Chapter 7
These notes are taken from the following teachers’ commentaries: John Wesley, Chuck Smith, Craig Keener, Tony Evans, Andrew Womack, and Stanley Horton. Comments are also taken from The Passion Translation notes (TPT). Translations are taken from biblegateway.com (AMP for Amplified Bible). It is hoped that the notes will be helpful to provide background material for personal devotions.
Verse 2-4 (Verse 1 is included in Acts 6:15 section).
AMP. And he answered, brothers and fathers, listen to me! The God of glory appeared to our forefather Abraham when he was still in Mesopotamia, before he went to live in Haran. And He said to him, leave your country and your relatives and come to the land (region) that I will point out to you. So, then he left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. And from there, after his father died, God moved him to this land in which you are now living.”
Horton. Stephen begins in respect and recites a history that they all knew very well. He was not defending himself, but the gospel and showing the OT parallel with how Israel treated their prophets and how the Sanhedrin treated Jesus. God appeared to Abraham in Ur of the Chaldeans (Iraq). Abraham moved to Haran (modern day Turkey). See Neh. 9:7. (Terah’s age in Gen. 11:26 is his age at the birth of his oldest son. Abraham was born 60 years later.). Abraham was sent to the land that would later become Israel.
Smith. According to the law if anyone performs miracles and attributes them to another god besides Yahweh, he is to killed. Stephen begins to showing his relationship to Abraham. God’s first call to Abraham was when he was living in Babylon. God told him to leave his family, but Abraham only partially obeyed. He took some of his family with him as far as Haran. Later he continued to take Lot with him. So, there were flaws with Abraham. God fulfilled His promise to Abraham as witnessed by the fact that they lived there.
Womack. Stephen’s defense didn’t focus on the accusations. Instead, he asserted his identity as a Jew by tracing Jewish history. Just as the Jewish nation as a whole had resisted God throughout history, so they were resisting God now by rejecting the Messiah, Jesus Christ, whom God had sent (Acts 7:51-53).
Wesley. And he said - St. Stephen had been accused of blasphemy against Moses, and even against God; and of speaking against the temple and the law, threatening that Jesus would destroy the one, and change the other. In answer to this accusation, rehearsing as it were the articles of his historical creed, he speaks of God with high reverence, and a grateful sense of a long series of Acts of goodness to the Israelites, and of Moses with great respect, on account of his important and honorable employments under God: of the temple with regard, as being built to the honor of God; yet not with such superstition as the Jews; putting them in mind, that no temple could comprehend God. And he was going on, no doubt, when he was interrupted by their clamor, to speak to the last point, the destruction of the temple, and the change of the law by Christ. Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken - The sum of his discourse is this: I acknowledge the glory of God revealed to the fathers, Acts 7:2, the calling of Moses, Acts 7:34 &c; the dignity of the law, Acts 7:8, Acts 7:38, Acts 7:44 ; the holiness of this place, Acts 7:7, Acts 7:45, Acts 7:47 . And indeed, the law is more ancient than the temple, the promise more ancient than the law. For God showed himself the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and their children freely, Acts 7:2, &c; Acts 7:9, &c; Acts 7:17, &c; Acts 7:32, Acts 7:34-35 and they showed faith and obedience to God, Acts 7:4, Acts 7:20, &c; Acts 7:23 particularly by their regard for the law, Acts 7:8 and the promised land, Acts 7:16 . Meantime, God never confined his presence to this one place or to the observers of the law. For he hath been acceptably worshipped before the law was given, or the temple built, and out of this land, Acts 7:2, Acts 7:9, Acts 7:33, Acts 7:44 . And that our fathers and their posterity were not tied down to this land, their various sojourning’s, Acts 7:4, &c; Acts 7:14, Acts 7:29, Acts 7:44 and exile, Acts 7:43, show. But you and your fathers have always been evil, Acts 7:9 have withstood Moses, Acts 7:25, &c; Acts 7:39, &c; have despised the land, Acts 7:39, forsaken God, Acts 7:40, &c, superstitiously honored the temple, Acts 7:48, resisted God and his Spirit, Acts 7:50, killed the prophets and the Messiah himself, Acts 7:51, and kept not the law for which ye contend, Acts 7:53 . Therefore, God is not bound to you; much less to you alone. And truly this solemn testimony of Stephen is most worthy of his character, as a man full of the Holy Ghost, and of faith and power: in which, though he does not advance so many regular propositions, contradictory to those of his adversaries, yet he closely and nervously answers them all. Nor can we doubt but he would, from these premises, have drawn inferences touching the destruction of the temple, the abrogation of the Mosaic law, the punishment of that rebellious people; and above all, touching Jesus of Nazareth, the true Messiah, had not his discourse been interrupted by the clamors of the multitude, stopping their ears, and rushing upon him. Men, brethren, and fathers - All who are here present, whether ye are my equals in years, or of more advanced age. The word which in this and in many other places is rendered men is a mere expletive. The God of glory - The glorious God, appeared to Abraham before he dwelt in Haran - Therefore Abraham knew God, long before he was in this land. Genesis 12:1. Which I will show thee — Abraham knew not where he went. After his father was dead — While Terah lived, Abraham lived partly with him, partly in Canaan: but after he died, altogether in Canaan.
Stephen, speaking under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, gave us details and insights into Old Testament events - enhancing our understanding of what happened. For instance, Stephen said that God appeared to Abram. We do not know this from the Genesis account. Stephen also reports that the Lord told Abram to leave his country before he dwelt in Haran. If we read Genesis 11:31-12:4 without the aid of Stephen’s statements, we might think God spoke to Abram when he was living in Haran. Therefore, we conclude that Terah, Abram’s father, took his family from Ur of the Chaldees and headed toward Canaan (Genesis 11:31). In route, the Lord appeared to Abram in Mesopotamia and gave him instructions before he arrived in Haran. Upon closer examination, we can see this in Genesis 12:1. The scripture says, “The Lord had said unto Abram” (emphasis mine). Thus, Stephen’s explanation of Jewish history does not contradict Old Testament accounts but enhances and clarifies it. God commanded Abram to leave his kindred and country. Abram left his country, but he went with his kindred. He dwelt in Haran with his father and nephew, Lot, for at least forty years. And even then, Abram kept Lot and his family with him. Abram seemed slow to obey the Lord’s instructions. Abram actually stayed in Haran forty years before he obeyed the Lord and came into the land of Canaan.
Evans. Stephen was pointing out that Abraham’s relationship with God was key.
TPT notes. The entire Hebrew family, and consequently the life of believers today all began with a divine encounter as the God of Glory appeared before Abraham. It is the same glory that calls people to faith in Christ. We are captured by God’s glory. 2 Pe. 1:3
Verse 5.
AMP. “Yet He gave Abraham no inheritable property in it (in modern Israel), not even enough ground to set his foot on, not even a square foot of ground; but Yahweh promised that He would give it to Him for a permanent possession and to his descendants after him, even though as yet Abraham had no child.”
Horton. God bought the cave of Machpelah to bury Sarah in. God did not give it to him. See Gen. 17:8 for the promise. Abraham trusted God’s word accepted the promise and put his life in God’s hands. See Heb. 11:13. Abraham died in faith. The possession was still in future. Heb. 11:10. Gen. 13: 14-15.
