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An overview of the Book of Acts, by Given O. Blakely

COMMENTARY ON: 7:1-8

Since May, 1993, a ministry instituted for the encouragement of believers in Christ

Lesson #28ACTS 5:31-32“Him hath God exalted withHis right hand to be aPrince and a Savior, for togive repentance to Israel,and forgiveness of sins. Andwe are His witnesses ofthese things; and so is alsothe Holy Ghost, whom Godhath given to them thatobey Him.”

“Neither is there salvationin any other: for there isnone other name underheaven given among men,whereby we must besaved.” (Acts 4:12)

STEPHEN’S DEFENSE #1Stephen has been falsely charged, and now appears before the Jewish

council to be tried. He has been arraigned as one who has spoken againstboth God and Moses, thus disrupting the religious life of the community, andblaspheming God in the process. This is a capital offence, and thus theyrequire more than one witness. In order to ensure that this requirement ismet, some “men” – more than one – are bribed to bear witness againstStephen. Before Stephen is brought before the council, these witnesses havestirred up the people with their lies, thereby stacking things in their favor.Now, the charges have been officially made, and an opportunity will be givento Stephen to defend himself. His defense will testify to his character. It willalso reveal how he thought about the workings of the Lord. His wisdom willglow brightly as he is able to correlate the history of the Jews with thepresent circumstance, and draw a telling conclusion. In this, we arewitnessing a sanctified mind and mouth that brings glory to the Lord.

A MINISTRY FOR HUNGRY SAINTS

ACTS 17:26-27“And hath made of one bloodall nations of men for todwell on all the face of theearth, and hath determinedthe times before appointed,and the bounds of theirhabitation; that they shouldseek the Lord, if haply theymight feel after Him, andfind Him, though He be notfar from every one of us.”“ . . . and ye shall bewitnesses unto Me both inJerusalem, and in all Judaea,and in Samaria, and unto theuttermost part of the earth.”(Acts 1:8)

UNDER THE EXALTED CHRIST, THE GOSPEL BEGINS TO SPREAD

A Ministry for Hungry Saints, Series on the Book of Acts, Lesson #28, Meeting #363

Stephen begins his defense by tracing the nation of Israel to its origin, showing its relation to God – by Given O. BlakelyStephen's Defense, #1 -- Page 1 of 26

“ 7:1 Then said the high priest, Are these things so? 2 And he said, Men, brethren, andfathers, hearken; The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was inMesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran, 3 and said unto him, Get thee out of thycountry, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I shall show thee. 4 Thencame he out of the land of the Chaldaeans, and dwelt in Charran: and from thence, whenhis father was dead, he removed him into this land, wherein ye now dwell. 5 And hegave him none inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on: yet he promisedthat he would give it to him for a possession, and to his seed after him, when as yet hehad no child. 6 And God spake on this wise, That his seed should sojourn in a strangeland; and that they should bring them into bondage, and entreat them evil four hundredyears. 7 And the nation to whom they shall be in bondage will I judge, said God: andafter that shall they come forth, and serve me in this place. 8 And he gave him thecovenant of circumcision: and so Abraham begat Isaac, and circumcised him the eighthday; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat the twelve patriarchs.” (Acts 7:1-8)

STEPHEN’S DEFENSE, #1STEPHEN’S DEFENSE, #1

INTRODUCTION

Stephen has been falsely charged,and now appears before the Jewishcouncil to be tried. He has been arraignedas one who has spoken against both Godand Moses, thus disrupting the religiouslife of the community, and blaspheming

God in the process. Blasphemy was acapital offence, as defined by the law ofMoses. “And he that blasphemeth thename of the LORD, he shall surely be putto death, and all the congregation shallcertainly stone him: as well the stranger,

as he that is born in the land, when heblasphemeth the name of the LORD,shall be put to death” (Lev 24:16). Thiswas based on one of the TenCommandments: “Thou shalt not takethe name of the LORD thy God in vain;

TRANSLATION LEGEND: ALT = Analytical-Literal Translation (2005), AMPLIFIED = Amplified Bible (1965), ASV =American Standard Version (1901), BBE=Bible in Basic English (1949), DRA = Douay-Rheims (1899), ERV = EnglishRevised Version (1885), ESV = English Stand Version (2001), GNB = Good News (1966), GWN = God’S Word (1995),IE = International English, ISV = International Standard Version (1967), JPS = Jewish Publication Society (1917), KJV= King James Version (1611), L.ITV = Literal Translation of the Bible ((1976), LIVING = Living Bible (1971), MKJV =Modern KJV (1962), MONTGOMERY = Montgomery’s New Testament (2001), MRD = Peshitta-James MurdockTranslation (1852), NAB = New American Bible (2002), NASB = New American Standard Bible (1977), NAU = NewAmerican Standard Bible (1995), NIB = New International Bible, NIV = New International Version (1984), NJB = NewJerusalem Bible (1985), NKJV = New King James Version (1979), NLT =New Living Translation (1996), NRSV = NewRevised Standard Version (1989), PHILLIPS = J B Phillips New Testament (1962), PNT = BISHOP’S New Testament(1595), RSV = Revised Standard Version (1952), TNK = JPS Tanakj (1985), Webster = The Webster Bible(1833),WEYMOUTH = Weymouth’s New Testament (1903), WILLIAMS = William’s New Testament (1937), TYNDALE= Tyndale’s Bible (1526), WYCLIFFE = Wycliffe New Testament (1382), YLT =Young’s Literal Translation (1862).

---------- Lexicon and Bible Translation Codes with Identification ----------- LEXICON LEGEND: FRIEBERG = Friberg Lexicon, UBS = UBS Lexicon, LOUW-NIDA = Louw-Nida Lexicon, LIDDELLSCOTT = Liddell Scott Lexicon, THAYER = Thayer’s Greek Lexicon, LEH = LEH Lexicon, GINGRICH = Gingrich Lexicon

Lesson Number 28

The Book of Acts

A MINISTRY INITIATED INMAY 1993, AND DEDICATEDTO STRENGTHENING THOSEWHO ARE IN CHRIST, BYBUILDING THEIR FAITH,ENHANCING THEIR JOY, ANDSTABILIZING THEIR HOPE,ENABLING THEM TO WORKOUT THEIR SALVATION WITHFEAR AND TREMBLING.

THE INSPIRED RECORD OF HOWTHE ENTHRONED CHRIST, BYMEANS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT,WORKED THROUGH HIS HOLYAPOSTLES AND GODLY MEN, TOSPREAD THE WORD OF THEGOSPEL THROUGHOUT THEWHOLE WORLD, AND TO BRINGEDIFICATION AND STABILITY TOMEMBERS OF CHRIST’S BODY.

DISCLAIMER: The quoting of other translations is not to be taken as a condoning of them. My purpose is rather to show the remarkable diversity, and sometimes outrightcontradictions that exist among these various versions of Scripture. Our understanding of the Word of God ultimately depends upon our comprehension of the Lord Himselfand His eternal purpose. Where this understanding is not present, we are shut up to scholasticism and conjecture, both of which are of the world, not of God.



for the LORD will not hold him guiltlessthat taketh his name in vain” (Ex 20:7).An actual example of the sentence beingcarried out by Divine direction isprovided in Leviticus 24:11-24. There, theson of an Israelitish woman, whosehusband was an Egyptian, fought with aman of Israel. In the process, the son“blasphemed the name of the Lord andcursed.” They incarcerated the boy, asMoses waited for a word from the Lord.God spoke to Moses, “Bring forth himthat hath cursed without the camp; andlet all that heard him lay their handsupon his head, and let all thecongregation stone him. And thou shaltspeak unto the children of Israel, saying,Whosoever curseth his God shall bear hissin. And he that blasphemeth the nameof the LORD, he shall surely be put todeath, and all the congregation shallcertainly stone him: as well the stranger,as he that is born in the land, when heblasphemeth the name of the LORD,shall be put to death” (Lev 24:14-16).Moses delivered the word to the people,“And the children of Israel did as theLORD commanded Moses” (Lev 24:23).

Furthermore, offenses worthy of

death required more than one witness.One witness was not enough. As it iswritten, “At the mouth of two witnesses,or three witnesses, shall he that isworthy of death be put to death; but atthe mouth of one witness he shall not beput to death” (Deut 17:6).

CAPITAL OFFENSESIt might be profitable to briefly

mention capital crimes, or crimes thatwere punishable by death. The Law was“the ministration of death” (2 Cor 3:7), asis confirmed in these laws. Deeds thatincurred the death penalty included:

- Murder (Num 35:16-21; Lev 24:17).

- Adultery (Lev 20:10).

- Incest (Lev 20:11,12,14).

- Bestiality (Ex 22:19; Lev 20:15-16).

- Sodomy (Lev 20:13).

- Incontinence (Deut 22:21-24).

- Rape (Deut 22:25).

- Kidnapping (Ex 21:16; Deut 24:7).

- A priest’s daughter committingfornication (Lev 21:9).

- Witchcraft (Ex 22:18).

- Offering human sacrifice (Lev 20:2-5),

- Striking or cursing mother or father(Ex 21:15).

- Disobedience to parents (Deut 21:18-21).

- Blasphemy (Lev 24:11-23).

- Sabbath desecration (Ex 31:14-15;35:2).

- Prophesying falsely, or propagatingfalse doctrines (Deut 13:1-10).

- Anyone offering their children to thefalse God Molech (Lev 20:2)

- A man or woman with a familiarspirit, or who was a wizard (Lev20:27).

- Sacrificing to false gods (Ex 22:20).

- Refusing to abide by the decision ofthe court (Deut 17:12).

