1. Acts Chapter 7
Acts
Acts

2. Acts 7:1(a) Then the high priest said, "Are these things so?"
The High priest, probably Caiaphas, gave Stephen an opportunity to change his ways if has been in error. He gave Stephen a chance to respond to the charges the he has been subject to. Stephen the high priest says: Are these things so? At least this time they are following the proper way of trial, somebody which is to listen to the argument of the person.
Will Stephen use this opportunity to talk about His God or will he fade away in terror like many of us? Please think that Stephen was on trial for his life. The charges were serious: He has been accuse of, insurrection, of preaching that the sacred institutions of the nation were to be destroyed, that is, the land, the temple, the law, and the customs. (Verses )

3. Acts 7:2 (a) 2 And he said, "Brethren and fathers, listen: The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Haran,
Stephen defended himself by reviewing Israel’s history and making the following points.
The nation and its sacred institutions. (The land, the law, the temple) were being destroyed, but not by Christ. They were being destroyed by the people themselves. From the beginning they had always misunderstood and rejected God’s plan.
God’s love Israel.—He loved Israel so much that in every instance of misunderstanding and rejection, He had worked out deliverance.
God’s final plan of deliverance was Jesus Christ, His own Son. But as in the past, the present generation, had misunderstood and rejected Him.

4. Acts 7:2 (b) 2 And he said, "Brethren and fathers, listen: The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Haran,
Stephen spoke and said:
“Brethren listen:
Many teach that this criminal was a member of the new church that has begun because Stephen is addressing them as brothers. Is it true? What can we say?
Stephen very politely addressed the Sanhedrin as brethren and fathers. By calling them brothers was he’s saying: I am also an Israelite like you, I am also a descendant of Abraham, we are from the same nation. Stephen was never ever calling this men brother in Christ as many are teaching in order to accept the ecumenical groups.

5. Acts 7:2 (c) 2 And he said, "Brethren and fathers, listen: The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Haran,
Then he says “fathers”
By calling them “fathers” he is telling them that he respects the institutions of Israel’s and he was willing to subject himself to any decision they might make that would be in line with God’s purpose for Israel.

6. Acts 7:2 (d) 2 And he said, "Brethren and fathers, listen: The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Haran,
"The God of Glory"
This is a Hebrew form of expression denoting the glorious God. It properly denotes his majesty, or splendour, or magnificence; the word glory is often applied to the splendid appearances in which God has manifested himself to men.
Is that true?
Yes, Absolutely.

7. Acts 7:2 (e) 2 And he said, "Brethren and fathers, listen: The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Haran,
Genesis 12:1-5
Genesis 13:14-17
Genesis 15:1-7

8. Acts 7:2 (f) 2 And he said, "Brethren and fathers, listen: The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Haran,
Stephen is very right when he says that is was the “God of Glory” who called Abraham.
It was our father Abraham who was called by God.. He was the father of Israel: The first Jew called, the man chosen by God to be a great founder of the nation Israel.
Abraham was in Mesopotamia when God called him. Mesopotamia is now the modern Iraq. Abraham was living in Mesopotamia before he dwelt in Haran. Where was Haran?

9. Acts 7:2 (g) 2 And he said, "Brethren and fathers, listen: The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Haran,
Harran, also known as Carrhae, in the southeast of Turkey, near the border with Syria, 24 miles (44 kilometers) southeast of the city of Şanlıurfa, at the end of a long straight road across the roasting hot plain of Harran.

10. Acts 7:3 (a) 3 and said to him, 'Get out of your country and from your relatives, and come to a land that I will show you.'
God promised a land, a land for an eternal inheritance—if Abraham would “get out” of his present country and leave all—his past life—for the promise land.
Get out of your country and from relatives.
Of God’s own choosing.
“The land which I shall show you”.
An “inheritance”.
“Promise”
“to be a possession”.

11. Acts 7:4 (a) 4 Then he came out of the land of the Chaldeans and dwelt in Haran. And from there, when his father was dead, He moved him to this land in which you now dwell.
Abraham made the right choice. Then he came out the land of the Chaldeans. Ur is part of the Chaldeans or Babylonians.
We already mentioned that he dwell in the land of Haran for a while, that is until the death of his father.
Canaan

12. Acts 7:5 (a) 5 And God gave him no inheritance in it, not even enough to set his foot on. But even when Abraham had no child, He promised to give it to him for a possession, and to his descendants after him.
And he gave him no inheritance.
Abraham led a wandering life; and this passage means, that he did not himself receive a permanent possession or residence in that land. The only land which he owned was the field which he purchased of the children of Heth, for a burial-place, Genesis 23.
Not so much as to set his foot on. This is a proverbial expression, denoting in an emphatic manner that he had no land, Deuteronomy 2:5.

