Atos 7
Charles Spurgeon · Citado em PreceptAustin
Atos 7
Spurgeon - It seems to be the general opinion of modern annotators, that this Psalm is meant to express the glory of God as heard in the pealing thunder, and seen in the equinoctial tornado. Just as the eighth Psalm is to be read by moonlight, when the stars are bright, as the nineteenth needs the rays of the rising sun to bring out its beauty, so this can be best rehearsed beneath the black wing of tempest, by the glare of the lightning, or amid that dubious dusk which heralds the war of elements. The verses march to the tune of thunderbolts. God is everywhere conspicuous, and all the earth is hushed by the majesty of his presence. The word of God in the law and gospel is here also depicted in its majesty of power. True ministers are sons of thunder, and the voice of God in Christ Jesus is full of majesty. Thus we have God's works and God's word joined together: let no man put them asunder by a false idea that theology and science can by any possibility oppose each other. We may, perhaps, by a prophetic glance, behold in this Psalm the dread tempests of the latter days, and the security of the elect people. Play God of Glory, Lord of love (magnificent! Will stir your heart to worship the God of Glory!), God of Glory, God of Glory, Isaac Watts God of Glory Hackett feels that the idea of glory speaks of "the light or visible splendor amid which Jehovah revealed himself; the symbol, therefore, of his presence. (Cp. Ex. 25:22; 40:34; Lev. 9:6; Ezek. 1:28; 3:23; Heb. 9:5, etc)" (Acts 7 Commentary) Some (like Henry Alford) suggest in using the phrase God of glory, he is in part referring to the Shekinah Glory of God Related Resources: Glory of God Shekinah glory cloud What is the Shekinah glory?) John MacArthur on the significance of the name God of glory - Glory is the fullness of the manifestation of all that God is. The glory of God is the composite of all of His attributes, when it is talking about the nature of God. We can talk about the God of love or the God of justice or the God of grace or the God of wisdom or the God of righteousness or the God of wrath or the God of power or the God of presence or anything we want. But we can just say the God of glory, and that encompasses every single thing that God ever is. That’s the most comprehensive term....He’s saying, “I believe in God in the fullest possible conceivable sense.” (MacArthur NT Commentary - Acts) Marshall suggests that Stephen used the name God of glory "perhaps to emphasize at the outset the transcendence of the God Who does not live in a Temple made with hands." (TNTC-Acts) In other words Marshall's thought is that Stephen's description of the God of glory appearing to Abraham in Mesopotamia, clearly not the location of His Temple, would buttress his later direct remark that "the Most High does not dwell in houses (TEMPLES OR SANCTUARIES) made by human hands." (Acts 7:48). The other fascinating aspect of then Name God of glory is that Luke has just described Stephen's face "like the face of an angel." (Acts 6:15+) It is as if his face shone with a reflection of the glory of God! Even as he is speaking his face was glowing with glory! Filled with the Spirit and boldness and glowing with the glory of God -- can you imagine the reaction of these religious leaders! Not only did Stephen give a visual reminder of God, but he gave off an aroma of Jesus! Paul writes... But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place (HERE STEPHEN IN THE MIDDLE OF THE Hall of Hewn Stone!). 15 For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing (SADLY THE SANHEDRIN!); 16 to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life. And who is adequate for these things? (WE AREN'T BUT HE IS - cf 2 Cor 3:5-6+) (2 Cor 2:14-16) Stephen was obeying Jesus' exhortation to be His witness (Acts 1:8+) and His command to... “Let your light shine (aorist imperative - the only way to obey this is by being filled with the Spirit as Stephen was!) before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify (STEPHEN WAS WITH HIS FACE AND HIS SPEECH!) your Father Who is in heaven. (Mt 5:16+) Comment - To glorify (doxazo) means to give a proper opinion of or to "paint" an accurate picture of something, in this case of the invisible (supernatural) God, our Father, doing do by allowing His Spirit to enable our visible (supernatural) words and deeds. Even these stiff-necked, hard-hearted men must have grasp that there is no way a natural man could stand before them with such supernatural presence, poise and power. But as we see in this chapter, they were dug in, so to speak, to their love of sin and and power and prestige, and were not about to acknowledge Stephen as representative of the Most High God! Such is the all encompassing power of sin on our hearts and minds! "Do not be deceived (present imperative with a negative), my beloved brethren!" (James 1:16+) THE GOD OF GLORY REVEALS HIMSELF TO ABRAHAM The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran - Locate Ur in the south and and Haran in the north on this Map. Stephen does not mention Ur but