71 And the chief priest said, 'Are then these things so?' 2 and he said, 'Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken: The God of the glory did appear to our father Abraham, being in Mesopotamia, before his dwelling in Haran, 3 and He said to him, Go forth out of thy land, and out of thy kindred, and come to a land that I shall shew thee. 4 'Then having come forth out of the land of the Chaldeans, he dwelt in Haran, and from thence, after the death of his father, He did remove him to this land wherein ye now dwell, 5 and He gave him no inheritance in it, not even a footstep, and did promise to give it to him for a possession, and to his seed after him—he having no child. 6 'And God spake thus, That his seed shall be sojourning in a strange land, and they shall cause it to serve, and shall do it evil four hundred years, 7 and the nation whom they shall serve I will judge, said God; and after these things they shall come forth and shall do Me service in this place. 8 'And He gave to him a covenant of circumcision, and so he begat Isaac, and did circumcise him on the eighth day, and Isaac 'begat' Jacob, and Jacob—the twelve patriarchs; 9 and the patriarchs, having been moved with jealousy, sold Joseph to Egypt, and God was with him, 10 and did deliver him out of all his tribulations, and gave him favour and wisdom before Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he did set him—governor over Egypt and all his house. 11 'And there came a dearth upon all the land of Egypt and Canaan, and great tribulation, and our fathers were not finding sustenance, 12 and Jacob having heard that there was corn in Egypt, sent forth our fathers a first time; 13 and at the second time was Joseph made known to his brethren, and Joseph's kindred became manifest to Pharaoh, 14 and Joseph having sent, did call for his father Jacob, and all his kindred—with seventy and five souls— 15 and Jacob went down to Egypt, and died, himself and our fathers, 16 and they were carried over into Sychem, and were laid in the tomb that Abraham bought for a price in money from the sons of Emmor, of Sychem.
17 'And according as the time of the promise was drawing nigh, which God did swear to Abraham, the people increased and multiplied in Egypt, 18 till another king rose, who had not known Joseph; 19 this one, having dealt subtilely with our kindred, did evil to our fathers, causing to expose their babes, that they might not live; 20 in which time Moses was born, and he was fair to God, and he was brought up three months in the house of his father; 21 and he having been exposed, the daughter of Pharaoh took him up, and did rear him to herself for a son; 22 and Moses was taught in all wisdom of the Egyptians, and he was powerful in words and in works. 23 'And when forty years were fulfilled to him, it came upon his heart to look after his brethren, the sons of Israel; 24 and having seen a certain one suffering injustice, he did defend, and did justice to the oppressed, having smitten the Egyptian; 25 and he was supposing his brethren to understand that God through his hand doth give salvation; and they did not understand. 26 'On the succeeding day, also, he shewed himself to them as they are striving, and urged them to peace, saying, Men, brethren are ye, wherefore do ye injustice to one another? 27 and he who is doing injustice to the neighbour, did thrust him away, saying, Who set thee a ruler and a judge over us? 28 to kill me dost thou wish, as thou didst kill yesterday the Egyptian? 29 'And Moses fled at this word, and became a sojourner in the land of Midian, where he begat two sons,
30 and forty years having been fulfilled, there appeared to him in the wilderness of mount Sinai a messenger of the Lord, in a flame of fire of a bush, 31 and Moses having seen did wonder at the sight; and he drawing near to behold, there came a voice of the Lord unto him, 32 I 'am' the God of thy fathers; the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. 'And Moses having become terrified, durst not behold, 33 and the Lord said to him, Loose the sandal of thy feet, for the place in which thou hast stood is holy ground; 34 seeing I have seen the affliction of My people that 'is' in Egypt, and their groaning I did hear, and came down to deliver them; and now come, I will send thee to Egypt. 35 'This Moses, whom they did refuse, saying, Who did set thee a ruler and a judge? this one God a ruler and a redeemer did send, in the hand of a messenger who appeared to him in the bush; 36 this one did bring them forth, having done wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, and in the Red Sea, and in the wilderness forty years; 37 this is the Moses who did say to the sons of Israel: A prophet to you shall the Lord your God raise up out of your brethren, like to me, him shall ye hear. 38 'This is he who was in the assembly in the wilderness, with the messenger who is speaking to him in the mount Sinai, and with our fathers who did receive the living oracles to give to us; 39 to whom our fathers did not wish to become obedient, but did thrust away, and turned back in their hearts to Egypt, 40 saying to Aaron, Make to us gods who shall go on before us, for this Moses, who brought us forth out of the land of Egypt, we have not known what hath happened to him. 41 'And they made a calf in those days, and brought a sacrifice to the idol, and were rejoicing in the works of their hands,
42 and God did turn, and did give them up to do service to the host of the heaven, according as it hath been written in the scroll of the prophets: Slain beasts and sacrifices did ye offer to Me forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel? 43 and ye took up the tabernacle of Moloch, and the star of your god Remphan—the figures that ye made to bow before them, and I will remove your dwelling beyond Babylon. 44 'The tabernacle of the testimony was among our fathers in the wilderness, according as He did direct, who is speaking to Moses, to make it according to the figure that he had seen; 45 which also our fathers having in succession received, did bring in with Joshua, into the possession of the nations whom God did drive out from the presence of our fathers, till the days of David, 46 who found favour before God, and requested to find a tabernacle for the God of Jacob; 47 and Solomon built Him an house. 48 'But the Most High in sanctuaries made with hands doth not dwell, according as the prophet saith: 49 The heaven 'is' My throne, and the earth My footstool; what house will ye build to Me? saith the Lord, or what 'is' the place of My rest? 50 hath not My hand made all these things?
