BOOK OF ACTS
Chapter 7
7:1 And the high priest said, "Are these things so?"
Then the high priest asked him, "Are these charges true?"
Then said the high priest, Are these things so?
7:1 This high priest was probably Caiaphas, the same man who had earlier questioned and condemned Jesus (John 18:24).
TODAY IN THE WORD
Martin Luther appeared at the Diet of Worms in 1521 to answer charges of heresy because he challenged the Roman Catholic Church’s established teachings. Luther was not allowed to defend his biblical views, but instead was ordered to recant. He asked for a day to think about his decision, which he knew could cost him his life. Luther prayed for courage, then came back the next day and made his stand on the truth of Scripture, “I cannot do otherwise. Here I stand. God help me, Amen.”
This great tradition of courage in the face of dire threats began in the church’s earliest days with the apostles and their close associates--
people like Stephen. God chose Stephen for the difficult task of answering false charges and facing persecution, for the greater purpose of expanding His new work known as the church.
Stephen’s arrest was motivated by fear. The Jewish establishment felt its religious system and its power being threatened, and its members struck back to deal with this new “sect” which followed Jesus Christ. Stephen found himself standing before the same Jewish council that had condemned Jesus.
Today’s reading begins in a deceptively mild way. The high priest simply asked Stephen if the charges against him were true. When Stephen saw he was being allowed to speak, he used the occasion to deliver the longest recorded sermon in Acts. The portion we are studying today is the first half of a pointed message on Israel’s history and disobedience.
Stephen obviously knew the Old Testament, but his powerful preaching was probably also a fulfillment of Jesus’ promise that when His followers were arrested and brought to trial, the Holy Spirit would give them the words to say (Mark 13:11).
Stephen’s eloquent defense began with God’s call of Abraham and His promises to the man who was the father of Israel. As Stephen reviewed the lives of the patriarchs, the slavery of Israel in Egypt, and the rise of Moses, no one on the council had any objections. But Stephen had a point to make with this message, and they weren’t going to like his conclusion.
HIGH PRIEST Priest in charge of the Temple (or tabernacle) worship. A number of terms are used to refer to the high priest: the priest (Exodus 31:10); the anointed priest (Leviticus 4:3); the priest who is chief among his brethren (Leviticus 21:10); chief priest (2 Chron. 26:20); and high priest (2 Kings 12:10).
"Though They Be Red Like Crimson"
We usually refer to sin as being black, but in the Bible sin is said to be crimson and scarlet.
The most difficult color to cover is red. Painters tell me that any other color, even black, can easily be covered with paint, but with red it is different, for it will "bleed through." But God can change red to white by painting it with the red blood of Jesus.
There is a tradition by Jewish rabbis, that the High Priest bounded a scarlet fillet around the neck of the scapegoat (Leviticus 16:7) as the sin bearer. When the priest confessed his own, and the people's sins, upon the goat (Leviticus 16:21-22), then the cloth became white if the atonement was accepted. If it was not accepted, it remained scarlet.
The rabbis further say that the goat was led twelve furlongs out of Jerusalem where the fillet was hung at the door of the temple and it would turn from scarlet to white. The rabbis tell us that this changing of the ribbon from red to white was the thing which Isaiah refers to when he writes, "Though your sins be as scarlet they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson they shall be as wool" (Isaiah 1:18).
Stephen's Sermon:
· Courteous thoughtful
· Respectful loving
· Logical reasoning
· Printed recorded
· Clear simple
· Brief concise
· Christ Centered focused
· Denounced Sin accused
Alexander Fell Before High Priest
Alexander the Great was coming with his army against Jerusalem. Jaddus the high priest, went out of the City to meet him, adorned with his priestly robes, an upper garment of purple embroidered with gold, and a golden plate on the foreside, wherein the Name of God was written. The sight was so grave and solemn, that the Emperor fell to the ground, as reverencing the Name that was thereon inscribed.
Roman Catholic Priests' Oath
This "Oath of Faith" is required of all Roman Catholic priests:
"I acknowledge that during the Mass a truly expiatory sacrifice takes place; effective for the dead and those alive. In the holy sacrament of the Eucharist, the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ with His soul and whole Godhead is in truth present. I believe in Purgatory and that the souls who go there are helped by the prayers of believers.
"I believe that the saints who rule with Christ are to be honored and addressed in prayer; that they offer prayers on our behalf to God and that we should honor their relics.
"I affirm that we should keep, protect and pay due honor to pictures of Christ, the never-changing Virgin Mother of God and the other saints.
"I also declare that Christ gave to the Church the power to remit sin and that great blessing comes to every Christian nation which makes use of this.
"I acknowledge that the holy Roman Catholic Church as being the mother and teacher of all churches. I swear and promise to obey the Roman Pope, the successor of Saint Peter, the prince of the apostles and representative of Christ on earth.
"Similarly, I condemn, reject and declare accursed everything contrary to his, including all false doctrines which The Church has condemned, rejected or cursed.
I herewith confess openly the Catholic faith without which no man can be saved. I promise to keep this faith pure and unadulterated until the day of my death."
7:2 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,
To this he replied: "Brothers and fathers, listen to me! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham while he was still in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran.
And he said, Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken; The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran,
7:2ff Stephen launched into a long speech about Israel’s relationship with God. From Old Testament history he showed that the Jews had constantly rejected God’s message and his prophets, and that this council had rejected the Messiah, God’s Son. He made three main points:
Israel’s history is the history of God’s acts in the world;
People worshiped God long before there was a temple, because God does not live in a temple; Jesus’ death was just one more example of Israel’s rebellion against and rejection of God.