the implication that the God of glory appeared to Abraham in Ur of the Chaldees. First note that an actual (visible) appearance of Jehovah to Abraham is not described in the Old Testament account, but Stephen used the verb appeared (horao) which clearly signifies Abraham saw a visible manifestation of the God of glory. This is not a discrepancy but is progressive revelation, Stephen's account giving additional detail. See map of Abraham's travels from Ur to Haran to Canaan - this map is fascinating as it is dynamic! (Here is a static map) Now we come to what at first glance appears to be a discrepancy by Stephen when compared to the parallel OT account. Stephen implies God appeared to Abraham in Ur. Genesis 12:1,4 records that "the LORD said to Abram, “Go forth from your country....(4) So Abram went forth as the LORD had spoken to him; and Lot went with him. Now Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran." So the Genesis passage would indicate that God revealed Himself to Abraham at Haran. In addition, Ge 11:32 mentions the location of Haran in the context immediately before God gives the call to Abraham in Ge 12:1 to "Go forth." The implication is "Go forth" from Haran. Comparing Genesis 15:7 we read that God says “I am the LORD Who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to possess it” so clearly Abraham had some revelation of God in Ur as Stephen's version implies. Nehemiah 9:7 records that God "chose Abram and brought him out from Ur of the Chaldees." Thus Nehemiah's version implies God had revealed Himself to Abraham in Ur. So which is correct? Moses' account in Genesis 12:1,4 that says God appeared to Abraham in Harran or Stephen's account in Acts 7:2 (supported by Ge 15:7 and Neh 9:7) which says God appeared to Abraham in Ur? Stated another way, did Abraham have one or two encounters with God before he departed for Canaan? John Stott - We cannot miss Stephen’s emphasis on the divine initiative. It was God who appeared, spoke, sent, promised, punished and rescued. From Ur to Haran, from Haran to Canaan, from Canaan to Egypt, from Egypt back to Canaan again, God was directing each stage of his people’s pilgrimage. . .Change is painful to us all, especially when it affects our cherished buildings and customs, and we should not seek change merely for the sake of change. Yet true Christian radicalism is open to change. It knows that God has bound himself to his church (promising that he will never leave it) and to his word (promising that it will never pass away). But God’s church means people not buildings, and God’s word means Scripture not traditions. So long as these essentials are preserved, the buildings and the traditions can if necessary go. We must not allow them to imprison the living God or to impede his mission in the world. MacArthur answers that "There is an apparent historical discrepancy here. Abraham was originally from the city of Ur (Ge 11:31). Stephen places his call while he still lived in that city before he lived in Haran. (Acts 7:3-4) Genesis 12:1–4, however, appears to place God’s call after Abraham had left Ur and settled in Haran. Since Stephen was fully controlled by the Holy Spirit (Acts 6:5, 15; 7:55) his facts must be correct and can be harmonized with other Scripture. Evidently, God originally called Abraham in Ur (Ge 15:7; Neh. 9:7), then repeated that call in Haran. Both ancient writers Philo and Josephus give that obvious interpretation (F. F. Bruce, The Book of the Acts [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1971], 146)." (MNTC - Acts) (See also Table below) Derek Thomas - It takes courage, even as a fellow Jew, to say that Jews living in Jerusalem have utterly misunderstood the significance of Abraham! Yet that was what Stephen evidently did (Acts 7:2–8). John the Baptist had encountered a similar audience. When crowds went out to hear him preaching, and there were Pharisees among them, John turned to them and said, “Bear fruits in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham” (Luke 3:8). (ED: AND OF COURSE WHAT WAS JOHN'S FATE IN BEING SO BOLD? Mt 14:8-12) Genetic association with Abraham does not guarantee membership in the kingdom of God any more than ritual participation in temple worship. These people were drawing the conclusion that just because they had genetic ties with Abraham—because they could proudly trace their roots all the way back to the Patriarch—they were therefore blessed by God no matter what. They believed that their very Jewishness was sufficient to ensure their protection and blessing. How wrong they were! (Reformed Expository Commentary - Acts) Our father Abraham - Note that Stephen does not say "your father" but "our father Abraham." Stephen is affirming that he shares a common origin with his Jewish hearers. He is not denying his roots or origin. He still considered himself an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the chosen nation. Stephen begins with "father Abraham" who lived a life of faith and whose revelation from God was independent of the Law or the Temple. Stephen's point is that the transcendent God can reveal Himself