By: Dale Weckbacher
Text: Acts
7:1-53
Acts 7:51-53
“You stiff-necked
people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy
Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. 52 Which
of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who
announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have
now betrayed and murdered, 53 you who received the
law as delivered by angels and did not keep it.”
(ESV)
Those who do not learn from
history are destined to repeat it. This
statement is often equated with people not learning from negatives in history
and instead, trying to forget them and even destroying monuments that remind
people of these events. However, history
also contains positives like the Revolutionary War where the colonists took a
stand against the tyranny of England, establishing the United States and a
constitution with a Bill of Rights protecting the people from tyranny. There is also the bloody Civil War that ended
slavery after failed attempts to abolish slavery through the political process.
Failure to learn from the historic
events of the Revolutionary War and the Civil War could lead to a failure to remember
the importance of standing against tyranny and settling differences peacefully
through political debate and the legal process to prevent violence and bloody
civil wars.
The high priest confronts Stephen,
asking if the accusations leveled at him by his accusers are true. The accusations revolve around Stephen
quoting the words of Jesus regarding the temple and rebuilding it in three days. The error in their belief this statement is
blasphemous is their believing Jesus spoke of destroying the temple building
containing the most holy place where God dwelt among humanity instead of
realizing Jesus was speaking of his death, burial, and resurrection (John
2:18-22). They also accused Stephen
of attempting to change the customs of Moses possibly referring to Jesus’
response regarding the custom of Deuteronomy
25:5-8 where Jesus reminded the Sadducees of the existence of the
resurrection as God is the God of the living and not the dead. This would not be possible unless there is a
resurrection since God is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob who were physically
dead at the time Jesus spoke (Matthew
22:23-33).
Stephen could have answered the
high priest with a simple yes or no but knew he was speaking with a man who had
studied scripture and was familiar with the history of Israel (Acts
7:1-53). Therefore, instead of a
simple answer, Stephen embarks on a history lesson perhaps with the belief the
high priest will realize Jesus was Messiah.
However, instead of becoming a believer, the high priest and the mob are
enraged at the lesson delivered by Stephen and stone him to death (Acts
7:54-60). However, the history
lesson delivered by Stephen is heard by a young man Saul who would soon have an
encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus leading to his accepting Jesus as
his Savior, perhaps remembering some of what Stephen taught.
Stephen’s lesson begins with a
foundation of Abraham stepping out in faith to leave the comfort of his
homeland in Mesopotamia to go to an unknown land promised to him and his
offspring by God (Genesis
12:1-2). Abrahams offspring
flourished during their captivity in Egypt (Exodus
1:7) with Pharaoh viewing this growth in the Jewish population as a threat and
begins to deal harshly with the Israelites (Exodus
1:8-11). However, the Israelites
continued to thrive even under this oppression (Exodus
1:12). God then raises up Moses who
leads Israel to freedom through miraculous signs and wonders with the climax
the parting of the Red Sea and the destruction of the Egyptian army (Exodus
14).
However, Israel soon forgets
their miraculous deliverance from Egypt and rejects the law given to them by
the Lord through Moses and build a golden calf to worship instead of God due to
their impatience in waiting for Moses to come down from Mount Saini (Exodus
32). Israel has also rejected the
words of the prophets sent by God, pointing them to Jesus like Isaiah
53 describing in great detail death by crucifixion, something those
listening to Stephen had witnessed, including the crucifixion of Jesus. The greatest rejection of God by Israel is
their betrayal and murder of the Messiah Jesus Christ and a statement of truth
from Stephen that the high priest and those listening would reject, leading to
the stoning and death of Stephen (Acts
7:52-60).
This ultimate rejection led to
the exile of Israel from the land promised to them from 70AD until 1948 and
persecution that continues to this day. However,
the Children of Abraham can have a promising future by accepting their Messiah,
Jesus Christ as their personal savior, saving them from their sins. Whether you are Jew or Gentile and have read
Stephen’s history lesson in Acts
7:1-53 and now realize Jesus is the Messiah who died and rose from the dead
to provide forgiveness from sin, I invite you to pray with me now,
Dear Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned (Romans
3:23) and know that the penalty for my sin is death (Romans
6:23). I ask you to forgive me of my
sin and cleanse me as you promise in your Word (1
John 1:9). I believe you died, spent
three days in the grave, and resurrected from the dead and now declare you Lord
of my life.
History is a valuable teacher and
for those that just prayed a teacher leading to the discovery of salvation from
sin. Unfortunately, our culture is
attempting to alter history so it no longer teaches valuable lessons that could
save individuals but instead lies to promote a political agenda like the 1619
project in the United States.
1. The New York Times Magazene. The 1619
Project. nytimes.com. [Online] The New York Times Magazene, August 2019.
[Cited: July 3, 2020.] https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/08/14/magazine/1619-america-slavery.html.
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