1036
THE KING’S BUSINESS
Wednesday, November 15 . Acts 7J37-39.
the temple was only the typical and tempor ary, and not the real and abiding dwelling place o f God. This whole address o f Stephen is characterized by rarest skill. It was a Spirit-given wisdom (cf. ch. 6:10)
Stephen now gives a new turn to his argument He calls to their mind the pre diction o f the very Moses in whom they put their trust and for whose hoiior they Were so. jealous (ch. 6:14) that God would raise up o f their brethren a prophet like unto himself and to him they must hearken» Stephen did not say to them “Jesus is that prophet,” he leaves that for the Spirit to suggest. He simply throws out the predic tion and leaves it to rankle in their hearts. Then he passes on and calls to their mind that though God gave so clear evidence that •Moses was his chosen man and though they v themselves professed to be so loyal to Him, that when this same Moses was on earth their fathers “ did not obey him, but thrust him out from them,” just as they were now doing with Jesus. This last Stephen did not say right ou t: he leaves them to think it out ’for themselves. It is better ofterf times to leave people to see things for themselves than to try to.cram them down •their throats. Thursday, November 16 . - Acts 7 : 40 - 50 . Stephen now goes on to show how their fathers turned from the True God who had delivered them out from Egyptian bondage to serve idols. Then comes the solemn warning, “ God turned and gave them up” for a long season. Stephen does not say, “so will he turn and give you up fo r - a long season if you persist in your rejection o f J e s u s H e leaves that to be inferred. And this is exactly, what God has done with the Jews. It ought to be a warning to'us all, if we will not have God’s man God will give us up to false leaders and awful delusion (2 Thess. 2:9-12). Stephen spoke highly o f the tabernacle as built after a divine pattern and o f the house that Solomon built, thus meeting the false charges brought against him o f speaking blasphemous things against the temple, (ch. 6:13). But then he passes on to show how Solomon, himself, had told them that -
with which he spake. Friday, November 17 . Acts 7:51-53.
Stephen now comes directly to the point at which he had been aiming through his entire recital o f Jewish history. He charges them with following in the footsteps of their fathers in resisting the Holy Spirit and rejecting God’s messenger. As the fathers had.done, so were they now doing. The fathers had killed those who foretold the coming o f the Christ and now they themselves had betrayed and killed the Christ Himself. The orthodox Jews o f today accept the Old Testament but reject the New Testament; but how wonderfully the New Testament fits the Old, and how completely the treatment o f Jesus by the Jews, as recorded in the New Testament tallies with the treatment o f the forerun ners and prophets o f the Christ by the Jews, as recorded in their'own Scriptures. The 7th chapter o f Acts presents a very mas terly argument for the Jew. Stephen goes on to tell them that though they made their boast o f the law they had not kept it. Saturday, November 18 . Acts 7:54-56. Stephen’s exposition o f Old Testament history was in the power.of the Holy Spirit and produced' a profound conviction o f sin. It cut his hearers to the heart but unlike those who were “pricked” in their hearts on the day o f Pentecost (cf. ch. 2:37) they did not repent and cry out “what must we d o f” Conviction o f sin is not conversion though often times it leads to conversion. When men are convicted o f sin, they do on e, o f two things, they either repent or get mad at the preacher.. In the case o f Peter’s teaching, on the day o f Pentecost, conviction had led to repentance; but in the case o f Stephen’s preaching in this case the conviction o f sin
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