Stephen 002

Martyrdom of Stephen— Acts 6:8-8:3     By Pastor Jim Gray

Part 2. The Speech of Stephen 7:1-16

The speech of Stephen to the Sanhedrin is the longest speech in the book of Acts. This alone makes it significant. It is critical to the development of the story of Acts and is another appeal by the Holy Spirit to Israel concerning rejection of the Messianic kingdom. It is rooted in history and is a call to Israel not to repeat their history and enter into a new history. It is not so much a defense but an offensive indictment against the national leadership. Harrison points out that it is different from earlier speeches in Acts “in that Christ is not prominent, being introduced only at the end (v. 52) and then not by name.”[1] The main theme of Stephen is that of rejection by the nation of God’s prophets and message. The sermon deals with Israel, not the Gentiles. It denotes Israel’s continued rejection and opposition to God’s opportunity of grace. Lenski titles the speech: “God’s Grace is met by Israel’s Disobedience.”[2] His speech demonstrates the reversal of Israel’s condition from what God intended. Keener diagrams the reversal this way:[3]

Abraham                                                                        Israel

God “resettled” Abraham (7:4)	God “resettled” Israel by exile (7:43)
Abraham’s descendants should worship God (7:7)	Israel worships idolatrously (7:42)
God grants the covenant of Circumcision (7:8)	The covenant-breaking accusers have uncircumcised hearts (7:51).

Message of Stephen—7:1-53

First, there is an invitation to Stephen by the question, “Are these things so?” (7:1). This question was posed to him by the High Priest concerning the charges against him. The High Priest was Caiaphas. It opened the door for Stephen to give his defense, which Stephen gladly step through to give the message of God. He responds with the following speech.

A Call to Listen—7:1-2a

“Hear me, brethren and fathers!” (7:2a). The call to pay special attention to what he is going to say is an imperative. Who is to listen are the “brothers and fathers.” Both terms indicate Jewish listeners with a common heritage. Both knew and revered the acts of God through the nation in history. The speech is presented as a review of common history, but he introduces a personal element with phrases “in which you are now living” (7:4), and “you” (7:38). In using the pronoun, you, he is distinguishing the leaders from the believing remnant.

The Abrahamic Covenant—7:2b-8

Stephen begins with the beginning and the foundation of the nation—Abraham and the Covenant (Gen. 12:1-3). The Abrahamic covenant is the foundational promises; all other covenants are extensions of this covenant. He recounts the events.

He begins with God. “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’” (7:2b-3). God spoke to Abraham in Mesopotamia, not Canaan. It is a contrast and challenge to traditional thinking of the time that revelation was confined to the land and the temple.[4] The land of Israel was a place of special pride to the leadership of the nation, believing the land was true orthodoxy was bound to being in the land. Stephen is making a sharp contrast, pointing out that orthodoxy is not limited to Israel, and can be found outside the land. The history of Israel were immigrants (Abraham, Joseph, and Moses). He understands Genesis 11:31-12:3 as indicating God already appeared to Abraham before Harran. The phrase “God of glory” indicates God’s glory appearing to Abraham, which is a divine visitation. It marks the grace of God being shown to this idol worshipper (cf. Deut. 26:5). God called Abraham while in Ur to go to a land he will be shown. In truth, the process of the beginning of the salvation of Israel began outside the land. This is an important point in the argument of Stephen.

There are a number of difficulties to the chronology within Stephens’s speech. The first one is given in Genesis 12:1 and implies by its juxtaposition with verse 2 that this command came to Abraham while in Mesopotamia, before living in Haran, whereas Genesis implies it came in Harran. A solution to this problem is best given by Peterson, who writes:

If Genesis 11:31-32 gives background information about Abram’s family and homeland and 12:1-3 sets out the divine word that prompted his journey, there is no conflict. Even though the LXX of Genesis 12:1 (‘and the Lord said’) implies a simple sequence from the events described in chapter 11, Stephen could have been influenced by a tradition of interpretation that allowed for a harmonization with Genesis 15:7; Joshua 14:2-3, and Nehemiah 9:7. His understanding is that God first spoke to Abraham in Ur and that God was thus the initiator and director of the whole process of salvation from the very beginning.[5]

