God’s prophets; they had murdered His Son, the Righteous One (a title used only here and in Acts 3:14 and 22:14). Now they were to commit yet another murder. Stephen would shortly become another in the long line of God’s messengers killed by God’s chosen nation, and the first killed for preaching the name of Christ.

That it resulted in his execution rather than his acquittal does not tarnish the brilliance of Stephen’s defense and indictment. It will forever remain one of the greatest sermons ever uttered. The Sanhedrin should have heard it with their hearts and repented. Tragically, they did not.