Martyrdom of Stephen— Acts 6:8-8:3 By Pastor Jim Gray
Part 3. The Speech of Stephen continued. 7:17-50
God Provided a Savior: Moses—7:17-43
Stephen now proceeds to Moses. The major emphases in
this section of his speech are: (1) God raise a deliverer for His people. (2) God works outside the land. (3) To set up
the idea of rejection by God’s people of His deliverer. He sees Jesus as the
new Moses. Stephen spends more time on Moses than anyone else. The pattern of
the life of Jesus with the presentation of Moses by Stephen is parallel:[1]
MOSES JESUS
Powerful in words and works (Acts
7:22)
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Powerful in words and works (Luke
24:19)
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Educated in wisdom (Acts 7:22)
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Educated in wisdom (Luke 24:19, 52)
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Denied (7:35)
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Denied (Acts 3:14, 17, 26)
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Leader (7:35)
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Leader (Acts 3:13)
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Ascends to Mt Sinai (7:38)
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Jesus ascends to heaven (Acts 2:33)
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The 40 years in Egypt
Time of Bondage. “But
as the time the promise was approaching which God assured to Abraham, the
people increased and multiplied in Egypt
until there arose another king over Egypt who knew nothing about Joseph. It was
he who took shrewd advantage of our race and mistreated our fathers so that
they would expose their infants and they would not survive” (7:17-19). God
blessed the people in Egypt as the promise was approaching. The exodus is
viewed in the light of the Abrahamic Covenant, not the Mosaic. Note that it was
an appointed time (the time of the
promise was approaching)—fulfillment language. Just like the death of
Christ (Gal 4:4) and Pentecost (Acts 2:16), all were appointed times of
fulfillment. At the time in Egypt, God’s people were increasing in numbers
(Exodus 1:8-16). The increase brought fear to the Egyptians. When a new king
arose, he plotted to decrease the population. The word another means another of a different kind. It suggests that a new
dynasty in Egypt came into power. This new king ordered the male children
killed. Infanticide was a common method of limiting population in the ancient
world, even during the New Testament times (cf. Matt. 2:16-23). Like their forefathers, Israel was
living in appointed times.
Birth of Moses. “It
was at this time that Moses was born, and
he was lovely in the sight of God and he was nurtured three months in his
father’s home. And after he had been set outside, Pharaoh’s daughter took him
away and nurtured him as her own son” (7:20-21). Again, God works in His time, and when His
appointed time had come, Moses was (Ex. 2:2-10). described as being “lovely in the sight of God.” This is a
Hebrew idiom of beauty. Bock says it deals more with breeding than looks.[2] It
signifies grace. Moses from the very start was an object of God’s grace and
favored for special work in the plan and purpose of God. At the age of three months, Moses was
hidden in a basket on the river Nile, where the daughter of Pharaoh
found and took him. Phillips identifies her as Hatshepsut, the daughter of
Thutmose I (1528-1508 BC).[3] The
term for took him away[4] (took him up--KJV) can mean either to lift up
or to kill. Here in the middle voice, it
indicates that Moses was lifted up out of the river for one’s self. It has the
idea of lifting up to nurture him as her child. In the LXX it is the word
indicating the origin and meaning of Moses name. He was drawn up out of the
water. Could it be that the word is used to indicate that not only was he
lifted out of the water, but that murder would be a part of his life as well
(7:24,28)?
Education of Moses. “Moses was educated in all the learning of the Egyptians, and he was a
man of power in words and deeds” (7:22). Moses had a high degree of
learning. He was educated in one of the highest and best education systems at
that time. Every indication is that he was an honor student. Some have taken
the words man of power in words and deeds
as a summary statement of all of Moses life, stating that Moses said he was not
a good speaker (Ex. 4:10-17).[5]
This is an unnecessary conclusion; it speaks of his words as a ruler. As the
second in command his words and deeds where powerful. It should not be taken as
to the manner of Moses speech but the authority of his words and deeds. His
word would be law.
Moses and His Brethren. After giving a brief
background of Moses in Egypt, Stephen now jumps to the end of his stay in
Egypt. It was the event that made Moses leave Egypt and give up his seat of
power and privilege. Acts 7:23-28 makes three points:
·The Visit of Moses. “But when he was approaching the age of forty, it entered his mind to
visit his brethren, the sons of Israel” (7:23). At this point in his life, he began thinking about His own
people—his heritage. While he was raised in a pagan court, Moses was still
uneasy in his heart and soul. Even in this pagan environment, Moses was able to sustain and act in faith (Heb.
11:24-26). He made a decision to visit his people, the sons of Israel. There is
a number of terms used to confirm that Stephen saw these events in a fulfillment
motif[6]—approaching the age of forty, entered his
mind (lit. arose in Moses’ heart), God was granting, etc. Stephen sees and
emphasizes the outworking of the plan of God in the life of Moses. The word visit is an
interesting word, for it is important to Luke who uses it in a divine
sense of Godly visits or the visitation of God (Luke 1:68; 7:16; 19:44)[7] No
doubt, Stephen is using the word as a parallel to Jesus’ life and visitation.
