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51 You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you. 52 Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers, 53 who have received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it. ~ Acts 7:51-53
Today, we return to our study of Acts 7 where we find Stephen addressing the religious leaders of first century Israel with the longest sermon recorded in the book of Acts. In this sermon, Stephen traced Israel's history to prove that the religious leaders historically rejected God and His prophets, including their Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. Stephen made this presentation because the religious leaders had falsely accused him of blaspheming God and his prophet Moses. In this part of this chapter long sermon, Stephen reveals why the religious leaders missed God so often.
In v.51 of today's passage we read, "You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you."
Stephen now comes to the very reason why the people of Israel largely rejected the Lord Jesus Christ as their Messiah. He used two words that are only found here in the entire Bible. The word translated "stiff-necked" means hard, stubborn, contrary and obstinate. Stephen used this word to describe "a people that simply would not budge." The religious leaders of first century Israel thought themselves to be impeccable but they resisted the Lord. All the while, as they resisted the Lord, they were being found defined by the devil and resembling his philosophy on life.
Stephen employed the word translated "uncircumcised" to describe the "hearts and ears" of his listeners. This meant the religious leaders lacked the ability to reason with God, resulting in being disobedient toward Him. They were defined as such because they "always resisted the Holy Spirit." The word "resist" means "to fall against" giving the picture of active resistance or pushing against toward the very One whom the Scriptures describe as their Savior. These religious leaders failed to experience the breaking nature of the law of God which causes us to not only see our sin but also to confess it to God as sin.
In Romans 7:8 we read, "But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of coveting. For apart from the law, sin was dead."
The law of God draws out the rebellion that we know that is still within us, even though we have been justified before God through Christ. In Romans 7:8 the Apostle Paul highlights the tenth command, "Thou shalt not covet," because covetousness is at the root of all sin. The Law deals with our hearts and it reveals to us our sin. This is the only way anyone can be justified before the Lord. That which leads us to true salvation is an understanding of the absolute righteousness of God and our total unrighteousness. The Law of God expresses God's perfect righteousness and it puts a demand on everyone who breaks it in the slightest way. We are led to true salvation through the overwhelming and frightening sense of the implications of breaking God's law.
In v.52-53 of today's passage we read, "52 Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers, 53 who have received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it."
Stephen highlighted the hypocrisy of the religious leaders who had been entrusted to be the guardians of the law. They were held by God to be responsible to ensure others understood and obeyed His laws accordingly. The law was intended to teach Israel that they were in need of and dependent upon God’s mercy and grace. The sacrificial system which accompanied the law should have taught them this. The fact that sacrifices were required for the forgiveness of sins by the law highlighted their utter need for God's grace and mercy. And the fact that the entire nation needed to observe a Day of Atonement told them that they had failed to be justified in God's sight. But, their hearts were hardened by their entitlement status.
Due to Israel's perceived self-righteousness that came from having been given the law, they thought that the law elevated them as righteous before God. They didn't allow God's grace and mercy to do its most humbling work in their souls. They did not see that the law was given to point sinners to the Lord Jesus Christ. Having missed Him, the Jewish religious leaders supposed their adherence to the Law garnered for them righteousness before God.
It was Charles Haddon Spurgeon who once said, "The greatest enemy to human souls is the self-righteous spirit which makes men look to themselves for salvation." Sadly, through their self-righteousness, the religious leaders of first century Israel were blinded to and by the lies of Satan himself. Possessing the truth of God, their arrogance prevented them from being defined by God. It is our self-righteousness that blinds us to our need for the grace and mercy of God.
It is the nature of God's grace and mercy to humble our hearts to the point of gratitude which has a way of turning our face to the sunshine allowing us to not focus on the shadows. Lou Holtz once said, "Life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we react to it." Choosing to be grateful is the product of recognizing we deserve nothing from God. In fact, it is when we see that we deserve the worst due to our rebellious nature toward Him, it is then that we find ourselves most grateful.
