Acts 7:39

Acts 7:39 says, To whom our fathers would not obey, but thrust him from them, and in their hearts turned back again into Egypt, The people of Israel soon began to murmur and complain that they were going to starve in the wilderness and were better off in Egypt.  We today, having been delivered into the newness of life through Christ often want to return to our own Egypt.  We begin to think that something we left behind is more important than what God is providing.  Verse forty adds, Saying unto Aaron, Make us gods to go before us: for as for this Moses, which brought us out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him. The people of Israel decided they needed a god they could see.  We need to learn to rely on the God Who dwells within us and never look to man-made idols.  Verse forty-one continues, And they made a calf in those days, and offered sacrifice unto the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their own hands.  The people with Aaron and the priests help made a golden calf and rejoiced in the work of their hands.  How often do we rejoice in man-made things instead of rejoicing in the Lord?  Verse forty-two states, Then God turned, and gave them up to worship the host of heaven; as it is written in the book of the prophets, O ye house of Israel, have ye offered to me slain beasts and sacrifices by the space of forty years in the wilderness?  Stephen said God gave them up to the worship of the hosts of the heavens for forty years, until those who had rebelled died without entering the Promised Land.  He also said they offered sacrifices in vain, since they did not believe in God Himself.  We may offer great sacrifices to the church, but unless we have sacrificed ourselves to God through faith in Jesus Christ, they are worthless. Verse forty-three adds, 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 you away beyond Babylon. Stephen reminded them that their fathers had been unfaithful to God by refusing to follow Moses and by worshipping other gods instead, and so are were unfaithful by refusing to follow Jesus Christ.  This will never change.  Verse forty-four continues, Our fathers had the tabernacle of witness in the wilderness, as he had appointed, speaking unto Moses, that he should make it according to the fashion that he had seen. Stephen said that their fathers even had the physical presence of the tabernacle made by God’s design.  It was never permanent and did not come into existence until the wilderness.  We today do have the church building as a physical representation of the church, but really it is the unseen presence of the Holy Spirit that is our daily reminder.  Verse forty-five says, Which also our fathers that came after brought in with Jesus into the possession of the Gentiles, whom God drave out before the face of our fathers, unto the days of David;  Stephen reminded them that even the Promised Land had once been in possession of the Gentiles until God drove them out.  There was nothing sacred about the land because of the land itself, but it was only sacred because God chose it.  Verse forty-six adds, Who found favour before God, and desired to find a tabernacle for the God of Jacob.  Stephen said the Gentiles were driven out until the time of David, and that David had wanted to build God a house, but had been prevented from doing so, even though he was considered one of the greatest kings of Israel.  We cannot just choose to build God a house and Him have to allow us to.  We must be led by Him to do it.  Verse forty-seven continues, But Solomon built him an house.  Stephen said that Solomon was allowed to build God a house.   Just because one person is denied permission to build a church, a house for God, doesn’t mean that it can never be built.   Verse forty-eight declares, Howbeit, the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet,   Stephen said that God does not live in temples made by hand, as had been said by the prophet.  God lives in the hearts of people, and He can never be confined to a building.  Verse forty-nine adds, Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will ye build me? saith the Lord: or what is the place of my rest?  God said the heavens were His throne and the earth His footstool, so what could men build for Him.  The answer is nothing, so if we start to worship buildings, we are not being faithful to God, Verse fifty continues, Hath not my hand made all these things?  The universe is already His, and all we can offer Him is ourselves in obedience to Jesus Christ.  They rejected the idea that Jesus could be the One Who met their need, just as the people of Israel questioned Moses.