Womack. Abraham and Sarah never saw the fulfillment in their lifetime of God’s promise to give them all Canaan for an inheritance (Hebrews 11:13). Yet they remained faithful to God all their lives. For Abraham, there was at least 140 years of waiting after the Lord first spoke to him. It took 65 years for God’s promise concerning a child to come to pass. Their example serves as inspiration to us as we wait on God-given promises.
Wesley. No, not to set his foot on — For the field mentioned, Acts 7:16, he did not receive by a Divine donation, but bought it; even thereby showing that he was a stranger in the land.
Verse 6-7.
AMP. “And this is in effect what God told him: That his descendants would be aliens and strangers in a land belonging to other people, who would bring them into bondage and ill-treat them 400 years. But I will judge the nation to whom they will be slaves, said God, and after that they will escape and come forth and worship Me in this very place.”
Horton. See Gen. 15:13-14. 400 is a round number here and is given as 430 years in Ex. 12:40-41. Paul seems to understand the 400 years as from Abraham to Moses (Gal. 3:17), but the rabbis took it as 400 years from Isaac’s birth to the Exodus. A nation would make Abraham’s descendants slaves, but God would judge that nation. After that, his descendants would come out to serve/worship Yahweh “in this place” – the promised land.
Evans. Abraham’s descendants would worship Yahweh in present day Israel.
Wesley. They shall serve me — Not the Egyptians.
Womack. This is the time period that God prophesied to Abram in Genesis 15:13. However, because Exodus 12:40-41 states that the children of Israel came out of Egypt after 430 years, some believe that Genesis 15:13, and this reference, are a round number. The 30-year difference becomes important, however, when the 40 years (Acts 7:30) Moses spent in the wilderness after his failed deliverance attempt is subtracted from the 430 years of bondage. Moses killed the Egyptian in an attempt to deliver the Jewish people in the 390th year of their sojourn, or 10 years before the time period prescribed by God in Genesis 15:13 was up. It is most probable that the 400 years spoken by God in Genesis 15:13, and also here, was the exact time the Lord had intended before He delivered the Jewish people from Egypt, but Moses’ self-will exhibited in killing the Egyptian (Exodus 2:12) cost Moses 40 years in the desert and the Israel 30 years of extra bondage.
The Israelites were not slaves in Egypt the entire 400 years. Abram came into Canaan when he was 75 years old (Genesis 12:4). The covenant of Genesis 15:13-16, which prophesied the 400 years, took place at least a year before Ishmael’s birth (Genesis 16:15). That means that Abram could not have been over 85 when this covenant was made (Genesis 16:16 minus nine months), and he could have possibly been in his 70s. Abraham then had Isaac at 100 years of age. When Isaac was 60, Jacob and Esau were born (Genesis 25:26), and Jacob moved to Egypt with his children when he was 130 years old (Genesis 47:9). That was not more than 215 years but at least 205 years after the covenant of Genesis 15 when God spoke of the 400 years that Abram’s seed would be afflicted. Joseph was 39 when his father, Jacob (or Israel), came into Egypt (Genesis 41:46-47 and 45:6), and the Israelites enjoyed freedom throughout the rest of Joseph’s life, another 71 years (Genesis 50:22). That would bring the total elapsed time from the prophecy of Genesis 15 to the death of Joseph to 276-286 years. Exodus 1:8 does not state how long it was after the death of Joseph until another king arose who didn’t know Joseph, but it can be assumed that it was at least a period of some years. That means that the time the Israelites were slaves to the Egyptians was 150 years at most, and probably much less than that. The first-century historian Josephus arrived at this same conclusion when he wrote that the Hebrews left Egypt “four hundred and thirty years after our forefather Abraham came into Canaan, but two hundred and fifteen years after Jacob removed into Egypt.” The maximum time the Israelites could have been oppressed as slaves was 154 years. This prophecy of 400 years was reckoned from the time God spoke to Abram in Genesis 15:13-16. Yet it was accurate to say they would be oppressed during all the 400 years because they were strangers in lands (Canaan and Egypt) that were not theirs that whole time.
Galatians 3:17 confirms that the 430 years of Exodus 12:40 is dated from Abram’s experience in Genesis 15:6-13.
Verse 8.
AMP. “And God made with Abraham a covenant (a set of promises) of which circumcision was the seal. And under these circumstances Abraham became the father of Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day; and Isaac did so when he became the father of Jacob, and Jacob when each of his sons was born, the twelve patriarchs.”
The covenant of circumcision was a covenant assurance of His faithful love. Gen. 17: 10-14.
Womack. This covenant of circumcision was given to Abraham in Genesis 17:9-14. Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised the same day (Genesis 17:23-27). Isaac wasn’t born until the next year and was circumcised then (Genesis 21:3-4).
Wesley. And so, he begat Isaac — After the covenant was given, of which circumcision was the seal. Genesis 17:10.
Smith. God’s covenant with Abraham didn’t happen until Abraham was 99 years old. The Lord appeared to him, changed his name, and gave him the descendant and land promise. The seal of this covenant was circumcision. They were to be a spiritual nation. Circumcision indicates a cutting off of the flesh dominated life. Jer. 24:7. See Ro. 2 25-29. Real circumcision is of the heart and not of the flesh. Dt. 10: 16. Dt. 30:6. The Sanhedrin believed that they were saved by virtue of being Jews; that God created Gentiles to fuel the fires of hell.
Verse 9-10.
AMP. “And the patriarchs, Jacob’s sons, boiling with envy and hatred and anger, sold Joseph into slavery in Egypt; but God was with him. And delivered him from all his distressing afflictions and won him goodwill, favor, wisdom, and understanding in the sight of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who made him governor over Egypt and all his house.”
“And the patriarchs, becoming envious, sold Joseph into Egypt. But God was with him. and delivered him out of all his troubles and gave him favor and wisdom in the presence of Pharaoh, King of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house.
Horton. Jealously caused the Patriarchs to sell Joseph into Egypt, but God delivered him (rescued this rejected person) from his troubles, tribulations distressing circumstances, and in its place, gave him favor with Pharoah and wisdom with which to serve him. Joseph had a supernatural spiritual gift to interpret dreams. God placed Joseph over Pharoah’s business affairs and over Egypt’s government. There is a great contrast between the way Joseph’s brothers treated him and the way God treated him. Stephen is leading the rulers to see the difference between the way they treated Jesus and the way God treated Jesus.
Smith. Gen. 37 is a story of greed, envy, jealousy, paternal disrespect, and deceit.
Evans. Concerning Joseph, unbelieving Jews often rejected those who God sent to them. As Joseph was rejected, so Jesus is rejected.
Womack. James 3:16: Envy opens the door to every evil work. This was graphically illustrated in the way Joseph’s brothers treated him. Just like Joseph, if God is with us, He will overcome any distress in our lives. And God is always with us (Matthew 28:20 and Hebrews 13:5). The Lord didn’t keep afflictions from coming to Joseph, but He delivered him out of them all.
Wesley. But God was with him — Though he was not in this land. Genesis 37:28.