AN OBSERVATIONHere are twenty offenses that

were capital crimes, resulting in thedeath of the individual. Remember, thatblasphemy was the same charge that wasleveled against the Lord Jesus Himself(Mk 14:64), and that under the Law ofMoses, this death was the punishmentfor the offense. This meant that two orthree witnesses were required to validatethe charges against Stephen.

In order to ensure that thisrequirement is met, some “men” – morethan one – are bribed to bear falsewitness against Stephen. Before Stephenis brought before the council, thesewitnesses have stirred up the people withtheir lies, thereby stacking things intheir favor.

The point to be seen is that noneof the other capital offenses were chargedagainst Stephen – even by falsewitnesses. His life was so exemplary thateven his enemies knew charges ofimmorality could not be substantiatedagainst him – not even by lying.

It ought to be noted that thosewho are in Christ Jesus have undergonea fundamental change. They are nolonger what they once were. Their

It ought to be noted that those who are in Christ Jesus haveundergone a fundamental change. They are no longer what theyonce were. Their character has been so impacted that theirloves and hates have been transformed, as well as their desiresand ambitions.

CONTENTS# FULL OF FAITH AND POWER

(6:8a)# HE DID GREAT SIGNS AND

WONDERS (6:8b)# THE FIRST CASE OF

DISPUTATION (6:9)# THEY WERE NOT ABLE TO RESIST

(6:10)# THEY SUBORNED MEN (6:11a)# WE HEARD HIM SPEAK (6:11b)# THEY STIRRED UP THE PEOPLE

(6:12a)# THEY CAME, CAUGHT, AND

BROUGHT (6:12b)# THEY SET UP FALSE WITNESSES

(6:13)# THE WITNESS AGAINST STEPHEN

(6:14)# THEY SAW HIS FACE (6:15)# CONCLUSION



character has been so impacted that theirloves and hates have been transformed,as well as their desires and ambitions.Some of the affirmations of this changeare as follows.

- “Therefore if any man be in Christ,he is a new creature: old things arepassed away; behold, all things arebecome new” (2 Cor 5:17).

- “For we are his workmanship,created in Christ Jesus unto goodworks, which God hath beforeordained that we should walk inthem” (Eph 2:10).

- “And that ye put on the new man,which after God is created inrighteousness and true holiness”(Eph 4:24).

- “For ye were sometimes darkness,but now are ye light in the Lord:walk as children of light” (Eph 5:8).

- “And have put on the new man,which is renewed in knowledge afterthe image of Him that createdhim”(Col 3:10).

- “Being born again, not of corruptibleseed, but of incorruptible, by theword of God, which liveth andabideth for ever” (1 Pet 1:23).

It is inconceivable that suchlanguage could be applied to a peoplewho did not undergo a fundamentalchange. It is equally unimaginable thatthose who experienced such a changewould show no evidence of it. Theevidence of the change is theconfirmation that it has, in fact, takenplace. The lack of evidence throws thewhole matter of identity with Christ intoquestion. Thus those lacking satisfactoryevidence of the work of God within areadmonished, “Examine yourselves,whether ye be in the faith; prove yourown selves. Know ye not your own selves,how that Jesus Christ is in you, except yebe reprobates?” (2 Cor 13:5).

Actually, no one lacking theevidence of real change should be in aplace of prominence or responsibilitywithin the church. That, of course, isprecisely why the apostles told the earlychurch to choose men who were “full of

the Holy Spirit and wisdom” (Acts6:3).The only possible way tosubstantiate the existence of those traitsis by means of outward expression thatcan be perceived by others.

CONFIRMED IN STEPHENAll of this is confirmed in the

approach of the council to Stephen. It isobvious they knew gross immoralitycould be neither found nor successfullyfabricated against this man of God. Hewas “blameless” – a quality that must befound in those holding prominent placesin the body of Christ (1 Tim 3:2,10; Tit1:6-7). In fact, this is the state in whichall believers are to be found (1 Cor 1:8;Phil 2;15; 1 Thess 5:23; 2 Pet 3:14).Nothing is to be found in the people ofGod that promotes suspicion, or suggeststhey are no different than unregeneratemen.

THE TRIAL PROCEEDSNow, that the charges have been

officially made, an opportunity will begiven to Stephen to defend himself. Hisdefense will testify to his character. Itwill also reveal how he thought about theworkings of the Lord. His wisdom willglow brightly as he is able to correlatethe history of the Jews with the presentcircumstance, and draw a tellingconclusion. In this, we are witnessing asanctified mind and mouth that bringglory to the Lord.

Remember, Stephen has beencharged with speaking against bothMoses and the Lord. His defense will bea magnificent refutation of those charges.

A KINGDOM MANNERScriptural accounts such as this

reveal the manner in which God worksamong men. They confirm how Hereveals Himself, and carries out Hispurpose. This is because the manner ofHis Kingdom permeates all of God’sdealings with men. That is why theScriptures – all of them – are relevant tous. Men often fasten upon theexperiences of men in Scripturalaccounts, without giving due regard towhat is made known of God and HisKingdom in those records. One of thechief reasons seeking first the Kingdomof God is so pertinent is that so much ofits manner is revealed in inspiredhistory. Some of the more evident things

include the following.- God’s hatred of sin (the world of

Noah’s day, Sodom and Gomorrah,.Israel).

- The Divine manner of judging sin(Israel, Belshazzar, Herod. Ananiasand Sapphira).

- The Lord’s inclination to those whohave humble and contrite hearts(David, John).

- His longsuffering (David).

- God’s preference for mercy (Israel).

- How He allows sin to go on for aseemingly long time, then breaksforth against it when there is norepentance (The world of Noah’sday).

- How He can be turned against thosewith whom he has workedextensively (Israel).

- How the Lord honors faith(Abraham).

- How He can shape circumstances tofavor those who trust in Him(Joseph).

- How He raises up wicked menthrough whom He obtains glory(Pharaoh and Nebuchadnezzar).

- His propensity to bless people uponthe basis of another (Abraham,David, and now Jesus).

In addition to these, we are givento see several things regarding men.Here is a small sampling.

- The unimaginable capacity of menwithout faith to do wickedness.

- The invincibility of faith.

- The blinding effect of unbelief.- The impact of the Gospel upon the

hearts of men – both the believingand the unbelieving.

- How men speak who are filled withthe Holy Spirit.

Scriptural history is not a series



of accounts related to, and reflecting theimpact of human culture. Rather, itspurpose is for us to become familiar withthe outworking of Divine purpose. Youmay be sure Scriptural records are notgiven to buttress the movements of men,but rather to instruct us more perfectlyin the ways of the Lord. If we fail to seethis, historical books like Genesisthrough Second Chronicles, Job, Esther,Nehemiah, Jonah, the Gospels, and thebook of Acts, will soon becomemonotonous to us.

This is because they will not

appear to have much to do with us.Because they are relating to us theexperience of other people, the carnalmind soon tires of them, and comes toview them as relatively worthless. At thevery best, the static religious mind willsee them as something like spiritualmuseum pieces – epitaphs to those of thepast.

The people of God must zealouslyavoid this tawdry view of things. Such aview is the result of the proliferation ofthe wisdom of the world within theprofessed church. It has now carved out

rooms of considerable size forpsychiatrists, dieticians, motivators,s t a t i s t i c i a n s , a n d c u n n i n gadministrators. In all of Divine history,God has never replied on the world’swisdom to do His work – never!

The incident before us is a case inpoint. God will use a man full of the HolySpirit, wisdom, faith, and spiritualpower, to deliver His message to thereligious leaders. Stephen will furthermake no attempt to covert them, butrather to convict them. Much will berevealed through all of this.

ARE THESE THINGS SO?

“ 7:1 Then said the high priest, Arethese things so?” Other versions read,“Are these charges true?” NIV “Is this so?”RSV "Are these accusations true?" CJB “Isthis true?” GWN “Is it even so?” TNT “Arethese statements true?” WEYMOUTH“Do youso hold these [things]?” ALT “Are theytelling the truth about you?” CEV “Tell methen if you thus hold these things?” LITV

“Then do you so hold these things?” MKJV

and “Is this statement true?” PHILLIPS

THE ORDAINED MINISTRY OFTHE HIGH PRIEST

Like Jesus was, Stephen is now incourt, and the high priest is presidingover it. In this we see that a markeddeterioration had occurred in the office ofthe high priest. As ordained by God, thisoffice had to do with the things relatingto God and offerings for sin. Thus it iswritten, “For every high priest takenfrom among men is ordained for men inthings pertaining to God, that he mayoffer both gifts and sacrifices for sins:who can have compassion on theignorant, and on them that are out of theway; for that he himself also iscompassed with infirmity. And by reasonhereof he ought, as for the people, so alsofor himself, to offer for sins” (Heb 5:1-3).

When this office was put intoplace, the Lord told Moses the purpose ofthe high priest was “that he mayminister unto Me in the priest’s office”(Ex 28:3). This statement is made no lessthan eight times in the instructions

concerning the priests (Ex 28:1,3,4,41;29:1; 30:30; 40:13,15).

The high priests were neverintended to become involved in all theaffairs of the people. Special judges werechosen for that purpose (Ex 21;6,22;

22:8,9; Num 25:5; Deut 1:15; 16:18;19:18; 21:2; 15:1). When settling thedifferences among the people became tooburdensome for Moses, the Lordinstructed him to select seventy men whowere “elders of the people” and bringthem to the tabernacle. God then took “ofthe Spirit” which was upon Moses, andput it upon these men so they could “bearthe burden of the people” with Moses(Num 11:16-17, 24-25). These men werenot priests, for God never intended thepriests to become involved in suchmatters, even though they were

necessary. When offenders stood beforepriests and judges, it was the judges thatinquired of the circumstances, not thepriests (Deut 19:17-18).