to whom He wants and whenever He wants. He is not restricted to the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem (remember they had accused him of speaking against the Temple - Acts 6:13). Stephen called him not just Abraham but father Abraham undoubtedly because he knew the Sanhedrin greatly revered him and were proud to be Abraham's "children." Of course the Sanhedrin had made a fatal mistake of confusing their physical origin (which was from Abraham) with the more important spiritual origin (which was by faith in Messiah like Abraham). And so instead of believing the promise of God as Abraham did in Genesis 15:6, they choose to trust in their Jewish lineage. Both John the Baptist and Jesus Christ sought to correct their faulty understanding... John the Baptist said - But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 “Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance; 9 and do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father’; for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham. 10 “The axe is already laid at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 11 “As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12“ His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” (Mt 3:7-12) Jesus addressed Jews who professed belief (Jn 8:30) but did not genuinely believe in Him - So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” 33 "They answered Him , “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never yet been enslaved to anyone; how is it that You say, ‘You will become free’?” (OF COURSE THEY CONVENIENTLY FORGOT ABOUT 400 YEARS OF ENSLAVEMENT IN EGYPT!) 34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin (present tense = a lifestyle, habitually) is the slave of sin. 35 “The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever. 36 “So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. 37 “I know that you are Abraham’s descendants (PHYSICAL DESCENDANTS - LIKE THE SANDHEDRIN); yet you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you. 38 “I speak the things which I have seen with My Father; therefore you also do the things which you heard from your father.” 39 They answered and said to Him, “Abraham is our father.” (HERE IS THEIR SELF-DECEPTION, THEIR FATAL MISUNDERSTANDING) Jesus said to them, “If you are Abraham’s children, do the deeds of Abraham. (ABRAHAM OBEYED AS STEPHEN RECOUNTS) 40 “But as it is, you are seeking to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth, which I heard from God; this Abraham did not do. 41 “You are doing the deeds of your father.” They said to Him, “We were not born of fornication; we have one Father: God (AGAIN THEY ARE DECEIVED).” 42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have not even come on My own initiative, but He sent Me. 43 “Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot hear My word. 44 “You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 “But because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me. 46 “Which one of you convicts Me of sin? If I speak truth, why do you not believe Me? 47 “He who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God.” 48 The Jews answered and said to Him, “Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?” (NOW THEY TRY TO SLANDER JESUS - HE IS GETTING TOO CLOSE TO HOME!) 49 Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me. 50 “But I do not seek My glory; there is One who seeks and judges. 51 “Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he will never see death.” 52 The Jews said to Him, “Now we know that You have a demon. Abraham died, and the prophets also; and You say, ‘If anyone keeps My word, he will never taste of death.’ 53 “Surely You are not greater than our father Abraham, who died? The prophets died too; whom do You make Yourself out to be?” 54 Jesus answered, “If I glorify Myself, My glory is nothing; it is My Father who glorifies Me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God’; 55 and you have not come to know Him, but I know Him; and if I say that I do not know Him, I will be a liar like you, but I do know Him and keep His word. 56 “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.” 57 So the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?” 58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.” 59 Therefore they picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple. (Jn 8:31-59)
Atos 7
