Acts 7:2-8
2 And Stephen said, “Listen to me, brothers and fathers! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran,
3 and He said to him, ‘Go from your country and your relatives, and come to the land which I will show you.’
4 Then he left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. And from there, after his father died, God had him move to this country in which you are now living.
5 But He gave him no inheritance in it, not even a foot of ground, and yet, He promised that He would give it to him as a possession, and to his descendants after him, even though he had no child.
6 But God spoke to this effect, that his descendants would be strangers in a land that was not theirs, and they would enslave and mistreat them for four hundred years.
7 ‘And whatever nation to which they are enslaved I Myself will judge,’ said God, ‘and after that they will come out and serve Me in this place.’
8 And He gave him the covenant of circumcision; and so Abraham fathered Isaac, and circumcised him on the eighth day; and Isaac fathered Jacob, and Jacob, the twelve patriarchs.
Stephen’s Defense (1)
Abraham: the foundation of Judaism
“And Stephen said, ‘Listen to me, brothers and fathers! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran.’” (1) “Brothers” is a warm and affectionate address. “Fathers” is a respectful address to the members of the Sanhedrin. (2) The goals of Stephen’s defense are as follows: (a) The Torah and the temple are important, but they are not the essence of Judaism. These were added after the foundation of Judaism was established. (b) The essence of Judaism is God’s love for His people and His plan to protect them. (c) However, God’s people have consistently failed to recognize the Father’s plan. (3) As the first example, Abraham is mentioned. “Our father Abraham” is a phrase commonly used in Jewish liturgy. God called Abraham (Gen. 11:31-12:3). At that time, Abraham was a Gentile living in Mesopotamia. (4) Abraham moved from the land of the Chaldeans to Haran, and after his father’s death, he moved from Haran to the Promised Land. God promised to give the land to Abraham and that his descendants would possess the Promised Land. “But God spoke to this effect, that his descendants would be strangers in a land that was not theirs, and they would enslave and mistreat them for four hundred years. ‘And whatever nation to which they are enslaved I Myself will judge,’ said God, ‘and after that they will come out and serve Me in this place.’” (1) His descendants would be enslaved and mistreated in a foreign land before possessing the land and it would last for 400 years. (2) However, God would judge the nation that enslaved Abraham’s descendants. They would escape from that nation and worship God in the Promised Land. “And He gave him the covenant of circumcision; and so Abraham fathered Isaac…and Isaac fathered Jacob, and Jacob, the twelve patriarchs.” (1) God confirmed the promise of the Abrahamic covenant through circumcision. The foundation of Judaism is circumcision (the Abrahamic covenant), not the Torah or the temple. (2) From Abraham came Isaac, Jacob, and the twelve patriarchs. Next, Stephen skips over Isaac and Jacob and moves directly to Joseph, the great-grandson.
Today's prayer
God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, I thank You that through Jesus, I am included in the blessings of the Abrahamic covenant. I trust in Your promises. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.