We have no examples of a God-ordained high priest holding a court, or

engaging in the judgment of the people.That was not included in the scope of hisresponsibility. His role was to representthe people before the Lord as heministered unto the Lord.

THE DETERIORATION OF THEOFFICE

Now, however, the high priest hasleft off ministering unto the Lord, and isholding a court like the judges were to do.In fact, during this time the high priest,and the “chief priests” even had an army.The soldiers – “a great multitude” – that

Our situation is very similar to that of our text.Religious leaders have managed to carve out,little empires for themselves. Like Caiaphas,they have palaces and large staffs, all ofwhich are devoted to things other than theKingdom of God.



came to arrest Jesus in the garden were“from the chief priests and elders of thepeople” (Matt 26:17). The high priest,Caiaphas, also was dwelling in a“palace,” or mansion (for so the word“palace” means (Matt 26:3,57). It wasalso the high priest that examined Jesus(Matt 26:63-65). Already, the high priesthas opposed Peter and John in a legalsetting (Acts 4:6), did the same with theapostles, even incarcerating them (Acts5:17,21,24,27). Now the high priestinitiates an examination of Stephen,after he has been forcefully taken andbrought before him.

THE DAYS ARE EVILBel ievers are so lemnly

admonished, “See then that ye walkcircumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,redeeming the time, because the days areevil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, butunderstanding what the will of the Lord

is” (Eph 5:15-17). A major contribution tothe wickedness of the days is that “evilmen and seducers shall wax worse andworse, deceiving and being deceived” (2Tim 3:13). Our situation is very similarto that of our text. Religious leaders havemanaged to carve out ,little empires forthemselves. Like Caiaphas, they havepalaces and large staffs, all of which aredevoted to things other than theKingdom of God.

It should not be difficult to seethat when men do not live by faith, theirreligion inevitably deteriorates. By“religion,” I mean one’s piety, or theexpression of ones spiritual persuasion.The word “religion” is used in thismanner in Scripture (Acts 13:43; 26:5;Gal 1:13-14; James 1:26-27).

In our text, the high priest,occupying an office that was devoted to

things “pertaining to God,” is nowjudging a man because he iscontradicting their traditions, andadhering to Jesus Christ of Nazareth,whom they had summarily rejected.

ARE THESE THINGS SO?Now, in an open court, the high

priest asks Stephen if what the witnesseshave testified against him is true. Theevents that follow will confirm that thiswas not an inquiry into the truth of thematter. It was a formal question, but notan honest one. Yet, even though ignoblemotives drove this request, Stephenseizes the opportunity, taking thekingdom by violence.

Being filled with the Spirit, faith,wisdom, and power he turns the occasionto his advantage. He will so preach as tomake known the counsels of the hearts ofhis listeners.

MEN, BRETHREN, AND FATHERS, HEARKEN

“ 2a And he said, Men, brethren,and fathers, hearken . . . ”

In his answer, Stephen will

confirm that he is not an opponent of theJews, set out to destroy the customsdelivered to them by Moses – somethingwith which he has been charged. He willalso confirm that he was not preaching aJesus that had been noted for doing thesethings (Acts 6:14). He will speak withrespect, candidness, and an insight thatwas more characteristic of someone whowas a caring father among them.

MEN, BRETHREN, AND FATHERS“And he said, Men, brethren, and

fathers . . .” Other versions read,“Brethren and fathers” NKJV “Hear me,”NASB “Brothers and fathers,” NIV “Mybrothers and fathers,” BBE “Ye men,

brethren, and fathers,” DOUAY “Men,brethren, and our fathers,” MRD “Mybrothers, my fathers,” NJB “This wasStephen’s lengthy reply,” LIVING “Sirs -brethren and fathers,” WEYMOUTH “and“Men, brothers and fathers.” ALT

Although several translations donot use the three terms – “men, brethren,and fathers” – they are in all of theaccepted Greek manuscripts, and thusought to have been duly translated. Oneof the principles of sound interpretation

is that none of the words spoken orwritten by Spirit-filled men are useless,or redundant, and mere space-fillers.Those are characteristics of rhetoric andoratory, but not of inspiration. It isnecessary to make this observationbecause of what Jesus promisedconcerning speaking in His name. “Butwhen they deliver you up, take nothought how or what ye shall speak: for itshall be given you in that same hourwhat ye shall speak. For it is not ye thatspeak, but the Spirit of your Fatherwhich speaketh in you” (Matt 10:20).

Being filled with the Spirit, thewords that now proceed out of Stephensmouth have been given to him fromheaven. The Holy Spirit is speakingthrough him. As his words will confirm,however, he was not speaking as a mererobot, or channel. His understanding waswoven into the fabric of his words. Inother words, he was truly “a vessel untohonor, sanctified, and meet for themaster's use, and prepared unto everygood work” (2 Tim 2:21).

MenStephen addresses the council as

One of the principles of sound interpretation is thatnone of the words spoken or written by Spirit-filledmen are useless, or redundant, and mere space-fillers.Those are characteristics of rhetoric and oratory, butnot of inspiration.



“men” – taken from the Greek wordAndrej. The word means “men” ingeneral, particularly as the offspring ofAdam. This distinguishes them fromangels and higher orders of createdpersonalities. In the flesh, Stephen isspeaking to them as his peers, not hissuperiors. In saying this, Stephen is alsodrawing attention away from his personto his words. It is something like Petersaying to Cornelius, “I myself also am aman” (Acts 10:36).

BrethrenHe also speaks to them as fellow

Israelites – offspring of Abraham, and ofthe nation to whom God has revealedHimself. In this he is confirming that hehas not renounced his natural lineage,just as Paul did not renounce his whenhe said, “I also am an Israelite, of theseed of Abraham” (Rom 11:1). While hehad “no confidence in the flesh” (Phil 3:3),he did acknowledge that the uniquenessof the Jewish people was owing to God’sdeliberate choice of, and involvementwith, them.

FathersHere Stephen spoke with respect

for the “elders” among the council, whohad a better understanding of theScriptures, being more familiar withthem. In doing this, he is summoningthem to give the more attention to whathe is saying. As he speaks, they shouldbe able to see that the charges leveledagainst him are totally false.

In using these three terms,Stephen is handling the people gently. Itis equivalent to “a soft answer” that isdesigned to “turn away wrath” (Prov15:1). As he progresses through thisspeech, their hardheartedness willbecome more evident, and he will speakmore sternly. However, he does not beginthat way, but employs wisdom, so as togive every advantage to his hearers toperceive the truth of his words.

HEARKEN“ . . . hearken . . . ” Other versions

read, “listen,” NKJV “Hear me,” NASB “listento me,” NIV “give hearing,” BBE “hear ye,”MRD “listen to what I have to say,” listen tome,” WEYMOUTH and “pay attention!” ALT

The word “hearken” is a strongone. First, it implies the ability tounderstand, and second, the necessity ofdoing so. The word used here has alexical meaning of, “to attend to, consider whatis being said . . . to understand, perceive the sense ofwhat is being said,” THAYER “to pay attention to,”FRIBERG “to give a judicial hearing” (as in drawing a validconclusion from what is said).” UBS

Thus Stephen summons hishearers to employ their hearts and mindsand understand what he is saying. He isnot speaking as an entertainer, or as onewho displaying oratorical skills. There isa message in his words – they are notsimply an historical review.

A Particularly Relevant WordIn a hedonistic society such as

ours, this kind of exhortation isparticularly in order. Whole generationshave been cultured to be entertained bywhat they hear instead of gain anunderstanding – particularly when itcomes to the “things of the Spirit of God”(Rom 8:5; 1 Cor 2:14). When the wordsappear to be too challenging for them,they simply dismiss them by saying theyare too deep, or are not relevant, or thatthey are not yet ready to receive them.The number or church people whodismiss truth because it is not easilydiscerned is staggering. It has come tothe point where the status quo in theprofessing church marvels that the Bibleis discerned by anyone. Rather thanbeing challenged to apprehend the truth,they assume that only a few especiallygifted and wise people can do so.

But all of this is so muchnonsense. Man has been created in the

image of God, and consequentlypossesses a capacity to understand. Eventhough the Divine image has beenmarred, men are still responsible toemploy the capability of understanding –to “hearken” – just as surely as thecouncil in our text was obligated to do so.Salvation is an economy of knowledge,for within the New Covenant, which isthe context of salvation, God says, “theyshall all know Me.” In fact, that“knowledge” is the means through whichwe receive all things pertaining to lifeand godliness (2 Pet 1:3). Grace andpeace, so sorely required by those enroute to heaven, are also acquired“through the knowledge of God, and ofJesus our Lord” (2 Pet 1:2).

Stephen will therefore speak insuch a way as to promote spiritualunderstanding and insight. Therefore hetells his listeners to “hearken,” listeningcarefully to what he says. He is notentertaining them but instructing them.

An ObservationOver the years, I have noticed a

marked tendency in Christian preachersand teachers to avoid speaking to beunderstood. There is a very evidentinclination toward entertaining thepeople and offering juvenile solutions tocursory difficulties. One senses that oftensuch men really have nothing to say, andthus they preach to please and speak toentertain. This climate has invitedeveryone from economists andmotivators, to psychologists andorganizers into the Christian community.