Spurgeon - He takes the sharp knife of the Word and rips up the sins of the people, laying open the inward parts of their hearts, and the secrets of their soul…He could not have delivered that searching address with greater fearlessness had he been assured that they would thank him for the operation; the fact that his death was certain had no other effect upon him than to make him yet more zealous. You men who are stiff-necked - Sklerotrachelos is first word in the Greek to emphasize their "neck" problem. These Jews were unable to turn their heads to see a different point of view. Think about this picture for a moment -- have you ever seen someone attempting to put a yoke on an unwilling ox or a halter on an unwilling horse? That is the very picture of these Jewish men and of the majority of the nation of Israel! The word that comes to mind is obstinate - adhering fixedly to a particular opinion, attitude, course of action, etc; self-willed; headstrong; difficult to subdue; perversely adhering to their opinion and course in spite of reason, arguments, or persuasion. Stephen has presented a brilliant argument, using their beloved Old Testament Scriptures, but they refused to receive the truth he was speaking! NET Note - Now the critique begins in earnest. Stiff-necked (4644)(sklerotrachelos from skleros = hard + + tráchelos = the neck) means literally hard or stiff–necked and is used figuratively of resistance against changing one's behavior = proud (Having or showing a high or excessively high opinion of oneself or one's importance), headstrong (habitually disposed to disobedience and opposition), stubborn (tenaciously unwilling or marked by tenacious unwillingness to yield). Obstinate describes someone who is fixed and unyielding in course or purpose implying usually an unreasonable persistence; perversely adhering to an opinion, purpose, or course in spite of reason, arguments, or persuasion. Sklerotrachelos portrays the idea of a stubborn ox that cannot be broken; and a neck so strong the animal is useless, because it cannot be turned right or left. This is the only NT use of this word, but below are the 6 uses in the Septuagint most for the Hebrew word qasheh (07186) which means hard, severe, difficult, obstinate, stubborn. Ex 33:3 (JEHOVAH IS SPEAKING - Ex 33:1) "Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; for I will not go up in your midst, (WHY WON'T GOD BE IN ISRAEL'S MIDST?) because you are an obstinate (sklerotrachelos) people, lest I destroy you on the way." Ex 33:5 For the LORD had said to Moses, "Say to the sons of Israel, You are an obstinate (sklerotrachelos) people; should I go up in your midst for one moment, I would destroy you. Now therefore, put off your ornaments from you, that I may know what I will do with you. " Ex 34:9 And he said, "If now I have found favor in Thy sight, O Lord, I pray, let the Lord go along in our midst, even though the people are so obstinate (sklerotrachelos); and do Thou pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us as Thine own possession." Deut 9:6 "Know, then, it is not because of your righteousness that the LORD your God is giving you this good land to possess, for you are a stubborn (sklerotrachelos) people. Deut 9:13 "The LORD spoke further to me, saying, I have seen this people, and indeed, it is a stubborn (sklerotrachelos) people. Proverbs 29:1 A man who hardens his neck after much reproof (English of LXX = "A reprover is better than a stiff-necked man) Will suddenly be broken beyond remedy. ANOTHER HEART PROBLEM NOT SPIRITUALLY CIRCUMCISED! Uncircumcised in heart and ears - Their attitude was like that one would expect with uncircumcised Gentile "dogs!" This phrase signifies that they were spiritually dead, still dead in their trespasses and sins (Eph 2:1+). Had they been spiritually alive they would have been able to recognize Jesus as their Messiah. As F.F. Bruce says "While they were circumcised in the literal sense, in accordance with the Abrahamic institution, their unresponsiveness and resistance to God's revelation were such as might have been expected from Gentiles to whom he had not made known His will." The Jews had physical circumcision but they failed to recognize that their circumcision was useless in attaining righteousness with God. The Jews placed great stress on their physical ritual of circumcision, forgetting that it was a sign which was meant to point to their complete dedication to the will and purposes of God. In fact in Genesis 17 it pointed to Abraham's entrance into the unconditional covenant by faith (Ge 15:6). Their hearts were still cold toward God and their ears inattentive to His Word, so that God could not reach them. Do you have any teenagers that model this behavior? Are even closer to home, is this a description of your response to God's gracious and merciful Word? Gilbrant on uncircumcised in heart and ears - Their attitude and their refusal to listen to the gospel put them in the same class as the Gentiles who were outside God's covenant and were rejecting Him. They were hearing, thinking, and planning in the way unbelieving Gentiles did. Their fathers were actually warned against this. Deuteronomy 10:16 and 30:6 calls for a circumcision of the heart lest they become rebellious and be cut off from God's promises. (See also Jeremiah 6:10; 9:26; Ezekiel 44:7.) (Complete Biblical Library – Acts) Uncircumcised in heart means they did not have a covenant relationship with God and this is the only thing He will accept. Stephen in essence is saying “You are just like the Gentiles in your rejection of the Lord!” These were "fighting words" to the self-righteous Sanhedrin! Wenham - The phrase “uncircumcised in heart and ears” refers to the fact that they were unregenerate or in other words, not born-again and saved. The born again believer is circumcised in