Verses 11-13.
“Now a famine and great trouble came over all the land of Egypt and Canaan, and our fathers found no sustenance. But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent out our fathers first. And the second time Joseph was made known to his brothers, and Joseph’s family became known to the Pharaoh.”
AMP. “Then there came a famine over all of Egypt and Canaan with great distress, and our forefathers could find no fodder for the cattle or vegetable sustenance for their households. But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent forth our forefathers to go there on their first trip. And on their second visit Joseph revealed himself to his brothers, and the family of Joseph became known to Pharaoh and his origin and race.”
Horton. The famine brought distress to the Patriarchs. When Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent his sons to get some. On their second visit, Joseph, now 37 years old, revealed himself to his brothers. Pharoah became aware of Joseph’s ethnicity.
Evans. God exalted Joseph and used him even though his brothers rejected and persecuted him. The Jewish leaders rejected and persecuted Jesus and God highly exalted Him and made Him King of King and Lord of Lords.
Smith. Stephen is building up to the fact that the Jews historically often miss their redeemer. The brothers rejected Joseph’s leadership the first time, but 17 years later accepted it. Jesus was rejected in the main on His first appearance (Lu. 19:14; I Peter 2:7), but when He returns, they will accept Him.
Womack. The Lord used natural occurrences to bring Joseph’s brothers before him. Likewise, the Lord can use natural things to direct us, but it is still the Lord’s leadership. Joseph and his wisdom were renowned, even outside of Egypt. That’s not bad for someone who was rejected by his own family. Serving God pays. This instance is recorded in Genesis 42:1-2 and Genesis 45:1-18.
Wesley. Sent our fathers first — Without Benjamin.
Verses 14-16.
“Then Joseph sent and called his father Jacob and all his relatives to him, seventy-five people. So, Jacob went down to Egypt; and he died, he and our fathers. And they were carried back to Shechem and laid in the tomb that Abraham bought for a sum of money from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem.
AMP. “And Joseph sent an invitation calling to himself Jacob his father and all his kindred, seventy-five persons in all. And Jacob went down into Egypt, where he himself died, as did also our forefathers; And their [a]bodies [Jacob’s and Joseph’s] were taken back to Shechem and laid in the tomb which Abraham had purchased for a sum of silver money from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.
Womack. In Genesis 46:26, sixty-six males went with Jacob into Egypt. This number excludes Jacob himself, and Joseph and his two sons who were already in Egypt. Therefore, adding these four, Genesis 46:27 brings the total male Israelites who went into Egypt to seventy (Deuteronomy 10:22). That makes Stephen’s count five more than the count of Genesis 46:27. It is probable that Stephen was quoting from the Septuagint (a Greek translation of the Hebrew scriptures) that added the four sons of Manasseh and Ephraim and one grandson of Manasseh (Numbers 26:29 and 35) to the list of Genesis 46:26. Therefore, excluding Ephraim’s sons and Manasseh’s sons and grandson, there were seventy male Israelites, and including them, seventy-five. Jacob’s death (or Israel’s, as he was later called [Genesis 32:28]) is recorded in Genesis 49:33. Jacob gave instructions to his children to bury him in the cave that Abraham bought from the children of Heth (Genesis 49:29-32). The burial of Jacob is recorded in Genesis 50:1-13.
Horton. Joseph, Jacob, and perhaps Joseph’s brothers bode were all reburied in Israel. The Sanhedrin refused to believe in Jesus even though God raised Him from the dead, and they knew it.
Wesley. And were carried over to Shechem — It seems that St. Stephen, rapidly running over so many circumstances of history, has not leisure (nor was it needful where they were so well known) to recite them all distinctly. Therefore, he here contracts into one, two different sepulchers, places, and purchases, so as in the former history, to name the buyer, omitting the seller, in the latter, to name the seller, omitting the buyer. Abraham bought a burying place of the children of Heth, Gen. xxiii. Genesis 23:1-20 There Jacob was buried. Jacob bought a field of the children of Hamor. There Joseph was buried. You see here, how St. Stephen contracts these two purchases into one. This concise manner of speaking, strange as it seems to us, was common among the Hebrews; particularly, when in a case notoriously known, the speaker mentioned but part of the story, and left the rest, which would have interrupted the current of his discourse, to be supplied in the mind of the hearer. And laid in the sepulcher that Abraham bought — The first land which these strangers bought was for a sepulcher. They sought for a country in heaven. Perhaps the whole sentence might be rendered thus: So, Jacob went down into Egypt and died, he and our fathers, and were carried over to Shechem, and laid by the sons (that is, descendants) of Hamor, the father of Shechem, in the sepulcher that Abraham bought for a sum of money.
Verse 17-19.
AMP. “But as the time for the fulfillment of the promise drew near which God had made to Abraham, the Hebrew people increased and multiplied in Egypt. Until the time when there arose over Egypt another and different king who did not know Joseph [neither knowing his history and services nor recognizing his merits]. He dealt treacherously with and defrauded our race; he abused and oppressed our forefathers, forcing them to expose their babies so that they might not be kept alive.”
Horton. Stephen deals with the accusation of blaspheming Moses. The Hebrews multiplied and time when God’s fulfillment of His promise drew near. Gen. 15:18. Ex. 1:8 is when a new dynasty arose. He made them throw out their newborn babies. “Thrown out” is a term for exposing babies where the elements or wild animals would cause them to die. The boys were thrown into the Nile.
Womack. God can use the “Egypt” times in our lives for His purposes. Joseph was a powerful and very influential man in Egypt. He had the power of Pharaoh. I’m sure his fame endured long after his death. But eventually another Pharaoh arose who feared the Jews more than he reverenced Joseph. This oppression of the Jews was motivated from this Pharaoh’s own insecurities (Exodus 1:8-10). This is recorded in Exodus 1:15-22.
Wesley. Exposed — Cast out to perish by hunger or wild beasts.
Smith. There is not a “supposed contradiction.”
Verses 20-22.
AMP. “At this juncture Moses was born and was exceedingly beautiful in God’s sight. For three months he was nurtured in his father’s house. Then when he was exposed to perish, the daughter of Pharaoh rescued him, took him, and reared him as her own son. So, Moses was educated in all the wisdom and culture of the Egyptians, and he was mighty and powerful in his speech and deeds.”
Horton. See Heb. 11:23. God was with Moses from his birth. He was no ordinary child. He was “beautiful, lovely, fine to God.” Either God made him that way or considered him so. When exposed, God caused Pharoah’s daughter to take him in. Egyptians had made great strides in engineering, mathematics, astronomy, and medicine.
Smith. The birth of the nation Israel was when Moses took them out of Egypt. For 40 years, Moses had all the educational benefits of Egypt.
Womack. Moses was mighty in words and deeds, early on, but told the Lord in Exodus 4:10-15 that he was not eloquent. I suspect that in the Exodus 4 account, Moses was making excuses trying to sidestep God’s will.
The Egyptians had the most advanced civilization in the world during Moses’ life. For Moses to be “learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians” means he certainly was no dummy, as he claimed to be when trying to dodge God’s call (Exodus 4:10). Josephus, who wrote in the first century a history of the Jewish people, said that Moses was general of the Egyptian army and defeated the invading Ethiopian army.
