Chapter seven of the book Acts start with Stephen addressing Sanhedrin by beginning his defense by citing history. He reminds the Sanhedrin that God appeared to Abraham while he was still in Mesopotamia and told him to go to Haran. He goes through highlights on Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, David, and Solomon all in one chapter. He start with Abraham the how God promised him with land, and his descendants would possess that land even though at the time Abraham didn’t. They would be enslaved for 400 years but afterward they would worship Him.
He gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision. Isaac was born. Isaac had Jacob who became the father of the twelve patriarchs.
He retells the story of Joseph, how these same patriarchs …show more content…
Around this time, Moses was born and he was brought up by Pharaoh’s daughter and educated in the Egyptian ways.
When Moses was 40 he visited his fellow Israelites and interceded when one was being mistreated by an Egyptian and killed the Egyptian. However, the Israelites did not trust Moses so he fled to Medina.
Another 40 years passed when an angel appeared to Moses in the burning bush where God then spoke to him. God told him he was sending him back to Egypt to rescue his people, the same people who had rejected Moses before.
He led them out of Egypt and wandered for 40 years. During this time, the people still questioned Moses leadership and decided to make a golden calf to follow instead. God got mad at this and told them they would be punished by exile in Babylon (much later on in …show more content…
Stephen is being charged with blasphemous words against Moses, the law, customs, the temple, and God. He is laying out the history of Abraham and Moses, careful to mention how the people had rejected Moses and to highlight how God was behind both of them.
b. But the people rejected God’s chosen men time and time again, citing examples of the golden calf and angering God, including rejecting Moses even with the presence of the Tabernacle.
c. Even today, you (the Sanhedrin) resist the Holy Spirit, persecute and murder prophets (Jesus), and disobey God’s laws just like your ancestors of the past.
d. Accused of blasphemy against God, Stephen used God’s words and God’s history to show how it was they who were not obeying God, not him. Ever since Abraham, the people have resisted God’s chosen people (here I am assuming Stephen is counting himself as a chosen person of God) and continue to do so. Basically, they are hypocrites.
e. Stephen was calm and angelic. The Sanhedrin were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. Stephen used words as his weapon. The Sanhedrin used stone.
f. Stephen looked up to Heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of
He gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision. Isaac was born. Isaac had Jacob who became the father of the twelve patriarchs.
He retells the story of Joseph, how these same patriarchs …show more content…
Around this time, Moses was born and he was brought up by Pharaoh’s daughter and educated in the Egyptian ways.
When Moses was 40 he visited his fellow Israelites and interceded when one was being mistreated by an Egyptian and killed the Egyptian. However, the Israelites did not trust Moses so he fled to Medina.
Another 40 years passed when an angel appeared to Moses in the burning bush where God then spoke to him. God told him he was sending him back to Egypt to rescue his people, the same people who had rejected Moses before.
He led them out of Egypt and wandered for 40 years. During this time, the people still questioned Moses leadership and decided to make a golden calf to follow instead. God got mad at this and told them they would be punished by exile in Babylon (much later on in …show more content…
Stephen is being charged with blasphemous words against Moses, the law, customs, the temple, and God. He is laying out the history of Abraham and Moses, careful to mention how the people had rejected Moses and to highlight how God was behind both of them.
b. But the people rejected God’s chosen men time and time again, citing examples of the golden calf and angering God, including rejecting Moses even with the presence of the Tabernacle.
c. Even today, you (the Sanhedrin) resist the Holy Spirit, persecute and murder prophets (Jesus), and disobey God’s laws just like your ancestors of the past.
d. Accused of blasphemy against God, Stephen used God’s words and God’s history to show how it was they who were not obeying God, not him. Ever since Abraham, the people have resisted God’s chosen people (here I am assuming Stephen is counting himself as a chosen person of God) and continue to do so. Basically, they are hypocrites.
e. Stephen was calm and angelic. The Sanhedrin were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. Stephen used words as his weapon. The Sanhedrin used stone.
f. Stephen looked up to Heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of