13. Acts 7:5 (b) 5 And God gave him no inheritance in it, not even enough to set his foot on. But even when Abraham had no child, He promised to give it to him for a possession, and to his descendants after him.
God also never gave a son to Abraham until he was incapable of bearing seed, well past years---Not until he was 100 years old.
Let’s notice something in here please:
Abraham has to trust in God for 2 things. For the promised land and for a child.
Abraham had to believe God all his life, Even up to the last moment.
The gift of the promise land and of a seed what just that, a gift of God’s grace.
Romans 4:3; Romans 4:13; Romans 4:20-24…

14. Acts 7:6 (a) 6 But God spoke in this way: that his descendants would dwell in a foreign land, and that they would bring them into bondage and oppress them four hundred years.
God very specifically told Abraham that his descendants will be sojourners upon the earth. They will dwell in a foreign land: Which land was that?
Egypt!
That’s what the Lord is telling Abraham. God’s promise was made to Abraham but the fulfillment will not come but after many hundreds of years.
They were to be enslaved.
Genesis 15:13-14… “

15. Acts 7:6 (b) 6 But God spoke in this way: that his descendants would dwell in a foreign land, and that they would bring them into bondage and oppress them four hundred years.
He says that they would be slaves and oppressed. That’s a prophesy! Also we notice that it says that they will be oppressed for four hundred years.
400 years or 430. Which one is right and which one is wrong? Genesis 15:13; Exodus 12:40; Galatians 3:17.
I believe that there is no contradiction at all and that what Luke is doing right now is just giving a round numbers and didn’t consider the 30 years that Paul mentions.

16. Acts 7:7 (a) 7 'And the nation to whom they will be in bondage I will judge,' said God, 'and after that they shall come out and serve Me in this place.'
God said that he will be the Judge of the nation where they would be slaves. God is telling Abraham that his faith would be rewarded: Abraham’s seed, the deliverer, will be brought to the promised land to serve God.
God said, you will come back and will serve Me again in this land. The Lord will reward his children if they follow and obey his will, Abraham was rewarded and we will be rewarded if we do the same.
Matthew 25:23; Luke 12:42-44; 1 Corinthians 6:2-3; Hebrews 12:28.

17. Acts 7:8 (a) 8 Then He gave him the covenant of circumcision; and so Abraham begot Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day; and Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot the twelve patriarchs.
God assured Abraham with a covenant, the covenant of the circumcision. Circumcision was the seal of Abraham’s faith, just as baptism is the seal of the believer’s faith. Circumcision was the sign that Abraham was truly trusting God and His promise.
The covenant. The word covenant denotes, properly, a compact or agreement between two or more persons, usually attended with seals, or pledges, or sanctions.
Genesis 17:9-13.

18. Acts 7:8 (b) 8 Then He gave him the covenant of circumcision; and so Abraham begot Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day; and Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot the twelve patriarchs.
Abraham follows the covenant that he makes with God by circumcising Isaac when he was 8 days old.
Isaac followed and kept the same covenant, and he did the same with his son Jacob.
Jacob did the same when he circumcised his 12 sons. This is a family that obeyed God’s covenant and that understood what is to make a pact with the Lord.
The twelve patriarchs. The word patriarch properly denotes the father and ruler of a family. But it is commonly applied, by way of eminence, to the progenitors of the Jewish race, particularly to the twelve sons of Jacob. Acts 2:29.

19. Acts 7:9 (a) 9 "And the patriarchs, becoming envious, sold Joseph into Egypt. But God was with him
Now he transfers his teaching to the case of Joseph. Why did the brothers sell Joseph to Egypt?
Moved with envy.
That is, dissatisfied with the favour which their father Jacob showed Joseph, and envious at the dreams which indicated that he was to be raised to remarkable honour above his parents and brethren, Genesis 37:3-11.

20. Acts 7:9 (b) 9 "And the patriarchs, becoming envious, sold Joseph into Egypt. But God was with him
Sold him, that he might be taken to Egypt. This was done at the suggestion of Judah, who advised it that Joseph might not be put to death by his brethren, Genesis 27:28. It is possible that Stephen, by this fact, might have designed to prepare the way for a severe rebuke of the Jews for having dealt in a similar manner with their Messiah.

21. Acts 7:9 (c) 9 "And the patriarchs, becoming envious, sold Joseph into Egypt. But God was with him
God protected him, and overruled all these wicked doings, so that he was raised to extraordinary honours.
"God was with him" Genesis 39:2,21

22. Acts 7:10 (a) 10 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.
And delivered him,
That is, restored him to liberty from his servitude and humiliation, and raised him up to high honours and offices in Egypt.
Favour and wisdom. The favour was the result of his wisdom. His wisdom was particularly evinced in interpreting the dreams of Pharaoh, Genesis 41.
And he made him governor, etc. Genesis 41:40.
All his house. All the family, or all the court and government of the nation

23. Acts 7:11 (a) 11 Now a famine and great trouble came over all the land of Egypt and Canaan, and our fathers found no sustenance.
This is something that we all know right?
That’s exactly the Famine that Moses mentioned in Genesis 41:54. A Great Famine!
We need to keep in mind please
That The Lord will fulfill the promise
To Abraham. In order to do it, He
Must put His nation under bondage!
They Must suffer first before enter
The PROMISE LAND.

24. Acts 7:12 (a) 12 But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent out our fathers first.
When Jacob heard that it was grain. Probably corn or wheat. This was typically the Israelites food.
Our fathers. His ten sons; all his sons except Joseph and Benjamin, Genesis 42:2. Stephen here refers only to the history, without entering into details. By this general reference he sufficiently showed that he believed what Moses had spoken, and did not intend to show him disrespect.

