Rejection
Opening Prayer
Father God, may Your holy Word penetrate my being so that it can shape and mold me as You intend.
Read Acts 7:35-53
[35] “This is the same Moses they had rejected with the words, ‘Who made you ruler and judge?’ He was sent to be their ruler and deliverer by God himself, through the angel who appeared to him in the bush. [36] He led them out of Egypt and performed wonders and signs in Egypt, at the Red Sea and for forty years in the wilderness. [37] “This is the Moses who told the Israelites, ‘God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your own people.’ [38] He was in the assembly in the wilderness, with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our ancestors; and he received living words to pass on to us. [39] “But our ancestors refused to obey him. Instead, they rejected him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt. [40] They told Aaron, ‘Make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who led us out of Egypt-we don’t know what has happened to him!’ [41] That was the time they made an idol in the form of a calf. They brought sacrifices to it and reveled in what their own hands had made. [42] But God turned away from them and gave them over to the worship of the sun, moon and stars. This agrees with what is written in the book of the prophets: “‘Did you bring me sacrifices and offerings forty years in the wilderness, people of Israel? [43] You have taken up the tabernacle of Molek and the star of your god Rephan, the idols you made to worship. Therefore I will send you into exile’ beyond Babylon. [44] “Our ancestors had the tabernacle of the covenant law with them in the wilderness. It had been made as God directed Moses, according to the pattern he had seen. [45] After receiving the tabernacle, our ancestors under Joshua brought it with them when they took the land from the nations God drove out before them. It remained in the land until the time of David, [46] who enjoyed God’s favor and asked that he might provide a dwelling place for the God of Jacob. [47] But it was Solomon who built a house for him. [48] “However, the Most High does not live in houses made by human hands. As the prophet says: [49] “‘Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house will you build for me? says the Lord. Or where will my resting place be? [50] Has not my hand made all these things?’ [51] “You stiff-necked people! Your hearts and ears are still uncircumcised. You are just like your ancestors: You always resist the Holy Spirit! [52] Was there ever a prophet your ancestors did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him- [53] you who have received the law that was given through angels but have not obeyed it.” Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. All rights reserved throughout the world. Used by permission of International Bible Society.
Reflect
What accusations does Stephen make against his listeners?Stephen speaks here of the people’s repeated rejection of Moses, God’s anointed prophet and deliverer of his people. He reminds his listeners that they belong to the immensely privileged, “chosen” people group who received the Law through Moses, from God himself, and yet have been repetitively rebellious and not obeyed it. He drives home this point using language markedly similar to that used of rebellious Israel in the Old Testament (51-53). In a dramatic turn of events, Stephen now accuses the Sanhedrin of the very same sin that they accuse him of committing. Although their forefathers rejected and killed the prophets, they themselves have rejected and crucified the one whom the prophets foretold. They have rejected Jesus, who is the very Word of God, who came to fulfill the Law, who was greater than the Temple and is now with each of us by his Spirit (Matt. 5:17; 12:6). Despite all their religious zeal, it is they who sin against the Law that they supposedly uphold. How terrible—and how angry it must have made them.
Apply
Are there parts of your life where you are rejecting the Lordship of Jesus? Be honest with yourself and God.
Closing prayer
Lord God, help me to see myself clearly as Your beloved child and as a sinner who needs Your grace.
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