Chapter 7
Stephen’s Address to the Council
Having been brought before the council, the officiating high priest asked Stephen, “Are these things so?”—thus, granting him liberty to speak (vs. 1). The Lord had promised His disciples that at such times they would receive help from the Holy Spirit to speak what God would have them to speak. He said: “Beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils ... .but when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak. For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you” (Matt. 10:17-2017But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues; 18And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles. 19But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak. 20For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you. (Matthew 10:17‑20)). With God-given wisdom and power from the Holy Spirit, Stephen proceeded to give a summary of the nation’s willful resistance to God’s leading throughout their history. It would be the final testimony of the Spirit given to the nation. J. N. Darby said, “He [Stephen] recites to the Jews a history which they could not deny, a history they boasted in, yet it condemned them utterly” (Synopsis of the Books of the Bible, Loizeaux edition, vol. 4, p. 27).
Stephen was the chosen instrument to deliver this final testimony. It was a solemn moment and a pivotal time for the Jews nationally. As the chapter shows, the Sanhedrin (the council) wouldn’t receive this testimony, and God’s relations with the nation would thereupon be broken off and the nation formally set aside (Micah 5:33Therefore will he give them up, until the time that she which travaileth hath brought forth: then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel. (Micah 5:3); Zech. 11:9-149Then said I, I will not feed you: that that dieth, let it die; and that that is to be cut off, let it be cut off; and let the rest eat every one the flesh of another. 10And I took my staff, even Beauty, and cut it asunder, that I might break my covenant which I had made with all the people. 11And it was broken in that day: and so the poor of the flock that waited upon me knew that it was the word of the Lord. 12And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver. 13And the Lord said unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was prised at of them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the Lord. 14Then I cut asunder mine other staff, even Bands, that I might break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel. (Zechariah 11:9‑14); Matt. 21:33-44; 22:1-1033Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country: 34And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it. 35And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another. 36Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise. 37But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son. 38But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance. 39And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him. 40When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen? 41They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons. 42Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes? 43Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. 44And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder. (Matthew 21:33‑44)
1And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said, 2The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son, 3And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come. 4Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage. 5But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise: 6And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them. 7But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. 8Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy. 9Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage. 10So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests. (Matthew 22:1‑10)). We might wonder why the Apostle Peter, who had been the spokesman in the earlier chapters, wasn’t selected to deliver this message. But had Peter been chosen for this work he would have been stoned to death, as Stephen was. However, Peter’s ministry wasn’t finished yet; God had more for him to do. He was going to use him to open the door of the kingdom to the Gentiles (Acts 10), and to write his two inspired epistles, etc. Instead of calling upon the Apostle Peter, we see the free action of the Spirit using whom He will (1 Cor. 12:1111But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will. (1 Corinthians 12:11)). Stephen, a devoted Hellenist, full of the Holy Spirit, was chosen of God to deliver this final word of testimony to the nation, and with it, his work for the Lord was complete, and he was taken home to heaven.
Led by the Holy Spirit, Stephen reviewed the nation’s sad history. We might wonder why he was led to mention certain things and not others. At first glance, it seems as though he was speaking randomly, without any real aim or purpose. However, a closer look reveals that he was touching on the various epochs in their national history and reflecting upon how they repeatedly lacked faith to accept any new thing that God was introducing, or the new direction God was taking with them. F. B. Hole said, “The main drift of his remarkable address was evidently to bring to the people the conviction of the way in which their fathers and they had been guilty of resisting the operations of God by His Spirit all through their history. He dwells particularly upon what happened when God had raised up servants to institute something new in their history. There had been a series of new departures of greater or less significance ... .to none of these had they really responded properly” (The Gospels and Acts, pp. 332-333).
The culminating point in Stephen’s address was that the nation had done the very same thing with the Lord Jesus as they had done with the leaders and deliverers that God raised up to help them in the past! When the day of divine visitation came, and God sent forth His Son (Luke 19:42-44; 20:1342Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. 43For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, 44And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation. (Luke 19:42‑44)
13Then said the lord of the vineyard, What shall I do? I will send my beloved son: it may be they will reverence him when they see him. (Luke 20:13); Gal. 4:44But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, (Galatians 4:4)), they lacked the faith to see it, and rejected Him! They failed through unbelief to recognize what God was doing at that time by sending Christ to save His people from their sins and to have Him set up His Messianic kingdom. To this same class of unbelieving Jews, the Lord said: “O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?” (Matt. 16:33And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times? (Matthew 16:3)).