25. Acts 7:13 (a) 13 And the second time Joseph was made known to his brothers, and Joseph's family became known to the Pharaoh.
On their first trip to Egypt, the sons of Jacob did not realize that the one whom they went to buy grain was the brother they had sold twenty years previously.
Joseph recognized them but they did not recognize him. On the second visit However, Joseph revealed to them. His identity. Then Pharaoh was involved when Joseph introduced his family to Pharaoh all this is in the book of Genesis.

26. Acts 7:14 (a) 14 Then Joseph sent and called his father Jacob and all his relatives to him, seventy-five people.
Then Joseph while he was in Egypt called for all his family. All his relatives, all his kindred the JKV says.
How many people enter Egypt?
According to Stephen Seventy-five persons. There has been much perplexity felt in the explanation of this pas sage. In Genesis 46:26, Exodus 1:5, Deuteronomy 10:22, it is expressly said that the number which went down to Egypt consisted of but seventy persons. The question is, in what way these accounts can be reconciled? It is evident that Stephen has followed the account which is given by the Septuagint.

27. Acts 7:15 (a) 15 So Jacob went down to Egypt; and he died, he and our fathers.
Genesis 46:33 tells us that Jacob went to Egypt by the invitation of his son Joseph.
Of course by the time he found Joseph, Jacob was very old but still he moved with his family to Egypt thinking that one day God will fulfill the promise to give them the promise land as an inheritance.

28. Acts 7:16 (a) 16 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.
Of the two burying-places of the patriarchs, one was at Hebron, the cave and field which Abraham purchased of Ephron the Hittite, (Ge 23:16, etc.); the other in Sychem, which Jacob (not Abraham) bought of the sons of Emmor, (Ge 33:19.)
This was the promise unto all of them, that they will not be left at any foreign land but that they will come back again to the promise land.

29. Acts 7:17 (a) "But when the time of the promise drew near which God had sworn to Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt
The promises from God are not empty promises and Stephen recognizes that God will fulfill everything that he promised to his servant Abraham. The promise from Genesis 12:7 will become a reality.
God will fulfill His promise because he sworn unto Abraham that he will fulfill it.
Which God had sworn. Solemnly promised. There is no account of a formal oath. "Every divine assurance is equivalent to an oath."

30. Acts 7:17 (b) "But when the time of the promise drew near which God had sworn to Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt
The people grew;
Exodus 1:7-9.
God's promises and threatenings all have a set time for their accomplishment; and when that time approaches, his providences will be so ordered as to secure their exact and perfect fulfillment.
Habakkuk 2:3; Mt 24:35.

31. Acts 7:18 (a) till another king arose who did not know Joseph.
This other king didn’t know anything about Joseph and that when they face slavery. The quote from Joseph is found in Exodus 1:8…We don’t know exactly who was this new king but one thing we know:
He did not know Joseph. It can hardly be supposed that he would be ignorant of the name and deeds of Joseph; and this expression, therefore, probably means that he did not favour the designs of Joseph; he did not remember the benefits he had conferred on the nation; or furnish the patronage for the kindred of Joseph which had been secured for them by Joseph under a former reign.

32. Acts 7:19 (a) 19 This man dealt treacherously with our people, and oppressed our forefathers, making them expose their babies, so that they might not live.
Dealt treacherously …
He acted deceitfully; he used fraud, The cunning or deceitful attempt which is referred to, is his endeavour to weaken and destroy the Jewish people by causing their male children to be put to death, Exodus 1:22.

33. Acts 7:19 (b) 19 This man dealt treacherously with our people, and oppressed our forefathers, making them expose their babies, so that they might not live.
The Pharaoh need to stop the growing of the new nation in their country so in order to do that Stephen said: So that he expose their babies, etc.
For that purpose, or to cause them to cast them out. He dealt with them in this cruel manner, hoping that the Israelites themselves would destroy their own sons that they might not grow up to experience the same sufferings as their fathers had.

34. Acts 7:20 (a) 20 At this time Moses was born, and was well pleasing to God; and he was brought up in his father's house for three months.
At the time of slavery and oppression, at the time that the new Pharaoh was treating the Israelites very bad because either he ignored the story of Joseph or for the simple fact that did not want to give any credit to him. Moses was born.
Was exceeding fair.
Greek, "was fair to God;" properly rendered, was very handsome. The word God is used in the Greek here in accordance with the Hebrew usage, by which anything that is very handsome, or lofty, or grand, is thus designated

35. Acts 7:21 (a) 21 But when he was set out, Pharaoh's daughter took him away and brought him up as her own son.
Finally when Moses was three months old, it became impossible to hide him. His mother therefore made an ark and put it in the edge of the river under the eye of his sister Miriam.
When Pharaoh Daughter went to the river to bathe, she found him, had compassion on him, and took him to be her own son; that is, she adopted him.

36. Acts 7:22 (a) 22 And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and deeds.
Being the adopted son of pharaoh’s daughter, Moses received the finest education the Egyptians could provide. In what respect he manifested power in words and deeds, we are not told. Some say that the reference to the eloquent words he spoke and miraculous deeds he performed in connection with the Israelites deliverance from Egypt.
Moses evidently distinguished himself while a young man in Egypt. The fact that he was mighty in words may indicate that his later claim to be slow in speech was merely an excuse to avoid fulfilling the role God had called him to perform; or perhaps Stephen is referring to his ability in written words.