Wesley. In all the wisdom of the Egyptians — Which was then celebrated in all the world, and for many ages after. And mighty in words — Deep, solid, weighty, though not of a ready utterance.
Verse 23-25.
AMP. “And when he was in his fortieth year, it came into his heart to visit his kinsmen the children of Israel to help them and to care for them. And on seeing one of them being unjustly treated, he defended the oppressed man and avenged him by striking down the Egyptian and slaying him. He expected his brethren to understand that God was granting them deliverance by his hand, taking it for granted that they would accept him, but they did not understand.”
Horton. Moses “decided to visit” “to look after, relieve, protect” his brothers. Heb. 11: 24-25. Seeing on of his brothers being mistreated, he “avenged him or did justice to him” killing the Egyptian. Stephen relates that Israel did not recognize the deliver who God had sent to them. In the same way, they did not recognize Jesus as the savior who God had sent to them. They rejected Jesus, just like their forefathers had rejected Moses.
Wesley. Seeing one wronged — Probably by one of the task masters. They understood it not — Such was their stupidity and sloth, which made him afterward unwilling to go to them.
Smith. Despite being raised with all the educational and other benefits of Egypt, Moses never forgot his people nor his identity with them. In Heb. 11: 24-26, Moses at some point reached the point when he “refused to be called the son of Pharoah’s daughter” and identify with the people of God. Moses knew that a life of sin leads to death. Heb. 11: 27. The secret of endurance is seeing what others do not see. See 2 Cor. 4:18.
Womack. “It came into his heart to visit his brethren.” Many thinks Moses identified with the Israelites only from a sense of justice. But this verse reveals the Lord put them on his heart. He knew the Israelites were his brethren. Moses knew his nationality, and he knew he was called by God to bring deliverance to them (Acts 7:25).
We know Moses’ age when he killed the Egyptian (Exodus 2:12). See also Acts 7:30.
Stephen showed that Moses’ knowingly and intentionally identified from the heart. This same deliberate choice on Moses’ part is emphasized by the account of Hebrews 11:24-25. This is recorded in Exodus 2:11-12.
According to Josephus’ account, Moses was an Egyptian army general who won renown by defeating invading Ethiopian armies. He was a powerful man, a skilled man, a gifted man. He could have thought that God would use him to bring deliverance to the Jews was through his might, power, skill, natural ability – his experience and place in the Egyptian army and court. But it was not God’s plan. Moses made the same mistake that we often make if we think God chose him because of his natural abilities.
Scripture does not explain why Moses supposed the Hebrews would recognize and accept him as God’s deliverer to set them free from Egyptian slavery. But there may be an obvious reason: Moses had been supernaturally spared death as an infant and adopted into the royal family (Exodus 1:15-2:10). A slave by birth had become nobility in Egypt! After Moses knew God’s will for his life, it was logical to think that God would use Moses’ position and prestige to accomplish His will. But that reasoning was wrong! In 1 Corinthians 1:26-30, Paul states that God doesn’t use many people who are “somebodies.” God delights in using “nobodies” so that all the glory goes to Him. Moses learned this the hard way. One of the biggest mistakes believers still make is to suppose the Lord will use people because of their worldly position. In disregard of 1 Timothy 3:6 concerning novices and positions of authority, Christians have thrust into leadership celebrities who become believers. This has not only destroyed many of these celebrities, but it has also weakened the church’s witness to the world.
This scripture goes contrary to a popular notion that Moses killed the Egyptian (Exodus 2:12) without any knowledge of God’s call on his life. Moses knew he was an Israelite, and Moses killed the Egyptian to reveal himself to his brethren as the one God would use to accomplish their deliverance. Moses killed this man in an attempt to fulfill God’s call in his life. This graphically illustrates that it is not enough to know God’s will for our lives; we must know God’s plan for bringing His will to pass. Moses killing the Egyptian was not God’s way to free Israel. Nor was it God’s timing. Much damage has been done by people like Moses, who had a revelation of God’s will for their lives but didn’t have God’s wisdom to bring it to pass. In Moses’ case, his independence from God’s direction and timing cost him forty years in the wilderness and the children of Israel thirty years of added slavery. This possibly explans why God was so severe in Numbers 20:12 when He saw this “I’ll do it my way” attitude resurface in Moses.
Verses 26-28.
Then on the next day Moses suddenly appeared to some Jews who were quarreling and fighting among themselves, and he urged them to make peace and become reconciled, saying, Men, you are brethren. Why do you abuse and wrong one another? Whereupon the man who was abusing his neighbor pushed Moses aside, saying, who appointed you a ruler, umpire, and judge over us? Do you intend to slay me as you slew the Egyptian yesterday?”
Horton. These three verses show that Moses was misunderstood and denounced by his own people.
Smith. Moses had a sense of his destiny, and he assumed that Israel would recognize that God would use him to deliver them from Egypt. He was shocked when the Hebrew said: “who made you a judge over us?” It was a matter of timing. Moses wasn’t to be Israel’s deliverer yet. Moses made a mistake that we make. Instead of waiting upon God and for the work to be done through the Holy Spirit, he jumped ahead and tried to do the job in his natural abilities. In his strength, Moses was unable to bury one Egyptian successfully. But 40 years later, having died to self, waiting upon God, being abandoned to the Holy Spirit, he was able to bury an entire Egyptian army. Stephen is pointing out some things to the leaders. That Israel had rejected Joseph the first time and the second time acknowledged him as Lord. They rejected Moses the first time, but they accepted his leadership the second time.
Wesley. Who appointed thee — "Under the presence of the want of a call by man, the instruments of God are often rejected."
Womack. By this act, Moses intentionally revealed himself to his brethren in an attempt to fulfill God’s call on his life for leading them out of Egypt. It wasn’t happenstance. I suspect Moses thought the Jews would welcome him since he had killed the Egyptian who was oppressing a Jew. But the Jews responded opposite of what he expected.
Moses, as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, was in a position of leadership over any Jew in Egypt. Moses’ motives for killing the Egyptian the previous day were known and rejected by the Israelites. The Jews had been praying for deliverance, and here one of the most powerful men in the Egyptian government had taken their side. One would think they would be thrilled with that and would have had hope that they could get out of slavery. But such was not the case. This man’s statement shows that what Moses had done the previous day was rejected by the Jewish slaves. I suspect they feared the Egyptians crushing a revolt and making their slavery even worse.
Verse 29-30.
“At that reply Moses sought safety by flight and he was an exile and an alien in the country of Midian, where he became the father of two sons. And when forty years had gone by, there appeared to him in the wilderness and desert of Mount Sinai an angel, in the flame of a burning bramblebush.”
Horton. The evidence fits the time after Queen Hatshepsut of Egypt died. Her successor even chiseled her name off monuments. Since Moses was Queen Hatshepsut’s favorite, his position in Egypt was precarious. He knew that Pharoah was looking for a reason to get rid of him. Moses fled to Midian where he stayed 40 years, married, and had two sons. An angel of the Lord appeared to him (a manifestation of God himself), or rather the preincarnate Son. Jesus has always been the mediator between God and Man.
