A Study of Acts: Stephen Preaches About Abraham
Acts 7:1-8 - Stephen begins his testimony to the Sanhedrin, but not to save himself.
“The high priest said, “Are these things so?” 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, and said to him, ‘Leave your country and your relatives, and come into the land that I will show you.’ Then he left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. From there, after his father died, God had him move to this country in which you are now living. But He gave him no inheritance in it, not even a foot of ground, and yet, even when he had no child, He promised that He would give it to him as a possession, and to his descendants after him.
But God spoke to this effect, that his descendants would be aliens in a foreign land, and that they would be enslaved and mistreated for four hundred years. ‘And whatever nation to which they will be in bondage I Myself will judge,’ said God, ‘and after that they will come out and serve Me in this place.’ And He gave him the covenant of circumcision; and so Abraham became the father of Isaac, and circumcised him on the eighth day; and Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob of the twelve patriarchs.”
Acts 7:1-8 NASB1995
I found the graphic (above) from the Hampton Roads Church Website (artist unknown). They describe Stephen in the accompanying article as transitioning from a busboy (food provider) to the catalyst for world missions. As Stephen stands before the council, the High Priest asks if these things are so (the things that Stephen is preaching). So Stephen gives these “experts” a history lesson to show how Jesus is indeed the Messiah. He starts by talking about the covenant promise to Abraham, which did not need a physical temple for these promises to be revealed to Abraham by God. Here’s what Enduring Word says about Stephen’s testimony:
Are these things so? The high priest invited Stephen to explain himself in light of the accusations recorded in Acts 6:11-14. Stephen was accused to speaking blasphemous words against Moses and God, and against this holy place [the temple] and the law. Additionally, they accused him of saying that Jesus would destroy both the temple and the customs delivered by Moses.
In his response Stephen gave a panorama of Old Testament history. We shouldn’t think Stephen instructed the Sanhedrin on points of Jewish history they were ignorant of. Instead, Stephen emphasized some things in Jewish history they may not have considered: That God never confined Himself to one place (like the temple), and that the Jewish people had a habit of rejecting those God sends to them.
This really was not a defense. Stephen wasn’t interested in defending himself. He simply wanted to proclaim the truth about Jesus in a way people could understand. He was “Apparently not making a special defense at all or with one syllable referring to his accusers and their false witnesses, he is yet utterly refuting them and making the most effective defense.” (R.C.H Lenski)
“Stephen seems to have perceived…that the old order of things was passing away and a new order was coming. This becomes particularly clear when he talks about the temple. It was cherished by the Jews. But it was destined to pass away, and Stephen seemed to have sensed that. His speech is a transition speech that paves the way for presenting the gospel to the Gentiles, which begins in the very next chapter of Acts.” (James Montgomery Boice)
“Such a speech as this was by no means calculated to secure an acquittal before the Sanhedrin. It is rather a defense of pure Christianity as God’s appointed way of worship.” (F.F. Bruce)
Stephen is already probably gazing upwards towards Heaven as he gives this sermon. He is not defending himself, but is expertly explaining the events to the accusers. According to Precept Austin, the name Stephen means “victor’s crown”. He goes through the history of Abraham’s journey and the birth of the next two patriarchs Isaac and Jacob. The promise is made and at that point in history, it is believed.
The New Testament would mean nothing without the Old Testament. Those who discard the stories that lead up to Jesus and the Crucifixion and Resurrection do not understand the promises and covenants that God made that point to this very act. I like this commentary from John MacArthur in Precept Austin:
Some people have said, and it's nothing new, it's rather old, "Forget about the Old Testament. All we really need is the New Testament." And there are many people who carry around a New Testament who know very little about the Old Testament. Some people would say, "Well, Abraham and Moses have very little to do with us. All we need to do is stick to the things that are revealed at the coming of Christ and afterwards."And some people would cut off the New Testament from the Old, Christ from Israel. Martin Luther faced it in his own day, and he made this statement: "The Old Testament is the cradle in which the Christ child is laid." It is not irrelevant to study the Old Testament, for the New Testament finds its birth in the Old. The Old Testament heritage supports the New Testament and explains it. And that is exactly Stephen's point as he preaches in Acts 7. He builds everything he says on the Old Testament. And our faith in Jesus Christ is rooted upon the fact of the Old Testament, that He is the Redeemer promised to Israel, the one who fulfills all of the Old Testament types, patterns and prophecies. And this is the way Stephen directs his attention, and the attention of his hearers, in chapter 7.
This sermon is the longest in Acts, although my devotional for this first part is rather short. This first part of his sermon referencing the Patriarchs, is intended to refute the charge of blasphemy against God by showing that God spoke to Abraham in a far-off land.
My next devotional examines Acts 7:9-16 - God’s faithfulness through Joseph.
Heaven on Wheels Daily Prayer:
Dear Lord - I thank You for the history of Your promises to the humans You created as recited by Stephen. Amen!
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Enduring Word commentary by David Guzik is used with written permission.
Precept Austin was accessed on 9/7/2024 to review the commentary for Acts 7:1-8