37. Acts 7:23 (a) 23 Now when he was forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren, the children of Israel.
At the age of 40, Moses determined to visit the Israelites, this was not a mere social visit. As Stephen’s narrative continues, we see that Moses visited them with a view to delivering them. Though he was reared in the Egyptian palace and educated in Egyptian learning, his heart was with his fellow Israelites and he chose to cast his lot with them. Thus he made the decision that is extolled in Hebrews 11:24-27.
What a remarkable decision! To give up all the wealth, power, privileges and pleasures he enjoyed as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, and to identify himself with a suffering oppressed people.

38. Acts 7:23 (b) 23 Now when he was forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren, the children of Israel.
Note please that Moses was in the pharaoh’s palace for 40 years, cut off from his own people. Moses’ life is usually divided into 3 periods of 40 years each.
40 years in pharaoh’s palace.
40 years in Midian as a shepherd.
40 years as the leader of Israel.
He died when he was 120 years old according to Deut.4:7

39. Acts 7:24 (a) And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended and avenged him who was oppressed, and struck down the Egyptian.
Suffer wrong. That is he was mistreating his fellow Jewish brother. The wrong or injury was, that the Egyptian was smiting the Hebrew,
Exodus 2:11,12.
Moses knew that his mission and selection was to protect his people from all the mistreats that they were subject of under the hands of the Egyptians.

40. Acts 7:25 (a) For he supposed that his brethren would have understood that God would deliver them by his hand, but they did not understand.
This is not mentioned by Moses; but it is not at all improbable. When they saw him alone contending with the Egyptian, when it was understood that he had come and taken vengeance on one of their oppressors, it might have been presumed that he regarded himself as directed by God to interpose, and save the people.

41. Acts 7:25 (b) For he supposed that his brethren would have understood that God would deliver them by his hand, but they did not understand.
They did not understand!
Surprise?
Not at all. For some reason this people never understood the mercy or the providence of God. They were very hard to understand the protection.

42. Acts 7:26 (a) 26 And the next day he appeared to two of them as they were fighting, and tried to reconcile them, saying, 'Men, you are brethren; why do you wrong one another?'
And the next day. Exodus 2:13. Says on the second day. Same idea. Moses was trying right away to help his people and to bring the Israelite together and in agreement for the trip that were awaiting them. The sad part is that this people didn’t want any help.
Two of them were fighting. Stephen says Moses was trying to reconcile them, but you know what? Instead of taking the advice in a nice an friendly way they tell Moses:
Moses says: You are brothers: That is you are from the same nation there is no reason to fight. But what is the reaction of both?

43. Acts 7:27 (a) 27 But he who did his neighbor wrong pushed him away, saying, 'Who made you a ruler and a judge over us?
But he that did, etc. He rejected all interference, and all attempts at peace. It is usually the man that does the injury that is unwilling to be reconciled.
His neighbor. The Jew with whom he was contending.
Who made you, etc. What right have you to interfere in this matter? The usual salutation with which a man is greeted who attempts to prevent quarrels.

44. Acts 7:28 (a) 28 Do you want to kill me as you did the Egyptian yesterday?'
Do you want to kill me, etc. How it was known that he had killed the Egyptian does not appear but is clear that some of them knew about the case, now this man uses it against Moses in order to bring shame on him…
It was probably communicated by the man who was rescued from the hands of the Egyptian,
Exodus 2:11,12

45. Acts 7:29 (a) 29 Then, at this saying, Moses fled and became a dweller in the land of Midian, where he had two sons.
Then fled Moses, etc. Moses fled because he now ascertained that it was known. He supposed that it had been unobserved, Exodus 2:12
But he now supposed that the knowledge of it might reach Pharaoh, and that his life might thus be endangered. Nor did he judge incorrectly; for as soon as Pharaoh heard of it, he sought to take his life,
Exodus 2:16

46. Acts 7:30 (a) 30 And when forty years had passed, an Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire in a bush, in the wilderness of Mount Sinai.
And when forty years.
At the age of eighty years.
Moses spent 40 years in Midian tending the sheep of his father Jethro. Moses saw the Angel of the Lord on top of Mount Sinai and this was the mission that he was waiting for long ago…
It is said, however, to have been after the king of Egypt had died, (Exodus 2:23;) and the tradition is not improbable.

47. Acts 7:31 (a) 31 When Moses saw it, he marveled at the sight; and as he drew near to observe, the voice of the Lord came to him,
Moses was Amazed, because the bush was not consume by the fire!
The voice of the Lord came unto him:
As he approached the bush to examine this amazing phenomenon, the voice from God came from the bush. Exodus 3:4.
From the burning bush The voice of the Lord came. Jehovah spoke to him from the midst of the bush. He did not see him, but he simply heard a voice.

48. Acts 7:32 (a) 32 saying, 'I am the God of your fathers--the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.' And Moses trembled and dared not look.
God identified Himself as the God who has appeared to and been worshiped by Moses' revered fathers---Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
In Matthew 22:32 Jesus makes the same mention but on that occasion he did it to prove that God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. God mentioned The trio of father’s of faith, these are the founders of the Christian’s faith, Abraham is called “the friend of God” and of course his children also followed his steps.

