Monday Acts 7:37-43

Stephen reminds them of Israel’s rejection of God.

Click here for an online Bible. Acts 7:37-43

The Jews revered Moses. He was the man that God had sent to deliver them from slavery and lead them into the Promised Land. He received the Law from God on Mount Sinai. But even Moses pointed to another that would come later.

Stephen recounts well-know history. The pattern that the Israelites followed was often nothing to be celebrated. They were the people of God, but they had often rejected God throughout their history. While Moses was up on the mountain receiving the Law, the people made idols to worship. This turning to idols occurred often in their history. As you read through the Old Testament, you see again and again the people rejecting faithfulness to God and turning to idols.

Stephen is making a big dig at the Sanhedrin with his talk about idols that were made by men. He specifically mentions the golden calf incident at Mount Sinai. But, he also quotes Amos 1000 years later chastising the people for turning to idols. In every case, people placed their faith in things that they had made rather than God Himself. That was the problem in Stephen’s day. The people trusted the temple rather than God.

God is often patient with His people, but there comes a point when He says, “No more!” He was ready to wipe out the people over the golden calf, but relented. When they refused to enter the promised land, He put them in timeout in the wilderness for forty years so that the faithless generation could did in the desert. In the quote that Stephen uses from Amos, God is explaining that the Babylonian captivity resulted from their faith in idols rather than Him.

We are just as bad. We trust ourselves, our money, our abilities, our intelligence, our church, our plans, our programs, …. – but we don’t trust God. We should not be surprised when God puts us in timeout with respect to His plan – as individuals, as Sunday School classes, as churches, as a nation, …