Wesley. The angel — The Son of God as appears from his styling himself Jehovah. In a flame of fire — Signifying the majesty of God then present. Exodus 3:2.
Smith. He fled to Midian and married the daughter of Jethro the Priest. He lived as a shepherd and may have given up on the call of God. He may have thought a crazy notion. Going to Egypt to deliver Israel was not on his mind.
Womack. See Exodus 2:15-22. Moses’ two sons were Gershom and Eliezer (Exodus 18:3-4). Exodus 2:22 only lists Gershom as being born to Moses, but Exodus 4:20 mentions Moses taking his sons (plural) to Egypt with him. In Exodus 18:2-5 Moses’ father-in-law, Jethro, brought Moses his wife and two sons. We learn of Eliezer. Holy Spirit inspired to Stephen that they were both born in Midian. See Exodus 3:1-9. Moses was now eighty years old. See Exodus 7:7.
Here scripture records the time Moses spent in the wilderness before bringing deliverance to Israel. In Exodus 7:7, Moses was eighty when he stood before Pharaoh. Stephen reveals how long Moses endured in the wilderness in Acts 7:23 also.
Verse 31-33.
AMP. “When Moses saw it, he was astonished and marveled at the sight; but when he went close to investigate, there came to him the voice of the Lord, saying, I am the God of your forefathers, the God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob. And Moses trembled and was so terrified that he did not venture to look. Then the Lord said to him, Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground and worthy of veneration.”
Horton. Moses was amazed at the sight. As he looked more closely at the burning bush, God spoke. Moses trembled. He knew about God’s dealings with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He knew he was holy. He knew that God had made covenant promises. His mom had told him. God told him to take off his shoes. By doing so, he would be acknowledging God and would worship him. He would be making Abraham his God.
Wesley. Then said the Lord, loose thy shoes — An ancient token of reverence; for the place is holy ground - The holiness of places depends on the peculiar presence of God there.
Smith. How beautiful the words “I have seen the oppression. I have heard their groaning. I have come to deliver them.” Moses probably doubted whether God had ever called him at all. God had not forgotten Moses all those years in the wilderness. He had only delayed for His own purpose.
Womack. The Lord didn’t speak to Moses out of the bush until Moses turned aside to see it (Exodus 3:3-4). What if Moses had kept on walking? Is it possible the Lord may want to speak to us, but we were too preoccupied to turn aside and hear Him? See Exodus 3:6.
The Lord used this instance to teach on life after death and resurrection. He pointed out that God said, “I AM,” not “I WAS” the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob” (Matthew 22:31-32, Mark 12:26-27, and Luke 20:37-38). See Exodus 3:5.
Verse 34-35.
“Because I have most assuredly seen the abuse and oppression of My people in Egypt and have heard their sighing and groaning, I have come down to rescue them. So, now come! I will send you back to Egypt as My messenger.
It was this very Moses whom they had denied, disowned, and rejected, saying, who made you our ruler and judge over us? That one God sent to them to be a ruler, deliverer, and redeemer, by and with the protecting and helping hand of the Angel that appeared to him in the bramblebush.
Horton. V. 34. Literally, “I have seen, I have seen.” The Repetition is an idiomatic way to expressing emphasis. It draws attention to the faithfulness of God. To set them free, God sent Moses with a mission. Stephen emphases his main point. Moses, who was rejected, denied, repudiated and refused, God has sent to do the very thing that they rejected. Moses was to be their “ruler, deliverer, ransomer, and liberator (those who paid a ransom, to liberate slaves).
Wesley. This Moses whom they refused — Namely, forty years before. Probably, not they, but their fathers did it, and God imputes it to them. So, God frequently imputes the sins of the fathers to those of their children who are of the same spirit.
Him did God send to be a deliverer — which is much more than a judge; by the hand of - That is, by means of the angel - This angel who spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai expressly called himself Jehovah, a name which cannot, without the highest presumption, be assumed by any created angel, since he whose name alone is Jehovah, is the Most High over all the earth, Psalm lxxxiii, 18. Psalms 83:18. It was therefore the Son of God who delivered the law to Moses, under the character of Jehovah, and who is here spoken of as the angel of the covenant, in respect of his mediatorial office.
Womack. It may feel like the Lord is oblivious to our trials, but that isn’t so. Just as He knew exactly what the Hebrews were going through, so He knows and cares for us in all our tribulations (1 Corinthians 10:13 with 2 Corinthians 1:4). No doubt, one of the reasons Stephen emphasized Moses’ rejection was to draw a comparison between Moses and Jesus. In Acts 7:37, Stephen quoted Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15), as prophesing that the Messiah would be like him. The Israelites rejected Moses, yet God exalted him to become their ruler and judge. Likewise, Jesus was rejected by the Jews, but God exalted Him to be both Lord and Christ (Acts 2:36).
Smith. Moses’ time in the wilderness was preparation for the day when he would lead the Israelites through the desert. He used all of that experience to prepare Moses for what was to come. Again, the first time, Israel did not see Moses as their deliverer. They recognized him the second time. Stephen is telling them that they did the same to Jesus. See Zech. 12:10.
Verse 36-37.
AMP. “He it was who led them forth, having worked wonders and signs in Egypt and at the Red Sea and during the forty years in the desert wilderness. It was this very Moses who told the children of Israel that God will raise up for a Prophet from among your brethren as He raised me up.”
Wesley. The Lord will raise you up a prophet — St. Stephen here shows that there is no opposition between Moses and Christ. Deuteronomy 18:15.
Horton. After showing the Jews miracles in Egypt and in the wilderness, Moses led them out. Stephen says that Moses told them that “He would send a prophet like me. To that prophet they must listen.” Dt. 18:15. See 3:22. The Jewish leaders knew how the apostles interpreted this passage. The Sanhedrin was showing contempt to Moses.
Smith. Just as Moses gave the people the Word of God, so another would come down and give them the Word. See Jo. 14:10. Jo. 1:14. Stephen quotes Dt. 18:15-18. They were offended that God raised up someone from their midst. Mk. 6:3.
Womack. The ten plagues of Egypt are recorded in Exodus 5-12. The parting of the Red Sea is recorded in Exodus 14. The wilderness journey is recorded in Numbers 14 through Joshua 2. This is a quotation from Deuteronomy 18:15-19.
Verse 38-39.
AMP. “This is he who in the assembly in the desert wilderness was the go-between for the Angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai and our forefathers, and he received living oracles - words that still live - to be handed down to us. And yet our forefathers determined not to be subject to him, refusing to listen to or obey him; but thrusting him aside they rejected him, and in their hearts yearned for and turned back to Egypt.”
Horton. Stephen identifies a second, and worse, rejection of Moses. It was a rejection of God. God gave His word to Moses, but the people rejected it.
Wesley. With the angel, and with our fathers — As a mediator between them. Who received the living oracles — Every period beginning with, And the Lord said unto Moses, is properly an oracle. But the oracles here intended are chiefly the ten commandments. These are termed living, because all the word of God, applied by his Spirit, is living and powerful, Hebrews 4:12, enlightening the eyes, rejoicing the heart, converting the soul, raising the dead. Exodus 19:3.