49. Acts 7:33 (a) 33 'Then the Lord said to him, "Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.
God’s special presence made the ground holy. Something that is holy is “set apart”, separated from that which is ordinary! During the time God was present, the ground was not ordinary ground; the divine presence sets it apart from ordinary ground.
Take your sandals off your feet…, etc. Exodus 3:5. To put off the shoes, or sandals, was an act of reverence. Especially the ancients, they were not permitted to enter a temple or holy place with their shoes on. Indeed, it was customary for the Jews to remove their shoes whenever they entered any house, as a mere matter of civility. Comp. John 13:6. See Joshua 5:15.
3d is holy ground.

50. Acts 7:34 (a) 34 I have surely seen the oppression of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their groaning and have come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send you to Egypt."
From this passage I can see several things that I would like to mention this morning to you: God is talking to His men from the burning bush and He notices:
That God sees everything that is happening in this life.
He knows that His people are in Egypt.
He can hear all of our groaning.
He can come to our rescue any time.

51. Acts 7:35 (a) 35 This Moses whom they rejected, saying, 'Who made you a ruler and a judge?' is the one God sent to be a ruler and a deliverer by the hand of the Angel who appeared to him in the bush.
We don’t know all the details, but this people openly rejected Moses and also the help that he was trying to provide for them. Moses was the selected one from God and they did not notice that.
When, at the age of 40 Moses had hoped to become their deliverer, they had rebuffed his effort by asking, “who made you a ruler and a judge”?
A deliverer. A Redeemer-λυτρωτην-. It properly means one who redeems a captive or a prisoner by paying a price or ransom. And it is applied thus to our Lord Jesus, as having redeemed or purchased sinners by his blood as a price,
Titus 2:14, 1 Peter 1:18, Hebrews 9:12.

52. Acts 7:35 (b) 35 This Moses whom they rejected, saying, 'Who made you a ruler and a judge?' is the one God sent to be a ruler and a deliverer by the hand of the Angel who appeared to him in the bush.
It was the hand of God the one who sent Moses to Egypt, not Moses himself. God uses His angel to send Moses to deliver his people.
By the hand of the angel. Under the direction and by the help of the angel, Numbers 20:16. Acts 7:30.

53. Acts 7:36 (a) 36 He brought them out, after he had shown wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, and in the Red Sea, and in the wilderness forty years.
In Exodus 4-12 we can see all the miracles that Moses performed in that land.
In the Red sea. Dividing it, and conducting the Israelites in safety, and overthrowing the Egyptians, Exodus 13.
In the wilderness. During their forty years' journey to the Promised Land. The wonders or miracles were, providing them with manna daily; with flesh in a miraculous manner; with water from the rock, etc., Exodus chapters 16 and 17.

54. Acts 7:37 (a) 37 "This is that Moses who said to the children of Israel, 'The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear.
Which said, etc. Deuteronomy 18:15,18.
This quote from Moses is explained in Acts 3:22. Stephen introduced this to remind them of the promise of a Messiah; to show his fait in it; and particularly to remind them of their obligation to hear and obey him.
God will raise up a NEW Prophet for not only Israel but now for all the nations the reference is to Lord Jesus who came unto this world to become the savior of those who obey Him

55. Acts 7:38 (a) 38 This is he who was in the congregation in the wilderness with the Angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our fathers, the one who received the living oracles to give to us,
Can you see the word “church” in this passage?
In the church. The word church means, literally, the people called out;
The living oracles.
See Romans 3:2. The word oracles here means commands or laws of God, living stands in opposition to that which is dead, or useless. Hebrews 4:12… “
God’s Oracles are “real and living” Every time that God speaks we must listen!

56. Acts 7:39 (a) 39 whom our fathers would not obey, but rejected
Acts 7:39 (a) 39 whom our fathers would not obey, but rejected. And in their hearts they turned back to Egypt,
Would not obey, etc. This refers to what they said of him when he was in the mount, Exodus 32:1,23.
They wished to return to Egypt. They regretted that they had come out of Egypt, and desired again the things which they had there, as preferable to what they had in the desert, Numbers 11:5.
How many Christians turn their hearts to the world and say: “I wish I can be in the world just for a few days!” Many remember the “beautiful days” when they were in the world with NO restriction at all!

57. Acts 7:40 (a) saying to Aaron, 'Make us gods to go before us; as for this Moses who brought us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.
They told Aaron to make idols for them while Moses was still on the mountain. They got tired so quick and abandoned the way of God in order to follow the idolatry that God will forbid on Mount Sinai.
While Moses was talking with God, they followed sin so easily. For how long was Moses in the Mountain? 40 days right. That was more than enough for them to say: Make gods to go before us.

58. Acts 7:41 (a) And they made a calf in those days, offered sacrifices to the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their own hands.
In so little time They *worshipped something that they had made. They stopped *worshipping God, who had made them!
Deuteronomy 9:16
And they made a calf. This was made of the ear-rings and ornaments which they had brought from Egypt, Exodus 32:2-4. Stephen introduces this to remind them how prone the nation had been to reject God, and walk in the ways of sin.