Abraham at Charran
Vss. 2-8— Sad to report, their history reflects a long line of unbelief. Right from the beginning of God’s ways with the nation we see a lack of faith and the consequent missed blessing, starting with Abraham, the father of the nation. Stephen could have mentioned a number of things about Abraham in which the Jews could boast, but instead, he fastens on the fact that when he was called to go into the land of Canaan, he went only halfway and stopped. “The God of glory” had appeared to him in “Mesopotamia” and called him out from that “country” and out from his “kindred” to live in the land of Canaan, which God would show him (vss. 2-3). This was a new departure in the ways of God with Abraham. Abraham needed faith to answer to the call and to do His will, which, thankfully, he did (Heb. 11:88By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. (Hebrews 11:8)). But lacking the energy of faith to respond fully to that call, he came only part way and dwelt at “Charran” (Gen. 11:3131And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son's son, and Sarai his daughter in law, his son Abram's wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there. (Genesis 11:31)). Stephen’s point here was that Abraham hadn’t responded to the divine call as he should have. J. N. Darby commenting on this, remarked: “He was slow indeed to obey” (Synopsis of the Books of the Bible, Loizeaux edition, vol. 4, p. 27).
Abraham’s problem was that he came out from his country (“the land of the Chaldeans”) but neglected to come out from his kindred (family relations). His father (Terah) and nephew (Lot) went with him, and they influenced him, and this ended up hindering him from reaching Canaan. All the while he remained in Charran (which could have been many years), he received no further communication from God. It wasn’t until his father was removed (through death) that Abraham finally went into Canaan, where the divine communications resumed (Gen. 12:77And the Lord appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the Lord, who appeared unto him. (Genesis 12:7), etc.). As Stephen notes, he was not given the inheritance at that time, but he was promised that it would be given to his posterity who would be tested in a similar way which he was, by being called out of “a strange land” (Egypt) after having been there “four hundred years” (vss. 6-7).
Joseph and His Brethren
Vss. 9-16—Stephen passes on to another epoch in the nation’s history—their life in Egypt. Knowing that a time of dearth and famine was coming on all the world, God undertook to move “the patriarchs” and their families (with their father Jacob) to Egypt to preserve them there. This was another departure in the ways of God with the nation that required faith on their part to accept. He did it by raising up Joseph who would go before them into Egypt and make preparation to sustain them there in those hard times. But when Joseph tried to explain to his brethren that God (through dreams) was preparing him for something in the future, his brothers who were far from God in their souls (Gen. 37:22These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren; and the lad was with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives: and Joseph brought unto his father their evil report. (Genesis 37:2)), wouldn’t believe it. They hated him for his dreams, and “moved with envy,” sold him into Egypt to get rid of him (vs. 9). Thus, the one whom God had purposed to raise up to be their deliverer, they rejected! Again, through unbelief, they misunderstood what God was doing at that time. There is an obvious correlation here between Joseph and Christ, which Stephen emphasized in an effort to arrest the consciences of those in the council. They had rejected Christ as Joseph’s brethren had rejected him!
Stephen also mentions the fact that it wasn’t until “the second time” that Joseph’s brethren saw Joseph in Egypt that it was revealed to them that he was the “governor over Egypt” (vss. 10-13). There is a strong suggestion here that the Jews would also see Christ a second time (Zech. 12:10-1410And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn. 11In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon. 12And the land shall mourn, every family apart; the family of the house of David apart, and their wives apart; the family of the house of Nathan apart, and their wives apart; 13The family of the house of Levi apart, and their wives apart; the family of Shimei apart, and their wives apart; 14All the families that remain, every family apart, and their wives apart. (Zechariah 12:10‑14)), at which time He would be the “King over all the earth!” (Zech. 14:99And the Lord shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one Lord, and his name one. (Zechariah 14:9)) It was not until then that Jacob and his extended family would be preserved and blessed by Joseph in Egypt (vss. 14-16).