Every person who speaks in thebehalf of the Lord should make it an aimto advance the understanding of thepeople – to enable them to obtain a bettergrasp of the things of God, and to see thespiritual sense of it all. Sometimes, as inthe case of Stephen, this involves callingupon the people to “hearken” – to listenintently to understand.

THE GOD OF GLORY APPEARED TO ABRAHAM

“ 2a The God of glory appearedunto our father Abraham, when he was

in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt inCharran . . . ”

A review of the various speechesof Scriptural record will confirm the



remarkable absence of elaborateintroductions, or the employment ofattention-getting verbal mechanisms.That is a tactic that is being taught tospeakers today. It is an attempt to reacha distracted society, whose weakest pointis their thought-life. I am not sure thatsuch attempts are actually fruitful. Thepeople to whom Stephen was speakingwere, in a sense, distracted by hatred,prejudice, and an acute sense thatStephen was disrupting their wholemanner of thought. Yet, Stephen employsthree terms of identity – “Men, brethren,and fathers” – and one word of challenge– “hearken” – to commence his defense.

THE GOD OF GLORY“The God of glory . . . ” Other

versions read, “The God who reveals hisglory,” GWN “That God of glory,” GENEVA

“Our glorious God,” NLT “The gloriousGod,” LIVING “Our glorious God,” IE and“God Most Glorious.” WEYMOUTH

The employment of the article“the” is important: “the God.” This is thetrue God, totally unlike “the gods ofEgypt” (Ex 12:12), “gods of silver . . . andof gold” (Ex 20:23), “the gods of thesenations” (Deut 29:18), “the gods of theAmorites” (Josh 24:15), and “the gods ofSyria” (Judges 10:6). There were “thegods of Edom” (2 Chron 25:20), “the godsof Damascus” (2 Chron 28:23), and “thegods of the earth” (Zeph 2:11). Thesewere all “no gods” (2 Kgs 19:18; 2 Chron13:9), “but were the works of men’shands” (Isa 37:19). It can be said of themall, “They have mouths, but they speaknot: eyes have they, but they see not:they have ears, but they hear not: noseshave they, but they smell not; they have

hands, but they handle not: feet havethey, but they walk not: neither speakthey through their throat” (Psa 115:7).

By way of contrast, the true Godis “the God of glory” – that is, the God ofself-expression, revelation, and ofmanifestation. False gods are thecreation of men, and thus have nothing tocommunicate. The true God is knownbecause – and only because – He hasmade Himself known. He is “the God ofglory.”

What Is Glory?The glory of a thing is what can

be seen, or perceived, of it. It is whatmakes the thing unique or discernible –what can be seen of it. Therefore, we readof “terrestrial” bodies having a differing“glory” from “celestial” bodies. As it iswritten, “There are also celestial bodies,and bodies terrestrial: but the glory ofthe celestial is one, and the glory of theterrestrial is another. There is one gloryof the sun, and another glory of the moon,and another glory of the stars: for onestar differeth from another star in glory”(1 Cor 15:40-41). All of these bodies lookdifferent because they are different. Theyhave unique properties that are madeevident when they are seen.

Something that is itself glorioushas qualities of its own that can bedisplayed, and thus perceived by others.These qualities can be observed whenthey are displayed, and lend themselvesto a better understanding of the thingpossessing the glory. In nature,something glorious is a sunrise, or asunset. They have a nature of their own,and therefore can be studied, analyzed,and discerned.

With God, “glory” obtains a wholenew dimension. With Him, the only“glory” that can be beheld is what HeHimself makes known. If He does notreveal an aspect of Himself, it can neverbe known. Therefore, when we speak ofthe glory of God, we are speaking ofsomething He has done – some aspect ofHis Person or purpose that He hasdeliberately made known. It is only whenGod in some way makes Himself knownthat an individual is aware of Hispresence. Thus, after he had dreamed ofa ladder set up upon earth, whose topreached into heaven, Jacob awoke and

confessed, “Surely the LORD is in thisplace; and I knew it not” (Gen 28:16).That dream, together with the wordsspoken by the Lord to Him during it, wasa portion of Divine glory. It providedsome insight to Jacob concerning God’sPerson and purpose.

The expression “the God of glory”emphasizes that it is God’s nature tomake Himself known. For example, evenin the creation of the worlds He revealedsome of His glory – “His eternal powerand Godhead” (Rom 1:20). When Hespeaks, God is showing His glory. As it iswritten, “The voice of the LORD is uponthe waters: the God of glory thundereth:the LORD is upon many waters. Thevoice of the LORD is powerful; the voiceof the LORD is full of majesty” (Psa 29:3-4). In such things, He is making Himselfknown in what He accomplishes.

To put it another way, “glory” isnot associated with mystery, but withrevelation. It deals with what can beknown of God, not what cannot beknown. An approach to the Lord thatmystifies what He does, and fails topromote profitable understanding,cannot poss ib ly g lor i fy God .Furthermore, the word “manifestation”has to do with understanding – whensomething is “made known” (Mk 4:22). Amanifestation is not a mere appearance.For example, when Jesus turned waterinto wine, it is said that He “manifestedforth His glory” (John 2:11). He was thebetter understood. Throughout theGospels, Acts, and the epistles, theconcept of manifestation always has to dowith understanding (John 1:31; 3:21; 9:3;14:21-22; 17:6; Acts 4:16; Rom 1:19; 3:21;8:19;10:20; 16:26; 1 Cor 3:13; 4:5; 11:19;12:7; 14:25; 15:27; 2 Cor 2:14; 4:2,10-11;5:11; 11:6; Gal 5:19; Eph 5:13; Phil 1:13;Col 1:26; 4:4; 2 Thess 1:5; 1 Tim 3:16;5:25; 2 Tim 1:10; 3:9; Tit 1:3; Heb 4:13;Heb 9:8; 1 Pet 1:20; 1 John 1:2; 2:19;3:5;,8,10; 4:9; Rev 15:4).

The point here is that it is God’snature to manifest Himself, or makeHimself known. That manifestation iswhat constitutes His glory.

No other purported gods are onthe initiative to make themselves known.They are always surrounded by secrecy,whereas “the God of glory” dwells in the



light (1 Tim 6:16), so that the more menare exposed to Him, the more they knowof Him. In fact, “God is light” – theepitome of revelation. Not only does Hereveal Himself, but in His presenceeverything else is illuminated for what itreally is.

Jewish history contains manyrevelations of Divine glory. Here are afew of them, well known to Stephen’saudience.

- “And in the morning, then ye shallsee the glory of the LORD; for thathe heareth your murmurings againstthe LORD: and what are we, that yemurmur against us?” (Ex 16:7).

- “And it came to pass, as Aaron spakeunto the whole congregation of thechildren of Israel, that they lookedtoward the wilderness, and, behold,the glory of the LORD appeared inthe cloud” (Ex 16:10).

- “And Moses and Aaron went into thetabernacle of the congregation, andcame out, and blessed the people:and the glory of the LORD appearedunto all the people” (Lev 9:23).

- “But all the congregation bade stonethem with stones. And the glory ofthe LORD appeared in thetabernacle of the congregation beforeall the children of Israel” (Num14:10).

- “And ye said, Behold, the LORD ourGod hath showed us his glory andhis greatness, and we have heard hisvoice out of the midst of the fire: wehave seen this day that God dothtalk with man, and he liveth”(Deut5:24).

Now, after mentioning “the God ofglory,” Stephen will recount what Godrevealed to Abraham, and how He was onthe initiative to do so.

APPEARED TO OUR FATHERABRAHAM

“ . . . appeared unto our fatherAbraham . . .” Other versions read,“appeared to our ancestor Abraham,” NRSV

“came to our father Abraham,” BBE and“appeared to our forefather Abraham,”PHILLIPS

Notice how the God of glory“appeared,” or was made apparent.Remember, we are speaking of a God whois “invisible,” or cannot be perceived withany natural sense or aptitude (Col 1;15;

1 Tim 1:17; Heb 11:27). In fact, all of Hisqualities are “invisible” (Rom 1:20). Thatis, they are of a transcendent nature, sothat men cannot behold them unless theyare unveiled by the Lord Himself.

By saying God “appeared” untoAbraham, Stephen means that thepatriarch, owing strictly to Divineinitiative, became aware of the presenceof the Lord. This was not the result ofAbraham searching after God, Godcannot be found “by searching” (Job11:7). This inaccessible and indiscernibleaspect of God is declared by the Psalmist:“Thy way is in the sea, and thy path inthe great waters, and thy footsteps arenot known” (Psa 77:19). Even when Godis within the proximity of men, they muststill “seek the Lord, if haply they mightfeel after Him, and find Him, though Hebe not far from every one of us” (Acts

17:27). Here the word “haply” does notmean that, perchance, the seeker maystumble upon God through His research.It rather means God may very well makeHimself known to the earnest seeker. In

fact, it is God’s nature to do such a thing,for He is “the God of glory.”

The phrase “the Lord appeared”occurs nineteen times in the OldCovenant Scriptures. Those vouchsafedsuch Divine accommodations includeAbraham, Isaac, Israel, Moses andAaron, Samuel, Solomon, and David (Gen12:7; 17:1; 18:1; 26:2,24; Ex 3:2;16:10;Lev 9:23; Num 14:10; 16:19,42; 20:6;Deut 31:15; 1 Sam 3:21; 1 Kgs 3:5; 9:2; 2Chron 3:1; 7:12).

