Acts 7 reminds me of the cry of rebellious babies everywhere, “You’re not the boss of me!” It is an expression of outrage by someone refusing to accept authority. We picture a four-year old, standing in defiance of an older sibling, but some babies are much bigger. We begin with Stephen standing before the entire Jewish leadership council, falsely accused of heresy. Seeking a confession, they asked, “Are these charges true?” This young man was not intimidated; “Brothers and fathers, listen to me!” They did not expect the history lesson that followed. He began with “father Abraham” obediently following God’s leading to the new land. “God promised him that he and his descendants after him would possess the land, even though… Abraham had no child”. The promise included a time of sorrow, “they will be enslaved and mistreated… afterward they will come out of that country and worship Me in this place”. Abraham was given “the covenant of circumcision” symbolizing God’s Word was for future generations. The promise passed through Isaac, Jacob and the “twelve patriarchs”. I’m sure the council were all nodding in agreement with each confident in their own genealogy. Genesis 12:3 also promises a Savior, noting “all peoples on earth will be blessed through you”. This is not just Jewish history, but the story of human history.
Stephen continued with the betrayal of Joseph, as his brothers “sold him as a slave into Egypt. But God was with him”. Joseph saved his family from famine. The Hebrew nation grew and prospered in Egypt, until “the new king did not know Joseph”. He “oppressed our ancestors”. “At that time Moses was born”, he was adopted by Pharaoh’s daughter and “educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians”. Moses saw the mistreatment of the Hebrew people. “Moses thought that his own people would realize that God was using him to rescue them, but they did not”. Moses failed in his own strength, and “fled to Midian”. After 40 years, “an angel appeared to Moses in the flames of a burning bush in the desert near Mount Sinai”. God Himself spoke to Moses of His compassion, “I am… the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob… I have heard their groaning and have come down to set them free”. The people again resisted Moses; “Who made you ruler and judge?” Although he led them out of Egypt, they rebelled against God. They wandered in the wilderness “for forty years”. “Our ancestors refused to obey Him… they rejected Him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt”. Stephen added, “God turned away from them”; allowing them to worship the gods of their own creation. Friend, have you been wandering spiritually?
Stephen spoke of the glory of King David, and Solomon and the Holy Temple. “However, the Most High does not live in houses made by human hands”. He then turned to these pompous leaders and included them, “You stiff-necked people! You are just like your ancestors: You… resist the Holy Spirit!” Stephen accused his accusers, “your ancestors… even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered Him”. When the council heard this “they were furious… they covered their ears” and yelled at the top of their voices”. They refused to listen to God’s truth, and they did not want to submit to God’s authority. Instead, they attacked the messenger. In a tantrum, “they… dragged him out of the city and began to stone him”. Their violence was proof that they needed salvation. With his dying breath, Stephen prayed, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them”. The chapter ends with the first mention of the most pivotal person in the New Testament, “The witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul”. My friend, are you rebelling against the boss? If God is not your authority, then who is?