Being a Hellenist Jew, Stephen used the Septuagint version (a Greek translation of the Old Testament Hebrew Scriptures), and this accounts for him stating that all in Jacob’s family were “threescore and fifteen” persons, when the Hebrew Scriptures say “seventy” (Gen. 46:2727And the sons of Joseph, which were born him in Egypt, were two souls: all the souls of the house of Jacob, which came into Egypt, were threescore and ten. (Genesis 46:27); Ex. 1:55And all the souls that came out of the loins of Jacob were seventy souls: for Joseph was in Egypt already. (Exodus 1:5)). Both are correct, the difference being that Stephen included Joseph’s grandchildren born in Egypt (1 Chron. 7:14-2714The sons of Manasseh; Ashriel, whom she bare: (but his concubine the Aramitess bare Machir the father of Gilead: 15And Machir took to wife the sister of Huppim and Shuppim, whose sister's name was Maachah;) and the name of the second was Zelophehad: and Zelophehad had daughters. 16And Maachah the wife of Machir bare a son, and she called his name Peresh; and the name of his brother was Sheresh; and his sons were Ulam and Rakem. 17And the sons of Ulam; Bedan. These were the sons of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh. 18And his sister Hammoleketh bare Ishod, and Abiezer, and Mahalah. 19And the sons of Shemida were, Ahian, and Shechem, and Likhi, and Aniam. 20And the sons of Ephraim; Shuthelah, and Bered his son, and Tahath his son, and Eladah his son, and Tahath his son, 21And Zabad his son, and Shuthelah his son, and Ezer, and Elead, whom the men of Gath that were born in that land slew, because they came down to take away their cattle. 22And Ephraim their father mourned many days, and his brethren came to comfort him. 23And when he went in to his wife, she conceived, and bare a son, and he called his name Beriah, because it went evil with his house. 24(And his daughter was Sherah, who built Beth-horon the nether, and the upper, and Uzzen-sherah.) 25And Rephah was his son, also Resheph, and Telah his son, and Tahan his son, 26Laadan his son, Ammihud his son, Elishama his son, 27Non his son, Jehoshua his son. (1 Chronicles 7:14‑27)).
Moses and the Children of Israel in Egypt
Vss. 17-37—Stephen moves on to another epoch in the nation’s history—the time of their bondage in Egypt as slaves and their subsequent deliverance. After 400 years of their sojourning in that land had transpired, God purposed to take Israel out of Egypt to possess the land of Canaan for their inheritance, as He had “sworn to Abraham” (vss. 17-19). This marks another new departure in God’s ways with His people which required faith on their part to accept. God raised up “Moses” for this deliverance, but right from the outset he was misunderstood by his brethren, and consequently, refused by them (vss. 20-28). Upon being rejected by his brethren, Moses took flight into “the land of Midian” where he had “two sons” through a Gentile wife (vs. 29). Then, after many years, he was called by God to return to Egypt to deliver His people who were suffering there (vss. 30-34). This time he went not as “a ruler and a judge,” but as “a ruler and a deliverer” (vs. 35). As such, he was received by the children of Israel (Ex. 4:29-3129And Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel: 30And Aaron spake all the words which the Lord had spoken unto Moses, and did the signs in the sight of the people. 31And the people believed: and when they heard that the Lord had visited the children of Israel, and that he had looked upon their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshipped. (Exodus 4:29‑31)), and he, thereupon, brought them out of their bondage with wonders and signs and judgments on that land (vs. 36).