In all of these cases, andespecially with Abraham, God initiatedthe contact. None of the revelations werethe result of human inquiry – unless it betime the time when Moses asked, “Showme thy glory” (Ex 33:18). Even then,however, the request was driven by therevelation of Himself that God hadalready given (Ex 24-32). Comprehending



something of the nature of God in thatrevelation, Moses concluded there wasmore to be known of Him. Therefore,knowing he could not determine suchthings through human analysis, Heasked God to show him his “glory.” WhenGod did reveal His glory to Moses, Heactually defined His character more fullyto Him (Ex 34:6-7).

When “the God of glory” appearedto Abraham, He made certain Divinedeterminations known to him. He did notoffer prognostications like a diviner, butrevealed what He Himself haddetermined, and would cause to come topass.

What Stephen Is DoingStephen is providing an

assessment of the children of Israel. Inthis he is confirming why they shouldhave received the Messiah, and embracedthe Gospel that proclaimed Him. Heknew that the way of assessing a peopleis by tracing them back to their source.The human race, for example, can betraced back to Adam. That is reasonenough to know their propensity is to sin,and that they require a Savior. Thechurch is traceable back to Christ Jesus.That is reason enough to expect it to beholy, walking in the light and living byfaith. Now Stephen will set theprogenitor of the Jewish people beforethem, showing that they should havefollowed him and reflected his manners.The fact that they did not will confirmthey have resisted the Holy Spirit.

WHEN HE WAS INMESOPOTAMIA

“ . . . when he was in

Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran. . . ” Other versions read, “And he said,"when he was in Mesopotamia, before hedwelt in Haran,” NKJV “And he said, "hewas in Mesopotamia, before he lived inHaran,” NASB “while he was still inMesopotamia, before he lived in Haran,”NIV “when he was between the rivers,before he came to reside in Charran,” MRD

“while he was in Mesopotamia, before hehad settled in Haran,” NAB “while he wasyet in Mesopotamia before he dwelt inCharran,” TNT “in Iraq before he moved toSyria,” LIVING and “in Mesopotamia. Thishappened before Abraham lived inHaran.” GW

Mesopotamia was designated asthe land “between the rivers” – the riversbeing the Tigris and Euphrates. TheEuphrates river is mentioned twenty-onetimes in Scripture, and was the fourthbranch, or tributary, of the “river thatwent out of Eden to water the garden”(Gen 2:14). This river formed one of theboundaries of the land God promised toAbraham and his descendants, the otherboundary being “the river of Egypt,”which is the Nile river (Gen 15:18).“Tigris” is the Greek equivalent of theHebrew “Hiddekel,” which was the thirdriver branching off from the river flowingthrough Eden. It flowed “toward the eastof Assyria” (Gen 2:14). Later versionsread “Tigris.” NASB/NIV/NRSV The areabetween the rivers was unusually fertile.

The strange prophet Balaam wasalso from Mesopotamia (Deut 23:4). Onone occasion, when God was angeredwith Israel, “He sold them into the handof Chushanrishathaim king ofMesopotamia: and the children of Israel

served Chushanrishathaim eight years”(Judges 3:8). On the day of Pentecost,there were devout Jews fromMesopotamia present when Peterpreached (Acts 2:9).

Stephen says that God “appeared”to Abraham when he was inMesopotamia. The Genesis record saysAbraham was in “Ur of the Chaldees”(Gen 11:31). That period of time wasprior to the area being called“Mesopotamia” (Gen 24:10). Stephen ispointing out what they already knew,that Abraham was in the place that waslater called Mesopotamia. Ur of theChaldees was a place within the largerregion of Mesopotamia. The Chaldeanswere the people with whomNebuchadnezzar was identified (2 Kings25:10-11). Today, Mesopotamia is calledIraq.

Before He Dwelt In CharranThe appearance of God to the

patriarch Abraham took place “before hedwelt in Charran.” which is a form of theword Haran, as used in Genesis 11:12-32.Abraham moved there upon leavingMesopotamia.

A Picture of Our Own CallingThe calling of Abraham was

similar to our own calling. He was calledout of one place to go to another. He wassummoned from a foreign land to theland of promise, to be reached by Divinedirection. He was made conscious of Godand his will before he was blessed byhim. Thus we see the Divine manner indealing with humanity. He prepares menfor involvement with himself.

GET THEE OUT OF THY COUNTRY, AND COME INTO THE LAND!

“ 3 . . . and said unto him, Get theeout of thy country, and from thy kindred,and come into the land which I shallshow thee.”

The call of God involves twothings – leaving and entering; going fromone place to another. This will be livedout in the experience of Abraham. Wewill also learn from this that theappearing of the Lord is the prelude to

change. The Lord makes Himself knownin order to bring something about that isof His own origin.

A TechnicalityStephen states that the Lord

appeared to Abraham while he was inMesopotamia, and before he came intoHaran. The language of Genesis is veryprecise at this point. The text from which

Stephen now quotes is found in Genesis12:1-3. Following that record, the textsays Abram departed out of Haran (Gen12:4), which may seem as though he wasin Haran when the Lord appeared to him,thus contradicting what Stephen says.However, Genesis 12:1 speaks in the pasttense: “Now the Lord HAD said to Abram. . . ” That is, He had spoken to Abramprior to the time when he actually left



Haran. Stephen therefore speaks withclarity and understanding, pinpointingthat the time of the appearance wasbefore he left Mesopotamia.

The Genesis record provides someadditional details about Abraham whilehe was in Mesopotamia.

- Terah, in the lineage of Shem (Gen11:11), begat three sons after he wasseventy years of age: Abram, Nahor,and Haran (Gen 11:26).

- Abraham’s original name was“Abram,” which means “high father.”Later, after he had received thepromise that he would be the fatherof many nations (Gen 17:5-6), hisname was changed by God to“Abraham,” (which means “father ofa multitude”): “Neither shall thyname any more be called Abram, butthy name shall be Abraham; for afather of many nations have I madethee” (Gen 17:5).

- Abraham’s brother Haran diedbefore his father while the clanremained in Mesopotamia, or Ur ofthe Chaldees (Gen 11:28).

- Abram took “Sarai” (which means“my princess”) as his wife while intheir native land, and she was foundto be barren, and therefore couldhave no child (Gen 11:29-30). Later,after the promise made to Abraham,God also changed her name to“Sarah” (which means “princess ofthe multitude”): “And God said untoAbraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thoushalt not call her name Sarai, butSarah shall her name be. And I willbless her, and give thee a son also ofher: yea, I will bless her, and sheshall be a mother of nations; kings ofpeople shall be of her” (Gen 17:15-16).

- We then read that Terah took Abramand his wife, and Lot, and left Ur togo to Canaan. Upon arriving inHaran, they settled there. “AndTerah took Abram his son, and Lotthe son of Haran his son's son, andSarai his daughter in law, his sonAbram's wife; and they went forthwith them from Ur of the Chaldees,to go into the land of Canaan; and

they came unto Haran, and dweltthere” (Gen 11:31).

- We learn from Scripture that Terahwas an idolater. This was revealedthrough Joshua. “And Joshua saidunto all the people, Thus saith theLORD God of Israel, Your fathersdwelt on the other side of the flood inold time, even Terah, the father ofAbraham, and the father of Nachor:and they served other gods” (Josh24:2).

When the call of God came toAbraham, it appears that was theincentive for Terah gathering the clanand heading for Canaan. The details ofwhy Terah took Abram and Lot, withSarai, and did not take Nahor Abram’sbrother, are not provided. Later, we knowthat Isaac’s wife, Rebecca, was thedaughter of Nahor (Gen 24:24), and wasfound in Mesopotamia (Gen 24:10).Furthermore, Rachel, who would bemarried to Jacob, was the daughterLaban, who was one of Nahor’s sons, andRebecca’s brother (Gen 24:29; 29:29-30).She also was found in Haran (Gen 29:4).

Thus we see the providence of Godat work in this whole matter, setting thestage for events that would take placeyears later.

GET THEE OUT“ . . . and said unto him, Get thee

out of thy country, and from thy kindred. . . ” Other versions read, “get out of yourcountry and from your relatives,” NKJV

“Depart from your country and yourrelatives,” NASB “Leave your country andyour people,” NIV “Depart from your landand from your kindred,” RSV “Go out ofyour land, and away from your family,”BBE “Leave your land and your family,” CJB

“Come out of thy country, and from thykindred,” GENEVA “Go forth from your land

and (from) your kinsfolk,” NAB “Leave yourcountry, your kindred and your father'shouse,” NJB “Leave your native land andyour relatives,” NLT and “leave his nativel a n d , t o s a y g o o d - b y e t ohisrelatives.”LIVING Herewas a two-fold command. Abraham wasto leave the land in which he was living,and his kindred, or relatives, as well. Hewas to leave the environment and itsassociations. Some have speculated as towhy Abraham’s relatives came with him.Why did he not leave them as he wastold. First, the ones intended to be left –Nahor and his family – were left behind.Secondly, He did get out of the country,and eventually did leave all of hiskindred. The fact that he did not leavethem instantly does not mean he wouldnot eventually move a way from them –which the record confirms he did.

Before men stand in criticism ofAbraham, it is well to see how Godviewed the situation. Later in Abraham’slife, God refers to the time he left Ur ofthe Chaldees, or Mesopotamia. After Hehad reaffirmed His promise to Abram, itis written, “And He said unto him, I amthe LORD that brought thee out of Ur ofthe Chaldees, to give thee this land toinherit it” (Gen 15:7). God, therefore,considered Abram’s coming out to be Hisown doing, and not an act characterized

by some form of disobedience. That isalso how Stephen will view it, and it iscomely that we do so as well. The point of emphasis is that hiskindred would not inherit the land of promise. The promise would be throughIsaac and Jacob his own sons, and not hisfather or brothers. As a matter of fact,the Moabites and Ammonites, consistentenemies of Israel, were the descendantsof the sons of Lot through his daughters(Gen 19:36-38) – and Lot was the son ofHaran, Abraham’s brother. Of the wholefamily of Terah, therefore, only Abraham

Here was a two-fold command. Abraham was to leavethe land in which he was living, and his kindred, orrelatives, as well. He was to leave the environment andits associations.



was intended to inherit the promisedland. That is why he had to leave them.