Smith. “Congregation” means “called out ones.” They were called out of Egypt and was in their midst. The Jewish council is proud of their “fathers”, but the fathers did not obey Moses.
Womack. Stephen refers to Moses and the tablets with the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20, 31:18, and 32:15). In describing this, Psalms 78:41 says, “Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel.” In the way the Jews rejected Moses, so the modern Jewish people rejected Jesus.
Verse 40-41.
“They told Aaron, ‘Make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who led us out of Egypt – we don’t know what has happened to him! That was the time whey made an idol in the form of a calf. They brought sacrifices to it and held a celebration in honor of what their hands had made.’”
AMP. “And they said to Aaron, make us gods who shall be our leaders and go before us as for this Moses who led us forth from the land of Egypt—we have no knowledge of what has happened to him. And they even made a calf in those days and offered sacrifice to the idol and made merry and exulted in the work of their own hands.”
Horton. Israel showed their rejection of Moses and God by asking for gods made with hands to go before them – to lead and direct them. They spoke derogatorily of Moses “As for this fellow Moses…” (Ex. 32:1). Compare with “this Jesus” said by false witnesses of Jesus in 6:14. Many believe that the “calf” was a small golden bull. They “held a celebration in honor of, they rejoiced, they reveled in.”
Wesley. Make us gods to go before us — Back into Egypt. Exodus 32:1. And they made a calf in those days, and offered sacrifice unto the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their own hands. And they made a calf — In imitation of Apis, the Egyptian god: and rejoiced in the works of their hands - In the god they had made.
Smith. The Patriarchs who the current religious leaders idolized, were much less than perfect. They had rejected God and embraced idolatry. God allowed them to go into captivity to Babylon.
Womack. See Exodus 32:1-6.
When Israel rejected Moses, he was on the mount making intercession for them (Exodus 32:7-14). It is amazing that the people who witnessed the miracles in Egypt—the Red Sea parted (Exodus 14:15-27), their enemies destroyed, the waters being healed at Marah (Exodus 15:23-25), and the manna (Exodus 16)—would turn from the true God to worshiping a golden calf that was the work of their own hands.
Verse 42-43.
But God turned away from them and delivered them up to worship and serve the host and stars of heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets: Did you really offer to Me slain beasts and sacrifices for forty years in the desert wilderness, O house of Israel? No! You took up the tent, the portable temple, of Moloch and carried it with you, and the star of the god Rephan, the images which you yourselves made that you might worship them; and I will remove you, carrying you away into exile, beyond Babylon.
Horton. This was a rejection of God, not primarily Moses. As a result, God gave them over to serve idols (to their own slavery). They were taken from the promised land of blessing. See Amos 5: 25-27. Israel did not offer sacrifices to the Lord during the remainder of their wilderness time. They began to practice idolatry. Even after seeing God’s glory in the wilderness, they carried the tent where the god Molech is worshipped (a form of Venus worshipped by the Ammonites and several other Semitic people. They also worshipped the star of the god Rephan – probably the Assyrian name for the planet Saturn, called Chiun in Amos 5:26. Both were idols the Israelites made for themselves to worship (probably small images carried by them secretly). As a result, God sent them to Babylon. Stephen is saying that “our fathers” rebelled against God. The Fathers wanted to change the law and teachings of Moses, not Jesus.
Wesley. God turned - From them in anger; and gave them up - Frequently from the time of the golden calf to the time of Amos, and afterward. The host of heaven - The stars are called an army or host, because of their number, order, and powerful influence. In the book of the prophets - Of the twelve prophets, which the Jews always wrote together in one book. Have ye offered - The passage of Amos referred to, Amos 5:25, consists of two parts; of which the former confirms Acts 7:41, of the sin of the people; the latter the beginning of Acts 7:42, concerning their punishment. Have ye offered to me - They had offered many sacrifices; but God did not accept them as offered to him, because they sacrificed to idols also; and did not sacrifice to him with an upright heart. Amos 5:25 . Ye took up — Probably not long after the golden calf: but secretly; else Moses would have mentioned it. The shrine — A small, portable chapel, in which was the image of their god. Moloch was the planet Mars, which they worshipped under a human shape. Remphan, that is, Saturn, they represented by a star. And I will carry you beyond Babylon — That is, beyond Damascus (which is the word in Amos) and Babylon. This was fulfilled by the king of Assyria, 2 Kings 17:6.
Womack. The quotation in this verse and Acts 7:43 is from Amos 5:25-27. This verse is continuing the quotation from Amos 5:25-27.
Moloch was one of the names given to the idol-god of the Ammonites (1 Kings 11:7). This idol was also called Milcom and Molech (1 Kings 11:5, 7, and 33). The worship of Molech was part of the worship of Baal (Jeremiah 32:35). In the worship of Molech, children were burnt as sacrifices. The Lord expressly forbade His people from doing this (Leviticus 18:21 and Deuteronomy 18:10) and prescribed the death penalty for anyone who disobeyed this commandment (Leviticus 20:2). According to some ancient descriptions, the image of Molech was a hollow, brazen figure with the body of a human and the head of an ox. The arms were outstretched. The image would be heated red hot by fires from within, and then the children would be placed in the arms of Molech to slowly burn. The priests would beat drums to drown out the cries of the infants. Solomon worshiped Molech, although it is not recorded that he sacrificed any of his children. However, it is recorded that both Ahaz and Manasseh, kings of Judah, made their children to pass through the fire to Molech (2 Chronicles 28:1-3 and 2 Kings 21:1-6). Other Israelites also offered their children as sacrifices to this god (Jeremiah 7:31, 19:4-5; Ezekiel 16:21, 23:37, and 39).
This same pagan deity Remphan is called Chiun in Amos 5:26. Most scholars believe that this was the Coptic name for Ninib, the star-god of Babylon (also known as the god Saturn in Roman mythology), hence the Lord’s mention of carrying them captive to Babylon (Amos 5:27 and here).
Verse 44-45.
“Our forefathers had the tent or tabernacle of witness in the wilderness, even as He Who directed Moses to make it had ordered, according to the pattern and model he had seen. Our forefathers in turn brought it, this tent of witness, in with them into the land with Joshua when they dispossessed the nations which God drove out before the face of our forefathers. So, it remained here until the time of David.”
Horton. Stephen addresses the slander about the Temple. Jo. 2:19. He talked about the tabernacle (containing the Ark of the Covenant, the two tablets – a testimony between God and His people - in the wilderness. The tabernacle lasted until the time of David. It had been a blessing, but its time was over.
Wesley. Our fathers had the tabernacle of the testimony — The testimony was properly the two tables of stone, on which the ten commandments were written. Hence the ark which contained them is frequently called the ark of the testimony, and the whole tabernacle in this place. The tabernacle of the testimony — according to the model which he had seen - When he was caught up in the visions of God on the mount. Which our fathers having received — From their ancestors; brought into the possession of the Gentiles - Into the land which the Gentiles possessed before. So that God’s favor is not a necessary consequence of inhabiting this land. All along St. Stephen intimates two things: 1. That God always loved good men in every land: 2. That he never loved bad men even in this. Joshua 3:14.