Again, there is an obvious correlation between the treatment Moses received from the people when he rose up to deliver them and the treatment the Lord Jesus Christ received when He came to the Jews at His first coming. As was the case with Moses, the Jews in the Lord’s time lacked faith and spiritual eyesight to see Him as their Messiah (Isa. 53:1-31Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? 2For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. 3He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. (Isaiah 53:1‑3); John 9:39-4139And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind. 40And some of the Pharisees which were with him heard these words, and said unto him, Are we blind also? 41Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth. (John 9:39‑41)). Consequently, they wouldn’t receive Him (John 1:1111He came unto his own, and his own received him not. (John 1:11)). Moses’ life among the Gentiles in Midian answers to this present day when God’s dealings with Israel have been suspended (Dan. 9:2626And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. (Daniel 9:26); Micah 5:1-31Now gather thyself in troops, O daughter of troops: he hath laid siege against us: they shall smite the judge of Israel with a rod upon the cheek. 2But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. 3Therefore will he give them up, until the time that she which travaileth hath brought forth: then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel. (Micah 5:1‑3); Zech. 11:9-149Then said I, I will not feed you: that that dieth, let it die; and that that is to be cut off, let it be cut off; and let the rest eat every one the flesh of another. 10And I took my staff, even Beauty, and cut it asunder, that I might break my covenant which I had made with all the people. 11And it was broken in that day: and so the poor of the flock that waited upon me knew that it was the word of the Lord. 12And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver. 13And the Lord said unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was prised at of them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the Lord. 14Then I cut asunder mine other staff, even Bands, that I might break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel. (Zechariah 11:9‑14)). He is presently visiting the Gentiles with the gospel of His grace to take out of them believers who compose the Church, of which Moses’ wife (Zipporah) is a type (Acts 15:1414Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name. (Acts 15:14)). Moses’ return to his brethren in Egypt, being accompanied with great signs and wonders and judgments on the land of Egypt, answers to the second coming of Christ, when He will appear from heaven to judge the world (of which Egypt is a type) and deliver the remnant of Israel.
In case the council might dismiss Stephen’s correlation of Moses to Christ, Stephen brings in Moses’ inspired word, stating that Christ the Prophet would be “like unto me” (vs. 37). See Deuteronomy 18:15-2215The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken; 16According to all that thou desiredst of the Lord thy God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God, neither let me see this great fire any more, that I die not. 17And the Lord said unto me, They have well spoken that which they have spoken. 18I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. 19And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him. 20But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die. 21And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the Lord hath not spoken? 22When a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him. (Deuteronomy 18:15‑22). He quotes Moses, stating, “Him shall ye hear.” Consequently, in a coming day when Christ appears, the believing remnant of Israel will hear and receive Him, and they will be blessed by Him. “Thy people shall be willing in the day of Thy power” (Psa. 110:33Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth. (Psalm 110:3)).
Moses and the Children of Israel in the Wilderness
Vss. 38-44—Stephen moves along to another epoch in the nation’s history—their time in the wilderness. Again, faith on the part of the people was greatly lacking. Their history in those years reveals their utter faithlessness (1 Cor. 10:5-105But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness. 6Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. 7Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. 8Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand. 9Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents. 10Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer. (1 Corinthians 10:5‑10)). They had Moses with them “in the church [assembly] in the wilderness,” whom “the Angel” spoke to on “Mount Sinai” and through whom they received “living oracles”—the Law (vs. 38). Stephen’s use of the word “church” here does not mean that the Church of God (Matt. 16:1818And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. (Matthew 16:18), etc.) existed in Old Testament times. The Greek word translated “church” in this passage is ecclesia, and simply means an assembly of people—it could be referring to believers on the Lord Jesus Christ (Matt. 16:1818And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. (Matthew 16:18)), or a company of unbelievers gathered together for a particular purpose (Acts 19:3232Some therefore cried one thing, and some another: for the assembly was confused; and the more part knew not wherefore they were come together. (Acts 19:32)), or as in this case, a company of Israelites. The context of the passage dictates which is in view.
Regardless of having favourable connections with God through Moses, Stephen reports: “Whom (Moses) our fathers would not obey, but thrust him from them, and in their hearts turned back again into Egypt” (vs. 39). Stephen’s accusers had charged him with being against Moses (chap. 6:11), but he shows here that it was the nation of Israel who had aligned themselves against Moses! Instead of receiving him and benefiting spiritually from it, they “turned back again into Egypt” in their hearts, and in doing so, they turned to idolatry (Ex. 32). “They made a calf in those days and offered sacrifice unto the idol” (vss. 40-41). Stephen’s accusers had also charged him with being against God (chap. 6:11), but he shows here that in the nation’s turning to idolatry, it was they who were against God! As a result, God, in governmental judgment, “gave them up to worship the host of heaven” (vs. 42a).