Moses, like Jesus, leaves his royal surroundings to go to the slave camps to visit
his people and to help them. The passage takes on the feel of identification as
well as visitation.· The Intervention of Moses. “And when he saw one [of the] being treated unjustly, he defended him and took vengeance for the suppressed by striking down the Egyptian” (7:24). Slavery breeds social and physical mistreatment and injustice. On his visit to his brethren, Moses observes one of his brethren being physically abused. This led Moses to come to the Israelite’s defense by exacting vengeance and fatally hitting the Egyptian.
· The Misreading of Moses. It is clear that the Israelites of Moses day misread the motive of Moses. “And he supposed that his brethren understood that God was granting them deliverance through him, but they did not understand” (7:25). This verse reveals the thoughts of Moses. Inherent in this statement are several factors: (1) It indicates Moses religious and spiritual condition while at the same time a ruler of Egypt. (2) He sees himself as carrying out the will of God. (3) He understands His calling or mission in life. (4) He was an agent or instrument of God. The phrase “was granting them” indicates Moses saw his action as the first step of deliverance.[8] Lenski, however, is right when he observes that much here is veiled,[9] and there are unanswered questions. While Moses had some insight into these things, the people did not. They did not understand. Stephen centers upon their misreading and misunderstanding Moses. “On the following day he appeared to them as they were fighting together, and he tried to reconcile them in peace, saying, ‘Men, you are brethren, why do you injure one another?’ But the one who was injuring his neighbor pushed him away, saying, “Who made you a ruler and judge over us? You do not mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday, do you?’ (7:26-28). Moses is confronted with his act. It must have been a shock to him. He thought no one knew of the event. But be sure your sin will find you out.
Upon realization that his secret is out, “Moses fled and became an alien in the land of Midian
40 Years in Midian (7:29-34)
Stephen now deals with the call of Moses. He skips all of the forty years leading to this event at the end of this time. For 40 years he was shepherding his flock in the wilderness of Midian. Then, “After forty years had passed…” (7:30). (Again, the fulfillment motif is used.) It was a time Moses’ world is turned upside down. “An angel appeared to him in the wilderness of
· The event bestows God’s endorsement to the rejected one. Moses was rejected by the nation 40 years before. Stephen is reinforcing the motif of God’s leadership and their rejection of those leaders and leads to the climax of the sermon where rejection is made more explicit.
· For a second time, Stephen is showing that God’s revelation is not confined to the temple or the land. Both Moses commission and later the Law is given at Mt Sinai. Bock notes: “The important revelation came in the desert. The rabbis taught that this locale showed that no place was too desolate for God’s presence…. Given the debate about the sacredness of the temple, Stephen appears to make a similar point. Holy Ground is where God is.”[11]
40 Years in the wilderness (7:35-43)
At this point,
Stephen’s speech becomes more dramatic and explicit by a series of emphatic statements.
These emphatic statements emphasize Moses’ success as a deliverer through the
power of God. These statements are marked off by the demonstrative pronouns
normally translated with the word “this” in our text, but not exclusively.[12] These statements are:
· This (touton) Moses whom
they disowned, saying ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge?’ (7:35).
· The one (touton) whom God sent to be both a ruler and a
delivered with the heap of the angel who appeared to him in the thorn bush. (7:35).
· This (houtos) man led
them out performing wonders and signs in the land` of Egypt and in the Red Sea
and in the wilderness for forty years. (7:36).
· This (houtos) is the Moses
who said to the sons of Israel, ‘God will raise up for you a prophet like me
from your brethren.’ (7:37). · This (houtos)is the one who was in the congregation in the wilderness together with the angel who was speaking to him on Mount Sinai, and who was with our fathers, and he received living oracles to pass on to you. (7:38).
Clearly, Stephen is setting up Moses as a type of Christ. Stephen
sees Jesus as the promised prophet that Moses foretold (7:37). Moses was a
deliverer, prophet, working signs and wonders, and giver of the words of life. In
giving these emphatic statements about the greatness of Moses as the agent of
God now turns to the reaction by the people of Israel Egypt Egypt , Egypt
The result of such actions was God’s denial and
judgment. “But God turned away and
delivered them up to serve the host of heaven; as it is written in the book of
the prophets, ‘It was not to Me that you offered victims and sacrifices forty
years in the wilderness, was it, O house of Israel? You also took along the
tabernacle of Molach and the star of the God Rompha, the images which you made
to worship, I also will remove you beyond Babylon
· He turned away
from them. The word
means to change or turn one’s course of
dealing, in the middle voice, indicating the turning of oneself about.
