Acts 7:1-19 Lesson 231

Acts 7:1-19
Lesson 231

Read both the "King James Bible" and the "New Living Translation."

In this lesson:

Stephen gives the Sanhedrin a history lesson on the Jewish people.

Stephen's address runs through lesson 234.
Many Bible scholars consider Stephen's sermon one of the finest ever given.

Abraham journeying to the Promised Land.

Who were -

Abraham -
The founder of Judaism, the father of all Jews (Romans 4:11-16; Galatians 3:7), spiritual forefather of Christians (Galatians 3:29), and a "friend" of God (2 Chronicles 20:7; Isaiah 41:8; James 2:23).  Abraham was also called the "Father of a multitude," "exalted Father," and Abram (Genesis 15:1; 17:4-5). Born in Ur (present-day Iraq), Abraham is perhaps the greatest of the Old Testament personalities. His story is part of almost every eastern religion, including Islam, where he is considered the father of all Arab peoples through his son Ishmael.  A man of tremendous faith, Abraham left his home and family because God asked him to (Genesis 12:1; Acts 7:2-4). Then, God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac as a test. Trusting God, Abraham set off to Mount Moriah, a hill near Jerusalem, to obey (Genesis 22:1-10).  Many Bible scholars believe Mount Moriah is the same hill where Jesus was later sacrificed. However, many Jews disagree. They believe that the Temple's sacrificial altar was built over the site where Abraham prepared to sacrifice his son. As Abraham prepared to sacrifice his son, God sent an angel to save the boy (Genesis 22:11-13).  Abraham's willingness to obey earned him God's promise (the Abrahamic Covenant) to make his descendants (the Israelites) a great and populous people (Genesis 17:2-7; 22:16-18; 26:4; 24) and to bless the Gentiles through him (Genesis 12:2-3; 15:1-21; 18:18; 22:18; 28:14; Exodus 32:13).  Abraham's deeds sometimes disappointed God, but he never lost his righteousness because it is never deeds that earn righteousness; it is faith (Genesis 15:6).  Abraham died at the age of 175 (Genesis 25:7) and was buried alongside his wife Sarah in a cave at Machpelah (Genesis 23:9; 25:7-10).  Centuries later, a Christian church was built over the cave. Subsequently, the church was converted into an Islamic Mosque. Jesus' roots go back to Abraham (Matthew 1:1-16), proving that His lineage dates back to the beginning of the Jewish nation.  You can read more about Abraham in Genesis 11:26-25:34.

Jacob -
Also called Israel. With his twin brother Esau, Jacob was the son of Isaac and Rebekah, and Abraham's grandson.  The twelve tribes of Israel are named after Jacob's sons. Jacob, Isaac, and Abraham are three of the Old Testament's most important figures.  God chose Jacob over his brother Esau to fulfill His promise to Abraham to make Israel a great and populous nation (Genesis 48:1-22). With his mother's help, Jacob conned his twin brother Esau out of his father's blessing and birthright (Genesis 25:27-34; Genesis 27:1-45). This included the land of Canaan promised to Jacob's father Isaac and grandfather Abraham. Esau vowed to kill Jacob for his trickery (Genesis 27:41), forcing Jacob to flee to his Uncle Laban in Haran.  On his way to Haran, Jacob had a vision of climbing a ladder ("Jacob's ladder") to heaven. When he reached the top, God repeated His promise to Isaac and Abraham (Genesis 28:12-14). Jacob and Esau eventually reconciled, and Jacob became a shining example of faith. Even when dying, he never doubted God's promise to make Israel a great nation (Hebrews 11:21-22).  Jacob died at the age of one hundred and forty-seven (Genesis 47:28).  In time, Moses led Jacob's descendants out of slavery in Egypt. Forty years later, Joshua led them into the promised land, thus fulfilling God's promise.  You can learn more about Jacob in Genesis 25:1-37:36.

Study Tip:

Don't trust other people's interpretation of the Bible.
Not even these lessons.
Let God speak to you, then form your own conclusions.

The Acts of the Apostles

The King James Bible

Acts 7:1-19
Stephen before the Sanhedrin

1 Then said the high priest, Are these things so?

2 And he said, Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken; The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran,

3 And said unto him, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I shall shew thee.

4 Then came he out of the land of the Chaldaeans, and dwelt in Charran: and from thence, when his father was dead, he removed him into this land, wherein ye now dwell.

5 And he gave him none inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on: yet he promised that he would give it to him for a possession, and to his seed after him, when as yet he had no child.

6 And God spake on this wise, That his seed should sojourn in a strange land; and that they should bring them into bondage, and entreat them evil four hundred years.

7 And the nation to whom they shall be in bondage will I judge, said God: and after that shall they come forth, and serve me in this place.

8 And he gave him the covenant of circumcision: and so Abraham begat Isaac, and circumcised him the eighth day; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat the twelve patriarchs.

9 And the patriarchs, moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt: but God was with him,

10 And delivered him out of all his afflictions, and gave him favour and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house.

11 Now there came a dearth over all the land of Egypt and Chanaan, and great affliction: and our fathers found no sustenance.