Stephen then brings in a remarkable fact about their history in the wilderness. Even though they had been given the Levitical sacrificial system, through which they had the privilege of approaching God in worship (Lev. 1-7), except on a few special occasions, the people didn’t even use it to offer sacrifices to the Lord! Stephen quotes Scripture to prove this: “O ye house of Israel, have ye offered to Me slain beasts and sacrifices by the space of forty years in the wilderness? Yea, ye took up the tabernacle of Moloch, and the star of your god Remphan, figures which ye made to worship them: and I will carry [transport] you away beyond Babylon” (vss. 42b-43). This is a quotation from Amos 5:25-2725Have ye offered unto me sacrifices and offerings in the wilderness forty years, O house of Israel? 26But ye have borne the tabernacle of your Moloch and Chiun your images, the star of your god, which ye made to yourselves. 27Therefore will I cause you to go into captivity beyond Damascus, saith the Lord, whose name is The God of hosts. (Amos 5:25‑27). (Stephen was using the Septuagint version; the Hebrew Scriptures say, “beyond Damascus.”) Hence, besides carrying “the tabernacle of witness” that God gave them, which was according to the “fashion [model]” given to Moses on Mount Sinai, they also carried “the tabernacle of Moloch” with them for the whole 40 years in the wilderness! Instead of offering sacrifices to the Lord, they offered sacrifices to a false god and worshipped the host of heaven!
Stephen had been charged with speaking against the holy place (chap. 6:13). He answers this here by stating that it was they who defiled that holy place of worship by associating it with the idolatrous tabernacle of Moloch! Thus, Israel in the wilderness failed, through unbelief, worse than any of their forefathers!
Israel’s History in Canaan to the Kingship of David & Solomon
Vss. 45-46—Stephen passes along to touch briefly on another era in their history—their earlier years in Canaan. This would be from the time when “Jesus [Joshua]” brought the tabernacle and the children of Israel into Canaan (Josh. 3-4) to the kingships of “David” and “Solomon” (1 Chron. 11 Thru 2 Chron. 9). During this time, God gave them priests, prophets, judges, and finally kings to help them and to guide them. But again, the response of the people was the same—they disregarded and rejected all whom God raised up and sent to them (2 Chron. 36:15-1615And the Lord God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers, rising up betimes, and sending; because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling place: 16But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against his people, till there was no remedy. (2 Chronicles 36:15‑16)).
The nation had rejected God, but strangely, they boasted in His presence being with them in the tabernacle and later in the temple! They seemed to think that by having the temple, they had an exclusive monopoly on God’s presence and that God was confined to their temple. (Jer. 7:44Trust ye not in lying words, saying, The temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord, are these. (Jeremiah 7:4)). In verses 48-50, Stephen quotes part of Solomon’s prayer to show that such an idea was not true—the universe wasn’t big enough to house His presence! (1 Kings 8:2727But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded? (1 Kings 8:27)) J. N. Darby said, “What they did trust in, the temple, God rejected. God Himself had been, as it were, a stranger in the land of Canaan” (Synopsis of the Books of the Bible, Loizeaux edition, vol. 4, p. 28).
Stephen’s Summation of Israel’s History
Vss. 51-53—Stephen then sums up the moral history of Israel in a couple of poignant sentences: “Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost [Spirit]: as your fathers did, so do ye. Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which showed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers: who have received the Law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it.” His great point here is that the nation had always rejected those whom God had sent to them and in whom the Holy Spirit had acted, and now they were adding to their national sins of the past by rejecting the present testimony of the Spirit concerning Christ glorified. The nation at that very time was imitating their fathers, as the Lord’s parable in Matthew 21:33-4433Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country: 34And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it. 35And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another. 36Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise. 37But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son. 38But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance. 39And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him. 40When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen? 41They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons. 42Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes? 43Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. 44And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder. (Matthew 21:33‑44) indicates. Thus, their history reflected one continuous line of resistance to the will of God.
