Acts 7:1-8

 Acts 7:1-8

And the high priest said, “Are these things so?” ² And Stephen said: “Brothers and fathers, hear me. The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran, ³ and said to him, ‘Go out from your land and from your kindred and go into the land that I will show you.’ ⁴ Then he went out from the land of the Chaldeans and lived in Haran. And after his father died, God removed him from there into this land in which you are now living. ⁵ Yet he gave him no inheritance in it, not even a foot's length, but promised to give it to him as a possession and to his offspring after him, though he had no child. ⁶ And God spoke to this effect—that his offspring would be sojourners in a land belonging to others, who would enslave them and afflict them four hundred years. ⁷ ‘But I will judge the nation that they serve,’ said God, ‘and after that they shall come out and worship me in this place.’ ⁸ And he gave him the covenant of circumcision. And so Abraham became the father of Isaac, and circumcised him on the eighth day, and Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob of the twelve patriarchs.

When Stephen is falsely accused of speaking blasphemy against Israel and the Law, he wants to make sure that they understand that he knows the history of the nation.  He goes back and speaks of the highlights of the history of the nation.  He goes back to Abraham who was the father of the nation.  He also is careful to call them his brothers and fathers.  He is identifying with them and wanting to make sure that they know He is one of them.  There are several lessons we can learn from each of the main characters Stephen sites. 

THE CALL OF ABRAHAM: The father of the nation of Israel is Abraham.  He was called out of Mesopotamia and given a promise of becoming a great nation and having a land for that nation.  God was not specific with Him about where the land would be or when all this would take place, but Abraham believed the promise and obeyed the call to leave his homeland and follow the Lord’s leading.  God promised to bless Abraham and use him to become a blessing to all the nations of the world.  Stephen knew that his audience would identify with Abraham and appreciate his reference to the father of their nation.  The history of Scripture is vital to any presentation of the Gospel.  Too often, the Old Testament is forgotten or ignored when it comes to witnessing to others.  We are all a part of the story of redemption that God has been orchestrating since Eden.  No part of that story should be ignored.

THE CRISIS OF ABRAHAM: There is a misconception that is common amongst those who consider following the call of Christ.  People often think that following Christ will be easy and comfortable.  This has never been the case.  It sounds wonderful for Abraham to get the promise of a nation and a land.  However, there are two big problems: he does not have any children, and he never owns even one foot of the land he was promised.  It is wrong to think that all the promises God makes will be fulfilled quickly or even in our lifetime.  God’s promises are eternal.  Much that He has promised will only be realized in eternity.  It is important for us to remember that in light of eternity our current lives are only a blip.  He and his descendants would suffer, be enslaved, and many would die before the promises were fulfilled.  We must not become impatient for the fulfillment of God’s promises.  It is important that we not lose hope and that we have faith in Him in the midst of all the crises of life.

THE COVENENT WITH ABRAHAM: God promised Abraham a nation and a land even though his descendants would end up spending 400 years enslaved in Egypt.  The crises and difficulties along the way would not undo the promise of God.  He would release them from slavery, and they would come out to the land of promise and they would worship the Lord.  A covenant was made between God and Abraham to guarantee that reality and circumcision was given as a sign of that covenant.  Reminders are helpful to us in times of doubt and trouble.  Circumcision was given as a constant reminder to the nation of Israel that they were under a covenant with God.  Abraham was blessed with a son in his old age whom he circumcised as a sign of the promise.  Isaac then became the father of the sons who are the patriarchs of the twelve tribes of Israel.  These men would be the fathers of each tribe that made up the nation God had promised to Abraham.  God is a covenant make and He keeps His promises despite the difficulties that might arise along the way.

APPLICATION: The history of God’s mission is a source of hope for the present.  God’s call is a wonderful blessing that cannot be earned, but it should be enjoyed.  The promises of God will always be fulfilled, but they are not likely to be fulfilled in the way we would expect or prefer for them to be fulfilled.  God wants us to trust Him in times of crises.  Remember that God is always faithful, especially when we don’t understand what He is doing in our lives.