Christ, Paul states this to the church at Colossae in: Colossians 2:11, “and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ.” The Jew was driven from the land because of his uncircumcised heart as God declares through Moses in Leviticus 26:40-42, “If they confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their forefathers, in their unfaithfulness which they committed against Me, and also in their acting with hostility against Me-I also was acting with hostility against them, to bring them into the land of their enemies-or if their uncircumcised heart becomes humbled so that they then make amends for their iniquity, then I will remember My covenant with Jacob, and I will remember also My covenant with Isaac, and My covenant with Abraham as well, and I will remember the land.” God is concerned about the condition of your heart. To reject the Spirit’s witness concerning Christ upon hearing the Gospel is to have an uncircumcised heart before God. Uncircumcised (564)(aperitmetos from a = negates + peritemno = to cut around, to circumcise) is an adjective (used only in Acts 7:51) which literally describes that which is not cut around. In context aperitmetos is used figuratively of those uncircumcised in heart and ears a spiritual condition which resulted in their stubbornness toward God, His Son and His Gospel. In Jeremiah 9:25 the Lxx uses aperitmetos figuratively to refer to gentiles with uncircumcised foreskin. Robertson on Uncircumcised in heart (aperitmētoi kardiais) - Late adjective common in LXX and here only in the N.T. Verbal of peritemnō, to cut around and a = privative. Both of these epithets are applied to the Jews in the O.T. (Ex 32:9; Ex 33:3, 5; Ex 34:9; Lev 26:41; Dt. 9:6; Jer 6:10)....No epithet could have been more galling to these Pharisees than to be turned "uncircumcised in heart" (Ro 2:29). They had only the physical circumcision which was useless. It is interesting to note that in this verse Stephen says their heart is uncircumcised but in Acts 7:54 Luke records that when they heard this their heart ("quick" is literally "heart") was cut! In other words in their hearts they became furious and refused the Gospel which alone could have wrought spiritual circumcision of their stony hearts! Related Resources: Circumcision of the heart. - Below is an index to discussion of specific passages dealing with circumcision of the heart Romans 2:28 For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. Colossians 2:11 and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; Genesis 17:9-14 God said further to Abraham, “Now as for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. 10 “This is My covenant, which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: every male among you shall be circumcised. 11 “And you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be the sign of the covenant between Me and you. 12 “And every male among you who is eight days old shall be circumcised throughout your generations, a servant who is born in the house or who is bought with money from any foreigner, who is not of your descendants. 13 “A servant who is born in your house or who is bought with your money shall surely be circumcised; thus shall My covenant be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. 14 “But an uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.” Leviticus 26:41-42 I also was acting with hostility against them, to bring them into the land of their enemies–or if their uncircumcised heart becomes humbled so that they then make amends for their iniquity, 42 then I will remember My covenant with Jacob, and I will remember also My covenant with Isaac, and My covenant with Abraham as well, and I will remember the land Deuteronomy 10:16-17 So circumcise your heart, and stiffen your neck no longer. 1 7“For the LORD your God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God who does not show partiality nor take a bribe. Deuteronomy 30:1-6 (see also commentary) So it shall be when all of these things have come upon you, the blessing and the curse which I have set before you, and you call them to mind in all nations where the LORD your God has banished you, 2 and you return to the LORD your God and obey Him with all your heart and soul according to all that I command you today, you and your sons, 3 then the LORD your God will restore you from captivity, and have compassion on you, and will gather you again from all the peoples where the LORD your God has scattered you. 4 “If your outcasts are at the ends of the earth, from there the LORD your God will gather you, and from there He will bring you back. 5 “The LORD your God will bring you into the land which your fathers possessed, and you shall possess it; and He will prosper you and multiply you more than your fathers. 