Stephen’s address was a concise summing up of their whole history, wherein the full measure of their guilt is stated. This being the case, Stephen does not speak to them as being on the ground of manslayers, as Peter had done in chapter 3—he calls them “murderers!” This is because, having had the full testimony of the Spirit rendered to them through the apostles, and now through Stephen, they were fully responsible for the death of Christ. They killed Him knowingly; it was not a sin of ignorance any longer. They were, therefore, guilty of murder.
In this summation, the accused (Stephen) becomes the accuser of the nation, and the Spirit of God identifies fully with his testimony. The Jews had brought four false charges against Stephen (chap. 6:11-13), but having taken the position of the accuser, he herein brings six true charges against them:
They were stiffnecked.
They were uncircumcised in heart and ears.
They were resisting the Holy Spirit.
They had persecuted the prophets.
They were betrayers and murderers of Christ.
They had not kept the Law.
Note: in stating these charges, Stephen doesn’t mention idolatry. Upon returning from the Babylonish captivity in the days of Zerubbabel and Jeshua, up to that time, the Jews had kept themselves free of idolatry. But because they wouldn’t give Christ His proper place as Messiah and King, they were a house that was “empty, swept, and garnished” (Matt. 12:43-4543When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. 44Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. 45Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation. (Matthew 12:43‑45)). As such, it was only a matter of time before they fell back into idolatry, for it would not be possible for the nation to remain in a state of spiritual vacuum indefinitely. The Lord warned that the “unclean spirit” of idolatry would surely return to possess them—and it would be seven times worse than in their pre-captivity days! This will happen in the Great Tribulation when the Jews receive the Antichrist (John 5:4343I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive. (John 5:43)). He will introduce the worship of the Beast and his image (Rev. 13:11-1811And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. 12And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. 13And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, 14And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. 15And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. 16And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: 17And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. 18Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six. (Revelation 13:11‑18); Matt. 24:1515When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) (Matthew 24:15)). However, at the time of this address by Stephen, they could not be rightly charged with the sin of idolatry.
The Response of the Leaders in the Sanhedrin
Vss. 54-56—A climax had been reached. The Spirit’s power to convict of sin was evident in the fact that these responsible leaders of the nation were “cut to the heart.” This means that their consciences were reached. But sad to say, it was something that went no further than that. The cutting went “to,” rather than “in,” their hearts, as was the case with those who believed on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:3737Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? (Acts 2:37)). This shows that they wouldn’t allow the Spirit to have access into their hearts to work for their blessing by producing true repentance. They resisted the Spirit’s striving, as did their fathers. Saul of Tarsus, who was there in the crowd, said later after he was saved by God’s grace, that he resisted those “pricks” and kicked against them (chap. 26:14). As a result of the Spirit’s testimony through Stephen, the members of the council were filled with rage and “gnashed on him with their teeth.” That is, they cast their insults at him verbally (vs. 54).
In this final testimony to the nation, we see the striking evidence of the transforming power of the Holy Spirit, working in and through Stephen, making him Christ-like. This illustrates what the Apostle Paul taught in 2nd Corinthians 3:18: “But we all, looking on the glory of the Lord, with unveiled face, are transformed according to the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Lord the Spirit.” Stephen’s face already shone like the face of an angel on account of being “full of the Holy Spirit” (chap. 6:15). But now, having had his address interrupted by the insults of these leaders, he “looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, and said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God” (vss. 55-56). This transforming work of the Spirit had been so deep and thorough in Stephen, that he was “changed into the same image” of Christ. Those who looked upon him saw Christ, morally and spiritually! The chapter began with a man (Abraham) having “the God of glory” appear unto him, but now it ends with “the glory of God” being seen by a man!