Acts 7:27

Acts 7:27 says, But he that did his neighbour wrong thrust him away, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge over us?  One of those fighting threw his neighbor aside and asked Moses who made him a ruler over them.  We shouldn’t be surprised if we get the same response when attempting to settle a dispute today.  Those fighting each other might unite in fighting us.  Verse twenty-eight adds, Wilt thou kill me, as thou diddest the Egyptian yesterday? The man asked Moses if he was going to kill them as he had killed the Egyptian the day before.  Moses thought no one else saw, but he was wrong. We may attempt to cover up our sins, but they are not hidden to God.  When attempting to settle a dispute between two Hebrews the next day, they asked Moses if he was going to kill them too.  Verse twenty-nine continues, Then fled Moses at this saying, and was a stranger in the land of Madian, where he begat two sons.  Then the pharaoh knew of Moses killing the Egyptian, and Moses fled the second death sentence. His sin had found him out, and there was a consequence.  Today, when we act on our own without making sure that we are doing God's we will find that we are ineffective in doing God's work.  Moses' rash act led to his no longer being in the pharaoh’s house.  Moses was in the land of Midian. He had been in service to his father-in-law.  This was the second forty years of Moses’s life, and he still hadn’t accomplished much for God.  Verse thirty declares, Then when forty years were expired, there appeared to him in the wilderness of mount Sina an angel of the Lord in a flame of fire in a bush.  Then, God sent an angel, who appeared to Moses out of a burning bush that was not being consumed.  God got Moses's attention through what at first sight would have seemed an ordinary event.  How often do we miss the miracle or a message from God because we don't take the time to look past the ordinary.  We see the burning bush, and dismiss the fact that it isn't being consumed, so we don't hear the angel speak to us.  Verse thirty-one adds, When Moses saw it, he wondered at the sight: and as he drew near to behold it, the voice of the Lord came unto him,  Moses was curious enough to go and examine the bush that was burning but not consumed.  When he got closer, God spoke to him.  We may miss the message of God because we refuse to look when He attempts to get our attention.  Verse thirty-two continues, Saying I am the God of thy fathers, the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Then Moses trembled, and durst not behold.  Then the Lord spoke to Moses telling him exactly Who He was.  God said "I am the God of thy fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Moses trembled.  We today must know the God that we serve, and that is the Only God Who has ever existed.  When we come into His presence, we should tremble in awe.  Too often we reduce God to being a buddy or a sidekick instead of the God of Creation. Verse thirty-three says, Then said the Lord to him, Put off thy shoes from thy feet: for the place where thou standest is holy ground.  We need to realize that like Moses, when we are in the presence of God, we are on holy ground.  We hear of people making trips to the Holy Land, but how often do we hear someone say that when they were in church, just for example, that they were on holy ground.  Verse thirty-four adds, I have seen, I have seen the affliction of my people which is in Egypt, and I have heard their groaning, and am come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send thee into Egypt. Verse thirty-five continues, This Moses whom they refused, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge? the same did God send  Verse thirty-six states, He brought them out, after that he had shewed wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, and in the Red sea, and in the wilderness forty years.  Stephen reminded them of their deliverance from Egypt and their wandering in the wilderness for forty years because of their disbelief.  We will always be wandering in the wilderness until we come to Jesus Christ by faith.  Verse thirty-seven adds, This is that Moses, which said unto the children of Israel, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear.  Stephen spoke of Moses promising them a Deliverer, Whom they should hear.  Verse thirty-eight continues, This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us:  Stephen said that though Moses could be viewed as the head of the church in the wilderness that it was actually Jesus Christ, Who was with the angel, Who was.  It doesn’t matter who the earthly leader of a congregation may be, Jesus Christ had better be the head of the congregation.

Though he had failed to wait on God's promise of an heir and had taken one of his kindred, Lot, with him when he set out to follow God's leadership, by the time Isaac was born, Abraham had learned to listen to God.  He had become an obedient follower.  God instructed Abraham to go to the land of Moriah and sacrifice Isaac on a mountain that God would show him.  This was the son that he had waited a hundred years for.  This was the son that he had doubted God could deliver.  Still, Abraham got up the next morning and assembled the supplies necessary for the sacrifice and with Isaac and two of His young men set out for Moriah.  As a follower of Christ, what do we have that we would refuse to give totally to God if we knew He was asking us to sacrifice it?  Abraham had a three day journey to reach his destination of which he was still not sure of the exact location, just a mountain that God would show him.  We can only imagine the thoughts that Abraham had during that time.  We can look back and say that he knew God would not really demand that he sacrifice Isaac, but that really wasn't the case.  Then, when Isaac and he were on the way up the mountain with the wood and Isaac asked where was the sacrifice, Abraham didn't say that he would figure it out.  He said, "My son, God will provide for Himself a lamb for a brunt offering."  Then, when they reached the point for the sacrifice, Abraham bound Isaac and laid him on the wood, ready to sacrifice him.  He had three days to come up with his own plan, but he followed what God had instructed him to do.  How often do we decide to do somewhat as God has instructed us to do instead of totally following His instructions?  God did indeed provide a lamb for Abraham that day, but as Stephen would remind the council, He also provided a Lamb for all people for all time, His Only Son, Jesus Christ.  Some people ask how God could ask such a thing of Abraham, yet it was no more than God asked of Himself.  He gave that which He loved, His Son, to redeem us.  Abraham and Isaac received a blessing that day because Abraham was obedient to God.  How often do we miss a blessing because we are not totally following God's directions?

