A Prophet Shall the Lord Your God Raise Up Unto You Of Your Brethren, Like Unto Me -- Hear Ye Him! - Part 1507

In yesterday's post, we note that apostle Paul gave only a portion of the timeline from the old testament side. Herein, we present the remainder, as told by Stephen prior to being stoned to death under Saul/Paul's watch. The testimony of Stephen, one of the seven chosen and full of the Holy Ghost, is shared in Acts 7:2-60. Therein, Stephen who served as a table servant states his defence, and in so doing, tugs at well educated overseer Saul's heart.

"The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran, and said unto him, "Get thee out of thy country and from thy kindred and come into the land which I shall shew thee." Then came he out of the land of the Chadaeans and dwelt in Charran: and from thence, when his father was dead, he removed him into this land, wherein ye now dwell. (Acts 7:1-4; Genesis 11:31-32; Genesis 12:1; Genesis 15:16-21)

And he gave him none inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on: yet He promised that He would give it to him for a possession, and to his seed after him, when as yet he had no child. And God spake on this wise, "That his seed should sojourn in a strange land; and that they should bring them into bondage, and entreat them evil four hundred years. And the nation to whom they shall be in bondage will I judge," said God, "and after that shall they come forth, and serve Me in this place."  (Acts 7:5-7; Genesis 12:7; Genesis 13:15; Genesis 15:1-6;, 18; Genesis 17:5-10; Genesis 26:3)

And He gave him the covenant of circumcision, and so Abraham begat Isaac, and circumcised him the eighth day; and Isaac begat Jacob, and Jacob begat the twelve patriarchs. And the patriarchs moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt but God was with him, and delivered him out of all his afflictions, and gave him favour and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house. (Acts 7:8-9; Genesis 47:1-20)

Now there came a dearth over all the land of Egypt and Chanaan and great affliction, and our fathers found no sustenance. But when Jacob heard that there was corn in Egypt, he sent out our fathers first. And at the second time, Joseph was made known to his brethren, and Joseph's kindred was made known unto Pharaoh. Then sent Joseph, and called his father Jacob to him, and all his kindred, threescore and fifteen souls. So Jacob went down into Egypt, and died, he and our fathers, and were carried over into Sychem, and laid in the sepulchre that Abraham bought for a sum of money of the sons of Emmor [the father] of Sychem. (Acts 7:11-16;

But when the time of the promise drew nigh, which God had sworn to Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt, till another king arose, which knew not Joseph. The same dealt subtilly with our kindred, and evil entreated our fathers, so that they cast out their young children, to the end they might not live. In which time Moses was born, and was exceeding fair, and nourished up in his father's house three months, and when he was cast out, Pharaoh's daughter took him up, and nourished him for her own son.

And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words or deeds. And when he was full forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren the children of Israel. And seeing one [of them] suffer wrong, he defended [him] and avenged him that was oppressed, and smote the Egyptian; for he supposed his brethren would have understood how that God by His hand would deliver them, but they understood not.

And the next day he showed himself unto them as they strove, and would have set them at one again, saying, "Sirs, ye are brethren; why do ye wrong one to another? But he that did his neighbour wrong thrust him away, saying, "Who made thee a ruler and judge over us? Wilt thou kill me, as thou didst the Egyptian yesterday?" Then fled Moses at this saying, and was a stranger in the land of Madian, where he begat two sons.

And when forty years were expired, there appeared to him in the wilderness of mount Sina an angel of the Lord in a flame of fire in a bush. When Moses saw [it], he wondered at the sight, and as he drew near to behold [it], the voice of the Lord came unto him, saying, "I Am the God of thy fathers, the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." Then Moses trembled and durst not behold. Then said the Lord to him, "Put off thy shoes from thy feet, for the place where thou standest is holy ground. I have seen, I have seen the affliction of My people which is in Egypt, and I have heard their groaning, and am come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send thee into Egypt." (Acts 7:20-38; Hebrews 11:24-29)

This Moses whom they refused, saying, "Who made thee a ruler and a judge?" the same did God send [to be] a ruler and a deliverer by the hand of the angel which appeared to him in the bush. He brought them out, after that h/He shewed wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, and in the Red Sea, and in the wilderness forty years. This is that Moses, which said unto the children of Israel, "A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me -- Him shall ye hear."

This is He that was in the "church in the wilderness" with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers; who received the lively oracles to give unto us; to whom our fathers would not obey, but thrust him/Him from them, and in their hearts turned back again unto Egypt, saying unto Aaron, "Make us gods to go before us; for as for this Moses, which brought us out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him."

And they made a calf in those days, and offered sacrifice unto the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their own hands. Then God turned, and gave them up to worship the host of heaven; as it is written in the book of the prophets, "O, ye house of Israel, have ye offered to Me slain beasts and sacrifices by the space of forty years in the wilderness? Yea, ye took up the tabernacle of Moloch, and the star of your god Remphan, figures which ye made to worship them, and I will carry you away beyond Babylon." (Acts 7:42-43; II Thessalonians 2:11; II Kings 21:3; Amos 5:25-27; Jeremiah 25:9-12)

Our fathers had the "tabernacle of witness in the wilderness" as He had appointed, speaking unto Moses that he should make it according to the fashion that he had seen, which also our fathers that came after brought in with Jesus into the possession of the Gentiles, whom God drave out before the face of our fathers, unto the days of David, who found favour before God and desired to find a tabernacle for the God of Jacob, but Solomon built Him an house.

Howbeit, the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet, "Heaven is My throne and earth is My footstool. What house will ye build Me?" saith the Lord, "Or what is the place of My rest? Hath not My hand made all these things?"

Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost as your fathers [did], so do ye. Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers; who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept [it]. When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart and they gnashed on him with [their] teeth, but he [Stephen] being full of he Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God. (Acts 7:1-60)

Indeed, Jesus stood up as Stephen asked for forgiveness for all those responsible for the stoning.

"And he kneeled down and cried with a loud voice, "Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep. Just as Jesus told us to love our enemies and to bless those that curse you, to do good to those who hate you and to pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you  --- that you may be the children of your Father which is in heaven. for He makes His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust." (Matthew 5:44-45)

Lots to learn here. Stand in the offering plate.