12 But when Jacob heard that there was corn in Egypt, he sent out our fathers first.

13 And at the second time Joseph was made known to his brethren; and Joseph's kindred was made known unto Pharaoh.

14 Then sent Joseph, and called his father Jacob to him, and all his kindred, threescore and fifteen souls.

15 So Jacob went down into Egypt, and died, he, and our fathers,

16 And were carried over into Sychem, and laid in the sepulchre that Abraham bought for a sum of money of the sons of Emmor the father of Sychem.

17 But when the time of the promise drew nigh, which God had sworn to Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt,

18 Till another king arose, which knew not Joseph.

19 The same dealt subtilly with our kindred, and evil entreated our fathers, so that they cast out their young children, to the end they might not live.

Margin notes:

"Are these things so?" (7:1) - The high priest is asking Stephen if the charges brought against him in verses 6:13-14 (lesson 230) are true.

"Hearken." (7:2) - "listen."

"When he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran." (7:2) - Mesopotamia is modern-day Iraq. Charran, also called Haran, was a commercial city located sixty miles north of the Euphrates River in modern day Syria.  The city worshipped the moon god and prospered by sitting on the busy caravan trade route. Abraham visited there while on his way to Palestine.

"Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred." (7:3) - "Leave your country and your family." Stephen is quoting from Genesis 12:1.

"Then came he out of the land of the Chaldaeans." (7:4) - Abraham, and his family, left "the Chaldaeans" as documented in Genesis 11:31. The Chaldaeans were a warlike people that go back to 1100 BC. The Chaldean chief Ukin-zer became king of Babylon in 731 BC. In time, Babylon came to rule the known world. In 539 BC, Babylon was overrun by Persia.

"Dwelt in Charran." (7:4) - Stephen knows this from reading Genesis 12:5. Out of faith, Abraham obeyed God and left for Charran without questioning where he was going (Hebrews 11:8).

"He removed him into this land." (7:4) - "He (God) sent him to this land."

"He promised that he would give it to him for a possession, and to his seed after him." (7:5) - To read God's promise to Abraham, see Genesis 17:8 and 48:4.

"God spake on this wise, That his seed should sojourn in a strange land; and that they should bring them into bondage, and entreat them evil four hundred years." (7:6) - "God told him (Abraham), his descendants would live in a foreign land, as slaves, and be mistreated for four hundred years." Stephen is paraphrasing Genesis 15:13.

"After that shall they come forth, and serve me in this place." (7:7) - Stephen is referring to Exodus 3:12.

"The covenant of circumcision." (7:8) - A covenant is a solemn agreement and circumcision was a token of the covenant. God promised Abraham that He would protect the Jewish people, bless them with many descendants (Genesis 15:5), and grant them a homeland (Genesis 15:18). In return, Abraham vowed to obey God and sealed the commitment with a promise to circumcise every male child at eight days old (Genesis 17:1-14).  See also Leviticus 26:41, Jeremiah 4:4, and Romans 4:11.

"Circumcised him the eighth day." (7:8) - As commanded by God in Genesis 21:4.

"Jacob begat the twelve patriarchs." (7:8) - Jacob's twelve sons became the leaders of the twelve tribes of Israel.

"The patriarchs, moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt." (7:9) - "The patriarchs (Jacob's sons), consumed with jealousy, sold Joseph (their brother), into Egyptian slavery." See Genesis 37:28.

"There came a dearth over all the land of Egypt and Chanaan." (7:11) - "A famine came over all Egypt and Chanaan." The famine lasted seven years (Genesis 41:54-57). Chanaan (Canaan) is the promised land. It is located between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea (modern-day Israel). After wandering forty years in the wilderness, Joshua led the Israelites across the Jordan River and defeated the Canaanites and six other nations and claimed the land (Deuteronomy 7:1). To learn more, read Joshua Chapters 1-12.

"Our fathers found no sustenance." (7:11) - "Our ancestors found no food."

"He sent out our fathers first." (7:12) - Jacob sent his sons, the twelve forefathers of Jews.

"The second time Joseph was made known to his brethren." (7:13) - See Genesis 45 to learn how Joseph's brothers returned to Egypt to buy grain. During this second visit to Egypt, Joseph revealed this true identity to his brothers (Genesis 45:1-4).

"Then sent Joseph, and called his father Jacob to him." (7:14) - As reported in Genesis 45:9.

"Threescore and fifteen souls." (7:14) - "Seventy-five people." This refers to the seventy people mentioned in Genesis 46:27, plus a son, a grandson, and Ephraim's three children.

"So Jacob went down into Egypt."(7:15) - See Genesis 46:5.

"Laid in the sepulchre that Abraham bought." (7:16) - "Laid in the tomb bought by Abraham" (Genesis 23:3-16; 49:29-30).

"Drew nigh." (7:17) - "Drew near."

"The people grew and multiplied." (7:17) - See Exodus 1:7.

"Another king arose, which knew not Joseph. (7:18) - Another Pharaoh (of Egypt), who didn't respect Joseph, took the throne (Exodus 1:8).