Smith. The Tabernacle is a model of the Holy of Holies in heaven where God’s presence is surrounded by the cherubim. He was giving them a place where they could come and meet Him and where the Shekinah Glory of His presence would dwell.
Womack. Every part of the Old Testament tabernacle symbolized a truth about God and how we are to approach Him. This is speaking of Joshua of the O.T., not our Lord Jesus Christ. “Jesus” was derived from “Joshua,” “Jesus” being Greek and “Joshua” being Hebrew, and the name Joshua means “Yahweh-saves.” The Jesus spoken of in Hebrews 4:8 is also a reference to the O.T. Joshua.
Verse 46-47.
AMP. “Who found grace, favor, and spiritual blessing in the sight of God and prayed that he might be allowed to find a dwelling place for the God of Jacob. But it was Solomon who built a house for Him.”
Wesley. Who petitioned to find a habitation for the God of Jacob — But he did not obtain his petition: for God remained without any temple till Solomon built him a house. Observe how wisely the word is chosen with respect to what follows.
Horton. David desired to provide a permanent dwelling place for God. Instead of “God of Jacob” a better translation seems to be “House of Jacob.” Solomon was to build the House.
Smith. 2 Chr. 6:18.
Womack. David is the man who found favor with the Lord. David was the one who wanted to build a tabernacle for the Lord (2 Samuel 7:1-3), but his son Solomon was the one who actually did it (2 Samuel 7:4-13). This is what Nathan told David in 2 Samuel 7:13-14, and it came to pass in 1 Kings 5; 6:1, and 37-38.
Verse 48-50.
“However, the Most High does not dwell in houses and temples made with hands as the prophet says, Heaven is My throne, and earth the footstool for My feet. What kind of house can you build for Me, says the Lord, or what is the place in which I can rest? Was it not My hand that made all these things?”
Horton. God does not live permanently in any place made with human hands. Is. 66:1. God had made all things. Rest in Hebrew suggest the ceasing of activity. Where would God do this? Is. 40:28 shows that God is never weary. They were not to trust the Temple more than they trusted God. God is not limited to the Temple. The Temple would pass away just like the Tabernacle did. Now believers are temples of the Holy Spirit (I Cor. 3:16; 6:19; Ep. 2: 19-22; I Peter 2:5).
Wesley. The Most High — Whom as such no building can contain. Isaiah 66:1. What is the place of my rest? — Have I need to rest? 51. Ye stiff necked — Not bowing the neck to God’s yoke; and uncircumcised in heart - So they showed themselves, verse54; Acts 7:54 and ears - As they showed, verse — 57. Acts 7:57 So far were they from receiving the word of God into their hearts, that they would not hear it even with their ears. Ye — And your fathers, always - As often as ever ye are called, resist the Holy Ghost - Testifying by the prophets of Jesus, and the whole truth. This is the sum of what he had shown at large.
Smith. Stephen quoted from Isaiah, Amos, Dt., and Zechariah. He knew the Word. Stephen began to rebuke the Council from this point.
Womack. Solomon prayed this prayer at the dedication of the temple (1 Kings 8:27), so he was aware of this truth. But this referred to what Isaiah said in Isaiah 66:1-2. This continues the quotation from Isaiah 66:1-2. This continues the Isaiah quotation from Isaiah 66:1-2, which was begun in Acts 7:48.
Verse 51.
You stubborn and stiff-necked people, still heathen and uncircumcised in heart and ears, you are always actively resisting the Holy Spirit. As your forefathers were, so you are and so you do!
Horton. Possibly there was angry whispering among the Council. Circumcision was the sign of acceptance of God’s covenant and submission to Him. This put them in the same class of people as unbelieving Gentiles. The Jewish leaders were resisting the HS just as their forefathers did.
Smith. He’s challenging them to name one prophet that they received.
Wesley. Ye stiff necked - Not bowing the neck to God’s yoke; and uncircumcised in heart - So they showed themselves, Acts 7:54 ; and ears - As they showed, Acts 7:57 . So far were they from receiving the word of God into their hearts, that they would not hear it even with their ears. Ye - And your fathers, always - As often as ever ye are called, resist the Holy Ghost - Testifying by the prophets of Jesus, and the whole truth. This is the sum of what he had shown at large.
Womack. Stephen stated that the Jewish people resisted God throughout history. They were also resisting Him by rejecting Jesus as the Messiah.
Many Christians are so committed to being kind and loving that they would never say anything like this. But Stephen was inspired by the Holy Spirit to call these religious leaders “uncircumcised in heart.” This was one of the most offensive things he could have said to them and yet, as he was stoned to death, Jesus stood in his honor. Our desire to love everyone and never hurt or offend them can be a trap that keeps us from speaking the truth. Stephen was being led by the Holy Spirit as he spoke harsh things to these people.
Verse 52.
AMP. “Which of the prophets did your forefathers not persecute? And they slew those who proclaimed beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you now have betrayed and murdered.”
“Was there ever a prophet your fathers did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him.
Horton. None of the prophets escaped persecution by the Fathers. Mt. 5:111-12; 23: 30-31; Heb. 11:32-38. The Fathers killed the prophets who predicted the coming of Jesus. Acts 3:14: 22:14; I Jo. 2:1. See Joel 2:23.
Smith. See Heb. 11 for how the Jewish leaders treated the prophets.
Womack. Stephen clearly referred to Jesus as the Just One, or Messiah, that the Old Testament scriptures prophesied would come. He also clearly attacked their heritage. God led him to say these exact words – words that were very offensive to the Jews.
There is a proper time to “call a spade a spade.” We should not attack people with malice in our hearts (1 Peter 2:1), but we must tell them the truth (Leviticus 19:17). Truth will set them free (John 8:32). Stephen’s actions proved beyond doubt that he was motivated by love (Acts 7:60).
Verse 53.
AMP. “You who received the Law as it was ordained, set in order, and delivered by angels, and yet you did not obey it!”
Horton. Their guilt was greater than those who killed the prophets. These leaders had rejected Jesus.
Wesley. Who have received the law by the administration of angels — God, when he gave the law on Mount Sinai, was attended with thousands of his angels, Galatians 3:19; Psalms 68:17.
Smith. Anointed by the Holy Spirit, Stephen’s message was cutting. These men, according to Peter, were worse than the Fathers who had killed the prophets.
Womack. Stephen boldly proclaims the Jewish leaders are lawbreakers. All of us have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), but not everyone knows or acknowledges that. We have to come to the end of ourselves before we find the beginning of God. Stephen was telling them the truth (John 8:32).
Verse 54-60.
AMP. “Now upon hearing these things, they, the Jews, were cut to the heart and infuriated, and they ground their teeth against Stephen. But he, full of the Holy Spirit and controlled by Him, gazed into heaven and saw the glory, the splendor, and the majesty of God, and Jesus standing at God’s right hand. And he said, Look! I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing at God’s right hand! But they raised a great shout and put their hands over their ears and rushed together upon him. Then they dragged him out of the city and began to stone him, and the witnesses placed their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. And while they were stoning Stephen, he prayed, Lord Jesus, receive, accept, and welcome my spirit! And falling on his knees, he cried out loudly, Lord, fix not this sin upon them -lay it not to their charge]! And when he had said this, he fell asleep in death.”