The first patriarch Stephen spoke of was Abraham, who was first known as Abram. Abraham was known for his relationship with God, but he so often failed to live up to his part of the relationship.  God then instructed Abraham to leave his kindred and go to a land He would lead him to.  Abraham failed to do exactly what God had instructed him to do.  He took Lot, his nephew along, and this caused numerous problems.  We need to learn that if God says leave it all, we need to leave it all. Then God promised Abraham that he would be the father of a great nation, but when it didn't happen on Abraham's time table, he decided to take steps to ensure that God's plan would succeed.  When we grow impatient with God fulfilling His promises to us, we like Abraham will make a mess of things that may never be overcome.  We need to think only of Ishmael and his descendants and the impact this has had on the world.  Who created this situation?  Not Ishmael, and certainly not God.  It was Abraham's not waiting on God.  As I stated in an earlier post, sometimes we must just wait.  God promised Abraham he would be the father of a great nation when he was seventy five, and the promise wasn't fulfilled for twenty-five years, but it was always a certainty to God.  For followers today, we can be certain that God's promise of eternity with Him will never be in doubt.  We are promised an eternal dwelling place called Heaven, and though we have yet to set foot in it, we can rest assured that God has prepared it for us.

Acts 7:17

Acts 7:17 declares, But when the time of the promise drew nigh, which God had sworn to Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt,  God had reminded them of His promise to Abraham.  They had grown content in Egypt.  We need to be careful that we don't grow content where we are even when we know it isn't where God wants us to be.  One reason God reminded them of His promise to Abraham was that they seemingly had forgotten it themselves.  As the time of the promise to Abraham drew closer, the people of Israel multiplied in Egypt.  We need to multiply the number of Christians in the world today, especially as the time of Christ’s return grows closer each day.  The famine was over, but we see no evidence that they were ready to move on.  When God has brought us through a crisis and blessed us greatly, we need to remember what He was leading us to do before the crisis and get back to doing it.  God's plan for Israel had not changed, but they were no longer following Him.  Today, are we following God's plan for our life, or are we happy in Egypt?  Verse eighteen adds, Till another king arose, which knew not Joseph. A new ruler of Egypt came to power who didn’t know Joseph.   The people of Israel had been treated well because of Jospeh’s relationship with Pharoah, but eventually a new ruler came to power who did not know Joseph.  We may find rulers come to power today who do not know Jesus and have no respect for Christians.  Verse nineteen continues, The same dealt subtilly with our kindred, and evil entreated our fathers, so that they cast out their young children, to the end they might not live.  Stephen then spoke of the killing of the Hebrew babies and Moses being spared. The people of Israel began to be persecuted, to the point of being ordered to sacrifice their male children at birth.  We may prosper when we are out of God's will, but ultimately, we will pay a price for it.  Verse twenty concludes, In which time Moses was born, and was exceeding fair, and nourished up in his father's house three months: Verse twenty-one states, And when he was cast out, Pharaoh's daughter took him up, and nourished him for her own son.  We are reminded that Moses was not only spared being put to death, but that he grew up in Pharoah’s house.  We, as followers of Christ, are not only spared spiritual death, which is everlasting punishment in hell, but we are going to live forever in God’s house or kingdom.  Verse twenty-two adds, And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was mighty in words and in deeds.  Moses was educated in the wisdom of the Egyptians and was mighty in words and deeds.  Of course, Godly wisdom and Egyptian or worldly wisdom are two different things.  We may be highly educated in worldly wisdom and even be looked up to for this fact, but if we don’t have Godly wisdom, it is of no value.  Verse twenty-three continues, And when he was full forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren the children of Israel.  At age forty, Moses became concerned with the condition of God's people, his kinfolk.  We likewise should always be concerned for God’s people everywhere.  Verse twenty-four says, And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended him, and avenged him that was oppressed, and smote the Egyptian:  When Moses decided to see how his people, and we have to believe that his mother had told him who he really was, and he saw a Hebrew being abused by an Egyptian and he killed the Egyptian and buried him in the sand.  When we act without thinking about what God would have us do, we destroy our witness to the world.  We must put God first in every action that we take. I don’t believe we should kill those who are mistreating Christians and try to hide the fact, but we do need to come to their aid if we see this happening.  Verse twenty-five adds, For he supposed his brethren would have understood how that God by his hand would deliver them: but they understood not.  Moses thought his fellow Hebrews would understand why he did what he did, but they didn’t.  He saw it as being done under God’s direction, but they only saw him killing an Egyptian.  People will see our actions more than they see our motives.  If we are truly doing something for God, we need to make it known.  Verse twenty-six continues, And the next day he shewed himself unto them as they strove, and would have set them at one again, saying, Sirs, ye are brethren; why do ye wrong one to another?  The next day, when Moses saw two Hebrews fighting, he asked them why they were doing so.  Of course, if we see two Christians fighting each other, we need to attempt to get them to stop and look for the reason why they are fighting.