Heaven—the New Center of Operations
It is interesting that Stephen saw heaven opened and the Lord “standing” at the right of God there, whereas in the epistles, He is seen as having “sat down” in that place above (Eph. 1:2020Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, (Ephesians 1:20); Col. 3:11If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. (Colossians 3:1); Heb. 1:3; 8:1; 10:12; 12:23Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; (Hebrews 1:3)
1Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; (Hebrews 8:1)
12But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; (Hebrews 10:12)
2Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:2)). The reason He was standing here is that God was still bearing with the nation at that time, and opportunity was still being held out to the Jews to be forgiven nationally. The Lord, therefore, was standing, being ready to come back and forgive and bless the Jews who had rejected Him. Later, when the epistles were written, the writers do not present Christ as standing in heaven but seated there, because the longsuffering patience of God with Israel had come to a close. The offer to Israel to have the kingdom had been withdrawn.
It is significant that here in this 7th chapter, Stephen saw a Man in “heaven;” in the 9th chapter, Saul of Tarsus will see a light from “heaven” and a voice speaking to him from there; and in the 10th chapter, Peter will see a vision in “heaven,” and will get directions from that same place. This indicates that there was now a new center of operations above from which this new movement of God would be conducted. Judaism, and its earthly center in Jerusalem, begins to fade into the background in the narrative.
The First Christian Martyr
The guilty members of the council (Sanhedrin) could take no more from Stephen. They “cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord, and cast him out of the city, and stoned him” (vss. 57-58). Thus, Stephen became the first Christian martyr. The Romans had denied the Jews the right to execute offenders according to their law, which was by stoning (John 18:31-3231Then said Pilate unto them, Take ye him, and judge him according to your law. The Jews therefore said unto him, It is not lawful for us to put any man to death: 32That the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled, which he spake, signifying what death he should die. (John 18:31‑32)); all executions were to be done by the Romans by crucifixion. But that didn’t stop these angry Jews from stoning Stephen! Luke tells us that a young Pharisee “whose name was Saul” was there joining with these Sadducean leaders in this national sin against the Holy Ghost (Acts 8:1; 22:201And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. (Acts 8:1)
20And when the blood of thy martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by, and consenting unto his death, and kept the raiment of them that slew him. (Acts 22:20)). But this “blasphemer and persecutor,” and “insolent, overbearing man” (1 Tim. 1:1313Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. (1 Timothy 1:13)) would not continue in his course of hatred against Christ for much longer, as chapter 9 shows.
Stephen’s life had been a bright and shining testimony for the Lord, but in his death he shone even brighter! “They stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge” (vss. 59-60). Who could say and do such a thing as this, and genuinely mean it, but someone who was filled with Christ? Stephen was thoroughly like Christ in his life and in his death. He was filled with the Spirit, and full of faith and power, and like the Lord, did great wonders and miracles. He, like Christ, was falsely accused of speaking against Moses, the Law, and the temple, and of being a blasphemer. He was brought before the same council and they did to him what they had done to the Lord—they brought false witnesses to testify against him. Being condemned to death, like the Lord, he committed his spirit to God, and like the Lord, prayed for the forgiveness of the people. But unlike the Lord, he did not say, “For they know not what they do” (Luke 23:3434Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots. (Luke 23:34)). Having been enlightened by the repeated testimonies of the apostles, these responsible leaders could not plead ignorance—they knew exactly what they were doing. They rejected Stephen, and by that act, they were rejecting Christ and the Holy Spirit!
As mentioned earlier, the killing of Stephen was the nation’s formal rejection of the glorified Christ. In doing so, they fulfilled the Lord’s parable in Luke 19:1414But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us. (Luke 19:14), sending him as their messenger to the Lord on high with the message: “We will not have this Man to reign over us.” Thus, they sealed the doom of the nation. How solemn indeed!
Various Forms of Opposition Against the Testimony of the Holy Spirit
Intimidation—met by encouragement from the Word of God (chap. 4:5-31).
The working of the flesh in the saints—met by the judgment of God (chap. 5:1-11).
Imprisonment—met by an intervention of an angel of God (chap. 5:17-25).
Violence—met by the working of the providence of God (chap. 5:29-42).
Discontentment among the saints—met by the working of the grace of God (chap. 6:1-8).
Disputing the Truth—met by the wisdom of the Spirit of God (chap. 6:9-10).
Making False Accusations—met by standing fast in the faith (chap. 6:11-15).