59. Acts 7:42 (a) Then God turned and gave them up to worship the host of heaven, as it is written in the book of the Prophets: 'Did you offer Me slaughtered animals and sacrifices during forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel?
Then God turned. That is, turned away from them; abandoned them to their own desires.
The host of heaven.
The stars, or heavenly bodies. The word host means armies. It is applied to the heavenly bodies, because they are very numerous, and appear to be marshalled or arrayed in military order.
The verses that Stephen uses here are from Amos 5:25-27

60. Acts 7:43 (a)You also took up the tabernacle of Moloch, And the star of your god Remphan, Images which you made to worship; And I will carry you away beyond Babylon.'
God is accusing them of taking…That is, you bore, or you carried with you, for purposes of idolatrous worship.
Who was Moloch?
Moloch. This word comes from the Hebrew word signifying king. This was a god of the Ammonites, to whom human sacrifices were offered. Moses in several places forbids the Israelites, under penalty of death, to dedicate their children to Moloch, by making them pass through the fire, Leviticus 18:21, 20:2-5.

61. Acts 7:43 (b) You also took up the tabernacle of Moloch, And the star of your god Remphan, Images which you made to worship; And I will carry you away beyond Babylon.'
Who was Rempham?
No Idea! It is an idol for sure, but not very sure which nation was under the influence of this pagan idol. The amazing thing is that Israel “worshiped” this image too and God is very angry at them at that time!
Any type or form of idol will carry us away. They took Israel so easy and they will also take us if we are not firm!-

62. Acts 7:44 (a) “Our fathers had the tabernacle of witness in the wilderness, as He appointed, instructing Moses to make it according to the pattern that he had seen,
The tabernacle of witness.
It was called a tabernacle of witness, or of testimony, because it was the visible witness or proof of God's presence with them; the evidence that he to whom it was devoted was their protector and guide.
The name is given either to the tent, or to the two tables of stone, or to the ark; all of which were witnesses or evidence, of God's relation to them as their Lawgiver and Guide, Exodus 16:34, 25:16,21, 27:21, 30:6,36, 31:18 Numbers 1:50,53.

63. Acts 7:44 (b) “Our fathers had the tabernacle of witness in the wilderness, as He appointed, instructing Moses to make it according to the pattern that he had seen,
According to the pattern.
According to the pattern that was shown to him, by which it was to be made, Exodus 25:9,40; Exodus 26:30.
As God showed him a pattern, it proved that the tabernacle had his sanction. Against that Stephen did not intend to speak.

64. Acts 7:45 (a) which our fathers, having received it in turn, also brought with Joshua into the land possessed by the Gentiles, whom God drove out before the face of our fathers until the days of David,
Our fathers that came after.
None of the generation that came out of Egypt were permitted to enter into the land of Canaan on account of their rebellion, except Caleb and Joshua, Numbers 14:22-24, 32:11,12.
With Joshua or Jesus. Jesus is the Greek mode of writing the name Joshua. But the Hebrew name should by all means have been retained here, as also in Hebrews 4:8.

65. Acts 7:45 (b) which our fathers, having received it in turn, also brought with Joshua into the land possessed by the Gentiles, whom God drove out before the face of our fathers until the days of David,
Into the land possessed by the Gentiles…
Into the possession of the Gentiles. Into the land possessed by the Gentiles; that is, into the promised land then occupied by the Canaanites, etc.
Whom God, etc. That is, he continued to drive them out until the time of David, when they were completely expelled. Or it may mean that the tabernacle was in the possession of the Jews, and was the up, pointed place of worship, until the time of David, who desired to build him a temple.

66. Acts 7:46 (a) who found favor before God and asked to find a dwelling for the God of Jacob.
That is, God granted him great him great prosperity, and delivered him from his enemies.
To find a tabernacle.
To prepare a permanent dwelling place for the ark and for the visible symbols of the Divine Presence. Hitherto the ark had been kept in the tabernacle, and had been borne about from place to place. David sought to build a house that would be permanent, where the ark might be deposited, 2 Samuel 7, 1 Chronicles 22:7.

67. Acts 7:47 (a) But Solomon built Him a house.
Solomon was the one in charge to build the house for the Lord and not David, remember what we say when we study David…David did not build the house for God because he was a man “Of war”. 1 Chronicles 22:8
God did not allow David to build the temple. David served his generations as a warrior, which was necessary for the nation to be established. God wanted a man of peace to build the temple, so that was designed as Solomon’s prime task. David prepared the material, Solomon built the house 1 Chronicles 22

68. Acts 7:48 (a)“However, the Most High does not dwell in temples made with hands, as the prophet says:
Solomon’s temple was not however God’s permanent dwelling place. And Stephen declares that the most high (God) does not dwell (Or settle down to stay permanently)
But even Solomon himself recognized this, At the dedication of the temple in his prayer before God, he said, “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? (1 King 8:27)

69. Acts 7:49 (a) ‘Heaven is My throne, And earth is My footstool
Acts 7:49 (a) ‘Heaven is My throne, And earth is My footstool. What house will you build for Me? says the LORD,Or what is the place of My rest?
To prove that God does not dwell in the temple (Because he was accused of blaspheming against Moses and against the temple) Stephen quoted Isaiah 66:1, and part of verse 2. Matthew 5:34, 35
There, God told Isaiah that heaven is His Throne and the earth His Footstool (The place where He will show that He is Conqueror) In view of that what house could they build for Him, or what was the place of His rest? In other words, in what place could God settle down and make His permanent abode (on Earth)?

