Bible Study Lesson for Acts 7:1-8: Stephen's Speech to the Sanhedrin

This chapter provides us with a transcript of Stephen's speech before the Sanhedrin and the end result, his death by stoning. Much of Stephen's speech is a capsulation of the history of the Jewish people. As we will see, Stephen, through the power of the Holy Spirit, was an incredibly eloquent and dynamic speaker.

Read Acts 7:1. In the previous chapter the charges against Stephen were presented. Part of this charge was that Stephen did not honor Moses and their Jewish traditions. The high priest now gives Stephen an opportunity to speak in his own defense. (As an interesting side note, when Jesus is put on trial and is given an opportunity to speak in his own defense in responds to false charges he is silent. It is not until he is charged to speak under oath that he replies. Read Matthew 26:62-64. Stephen's trial, however, has a different purpose from Jesus': the Holy Spirit will use this opportunity to witness to a specific people group, the Sanhedrin and their followers. Think about it: how else could God bring together this particular group and present the truth to all in one sitting? Only by allowing one of His beloved children to be put on trial. God is always in control.)

Just as Jesus had promised to His apostles and has demonstrated earlier with Stephen, the Holy Spirit steps in again and gives Stephen the necessary words. Look at how eloquently Stephen replies to this simple question! He presents everything so clearly and logically, as if he is reading his speech off of cue-cards!

What follows is a quick summary of Jewish history, hitting on several of the major players: Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, and David.

Read Acts 7:2-3. He beings by reminding his accusers that he, too, is a Jew and that he honors Jewish tradition. He goes back to the beginning of the Jewish nation, to the calling of Abraham out of Mesopotamia. He speaks of God with reverence, calling him "the God of glory" and reminding the Jews of how God was active in Abraham's life.

Read Acts 7:4. We know from Genesis that Abram was born in the city of Ur of the Chaldeans. The picture we get of Ur is of an advanced city for its time and definitely a very pagan one. We know that Terah, Abram's father, worshipped idols. Read Joshua 24:2. Terah travels with Abram and other members of his family from Ur to Haran, another pagan city, and settles there. From this pagan background God calls forth one particular man and creates from him a special nation, God's chosen people the Jews. It is not until Terah dies that God commands Abram to leave Haran and travel to Canaan. (As a side note, Terah was 205 when he died; Abram was 75 years old when he left Haran.)

When Stephen reminds his audience of this story I think he is pointing out some significant things: God chose Abram and sent him to Canaan. If God had not acted, Abram would have lived and died worshiping idols, just like his father. What made Abram a great man was that he was obedient to God and went where he was sent.

Read Acts 7:5. Abram lived in what would be called Israel, but he never owned it. He lived as a nomad in the land, amongst the current habitants of the land, the Canaanites. Read Genesis 12:4-9. As we continue reading through Genesis 13 we will see that Abram moves again, several times, and continues to live in tents. He has temporary residency rights over the land, as you might say, but he does not "own" it as the Israelites (his descendants) will own it hundreds of years later, after Joshua leads the Israelites into the land to conquer it. The Israelites will then build cities and villages, permanent dwellings, and no longer live in tents.

A significant point about all this, of course, is that God promises Abraham his descendants will own this land, yet Abraham at 75+ years, is childless. Read Genesis 15:1-6. It is Abraham's faith that the Lord will keep His word that is accredited to him as righteousness.

Read Acts 7:6-7. { Ask the group about this prophecy; what was God telling Abraham about? }

Read Acts 7:8. Let's review the covenant of circumcision. Read Genesis 17:9-14. The basis of the oath was something like "If I am not loyal in faith and obedience to the Lord, may the sword of the Lord cut off me and my offspring as I have cut off my foreskin." Other nations also practiced circumcision, but not for the covenant reasons that Israel did. Read Jeremiah 9:25-26. As a short rabbit trail, the Arabs, for example, are circumcised at age 13 since that was when their forefather, Ishmael, was circumcised. For them, as for other peoples, it serves as a rite of transition from childhood to manhood, thus into full participation in the community.

To be continued...

Source
Philip Yancey and Tim Stafford (notes). The Student Bible. NIV Version