51 'Ye stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and in ears! ye do always the Holy Spirit resist; as your fathers—also ye; 52 which of the prophets did not your fathers persecute? and they killed those who declared before about the coming of the Righteous One, of whom now ye betrayers and murderers have become, 53 who received the law by arrangement of messengers, and did not keep 'it'.'
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Acts 7:1-53
Commentary on Acts 7:1-16
(Read Acts 7:1-16)
Stephen was charged as a blasphemer of God, and an apostate from the church; therefore he shows that he is a son of Abraham, and values himself on it. The slow steps by which the promise made to Abraham advanced toward performance, plainly show that it had a spiritual meaning, and that the land intended was the heavenly. God owned Joseph in his troubles, and was with him by the power of his Spirit, both on his own mind by giving him comfort, and on those he was concerned with, by giving him favour in their eyes. Stephen reminds the Jews of their mean beginning as a check to priding themselves in the glories of that nation. Likewise of the wickedness of the patriarchs of their tribes, in envying their brother Joseph; and the same spirit was still working in them toward Christ and his ministers. The faith of the patriarchs, in desiring to be buried in the land of Canaan, plainly showed they had regard to the heavenly country. It is well to recur to the first rise of usages, or sentiments, which have been perverted. Would we know the nature and effects of justifying faith, we should study the character of the father of the faithful. His calling shows the power and freeness of Divine grace, and the nature of conversion. Here also we see that outward forms and distinctions are as nothing, compared with separation from the world, and devotedness to God.
Commentary on Acts 7:17-29
(Read Acts 7:17-29)
Let us not be discouraged at the slowness of the fulfilling of God's promises. Suffering times often are growing times with the church. God is preparing for his people's deliverance, when their day is darkest, and their distress deepest. Moses was exceeding fair, "fair toward God;" it is the beauty of holiness which is in God's sight of great price. He was wonderfully preserved in his infancy; for God will take special care of those of whom he designs to make special use. And did he thus protect the child Moses? Much more will he secure the interests of his holy child Jesus, from the enemies who are gathered together against him. They persecuted Stephen for disputing in defence of Christ and his gospel: in opposition to these they set up Moses and his law. They may understand, if they do not wilfully shut their eyes against the light, that God will, by this Jesus, deliver them out of a worse slavery than that of Egypt. Although men prolong their own miseries, yet the Lord will take care of his servants, and effect his own designs of mercy.
Commentary on Acts 7:30-41
(Read Acts 7:30-41)
Men deceive themselves, if they think God cannot do what he sees to be good any where; he can bring his people into a wilderness, and there speak comfortably to them. He appeared to Moses in a flame of fire, yet the bush was not consumed; which represented the state of Israel in Egypt, where, though they were in the fire of affliction, yet they were not consumed. It may also be looked upon as a type of Christ's taking upon him the nature of man, and the union between the Divine and human nature. The death of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, cannot break the covenant relation between God and them. Our Saviour by this proves the future state, Matthew 22:31. Abraham is dead, yet God is still his God, therefore Abraham is still alive. Now, this is that life and immortality which are brought to light by the gospel. Stephen here shows that Moses was an eminent type of Christ, as he was Israel's deliverer. God has compassion for the troubles of his church, and the groans of his persecuted people; and their deliverance takes rise from his pity. And that deliverance was typical of what Christ did, when, for us men, and for our salvation, he came down from heaven. This Jesus, whom they now refused, as their fathers did Moses, even this same has God advanced to be a Prince and Saviour. It does not at all take from the just honour of Moses to say, that he was but an instrument, and that he is infinitely outshone by Jesus. In asserting that Jesus should change the customs of the ceremonial law. Stephen was so far from blaspheming Moses, that really he honoured him, by showing how the prophecy of Moses was come to pass, which was so clear. God who gave them those customs by his servant Moses, might, no doubt, change the custom by his Son Jesus. But Israel thrust Moses from them, and would have returned to their bondage; so men in general will not obey Jesus, because they love this present evil world, and rejoice in their own works and devices.
Commentary on Acts 7:42-50
(Read Acts 7:42-50)
Stephen upbraids the Jews with the idolatry of their fathers, to which God gave them up as a punishment for their early forsaking him. It was no dishonour, but an honour to God, that the tabernacle gave way to the temple; so it is now, that the earthly temple gives way to the spiritual one; and so it will be when, at last, the spiritual shall give way to the eternal one. The whole world is God's temple, in which he is every where present, and fills it with his glory; what occasion has he then for a temple to manifest himself in? And these things show his eternal power and Godhead. But as heaven is his throne, and the earth his footstool, so none of our services can profit Him who made all things. Next to the human nature of Christ, the broken and spiritual heart is his most valued temple.
Commentary on Acts 7:51-53
(Read Acts 7:51-53)
Stephen was going on, it seems, to show that the temple and the temple service must come to an end, and it would be the glory of both to give way to the worship of the Father in spirit and in truth; but he perceived they would not bear it. Therefore he broke off, and by the Spirit of wisdom, courage, and power, sharply rebuked his persecutors. When plain arguments and truths provoke the opposers of the gospel, they should be shown their guilt and danger. They, like their fathers, were stubborn and wilful. There is that in our sinful hearts, which always resists the Holy Ghost, a flesh that lusts against the Spirit, and wars against his motions; but in the hearts of God's elect, when the fulness of time comes, this resistance is overcome. The gospel was offered now, not by angels, but from the Holy Ghost; yet they did not embrace it, for they were resolved not to comply with God, either in his law or in his gospel. Their guilt stung them to the heart, and they sought relief in murdering their reprover, instead of sorrow and supplication for mercy.