70. Acts 7:50 (a) Has My hand not made all these things?’
Who is the creator? God! He has made all that we see and we cannot impress Him with nothing that we make or do for Him. Stephen was not denying that God’s presence was in the temple. God did manifest His glory there in the Holy of holiest from the time of Solomon to the time of the destruction of the temple by the Babylonians.
God is God and he will not be held by us wherever we want. God is not and will not be held in a human temple made by human hands, that’s the point that Stephen is trying to pass unto all the unbelieving Jews from his time…

71. Acts 7:51 (a) 51 "You stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears
Acts 7:51 (a) 51 "You stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you.
The discourse of Stephen has every appearance of having been interrupted by the clamours and opposition of the sanhedrim. They cannot resist the wisdom of this man and at one point, they interrupted him and expressed they're disagreement…
The word stiff-necked is often used in the Old Testament, Exodus 32:9; Exodus 33:3,5, 34:9, Deuteronomy 9:6,13, 10:16, Psalm 32:9-10; Jeremiah 32:33 etc.

72. Acts 7:51 (b) 51 "You stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears
Acts 7:51 (b) 51 "You stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you.
Circumcision was a sign of being a Jew of acknowledging the authority of the laws of Moses. It was also emblematic of purity, and of submission to the law of God.
The expression uncircumcised in heart denotes those who were not willing to acknowledge the law, and submit to it. They had hearts filled with vicious and unsubdued affections and desires.
And ears. That is, who are unwilling to hear what God says. Comp. Leviticus 26:41, Jeremiah 9:26; Romans 2:28,29.

73. Acts 7:51 (c) 51 "You stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears
Acts 7:51 (c) 51 "You stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you.
The accusation is that they “always” resist the Holy Spirit…
You oppose the message which is brought to you by the authority of God, and the inspiration of his Spirit. The message brought by Moses, by the prophets, by the Saviour, and by the apostles-all by the infallible direction of the Holy Ghost-they and their fathers opposed.
As your fathers did, etc.
Did their father persecute the prophets? All the time! As he had specified in Acts 7:27,35,39-43.

74. Acts 7:52 (a) 52 Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute
Acts 7:52 (a) 52 Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers,
The interrogative form here is a strong mode of saying that they had persecuted all the prophets.
It was the characteristic of the nation to persecute the messengers of God. This is not to be taken as literally and universally true; but it was a general truth; it was the national characteristic. See Notes, Matthew 21:33-40, 23:29-35.

75. Acts 7:52 (b) 52 Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute
Acts 7:52 (b) 52 Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers,
And kill those who foretold…
That is, they have slain the prophets, whose main message was that the Messiah was to come. It was a great aggravation of their offence, that they put to death the messengers which foretold the greatest blessing that the nation could receive.

76. Acts 7:52 (c) 52 Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute
Acts 7:52 (c) 52 Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers,
The betrayers.
They are called betrayers here, because they employed Judas to betray him-agreeable to the maxim in law, He who does anything by another, is held to have done it himself.

77. Acts 7:52 (d) 52 Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute
Acts 7:52 (d) 52 Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers,
And Murderers…
Do they kill?
Didn’t the law say “Thou Shall not kill”?
Yes, but they always violated the law. They were killers and they loved to slain those who pointed out their sins…
Matthew 23:29-30…

78. Acts 7:53 (a) 53 who have received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it."
Matthew. 23…
Romans. 2:21-24…
Galatians. 6:13…
Hebrews. 2:2;
Galatians. 3:19.
And have not kept it! Now he is accusing them directly. Very direct he is in front of them telling them exactly what they did and who they are… It was for this reason that Jesus called them hypocrites, because they did not keep the law.

79. Acts 7:54 (a) 54 When they heard these things they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth.
When they heard that: there was among them an explosion of anger, hate and desire to kill the messenger from God.
There are two ways of being cut to the heart…
They were cut to the heart.
They were exceedingly enraged and indignant. The whole course of the speech had been such as to excite their anger, and now they could restrain themselves no longer.
What is the difference in between these ones and the from Acts 2:37?

80. Acts 7:54 (b) 54 When they heard these things they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth.
What is to gnash the teeth?
To grind or strike (the teeth, for example) together.
To bite (something) by grinding the teeth.
Psalm35:16; 37:12; Job 16:9; Matthew 8:11-12; Luke 13:28…
They want to bite Stephen!!

81. Acts 7:55 (a) 55 But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God,
Stephen according to Luke is the totally opposite from the “so called Jews” they are full of hatred, anger and desire to kill, Stephen is full of the Holy Spirit!
This is already the fifth time that Luke mentioned that Stephen is full of the Holy Spirit.
Acts 6:3…
Acts 6: 5…
Acts 6 10…
Acts 7:51…
Acts 7:55……

82. Acts 7:55 (b) 55 But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God,
Gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God…
Fixed his eyes intently on heaven. Foreseeing his danger, and the effect his speech had produced-seeing that there was no safety in the great council of the nation, and no prospect of justice at their hands-he cast his eyes to heaven and sought protection them. When dangers threaten us, our hope of safety lies in heaven. When men threaten our persons, reputation, or lives, it becomes us to fix our eyes on the heavenly world; and we shall not look in vain.