Acts 7:11

Acts 7:11 says, Now there came a dearth over all the land of Egypt and Chanaan, and great affliction: and our fathers found no sustenance.  Verse twelve adds, But when Jacob heard that there was corn in Egypt, he sent out our fathers first.  When there was a famine in Egypt and Cannan, Jacob who had very little food left, sent his sons to Egypt to buy corn.  We need to be willing to deal with people that we might normally think of as enemies, not to buy from them, but to share the gospel with them, since they are spiritually starving.  Verse thirteen continues, And at the second time Joseph was made known to his brethren; and Joseph's kindred was made known unto Pharaoh.  Though Joseph sent his brothers, who did not recognize him, back to get their father, when they returned, he made himself known to them.  We need to bring our family to Jesus Christ and He will always be ready to make Himself known to them if they will only look by faith.  Verse fourteen states, Then sent Joseph, and called his father Jacob to him, and all his kindred, threescore and fifteen souls.  Stephen said that Jacob and all his kindred, seventy-five people, came to Egypt.  It would be wonderful if we could bring all our family to Jesus Christ.  Verse fifteen adds, So Jacob went down into Egypt, and died, he, and our fathers,  Those who went to Egypt, including Jacob, died there, even though God had promised Abraham that He would make him a great nation.  Just as this did not happen immediately with Abraham and his descendants, we do not immediately go to heaven when we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and lord, but it is a certainty.  Verse sixteen continues, And were carried over into Sychem, and laid in the sepulchre that Abraham bought for a sum of money of the sons of Emmor the father of Sychem.  Though Jacob died in Egypt, his body was returned to Canaan for burial.  Personally, I don’t believe it matters where we are buried.

Acts 7:1

Acts 7:1 says, Then said the high priest, Are these things so?  Stephen had simply been asked if the charges against him were true.  If we were arrested and falsely accused, what would we do?  I might begin to very loudly deny the charges.  Verse two adds, And he said, Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken; We will see that Stephen knew his religious history.  Do we know how we came to be a part of God's family?  Could we as quickly recite the history of God's work leading up to Christ's coming, or of God's people since?  If we are really to understand what it means to be a follower of Christ, then we must know Who He really is and what led Him to the cross.  There need not be false charges brought against us.  We, like those on the council and even Stephen, are responsible for His death, but they didn't want to be reminded of that fact.  We will follow through Stephen's answer as he recites the history of God's people from Abraham to Christ.  Again, we like Stephen, must know who we are as God's people and be ready to share that with anyone who asks.  The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran,  Verse three continues, And said unto him, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I shall shew thee.  Stephen recounted scripture that led up to Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection, starting with Abraham. Those on the council were proud of being descendants of Abraham, but Stephen was reminding them of what it meant to be one of Abraham's descendants.  Verse four states, Then came he out of the land of the Chaldaeans, and dwelt in Charran: and from thence, when his father was dead, he removed him into this land, wherein ye now dwell.  Stephen started with God’s call to Abraham to leave his country and go to a land that God would give him.  One day, we will leave this world and go to our heavenly home, but until then, we need to go where God calls us.  Verse five adds, And he gave him none inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on: yet he promised that he would give it to him for a possession, and to his seed after him, when as yet he had no child.  Stephen said God made His promises to Abraham before he ever set foot in the promised land and before he even had any children who could make him a great nation.  We simply have to put our faith in God’s promises even if we haven’t seen any evidence of them coming to pass.  Verse six continues, And God spake on this wise, That his seed should sojourn in a strange land; and that they should bring them into bondage, and entreat them evil four hundred years.  Stephen spoke of God telling beforehand that the nation of Israel would become servants in a strange land for four hundred years.  As long as we are in this world as followers of Christ, we are strangers in a strange land.  Verse seven says, And the nation to whom they shall be in bondage will I judge, said God: and after that shall they come forth, and serve me in this place.  God said that He would then judge the land in which the Hebrews were held captive and bring them to His promised land.  We still await the promise of our heavenly home today, but it is coming.  Verse eight adds, And he gave him the covenant of circumcision: and so Abraham begat Isaac, and circumcised him the eighth day; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat the twelve patriarchs. Stephen then spoke of the covenant relationship between Abraham and his descendants that was shown by circumcision.  The covenant passed down to Isaac and his sons.  Our sign today is the empty cross and tomb, and we must pass the gospel down to our children.  Verse nine continues, And the patriarchs, moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt: but God was with him,  Stephen spoke of Joseph being sold into slavery in Egypt by his brothers and the fact that God was with him even in all his times of trouble.  Even if the world treats us badly today, if we remain true to our relationship with Jesus Christ, God will always be with us.  Verse ten says, And delivered him out of all his afflictions, and gave him favour and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house.  By God’s grace, Joseph found favor in the sight of Pharoah and became a ruler in Egypt.  No matter how humble our situation in life may be, through Jesus Christ we can find favor with God.