37 ‘This is the Moses who told the Israelites, “God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your own people.” 38 He was in the assembly in the wilderness, with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our ancestors; and HE RECEIVED ‘LIVING WORDS’ to pass on to us.
39 ‘But our ancestors refused to obey him. Instead, they rejected him and IN THEIR HEARTS TURNED BACK TO EGYPT. Acts 7
We’ve already looked this week at the connection between Moses taking advice from his father-in-law Jethro, in Exodus 18, and the apostles delegating responsibility to the Seven, in Acts 6. Stephen, one of the Seven, was dragged before the Sanhedrin on a false accusation, nothing new there. He recounted the history of the Jewish people to the court and the central role of Moses in leading them out of Egypt, the ‘land of slavery’. (Quoted 13 times in the OT). For the first fifty verses in Acts 7, Stephen didn’t say anything controversial that would have upset those listening, but then his address changed dramatically, no doubt directed by the Spirit of God.
51 ‘You stiff-necked people! Your hearts and ears are STILL UNCIRCUMCISED. YOU ARE JUST LIKE YOUR ANCESTORS: YOU ALWAYS RESIST THE HOLY SPIRIT! 52 Was there ever a prophet your ancestors did not persecute? Acts 7
Religious Jews were and still are proud of their lineage, it’s the thing that really defines who they are. Not too different from the views of some church members over long standing associations with their churches. The Spirit of God condemned them for being just like those ancestors whose HEARTS HAD TURNED BACK TO EGYPT. They had the same heart attitude as their forefathers of so long ago.
They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered Him – 53 you who have received the law that was given through angels but have not obeyed it.’ Acts 7
Stephen condemned them still further, saying they had even killed the Righteous One, the long awaited Messiah. The taking of Stephen’s righteous life by those infuriated men, was just one more shedding of innocent blood. Were they so caught up in the world of their day that they’d never have repented? So entrenched in religion that there was no place for God in their lives? These were very religious people, but in their hearts they really opposed God and ‘didn’t want Jesus as their king’. Luke 19:27
23 ABOVE ALL ELSE, GUARD YOUR HEART (don’t turn back to Egypt),
for everything you do flows from it. Proverbs 4
24 ‘“‘The Lord bless you
and keep you;
25 the Lord make his face shine on you
and be gracious to you;
26 the Lord turn his face towards you
and give you peace.’”
27 ‘So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.’ Numbers 6