83. Acts 7:55 (c) 55 But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God,
And Jesus standing at the right hand of God…
This is the comfort that Stephen receives from heaven…Is Jesus the one that they don’t love, is Jesus the savoir, Jesus the Lamb of God the one that Stephen it’s been preaching unto them…What a comfort for Stephen!
You know what? I think that at this point Stephen was saying in his soul kill me I see Jesus, Kill me after all it is worth it! Don’t you think?
Jesus standing: This is a very common figure of Jesus standing at the right hand of God with authority. Acts 2:34; Matthew 22:44; 26:64; Luke 22:69; Ephesians 1:20; Colossians 3:1 etc…

84. Acts 7:56 (a) 56 and said, "Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!"
Stephen said: …
I see the heavens opened. What is that?
A figurative expression, denoting that he was permitted to see into heaven, or to see what was there, as if the firmament was divided, and the eye was permitted to penetrate the eternal world. Comp. Ezekiel 1:1.

85. Acts 7:56 (b) 56 and said, "Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!"
The Son of Man!
I see the Son of man standing…
This is the only time that our Lord is by human lips called THE SON OF MAN after His ascension
Daniel 7:13
Matthew 26:64

86. Acts 7:57 (a) 57 Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord;
Then they cried out.
That is, probably, the people, not the members of the council. It is evident he was put to death in a popular tumult. They had charged him with blasphemy; and they regarded what he had now said as full proof of it.

87. Acts 7:57 (a) 57 Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord;
It is very hard to stop the mobs when they go crazy… There are groups that are there at the scene only to make noise or just to see what they can get from that occasion…
Remembers the silversmiths from Ephesus? Remember for how many hours they yelled “Great is Diana of the Ephesians”?
For two hours the Bible explains…The sad part is that the Bible also says that the rest of the people did not know why they were gathered!
Amazed? NO! Not at all that’s the way it is…
Acts 19:28,29, 32, 34

88. Acts 7:57 (b) 57 Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord;
It is very hard to stop the mobs when they go crazy… There are groups that are there at the scene only to make noise or just to see what they can get from that occasion…
Remembers the silversmiths from Ephesus? Remember for how many hours they yelled “Great is Diana of the Ephesians”?
For two hours the Bible explains…The sad part is that the Bible also says that the rest of the people did not know why they were gather!
Amazed? NO! Not at all that’s the ways it is…
Acts 19:28,29, 32, 34

89. Acts 7:58 (a) 58 and they cast him out of the city and stoned him
Acts 7:58 (a) 58 and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul.
Why out of the city?
This was in accordance with the usual custom. In Leviticus 24:14
It was directed to bring forth him that had cursed without the camp; and it was not usual, the Jewish writers inform us, to stone in the presence, of the sanhedrim.

90. Acts 7:58 (b) 58 and they cast him out of the city and stoned him
Acts 7:58 (b) 58 and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul.
And the witnesses…
That is, the false witnesses who bore testimony against him, Acts 6:13.
It was directed in the law Deuteronomy 17:7 that the witnesses in the case should be first in executing the sentence of the law.
Laid down their clothes.
Their outer garments. They were accustomed to lay these aside when they ran or worked. Matthew 5:40.

91. Acts 7:58 (c) 58 and they cast him out of the city and stoned him
Acts 7:58 (c) 58 and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul.
At a young man's feet, etc.
This is mentioned solely because Saul, or Paul, afterwards became so celebrated, first as a persecutor, and then an apostle. His whole heart was in this persecution of Stephen; and he himself afterwards alluded to this circumstance as an evidence of his sinfulness in persecuting the Lord Jesus, Acts 22:20

92. Stephen knew that he was making the right call when He said:
Acts 7:59 (a) 59 And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."
He was calling on God…
Was Stephen calling God or Jesus?
Jesus is God…Calling
Jesus is to call God to
Call God is to Call Jesus.
Stephen knew that he was making the right call when He said:

93. Acts 7:59 (b) 59 And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."
Lord Jesus, Receive my Spirit!
That is, receive it to thyself; take it to thine abode in heaven.
 "receive my spirit“
Stephen repeats the exacts same words that Jesus said when he also was dying on the cross…
Psalms 31:5, Luke 23:46

94. Acts 7:60 (a) 60 Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, "Lord, do not charge them with this sin." And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
And he kneeled down.
This seems to have been a voluntary kneeling; a placing himself in this position for the purpose of prayer, choosing to die in this attitude.

95. Acts 7:60 (b) 60 Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, "Lord, do not charge them with this sin." And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
DO NOT CHARGE THEM…
Forgive them.
This passage strikingly resembles the dying prayer of the Lord Jesus, Luke 23:34. Nothing but the Christian religion will enable a man to utter this passage in his dying moments.

96. Acts 7:60 (c) 60 Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, "Lord, do not charge them with this sin." And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
He fell asleep.
This is the usual mode of expressing the death of saints in the Bible. It is an expression indicating :
the peacefulness of their death, compared with the alarm of sinners;
the hope of a resurrection-as we retire to sleep with the hope of again awaking to the duties and enjoyments of life.
1 Corinthians 11:30, 15:51, 1 Thessalonians 4:14, 5:10,