Therefore, in obedience to God, Abraham “left the land of the Chaldeans and settle in Harran” (7:4). The land of the Chaldeans is synonymous with Mesopotamia. He left Ur and stayed in Harran until the death of his father. Then God sent him on to the land of promise. Stephen makes a direct connection with God’s revelation and promise to Abraham in Mesopotamia and his listeners concerning “this land where you are now living.” This reinforces the idea that revelation was not confined to the land and the temple. In +fact, the revelation came outside the land. By this emphasis, Stephen is in a sense paving the way for the gospel to go beyond the borders of Israel by Peter and later Paul. God is not confined by borders.

This verse presents another problem of chronology. The text of Stephen’s speech says Abraham left Haran after the death of father, whereas Genesis 11:26-12:4 indicates his death was after Abraham’s departure. Terah was said to be 205 when he died. If Abraham was born when he was 70, Terah would have been 145 when Abraham left Haran at the age of 75. Two possible solutions have been suggested: First, there has been the suggestion in that Stephen was following the Samaritan Pentateuch which gives Terah’s age as 145 when he died. This suggestion compromises a high view of Scripture, and is not very satisfying. The second and better suggestion is that Abraham may have not been the oldest son, although listed first in the Genesis text. Larkin holds this, saying:

If we take Abraham not as Terah’s eldest but as his youngest son, though he is mentioned first because of his prominence in the narrative, it is possible to propose that he was born sometime after Terah was seventy, even sixty years later—that is, when he was 130. This would account for the missing sixty years and harmonize the passages.[6]

“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” (7:5). This reinforces the idea that promise and faith go together; however, it is to be supplemented by obedience. When all seems impossible, God promised and Abraham believed, even though he had no inheritance, and no child. All He had was God’s promise in which he believed and acted upon it. Obedience was a reaction to the promise and faith. He had faith that God would grant the land and give Him a child (cf. Gen. 12:7; 17:8, 15:6). He knew God was faithful to His word. The reference to inheritance and not having a foot of ground refers to Abraham as a nomad, wondering up and down the land, but not having settled in the land. In Genesis 23 Abraham did obtain the cave of Machpelah, but did not gain full custody of the land of promise. It was only a burial place. Although realization never came to Abraham, the promise was for his future descendants; a guarantee of eschatological promise and possession of the land.

“But God spoke to this effect, that his ‘descendants would be aliens in a foreign land, and 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’” (7:6-7). This is a prophetic quote of Genesis 15:13-14, and a fragment of Exodus 3:12. “Employment of a fragment from one text to interpret another was common Jewish practice,” notes Peterson.[7] Stephen clearly refers of the bondage that took place in Egypt and lasted 400 years. The time reference has caused some confusion among Bible students, since Exodus 12:40 has 430 years. Some hold that the 400 years is a rounded number.[8] Others take it more precise. Constable suggests in the following chart how the numbers for the Exodus should be taken:[9]

Israel in Egypt

1875                       1845                                        1446               1396

                                              ----------------------------------------------------------------

                                                           430 year sojourn in Egypt [Gal. 3:17]

                                                                          --------------------------------------------

                                                                                      400 years in Bondage [Gal. 15:13]

                                                                          ------------------------------------------------------------------

                                                                               "About" 450 years of Bondage, wondering, 

                                                                                    & conquest [Acts 13;19-20]

                                      |                          |                                          |                |

                                Jacob                    Israel                                Exodus        Conquest

                                moves to              enslaved

                                Egypt

The unfolding of God’s plan for Israel began way before the people went into Canaan. It began with Abraham who was given the sign of relationship in the covenant of circumcision. “And He gave him the covenant of circumcision; and so [Abraham] became the father of Isaac, and circumcised him on the eight day; and Isaac [became the father of] Jacob, and Jacob [of] the twelve patriarchs” (7:8). Circumcision was the seal and sign of the covenant made with Abraham. It confirmed the promise of God. Necessitated in this promise was not just deliverance, but also judgment upon those who cursed Abraham and his seed (v.6-7). The sign was carried on with the patriarchs and the tribes showing that the promise stood.