INTO A LAND“ . . . and come into the land

which I shall show thee.” Other versionsread, “and go to the land I will show you,”NIV “and come into the land to which I willbe your guide,” BBE “to start out for acountry that God would direct him to,”LIVING “Go to another country. I will showyou where to go,” IE “and go into whateverland I point out to you,” WEYMOUTH “andcome to Whatever country I may showyou,” WILLIAMS and “and come into the land(region) that I will point out to you.”AMPLIFIED

The Significance of the LandThis “land” will become an

important consideration throughout theScriptures. Names ascribed to it are asfollows.

- “The land of Canaan” (Gen 11:31;17:8; 23:2).

- “The sanctuary” (Ex 15:17

- “The land of Israel” (1 Sam 13:19).

- “The land of the Hebrews” (Gen40:15).

- “The land of the Jews” (Acts 10:39).

- “The land of promise” (Heb 11:9).

- “The holy land” (Zech 2:12).

- “The Lord’s land” (Hos 9:3).

- “Immanuel’s” land (Isa 8:8).

- “Beulah” (Isa 62:4).

- God referred to it as “My land” (2Chron 7:20; Isa 14:25; Jer 2:7; 16:18;Ezek 36:5; 38:16; Joel 1:6; 3:2).

- Referring to the Lord, it is called“His land” (Deut 32:43; Job 37:13;Psa 10:16; Ezek 36:20; Joel 2:18;Zech 9:16).

This land was not merely apersonal possession of Abraham. Rather,it was the place in which God wouldlocalize His works. Here is where Hewould culture a people to bring forth the

Messiah. It is where the Messiah wouldbe born, raised, minister, die, be raisedfrom the dead, and from which He wouldascend into heaven. It would also be aland for which His people would beaccountable. They were not to pollute theland by learning the way of the heathen,lapsing into idolatry, or living in a stateof moral and spiritual defilement. If theydefiled the land, God said He would judgethem for doing so (Lev 18:25,28; Num35:33; Deut 21:23; 24:4; Jer 2:7; 3:9; Jer16:18; Ezek 36:17). The heathen were tobe driven out of this land (Ex 23:30,31;Num 22:6; 33:52; Deut 4:38; 9:4-5; Josh17:12; ; 23:5). If the heathen were notdriven out of the land, the Lord said theywould become a source of vexation andstumbling (Num 33:55; Josh 23:13).

Abraham Had to Leave His homelandAbraham, then, was required to

leave his homeland and sever his tieswith his family, yet had no idea where hewas going. God simply told him “I willshow thee” the land. The book ofHebrews makes a point of this: “By faithAbraham, when he was called to go outinto a place which he should after receivefor an inheritance, obeyed; and he wentout, not knowing whither he went” (Heb11:8).

Keep in mind that Abraham hadcome from an idolatrous background, andhad extremely limited exposure to thetrue God. Many years later, it appearsthat Nahor was still worshiping anotherGod, as we read of “the God of Nahor,” as well as “the God of their father,” Terah(Gen 31:53). These were the words ofLaban to Jacob, but Jacob did not honorsuch a description of God, but rather“swear by the fear of his father Isaac”(Gen 31:54), thereby rejecting Laban’soath, which represented the naturalheritage of Abraham.

Yet, with only a single word fromGod, and that very limited, it wassufficient to move Abraham out of hishomeland and away from his family to anunseen and unknown land.

It is apparent that a person doesnot require an abundance of revelation tobelieve and trust in the Lord. Anextensive understanding is not requiredwhen there has been limited revelation,and yet there is enough understanding to

compel thorough submission to the wordof the Lord.

Among other things, we see inthis that the Kingdom of God is notdriven by an academic approach to theword of the Lord. Such an approach wasnot possible in this case. The carnal mindwould reason adequate preparation couldnot be made if Abraham did not knowwhere he was going, or how long it wouldtake to get there. The flesh wouldrespond that this was an unreasonablerequest, and that more needed to beunderstood concerning the whole matter.The carnal mind, however, is enmityagainst God, and is always wrong. Evenduring the spiritually primitive times ofAbraham, he knew enough tosubordinate any doubts that may havecome to his mind. What possible excusecan be offered for men hesitating to obeythe Lord during this time when the Sunof righteousness has risen, and we arestanding in the greater glory of the NewCovenant?

The Principle of Divine GuidanceThe words “I will show thee”

indicate the manner in which Divineguidance is realized. God did not provideAbraham with a map and a preciselydesignated place on the map. That is notthe manner in which the Lord directs thesteps of a man – by giving all of theanswers up front, so to speak. To be sure,the Lord does direct His people. It iswritten, “He shall direct thy paths” (Psa3:6). Again it is written, “the Lorddirecteth his steps” (Prov 16:9). Andagain, “as for the upright, He directethhis way” (Prov 21:29). The prophets alsospoke of this direction: “I will direct all ofhis ways” (Isa 45:13), “I will direct theirwork in truth” (Isa 61:8), and “it is not inman that walketh to direct his steps” (Jer10:23). The Lord is said to “lead” people(Isa 48:17), and to “order” their steps(Psa 37:23). But how does the Lord director lead the individual? What is themanner of that leading?

It was in the process ofAbraham’s journey hat he was directed.When he left his homeland, the directionbegan. It is after we trust in the Lord andlean not to our own understanding thathe directs our paths (Prov 3:5-6). It is the“upright” that are directed by God (Prov21:29), and the “steps of a good man” that



are “ordered” by Him (Psa 37:23). It iswithin the context of “righteousness” thatheavenly guidance is realized (Isa 45:13).Those whose lives are directed in truthare those who are not displeasing Him intheir conduct or manners (Isa 61:8).

It is necessary that the appointedjourney be commenced before thedirection will be given. Those who refuseto walk in the ways of the Lord forfeit theprivilege of being directed by God. Oh,men may philosophize about this matter,and say that God in love has a plan forevery life, and earnestly wants to leadthem into it. But the truth of the matteris that all people, like Abraham, mustcut loose from the domain in which theycannot remain! If God is going to direct a

person’s path to heaven, it is imperativethat they be on their way there –obviously disconnected from a world thatis perishing.

Those who attempt to cling totheir old ways, yet thinking they are onthe way to the promised land, are onlydeceived. That would be like Abrahamstaying with his brother Nahor, whochose to live in Mesopotamia, all thewhile thinking God was going to give himan inheritance there. Today, people whoglibly preach a health and wealth gospelare asking people to stay inMesopotamia, promising that God isgoing to give them the inheritance there.There is no possible way to overstate the

seriousness of such a perverted gospel. Itcauses people to never start out on thejourney, entering the strait gate, andchoosing the narrow way. That verycircumstance means that Divinedirection is shut off, for such leading onlyoccurs when men have left the world andare walking on the “highway” that hasbeen raised up for sojourners (Isa 35:8).

If Abraham, so far removed fromthe day of salvation, saw the necessity ofmoving toward the promised land insteadof settling down in the present land,what possible justification can there befor neglecting to see that truth today?More light demands a greater and moreextensive response!

ABRAHAM CAME OUT

“ 4a Then came he out of the landof the Chaldaeans, and dwelt in Charran. . . ” Other versions read, “Then he cameout of the land of the Chaldeans anddwelt in Haran,” NKJV “Then he departedfrom the land of the Chaldeans, andsettled in Haran,” NASB “So he left the landof the Chaldeans and settled in Haran,”NIV “So he left the land of the Chaldeansand lived in Haran, in Syria,” LIVING

“Thereupon he left Chaldaea and settledin Haran,” WEYMOUTH “So he left thecountry of the Chaldeans and for a timemade his home in Haran,” WILLIAMS and“That was how he came to leave the landof the Chaldeans and settle in Haran.”PHILLIPS

Here Stephen is given someadditional insight concerning the exodusof Abraham from Mesopotamia. TheGenesis record states that “Terah tookAbram his son, and Lot the son of Haranhis son's son, and Sarai his daughter inlaw, his son Abram's wife; and they went

forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees,to go into the land of Canaan; and theycame unto Haran, and dwelt there” (Gen11:31). For whatever reason Terah mayhave appeared to make this move,Stephen says it was really Abraham who“came out.” It is possible that Terah hadsome other motive. However, the promisewas given to Abraham, not to Terah, andthus the whole matter is credited to him.If Terah did have some other motive,Abraham would have seen it as an opendoor to do what God had required of him.

We know that the move describedin Genesis 11:31 is the one to whichStephen refers, for both records say trhemove resulted in the pilgrims settlingdown in Haran.

Some have the audacity to saythat Abraham was disobedient at thispoint – that God had not told him tosettle in Haran, but to go to the land to

which God would direct him. In such astatement they betray their owncarnality. They imagine that God haddirected Abraham to move forward, butinstead he settled down. As the textprogresses, we will find how false such aview is, and how it reproaches both Godand Abraham.