6 “Moreover the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live. Jeremiah 4:4 “Circumcise yourselves to the LORD And remove the foreskins of your heart, Men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, Or else My wrath will go forth like fire And burn with none to quench it, Because of the evil of your deeds.” Jeremiah 9:25-26 “Behold, the days are coming,” declares the LORD, “that I will punish all who are circumcised and yet uncircumcised– 26 Egypt and Judah, and Edom and the sons of Ammon, and Moab and all those inhabiting the desert who clip the hair on their temples; for all the nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised of heart.” Ezekiel 44:6-9 You shall say to the rebellious ones, to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, “Enough of all your abominations, O house of Israel, 7 when you brought in foreigners, uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in My sanctuary to profane it, even My house, when you offered My food, the fat and the blood; for they made My covenant void–this in addition to all your abominations. 8 “And you have not kept charge of My holy things yourselves, but you have set foreigners to keep charge of My sanctuary.” 9 ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, “No foreigner uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, of all the foreigners who are among the sons of Israel, shall enter My sanctuary. RESISTING THE WIND (SPIRIT) Are always resisting the Holy Spirit - Continually rushing against the Spirit (so to speak) in a hostile manner. We see the picture of Israel resisting the Spirit in this passage... Neh 9:30 "However, Thou didst bear with them for many years, And admonished them by Thy Spirit through Thy prophets, Yet they would not give ear. (Ed: They heard -- they just would not obey!) Therefore Thou didst give them into the hand of the peoples of the lands. John
Atos 7
Spurgeon reminds us that "Behold is a word of wonder; it is intended to excite admiration. Wherever you see it hung out in Scripture, it is like an ancient sign-board, signifying that there are rich wares within, or like the hands which solid readers have observed in the margin of the older Puritanic books, drawing attention to something particularly worthy of observation." I would add, behold is like a divine highlighter, a divine underlining of an especially striking or important text. It says in effect "Listen up, all ye who would be wise in the ways of Jehovah!" F F Bruce suggests "Stephen has been confessing Christ before men, and now he sees Christ confessing his servant before God.” (cf Mt 10:32) I see the heavens opened up and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God - This has to be one of the most amazing, glorious passages in the entire Bible. Stephen sees into Heaven and sees Jesus, not seated but standing. Luke does not tell us but this certainly looks like Jesus standing up to honor Stephen for a job well done - "Welcome Home!" See is theoreo which is in the present tense and means Stephen was continually observing Jesus with sustained attention as a spectator of His supernatural Savior standing! Opened (perfect tense = standing open) (1272) (dianoigo) means the "gates of paradise" were opened wide (standing open) allowing Stephen clear, unhindered, unimpeded vision and full understanding of what he was seeing. This same verb is used figuratively by Luke in Lk 24:45+ = "Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures." In a sense Stephen's mind was opened to see the Living Word Himself (as the two on the road to Emmaus in Lk 24:31+ when "their eyes were opened and they recognized Him (THE RESURRECTED JESUS)"! The writer of Hebrews describes Jesus' posture in heaven after He had been crucified, buried, resurrected and ascended... And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins (IT IS FINISHED!), He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, (Heb 1:3+) The writer of Hebrews tells us that our Great "High Priest...has taken His seat at the right hand of the Throne of the Majesty (WHAT A GREAT NAME OF GOD!) in the heavens. (Heb 8:1) Stephen's use of the clearly Messianic phrase the Son of Man must have been like a knife turning in the stomach of the Sanhedrin and especially the high priest Caiaphas. Why? Recall that at Jesus' nocturnal, illegal trial before Caiaphas there was an interchange that he surely would recall for this had taken place only a couple of months earlier. But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest (CAIAPHAS) said to Him, “I adjure (TO EXACT AS AN OATH OR PUT UNDER OATH) You by the living God, that You tell us whether You are the Christ, the Son of God.” Jesus said to him, “You have said it yourself; nevertheless I tell you, hereafter you will see THE SON OF MAN SITTING AT THE RIGHT HAND OF POWER, and COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF HEAVEN.” (Mt 26:63-64) So Jesus answered that He is the Messiah and Caiaphas would see Him some day in the future. What is fascinating is that when Caiaphas does see Him, He will be seated, not standing as He was for Stephen! And while Luke does not say, there is no indication that Caiaphas or any of the other member of the Sanhedrin saw Jesus in Heaven at this time. In any event, this was the final straw for the Sanhedrin who became outraged that Stephen would testify about the One Whom they had murdered telling them He was now alive! This was simply too much for them to bear!