God’s Faithfulness to His Covenant and People—7:9-16

“The patriarchs became jealous of Joseph and sold him into Egypt. [Yet] God was with him, and rescued him from all his afflictions, and granted him favor and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and he made him governor over Egypt and all his household” (7:9-10). Again God was faithful in the life of His people outside the land and the temple even when they are not. This is clearly seen in the structure of verses 9-10:

Cause: Patriarchs became jealous of Joseph

                                                                Action: Sold Joseph into bondage

Cause: Yet God was with him

                                                                Action: Rescued him

Cause: Granted him grace (favor) and wisdom before Pharaoh

                                                                Action: appointed him governor

God revealed Himself in Mesopotamia and to Joseph in Egypt—outside the land—emphasizing the working of God is unrestricted as to location. Stephen takes up the history of the nation in Egypt. God worked on behalf of His people by grace. While the patriarchs sold Joseph and rejected him, God saved and empowered him. This is to support his point that the leadership is rejecting the chosen one, just as was Joseph.

God’s promise to judge the oppressors of His people originated in the Abrahamic Covenant. Could it be that Stephen is bringing this up because now the leadership of Israel was the oppressors? They have rejected God, crucified the Son, and now hardening their heart to the Spirit, in rejecting the risen Christ. As God judged His people’s oppression, as now they are the oppressors—prohibiting preaching, beating, and arresting—the true people of God (believers, i.e. the remnant), are they not now setting themselves up to be judged? Stephen is making the parallel between them and Egypt. They handed over Jesus, just as they had handed over Joseph in like fashion is the allusion: thereby, setting up the circumstances for judgment. This judgment was a physical famine in Canaan and Egypt in the days of the fathers (7:11). The word for food means folder for animals or food for man. Bock says it “may suggest that not even the worst kind of food was available.”[10] The parallel is obvious; rejection brought spiritual famine that will lead to the physical destruction of the city and temple. God responds to rejection with retribution (judgment).

“But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our fathers [there] the first time. On the second [visit] Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and Joseph’s family was disclosed to Pharaoh. Then Joseph sent [word] and invited Jacob his father and all his relatives to come to him, seventy-five persons [in all]. And Jacob went down to Egypt and [there] He and our fathers died. [From there] they were removed to Shechem and laid in the tomb which Abraham had purchased from a sum on money from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.” (7:11-16). There are two primarily purposes here in Stephens speech:[11] First, it shows a remarkable similarity between Joseph and Jesus. Both were rejected and became Saviors of their people. Baker’s comments:

“Joseph is nowhere called a type of Christ, but the events of his life so parallel those of Christ that it can hardly be doubted that Stephen considered him to be one. Joseph was ordained of God to be the leader of His people, but his brethren conspired against him and figuratively put him to death. In the meantime, Joseph rose up from the pit where his brothers had thrown him, became the savior of the known world and was exalted at the right hand of the King. At the second time, corresponding to the second coming of Christ, Joseph revealed himself to his brothers, forgave them, and established them in the most fruitful place in the land.”[12]

Second, it shows the miraculously preserving and faithfulness of God to his people. Even in great famine, God provided a way for his people to survive as a people, even before they were a nation. Through Joseph the grace and kindness of God was demonstrated to His brethren.

to be continued…

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[1]  Harrison, ACTS, 120

[2]  Lenski, ACTS,  260.

[3]  Keener, ACTS, 1357, lightly edited.

[4]  Peterson, PNTC: ACTS, 248; Keener, BIBLE BACKGROUND, 340.

[5]  Ibid, 271-272.

[6]  Larkin, TNTC: ACTS, 107.

[7]  Peterson, PNTC: ACTS, 250.

[8]  Bock, BECNT: ACTS, 284.

[9]  Constable, ACTS, 103.

[10]  Bock, BECNT: ACTS, 287.

[11]  Constable, ACTS, 104

[12]  Baker, ACTS, 41-42.