AN INTERESTING POINTIn leaving Ur of the Chaldees,

Abraham was leaving the land in whichNebuchadnezzar would be raised up tochasten his own disobedient offspring.The twenty-fifth chapter of Second Kingsrecords the plundering of Judah and thecity of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar,referring to “the Chaldees” seven times (2Kgs 25:4,5,10, 13,24,25,26). Isaiah refersto the city of Babylon as the “beauty ofthe Chaldees” (Isa 13:19). He also statesthe land of the Chaldees was “founded”by an Assyrian (Isa 23:13). Long beforethat history, Abraham dwelt in that land.

WHEN HIS FATHER DIED, HE CAME INTO THIS LAND

“ 4a . . . and from thence, when hisfather was dead, He removed him intothis land, wherein ye now dwell.”

Stephen is tracing the working ofthe Lord through Abraham, confirmingthat he is an Israelite indeed, and is notseeking to disrupt the people. He has

stated that Abraham has left Ur of theChaldees as commanded, and is nowresiding in Haran. Terah, his father, iswith him and Sarai, as well as Lot, his



nephew.

WHEN HIS FATHER WAS DEAD“ . . . and from thence, when his

father was dead . . . ” Other versionsread, “and from there, when his fatherwas dead,” NKJV “and from there, after hisfather died,” NASB “and from thence, afterthe death of his father,” YLT “until hisfather died,” LIVING and “After Abraham'sfather died.” IE

The record in Genesis reads, “Andthe days of Terah were two hundred andfive years: and Terah died in Haran”(Gen 11:32). We do not know how oldTerah was when the clan left Ur. We doknow that his three sons, Abram, Nahor,and Haran were born after he wasseventy years old. We also know thatAbram was seventy-five years old whenhe left Haran. That means that 135 yearspassed between the birth of Terah’s threesons and the departure of Abraham fromHaran. Although the details are notspecified, this should confirm that we arespeaking of a significant period of timethe clan spent in Haran. According toDivine purpose, they were awaiting thedeath of Terah, who himself had no partin the promise. The rest of the verse willconfirm that this was all by God’s intent.

HE REMOVED HIM INTO THISLAND

“ . . . He removed him into thisland, wherein ye now dwell.” Otherversions read, “He moved him to thisland in which you now dwell,” NKJV “Godremoved him into this country in whichyou are now living,” NASB “God sent him tothis land where you are now living,” NIV

“God had him move from there to thiscountry in which you are now living,” NRSV

“he was guided by God into this land,where you are living now,” BBE “God madehim move to this land where you areliving now,” CJB “God removed him intothis land, wherein ye now dwell,” ERV “Godbrought him from thence into this land,wherein ye now dwell,” GENEVA “He madehim migrate to this land where you nowdwell,” NAB “Then God brought him hereto the land where you now live,” NLT

“Then God brought him here to the landof Israel,” LIVING “God caused him toremove into this country where you nowlive,” WEYMOUTH “[God] transferred him tothis country in which you are nowdwelling.” AMPLIFIED and “God moved him

into this very land where you are livingtoday.” PHILLIPS

God promised He would showAbram the land, directing him to it, andthat is precisely what He is doing. In allof this, there is also the matter oftimeliness, for all of this must allow forGod’s predetermined timetable. Cominginto the land of Canaan must besynchronized with the following eventsthat will take place by Divineappointment.

- The destruction of Sodom andGomorrah, with which Lot wasassociated.

- The birth of Joseph, youngest son ofJacob, who will become the ruler ofEgypt.

- The selling of Joseph as a slave,which would bring him into Egypt at

the proper time.

- Joseph arriving in Egypt at the timeof Potiphar who would make him thehead of his house.

- Joseph must be in Potiphar’s housewhile his wife was there, who wouldbe the occasion of him going intoprison, from which he would beexalted.

- Joseph had to be in prison at thesame time as Pharaoh’s butler andbaker, who would inform Pharaoh ofJoseph’s ability to interpret dreams.

- The coming of seven years of plenty,and seven years of famine, thatwould pave the way for Joseph’sexaltation.

- Consideration must be given to thetime Israel would be oppressed by

the Egyptians, after a Pharaoh arosewho had no regard for Joseph.

- There was also the deliverance ofIsrael from Egypt that would takeplace on the fourteenth day of themonth of Abib, around B.C. 1500.

It is apparent that a person doesnot require an abundance of revelation tobelieve and trust in the Lord. Anextensive understanding is not requiredwhen there has been limited revelation,and yet there is enough understanding tocompel thorough submission to the wordof the Lord.

It is apparent that a person doesnot require an abundance of revelation tobelieve and trust in the Lord. Anextensive understanding is not requiredwhen there has been limited revelation,and yet there is enough understanding to

compel thorough submission to the wordof the Lord.

ABRAHAM CAME INTO THE LANDStephen affirms that God moved

Abraham “into the land,” thus confirmingthat he finally arrived there. The exactdistance to the land is not known, norwhether the route was straight there.Judging from the map, it was severalhundred miles – probably a minimum ofthree hundred. Genesis 12:5 gives theaccount of their arrival: “And Abram tookSarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son,and all their substance that they hadgathered, and the souls that they hadgotten in Haran; and they went forth togo into the land of Canaan; and into theland of Canaan they came” (Gen 12:5).

At that time, Abraham passedthrough the land, as though surveying it.We are told that “the Canaanite was in

It is apparent that a person does not require anabundance of revelation to believe and trust in the Lord.An extensive understanding is not required when therehas been limited revelation, and yet there is enoughunderstanding to compel thorough submission to theword of the Lord.



the land” (Gen 12:6). We are also told“there was a famine in the land” at thattime (Ex 12:10). Years later, when Isaac

was in the land, there was also a faminethere (Gen 26:1). Years after that, whenJacob was in the land, there was yet

another famine (Gen 42:1-5). For a longtime, the land did not seem to be a goodplace to live.

GOD DID NOT GIVE ABRAHAM ANY INHERITANCE IN THE LAND

“ 5a And He gave him noneinheritance in it, no, not so much as toset his foot on . . . ”

Here again we are exposed to theways of the Lord. They are not like theways of men, and do not at all conform tohuman standards. Those who view theScriptures with a carnal mind will be ina constant state of confusion.

In the original promise given toAbram, there was no mention of Godgiving Abram the land to which he wasjourneying. At that time, the Lordpromised, “And I will make of thee agreat nation, and I will bless thee, andmake thy name great; and thou shalt bea blessing: and I will bless them thatbless thee, and curse him that curseththee: and in thee shall all families of theearth be blessed” (Gen 12:2-3). At that

time, the Lord promised Abram thefollowing.

- God would make a great nation ofAbram.

- He would make his name great.

- Abram would be a blessing.

- Those who blessed Abram would beblessed, and those who cursed himwould be cursed.

- In him, all nations of the earth would

be blessed.However, there was no promise at

that time of inheriting the land, or of itbecoming his own.

After arriving in the land, theLord appeared unto Abram again andsaid, “And the LORD appeared untoAbram, and said, Unto thy seed will Igive this land” (Gen 12:7). Shortly afterthat, Abram and Lot separated, with Lotchoosing the area near Sodom, andAbram choosing to dwell “in the land ofCanaan” (Gen 13:12). At that time, theLord again spoke to Abram, “after thatLot was separated from him” (Gen13:14a). “Lift up now thine eyes, and lookfrom the place where thou art northward,and southward, and eastward, andwestward: For all the land which thouseest, to thee will I give it, and to thyseed for ever. And I will make thy seed as

the dust of the earth: so that if a man cannumber the dust of the earth, then shallthy seed also be numbered. Arise, walkthrough the land in the length of it andin the breadth of it; for I will give it untothee” (Gen 14b:15-17)

Some years later, “the word of theLord came to Abram in a vision.” In thatword God said, “I am the LORD thatbrought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, togive thee this land to inherit it” (Gen15:7). It was at this time that Godrevealed several things to Abraham.

- His seed would “be a stranger in aland that is not theirs” (Gen 15:13a).

- That nation would afflict them forfour hundred years (Gen 15:13b).

- God would judge the nation thatafflicted them (Gen 15:14a).

- Abram’s seed would come out of thenation that afflicted them “withgreat substance” (Gen 15:14b).

- Abram would die in peace, and beburied in a “good old age” (Gen15:15).

- In the fourth generation, Abram’sseed would enter the promised landagain, ‘for the iniquity of theAmorities” was “not yet full” (Gen15:16).

- That same day, the Lord made acovenant with Abram, saying, “In thesame day the LORD made acovenant with Abram, saying, Untothy seed have I given this land, fromthe river of Egypt unto the greatriver, the river Euphrates: theKenites, and the Kenizzites, and theKadmonites, and the Hittites, andthe Perizzites, and the Rephaims,and the Amorites, and theCanaanites, and the Girgashites, andthe Jebusites” (Gen 15:18-21). Asyou can see, the land would beoccupied by ten different nations,seven of which were greater andmightier than Israel (Deut 7:1).

- Still without any offspring fromSarah, who remained barren, Abram,following the advice of Sarah, had ason through Hagar, Sarai’shandmaid. That son, Ishmael, wasborn when Abraham was eighty-sixyears old (Gen 16:16).

- When Abraham was ninety-nine

Here again we are exposed to the ways of the Lord.They are not like the ways of men, and do not at allconform to human standards. Those who view theScriptures with a carnal mind will be in a constantstate of confusion.



years old, God again appeared to him andsaid, “I will establish My covenantbetween Me and thee and thy seed afterthee in their generations for aneverlasting covenant, to be a God untothee, and to thy seed after thee. And Iwill give unto thee, and to thy seed afterthee, the land wherein thou art astranger, all the land of Canaan, for aneverlasting possession; and I will be theirGod” (Gen 17:7-8).