7:2ff Stephen didn’t really defend himself. Instead, he took the offensive, seizing the opportunity to summarize his teaching about Jesus. Stephen was accusing these religious leaders of failing to obey God’s laws—the laws they prided themselves in following so meticulously. This was the same accusation that Jesus had leveled against them. When we witness for Christ, we don’t need to be on the defensive. Instead we can simply share our faith.
R. C. Sproul
With a question from the high priest, “Are these things so?” Stephen is given the floor to answer the false accusations lodged against him. This speech has been called Stephen’s “defense,” but it is not a logical, point-by-point legal defense such as we think of today; rather, it is an overview of Israel’s history by which Stephen “confesses” his attitudes and beliefs about God, the law, and the temple. Furthermore, this “defense” is not designed primarily to win an acquittal but to bear witness to Christ as the hope of Israel. Jesus had told His followers they would be brought before governors and kings as a testimony, and Stephen seems ready and willing to play the part.
Stephen addresses the council members as “brethren and fathers,” terms of deep respect. It is clear that he is not challenging the Sanhedrin’s authority. He then begins his historical survey with God’s call to Abraham to leave Ur and go to Canaan. However, his reference to God’s call coming to Abraham in Ur sets a theme that Stephen will develop extensively, that God is not bound to a particular place (such as the temple).
Then, in rather rapid succession, Stephen refers to God’s promise to give Canaan to Abraham and his descendants; to the divine prophecy that Abraham’s descendants; to the divine prophecy that Abraham’s descendants would be delivered from slavery to “come out and ser Me?” and to God’s covenant with Abraham, to be his God and make Abraham’s descendants His people. Stephen is demonstrating utter respect for Israel’s traditions, especially the holiness of God and Israel’s duty to worship Him. As Dr. Simon Kistemaker notes, “Stephen conforms completely to Jewish expectations by displaying deep reverence for God, His divine glory and Moses.” But even more, he is emphasizing God’s promise to and covenant with Abraham. He is saying that this is the true foundation for Israel, the basis of its divine favor. It came before the Law and the temple, and it will outlast them both.
Already we see Stephen disputing the charges that he has blasphemed God and the Law. Also, he is trying to demonstrate that he is not against the temple, only the too-high prominence it is accorded. He is both answering his accusers and gently correcting, and we will see him build on these themes as his speech moves toward its climax.
MESOPOTAMIA (Mihs’ o po tay’ mih u) Strictly speaking, Mesopotamia (from the Greek “between the rivers”) is the designation of the area between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Mesopotamia applies more generally to the entire Tigris-Euphrates valley. At times in antiquity the culture of Mesopotamia dominated an even larger area, spreading east into Elam and Media, north into Asia Minor, and following the fertile crescent into Canaan and Egypt.
HARAN (Hay’rahn) or CHARRAN (Greek and KJV spelling) (Acts 7:2; Acts 7:4) Personal and place name meaning, “mountaineer” or “caravan route.” Three men and an important city of northern Mesopotamia located on the Balikh River.
Terah’s son and Lot’s father (Genesis 11:26-29; Genesis 11:31).
Son of Caleb’s concubine (1 Chron. 2:46).
Son of Shimei and a Levite (1 Chron. 23:9).
The city became Abraham’s home (Genesis 11:31-32; Genesis 12:4-5) and remained home for his relatives like Laban (Genesis 27:43). Jacob went there and married (Genesis 28:10; Genesis 29:4). In the eighth century Assyria conquered it (2 Kings 19:12; Isaiah 37:12). It was a trade partner of Tyre (Ezekiel 27:23). Through excavations begun in the 1950s, the city was determined to have been established by the middle of the third millennium and was occupied through the Assyro-Babylonian period until Islamic times.
The city was also a major center of worship for the moon god Sin. Its name is spelled differently from that of the men in Hebrew.
"Sinners In Hands of Angry God"
When Jonathan Edwards preached his great sermon, "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God," it is said that he had a little manuscript that he held up so close to his face that no one could see his countenance. He went on and on, but the people in the crowded church were tremendously moved.
One man sprang to his feet, rushed down the aisle and cried, "Mr. Edwards have mercy!" Others grabbed hold of the backs of the pews lest they should slip into perdition. They were under such conviction that they felt as if the day of judgment had already dawned upon them. There was a real spiritual reason behind the power of that sermon.
The secret: For three days Edwards had not eaten a morsel of food, nor closed his eyes in sleep. Over and over again he had been heard to exclaim, "Oh, God give me New England! Give me New England!"
And when he finally arose from his knees and made his way to the pulpit, he looked as if he had been gazing straight into the face of God. Before he even opened his lips to speak, great conviction fell upon his audience.
7:3 and said to him, 'Depart from your country and your relatives, and come into the land that I will show you.'
'Leave your country and your people,' God said, 'and go to the land I will show you.'
And said unto him, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I shall shew thee.
Israel's Land And God's Promises
The following points are clear regarding the Land of Israel:
· God called Abraham to a definite land (Genesis 12:1, 5, 7). This does not mean heaven or any subjective state.
· The promise is unconditional (Micah 7:20). The Bible prophets had often referred to God's promises and oath to Abraham, even though Israel had sinned.
· God gave the land's exact dimensions (Genesis 15:18-21). It was to be from the Egypt-Canaan boundary to the River Euphrates.
· Every Israelite will be gathered back to the Land (Ezekiel 36:8). This has been partially fulfilled.
· Israel will not be dispossessed again (Amos 9:14-15). The survival of Israel is assured.
· The Land belongs to Israel forever. This is based on God's unconditional covenants.
The Jews That Never Returned To Israel