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1 The high priest said to Stephen, “Are these things true?” 2 Stephen answered, “Brothers and fathers, listen to me. Our glorious God appeared to Abraham, our ancestor, in Mesopotamia before he lived in Haran. 3 God said to Abraham, 'Leave your country and your relatives, and go to the land I will show you.' 4 So Abraham left the country of Chaldea and went to live in Haran. After Abraham’s father died, God sent him to this place where you now live. 5 God did not give Abraham any of this land, not even a foot of it. But God promised that he would give this land to him and his descendants, even before Abraham had a child. 6 This is what God said to him: 'Your descendants will be strangers in a land they don’t own. The people there will make them slaves and will mistreat them for four hundred years. 7 But I will punish the nation where they are slaves. Then your descendants will leave that land and will worship me in this place.'" ~ Acts 7:1-7
Today, we begin our study of Acts 7 where the religious leaders of first century Israel were questioning Stephen who had been raised up by God to tend to the practical needs of those whom God was adding to the Church daily. Due to Stephen's determination to obey God and thus be defined by Him, God showed him favor by granting him the filling of the Holy Spirit and of His wisdom. As a result, the unbelieving Jews were envious of Stephen and they wanted to keep him from being successful at leading others to the Lord Jesus. So, a group came together and falsely accused him of blasphemy. It is into this part of the narrative that we re-enter today.
In v.1 of today's passage we read, "The high priest said to Stephen, 'Are these things true?'"
Acts 6 ended with Stephen being charged with blasphemy. In fact, he was charge with four kinds of blasphemy; blasphemy against God, against Moses, against the law, and against the temple. And, as he heard this verdict, Stephen stood confidently with his face reflecting the very peace of God. Stephen had nothing to fear because the truth was on his side, even if he was falsely accused. And even if the false accusations prevailed, they could not prevail over his security in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Acts 7 opens with the high priest who asked Stephen a simple question, anticipating a plea of guilt or innocence. To which Stephen spoke in his own defense. In fact, his defense covers 52 verses, none of which directly answers the high priest’s question. Instead, Stephen offered a history of Israel’s continued rejection of the Lord Jesus. This is the longest sermon in the book of Acts. It's the longest chapter in the book of Acts. Stephen preached a sermon longer than Peter, Paul, or anybody else. It was through Stephen’s words that God was offering the religious leaders of Israel yet another opportunity to repent and receive His free gift of forgiveness for themselves. While Stephen could have defended himself against the false charges, his response served a greater purpose.
In v.2-5 of today's passage we read, "2 Stephen answered, 'Brothers and fathers, listen to me. Our glorious God appeared to Abraham, our ancestor, in Mesopotamia before he lived in Haran. 3 God said to Abraham, ‘Leave your country and your relatives, and go to the land I will show you.’ 4 So Abraham left the country of Chaldea and went to live in Haran. After Abraham’s father died, God sent him to this place where you now live. 5 God did not give Abraham any of this land, not even a foot of it. But God promised that he would give this land to him and his descendants, even before Abraham had a child.
Stephen highlighted Abraham who clearly was a man of faith in the God of the Bible. Abraham, who was intercepted by God, chose to follow and obey God. He left his country and even his father's house and went out into a land he had never seen before. There, though he never owned a foot of ground in the land, he believed that God would do what he had said. Though he had no child he believed that God would give him descendants. God, of course, honored that promise and eventually gave him a child, Isaac, and in time, fulfilled all His promises to Abraham. Stephen gave the religious leaders of first century Israel a clear contrast. Abraham, the father of the Jews, was a man of faith who dared to make changes in obedience to God. Throughout his message, Stephen established that he believed in the very same God who called father Abraham who never made it to the promised land.
In v.6-7 of today's passage we read, "6 This is what God said to him: ‘Your descendants will be strangers in a land they don’t own. The people there will make them slaves and will mistreat them for four hundred years. 7 But I will punish the nation where they are slaves. Then your descendants will leave that land and will worship me in this place.'"
Here, Stephen reminded his hearers of what God did in the lives of the Patriarchs of Israel, Abraham, Isaac and Joseph. His point was that the destiny of Israel was in the faithful hands of God just as ours are. With all of the Scripture that he quotes here, it is obvious that Stephen knew the Old Testament. He also obviously understood what it meant. And he obviously understood that all of the Old Testament point all who read it to its ultimate fulfillment in Christ. That's what Stephen revealed throughout this sermon.
Interestingly, as we work through this chapter, we will realize that it opens with the God of glory and it ends with the glory of God. Like Stephen, when our lives are surrendered to the God of glory, we will see the glory of God. This is what sustained Stephen and this is what keeps us filled with the Spirit and with the wisdom of God. When he could have preached a sermon defending Himself, Stephen chose to bring glory to God. Stephen understood the key to all of life is bringing glory to God. In fact, he understood that we all long for the glory of God, not for the glory of ourselves. No one goes to the Swiss Alps to increase their self-esteem. No, we go to the Swiss Alps because there is greater healing for the soul in beholding the splendor of God's creation than there is in beholding ourselves. This is what made Stephen the man he was, a man filled with the Holy Spirit and the wisdom of God.