"The same dealt subtilly with our kindred." (7:19) - "This Pharaoh treated our people with treachery."

"They cast out their young children." (1:19) - See Exodus 1:22.

New Living Translation

Acts 7:1-19
Stephen Addresses the Council

1 Then the high priest asked Stephen, "Are these accusations true?"

2 This was Stephen's reply: "Brothers and fathers, listen to me. Our glorious God appeared to our ancestor Abraham in Mesopotamia before he settled in Haran.

3 God told him, 'Leave your native land and your relatives, and come into the land that I will show you.'

4 So Abraham left the land of the Chaldeans and lived in Haran until his father died. Then God brought him here to the land where you now live.

5 "But God gave him no inheritance here, not even one square foot of land. God did promise, however, that eventually the whole land would belong to Abraham and his descendants-even though he had no children yet.

6 God also told him that his descendants would live in a foreign land, where they would be oppressed as slaves for 400 years.

7 'But I will punish the nation that enslaves them,' God said, 'and in the end they will come out and worship me here in this place.'

8 "God also gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision at that time. So when Abraham became the father of Isaac, he circumcised him on the eighth day. And the practice was continued when Isaac became the father of Jacob, and when Jacob became the father of the twelve patriarchs of the Israelite nation.

9 "These patriarchs were jealous of their brother Joseph, and they sold him to be a slave in Egypt. But God was with him

10 and rescued him from all his troubles. And God gave him favor before Pharaoh, king of Egypt. God also gave Joseph unusual wisdom, so that Pharaoh appointed him governor over all of Egypt and put him in charge of the palace.

11 "But a famine came upon Egypt and Canaan. There was great misery, and our ancestors ran out of food.

12 Jacob heard that there was still grain in Egypt, so he sent his sons-our ancestors-to buy some.

13 The second time they went, Joseph revealed his identity to his brothers, and they were introduced to Pharaoh.

14 Then Joseph sent for his father, Jacob, and all his relatives to come to Egypt, seventy-five persons in all.

15 So Jacob went to Egypt. He died there, as did our ancestors.

16 Their bodies were taken to Shechem and buried in the tomb Abraham had bought for a certain price from Hamor's sons in Shechem.

17 "As the time drew near when God would fulfill his promise to Abraham, the number of our people in Egypt greatly increased.

18 But then a new king came to the throne of Egypt who knew nothing about Joseph.

19 This king exploited our people and oppressed them, forcing parents to abandon their newborn babies so they would die.

This second Bible text from the "New Living Translation" (Tyndale House, Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois) is a paraphrase and not an accurate word for word translation of the Bible. However, it is a helpful tool when read with the "King James Version."

Today's Question:

1. What is the purpose of Stephen's speech to the Sanhedrin? (7:2-19)

God is love.
When He bestows that love on sinners, then it is grace.

Answer: (Do you agree?)

1. Rather than defend himself against the false charge that he blasphemed God and the Temple (6:13), Stephen goes on the offensive. First, he shows himself to be a religious man by acknowledging "the God of glory" (7:2). Then he reminds the Jewish counsel of their history as a people and of the Holy Covenant (agreement) between God and Abraham (7:8). A covenant Israel didn't keep. Abraham was a righteous man, but his descendants repeatedly rejected God's word and His prophets, even killing some of them. Now the Sanhedrin have crucified Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Stephen tells the Sanhedrin that they have sinned, not him, and they can count on feeling God's wrath.

Application thought for the day:

No matter how many times the Jewish nation broke the covenant with God, He remained faithful to them. God fulfilled His promise of a savior when He gave the world His only Son as a sacrifice. The word of God is always good, and when this world passes away, God will honor His promise to reward the faithful.

Thanks to the writings and commentary of John Wesley and Adam Clarke. Also, "The Layman's Bible Study Notebook" by Irving Jensen published by Harvest House Publishing, Irvine, California; the "Life Change Series" published by NavPress Books, Colorado Springs, Colorado; the "Life Application Study Bible" published by Tyndale House Publishing, Carol Stream, Illinois; the "Quest Study Bible" published by The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "Robertson's New Testament Word Studies;" "The MacArthur Bible Commentary" by John MacArthur published by Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee; "Wisdom of the Bible" CD by Topics Entertainment, Inc., Renton, Washington for their inspiring pictures; "My utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers published by Barbour Publishing, Inc., Uhrichsville, Ohio; The "Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge" by Reuben Archer Torrey; "Hope For Each Day" by Billy Graham published by J. Countryman, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee; "Easton's Bible Dictionary" by Matthew George Easton; "Unger's Bible Dictionary" by Merrill F. Unger, published by Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois; "Halley's Bible Handbook" by Henry H. Halley, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "The Everyday Bible" published by World Wide Publications, Minneapolis, Minnesota; "The Living New Testament" published by Tyndale house; "The New Living Translation" published by Tyndale House; "The New Testament" translated from the Latin Vulgate, published by Guild Press, New York, New York; BibleGateway.com for all their wonderful links; and of course the "King James Bible." All were critical in putting these lessons together.
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