Horton. His rebuke infuriated the Sanhedrin. His words cut and sawed through their hearts. They gnashed (ground) their teeth. Ps. 35:16; 37:12; 112:10; Lam. 2:16. Stephen, in contrast to resisters of the HS, was full and submitted to the HS and he saw the Glory of God. Jesus was standing there at the right hand of authority. See Mt. 26: 64; Mk. 14:62; 16:19; Lu. 22:69. Jesus rose to welcome the first martyr to give witness at the cost of his life. Mt. 20:22. Stephen used the term “son of man” the term Jesus used. Dan. 7: 13-14 and Mk. 14: 62-63. The Sanhedrin yelled or shrieked, put their hands over their ears, closed their minds to Stephen’s words and vision, proved their hearts were uncircumcised. They rushed at him (same word used of the swine rushing down into the sea). They threw him out of the city and began to stone him. Roman law did not allow the Jews to carry out the death penalty. Jo. 18:31. The Sanhedrin illegally carried out the death penalty but followed the law by allowing the first witnesses to throw the first stones. Le. 24: 13-23; Dt. 17:7. Saul (Paul) was about 35 years old at this time. Stephen did not pray for deliverance. Instead, he asked Jesus to accept his spirit. He talked to Jesus, enraging the Jews further. See Lu. 23:34. Note. The word “martyr” originally meant “witness.” As the Church was persecuted the Word eventually came to mean one who was killed because of his or her testimony or witness to Jesus.
Wesley. But he looking steadfastly up to heaven, saw the glory of God — Doubtless he saw such a glorious representation, God miraculously operating on his imagination, as on Ezekiel’s, when he sat in his house at Babylon, and saw Jerusalem, and seemed to himself transported thither, Ezekiel 8:1-4. And probably other martyrs, when called to suffer the last extremity, have had extraordinary assistance of some similar kind. I see the son of man standing — As if it were just ready to receive him. Otherwise, he is said to sit at the right hand of God. They rushed upon him — Before any sentence passed. The witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man, whose name was Saul — O Saul, couldst thou have believed, if one had told thee, that thou thyself should be stoned in the same cause? and should triumph in committing thy soul likewise to that Jesus whom thou art now blaspheming? His dying prayer reached thee, as well as many others. And the martyr Stephen, and Saul the persecutor, (afterward his brother both in faith and martyrdom,) are now joined in everlasting friendship, and dwell together in the happy company of those who have made their robes white in the blood of the Lamb. And they stoned Stephen, invoking and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit — This is the literal translation of the words, the name of God not being in the original. Nevertheless, such a solemn prayer to Christ, in which a departing soul is thus committed into his hands, is such an act of worship, as no good man could have paid to a mere creature; Stephen here worshipping Christ in the very same manner in which Christ worshipped the Father on the cross.
Womack. Many people think a negative reaction from others is a sign we have not shared the Gospel in love. But Stephen loved them so much he prayed his death would not be laid to their account (Acts 7:60). But he also loved them so much he told them the truth. Stephen witnessed in a way that most Christians would condemn today, but he was motivated to do so by the Holy Spirit. He was full of the Holy Ghost. When we fail to give a fearless witness like Stephen did, it’s because we are full of ourselves and not full of the Holy Spirit.
Even though the Greek word translated “looked up steadfastly” is not the same Greek word translated “looked up” in Mark 6:41, Stephen was doing the same thing Jesus did when He fed the multitude with a small amount of food.
The Greek word for “looked up steadfastly” is “ATENIZO,” and it means “to gaze intently.” It is translated “behold earnestly” and “with set eyes.” Stephen did not glance up. He focused his attention on Jesus. He was rewarded with a glimpse of the risen Christ standing at the right hand of God, and this enabled him to endure the agony of being stoned to death. The key to enduring any of the afflictions the devil sends our way is to look beyond the problem unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). Paul said that all his troubles were a “light affliction, which last for a moment” (2 Corinthians 4:17), because he was looking not at his problems but at the great reward God had for him that could not be seen (2 Corinthians 4:18). What we focus our attention on determines our attitude. Everyone has problems, but not everyone has a bad attitude. Circumstances cannot force us into defeat. Stephen chose to look at Jesus instead of his situation and was therefore able to triumph in it.
This is the only reference in Scripture to Jesus standing at the Father’s right hand (compare with Psalms 110:1; Matthew 26:64; Mark 14:62; Luke 22:69; Acts 2:33-34; Colossians 3:1; Hebrews 1:3, 13, and 8:1). Hebrews 10:12 even draws special attention to Jesus being seated at the Father’s right hand to illustrate that His work is complete. Jesus standing at the Father’s right hand may have been Jesus paying special honor to Stephen, His first martyr. This interpretation is probable when we consider Stephen’s use of the term “Son of man.” The term was used throughout the Gospels to designate Jesus’ humanity and association with mankind. Jesus as a God-man knew exactly what Stephen was suffering (Hebrews 4:15). It is unusual for Jesus to stand at the Father’s right hand. Jesus was honoring Stephen.
They were incensed when Stephen said that Jesus was at the Father’s right hand. If true, that would make Jesus be who He said He was. It affirmed the deity of Jesus. They couldn’t stand to hear what Stephen said, so they drowned his words out with their own voices and then stuck their fingers in their ears. Finally, they killed him to stop his words. Stephen’s words rang in their hearts throughout the rest of their lives. We know this had a profound impact on Saul, who later became Paul the apostle to the Gentiles (Romans 11:13).
Many people are offended at other’s claims of spiritual experiences. These Jews were offended by Stephen’s reference to Jesus, whom they had condemned as a blasphemer, being exalted to the right hand of God. The young man, Saul, went on to persecute those who believed in Jesus (Acts 8:3) until his own conversion to Christianity (Acts 9:3-20) (Acts 13:9). Stephen’s witness was one of those pricks that Saul had been kicking against (Acts 9:5). What a powerful testimony. Stephen wasn’t crying out for mercy in fear, and he wasn’t cursing his enemies out of hate. He was focused on the Lord, and that’s why he was able to be faithful to the end. This is another scripture that shows our spirits go to the Lord when we die (James 2:26). There are other examples in the O.T. (Daniel 3:13-27 and 6:16-22) and N.T. (Acts 5:18-19 and 12:5-11) where servants of the Lord were delivered from persecution and death. But this wasn’t always the case as we see here and Acts 12:1-2. Paul persecuted many Christians before he became a believer himself.
Possibly this was why the Lord allowed the martyrdom of Stephen. He knew Saul could be converted. If the Lord had overridden the wills of these Jews and stopped them from killing Stephen, this might have stopped God’s conviction on Saul. Look at what God accomplished through the conversion of Saul to the Apostle Paul (Acts 13:9).
Stephen exhibited the same forgiveness and compassion toward his murderers that Jesus had toward His (Luke 23:34). This God-like quality of forgiveness is not confined to God alone; through Jesus indwelling the believers (Galatians 2:20), that same love can flow through each one of us.