· He gave them over to their desire. Paul uses the same
language in Romans 1:24, 26, 28, of the Gentiles. Stephen is here using it in
reference to Israel. Israel became the same as Gentiles by their actions. Thus,
God gave them over to their desires. Bruce remarks that “These are
terrible words, but the principle that men and women are given up to the due
consequences of their own settle choice is well established in scripture and
experience.”[15] What
he gave them over too was to serve the
host of heaven. This phrase is not
referring to the God of creation, but to the heavenly creation—the sun, moon, and
stars. It is a rebuke of their disobedience by such worship through rejection
and unfaithfulness to the Word of God This type of worship by the Jews is well documented
throughout the Old Testament (Lev. 18:21; 20:2-5; Deut. 4:19; Ezek. 20:10-26;
Hos. 9:10). Stephen cites Amos 5:25-27 (LXX) as evidence of the accusation. The
prophets’ prophecies also testify to the condition of Israel. In that passage, we see two references to these gods: the tabernacle of Molach and the star of the
God Rompha. Molach is the English
form of Molech.[16] Molech
was the national god of Ammon (1 Kings 11:7) and is connected with child
sacrifice. Molech may be identified with Muluk who was worshipped at Mari
around 1800 B.C.[17] He was
known as the Venus’ star.[18] Rampha is believed to be a reference to
Repa, a name for Saturn, a god of Egypt.[19]
Both gods mentioned are connected to heavenly bodies and their worship.
What is clear from this section on Moses is the idea of repeated rejection of God’s appointed leader and his message. Far from speaking against Moses, Stephen upheld the honor of the great prophet and leader.
The truth
about the Tabernacle/Temple (7:44-50).
Stephen picks up on the idea of the tabernacle of
Moloch contrasted to the tabernacle to transition into their view of the Temple Temple
· The tabernacle was made according to a divine pattern,
and preserved and used “until the time of David.”
·The verses are designed to bring our focus on David,
who found grace in God’s sight.[20]
· It was David’s desire to build the temple, not God’s,
but God granted his request for the temple. However, David was not to build it,
it was to be built by Solomon.[21]
God is not limited to the temple. “However, the Most High does not dwell in [houses] made by [human] hands; as the prophet says: ‘Heaven is My throne, and earth is the footstool of My feet; What kind of house will you build for Me?’ says the Lord, ‘Or what place is there for My repose? Was it not My hand which made all these things?’’ (7:48-50). The word “However” is a transition word. It shifts the focus to the God. The principle is clear—God does not dwell in houses made with human hands. He cannot be confined to a place. How can the creator be confined to the creation? Even Solomon the builder of the temple recognized this—1 Kings 8:27-30. However, the quote Stephen uses is from Isa.66:1. It stresses God’s sovereignty and imminence. Longenecker points out,
“Judaism never taught that God actually lived in the
temple or was confined to its environs to spoke of his ‘Name’ and presence as
being there. In practice, however, this concept was often denied. This would
especially appear so to Stephen when
further divine activity was refused out-of-hand by the people in their
preference for God’s past revelation and redemption as symbolized in the
existence of the temple.”[22]
Stephen is reminding them
that the temple was not the primary site of God and His work. In this speech, he is emphasizing that many of the
great revelations taken place outside the land and before the temple. God’s
work and person are above it and not confined to it. Their history does not bear
out their disproportionate sense of devotion or reverence for this location of
granite stones. The words of Jesus about the temple being desolate can almost
be heard in Stephens words (cf. Matt. 23:37-39). They worshiped the temple, not
the God of the temple is the point that Stephen is making (cf. 7:43). They put
the place before the person.
To be continued…
[2] Bock, BECNT: ACTS,
290.
[3] John Phillips,
EXPLORING ACTS, [Kregel, Grand Rapids
[5] Utley, ACTS,
103.
[6] Larkin, ACTS, 112.
[7] Bock, BECNT, ACTS, 291; Knowling, EBC: ACTS,
183.
[8] Knowling, EBC: ACTS, 189.
[9] Lenski, ACTS, 277.
[10] Constable, ACTS, 108.
[11] Ibid, 294.
[12] Peterson, PNTC: ACTS, 257, fn 49; Lenski, ACTS, 284. Wallace remarks
that these types of pronouns would normally be deleted in translation, but “at
times, it has great rhetorical power and the English should reflect this,” BEYOND
THE BASICS, 329-330. This is the case here.
[13] Schrenk, “Qelw,” (Kittle) THEOLOGICAL
DICTIONARY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT, 3:52.
[14] Lenski, ACTS, 288.
[15] Bruce, NICNT: ACTS, 144.
[16] Unger, “Moloch,” THE NEW UNGER’S BIBLE
DICTIONARY, 488.
[17] Thompson, J. A., “Molech,” THE ILLUSTRATED
BIBLE DICTIONARY, 2:1018.
[18] Larkin, ACTS 117.
[19] Bruce, NICNT: 145, fn 70.
[20] Bock, BECNT: ACTS, 301 points out that many
see verses 44-45 as a transition into the time of David.
[21] Bruce, NICNT: ACTS, `50-151 seems to take the
view that the argument of Stephen is the temple was inferior tor the tabernacle;
that the Temple ’s permanence halted the advance
of the divine plan for Israel
[22] Longenecker, EBC: ACTS, 9:346.