NONE INHERITANCE“And He gave him none

inheritance in it, no . . .” Other versionsread, “gave him no inheritance here,” NIV

“did not give him any of it as a heritage,”NRSV “God didn't give Abraham anythingin this land to call his own,” GWN “God didnot give him any property in this land,”NJB “God did not give Abraham any of thisland,” IE “He gave him no inheritableproperty in it,” AMPLIFIED and “God gavehim no part of it as an inheritance.”PHILLIPS

Even though God gave Abrampromise after promise that this landwould be given to him, whole he was inthe world, Abraham did not receive anyportion of it. Here again, we are beingintroduced to a Divine manner that isreflected in the salvation that is in ChristJesus.

NOT SO MUCH AS TO SET HISFOOT ON

“ . . . not so much as to set his foot on. . . ” Other versions read, “not even

enough to set his foot one,” NKJV “not evena foot of ground,” NASB “not even a foot’slength,” NRSV “not even enough to put hisfoot on,” BBE “not even space for one foot,”CSV “not even what his foot could standon,” DARBY “not the breadth of a foot,”GENEVA “not even a place to rest his feet,”GWN “or even a foothold,” NJB “not even onesquare foot of land,” NLT “not even afootstep,” YLT “not one little tract of land,”LIVING “not a single square yard ofground,” WEYMOUTH and “not a foot that hecould call his own.” PHILLIPS

The land given to Abraham wasextensive. That is why this verse is ofsuch importance. The extent and bordersof the land are specified several times.

- Genesis 15:18-21: “In the same daythe LORD made a covenant withAbram, saying, Unto thy seed have Igiven this land, from the river ofEgypt unto the great river, the riverEuphrates: the Kenites, and theKenizzites, and the Kadmonites, andthe Hittites, and the Perizzites, andthe Rephaims, And the Amorites,and the Canaanites, and theGirgashites, and the Jebusites.”

- Exodus 23:31: “And I will set thybounds from the Red sea even untothe sea of the Philistines, and fromthe desert unto the river: for I willdeliver the inhabitants of the landinto your hand; and thou shalt drivethem out before thee.”

- Deuteronomy 11:24: “Every placewhereon the soles of your feet shalltread shall be yours: from thewilderness and Lebanon, from theriver, the river Euphrates, even untothe uttermost sea shall your coastbe.”

- Joshua 1:2-4: “Moses my servant isdead; now therefore arise, go overthis Jordan, thou, and all this people,unto the land which I do give tothem, even to the children of Israel.Every place that the sole of your footshall tread upon, that have I givenunto you, as I said unto Moses. Fromthe wilderness and this Lebanoneven unto the great river, the riverEuphrates, all the land of theHittites, and unto the great sea

toward the going down of the sun,shall be your coast.”

When Israel entered the land, thisterritory was divided by Lot to them bytheir tribes. The allotment is specified inthe fifteenth through seventeenthchapters of Joshua.

The Scriptures make a point ofthe fact that Abraham, together withIsaac and Jacob, were actually strangersin the land that was promised to them.“By faith he sojourned in the land ofpromise, as in a strange country,dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac andJacob, the heirs with him of the samepromise” (Heb 11:9).

When Abraham arrived in theland, God told him he was a “stranger” init, yet would it would be given to him asan “everlasting possession”: “And I willgive unto thee, and to thy seed after thee,the land wherein thou art a stranger, allthe land of Canaan, for an everlastingpossession; and I will be their God” (Gen

THE LAND – JOSHUA 1:1-4

The extent and boundaries of Canaan are givenwith tolerable exactness in the Bible. On the westthe sea was its border from Sidon to Gaza(Genesis 10:19). On the south it was bounded bya line running from Gaza to the southern end ofthe Dead Sea, including the Judaean hills, butexcluding the country of the Amalekites (Genesis10:19; Numbers 13:29). The Jordan was theeastern boundary; no part of Canaan lay beyondthat river (Numbers 33:51; Exodus 16:35, withReland, Palest. p. 3 sq.). On the north, Canaanextended as far as Hamath, which was also theutmost boundary of the “land of promise”(Genesis 17:8; Numbers 34:8). The coast fromSidon northward to Arvad, and’ the ridge ofLebanon, were inhabited by Canaanites, thoughthey do not appear to have been included inCanaan proper (Genesis 10:15-19). McCLINTOK STRONG

BORDERS OF THE PROMISED LAND



17:8). When Sarah died at 127 years of

age in Hebron, which was in the land ofCanaan (Gen 23:2), Abraham stood up“from before the dead” and confessed, “Iam a stranger and a sojourner with you:give me a possession of a burying placewith you, that I may bury my dead out ofmy sight” (Gen 23:4). He did not evenown a plot of land large enough to buryhis wife. It was at that time that herefused to take the land for nothing, butinsisted before Ephron the Hittite, “I willgive thee money for the field” (Gen23:13). He then gave the amount ofmoney the land was worth – “fourhundred shekels of silver, current moneywith the merchant” (Gen 23:16). In sodoing, he confessed he was a “strangerand pilgrim in the earth” (Heb 11:13),and even in the land that was promisedto Him by the Creator. Scripture goes onto say that Abraham was actually looking“for a city which hath foundations, whosebuilder and maker is God” (Heb 11:10).

Thus, even though he did notreceive any land, not even a square foot,so to speak, he sojourned in it “by faith,”seeking the fulfillment of the promise,which he sensed, involved much morethan the real estate in which waswalking.

It was Abraham’s exposure toGod, even though that exposure waslimited, that compelled him to live insuch a manner. He did not seek more ofthis world, because He had been with theLord who had made the world. Iconclude, therefore, that those whoattach the New Covenant to health andwealth have not actually seen the Lord orhad extensive dealings with him. I knowthis is the case, because Abraham is “thefather of all them that believe” (Rom4:11). It is not possible that any of histrue progeny possesses a faith that isopposed to his own.

THE PARALLEL WITHBELIEVERS

Because Abraham is “the father ofus all” (Rom 4:16), there is a parallelbetween his experience and our own.Jesus said of those who partook of Hisown nature – the meek – “Blessed are themeek: for they shall inherit the earth”(Matt 5:5). The Psalmist also prophesied,“But the meek shall inherit the earth;

and shall delight themselves in theabundance of peace” (Psa 37:11). He alsosaid of the seed of the man who is taughtby God, “his seed shall inherit the earth”(Psa 25:12). Again, he said of those whowait upon the Lord, “they shall inheritthe earth” (Psa 37:9). And again he said,“For such as be blessed of Him shallinherit the earth” (Psa 37:22). Isaiahprophesied, “Thy people also shall be all

righteous: they shall inherit the land forever, the branch of my planting, the workof My hands, that I may be glorified” (Isa60:21). When speaking of the promisemade to Abraham, Paul said, “For thepromise, that he should be the heir of theworld, was not to Abraham, or to hisseed, through the law, but through therighteousness of faith” (Rom 4:13).



We also know that “the world tocome,” involving “a new heavens and anew earth” (2 Pet 3:13), will be put intothe charge of redeemed men. In someextensive reasoning about this matter,the Spirit establishes that the co-regentsof the world to come will not be angels,but men. “For it was not to angels thatGod subjected the habitable world of thefuture, of which we are speaking. It hasbeen solemnly and earnestly said in acertain place, What is man that You aremindful of him, or the son of man thatYou graciously and helpfully care for andvisit and look after him? For some littletime You have ranked him lower thanand inferior to the angels; You havecrowned him with glory and honor andset him over the works of Your hands,For You have put everything insubjection under his feet. Now in puttingeverything in subjection to man, He leftnothing outside [of man’s] control. But atpresent we do not yet see all thingssubjected to him [man]. But we are ableto see Jesus, Who was ranked lower thanthe angels for a little while, crowned withglory and honor because of His havingsuffered death, in order that by the grace(unmerited favor) of God [to us sinners]He might experience death for everyindividual person. For it was an actworthy [of God] and fitting [to the Divinenature] that He, for Whose sake and byWhom all things have their existence, inbringing many sons into glory, shouldmake the Pioneer of their salvationperfect [should bring to maturity thehuman experience necessary to beperfectly equipped for His office as HighPriest] through suffering” AMPLIFIED (Heb2:5-10).

I n t h i s t e x t , s e v e r a lconsiderations are articulated.

- The angels will not be in charge ofthe world to come – the “new earth.”

- The subject o f apostol icproclamation, from this point of view,was the world that is coming, not theworld that now is.

- It is man that was created to havethe dominion of “the world to come.”

- For a while, redeemed humanityremains in a state that is “a littlelower than the angels” – a state in

which, rather than ruling, theyrequire continual care andsustenance.

- It has been determined thateverything will be in redeemed man’scontrol.

- In this world, however, that controlis not yet being realized. That is whyit is not yet seen.

- There is, however, a key Man, whoalso, for a time, was made a littlelower than the angels. Unlike therest of humanity, who were made alittle lower because of sin, He wasmade a little lower for the sufferingof death – a death that was in thebehalf of the appointed joint-heirs.

- As the Representative of redeemed

humanity, everything is presentlyunder the control of the Man ChristJesus. This is a confirmation that theworld to come will also be in thecontrol of the heirs of the promise.

An inheritance, as used in thisreasoning, is something that will be kept,and will never be forfeited. Thus Godpromised Abraham, “For all the landwhich thou seest, to thee will I give it,and to thy seed for ever” (Gen 13:15).Therefore, while he was increasing in ageand decreasing in the span of life,Abraham knew the inheritance could notbe worldly real estate. He knew that theinheritance would only be realized afterhe died, and not before.

It is the same with us, who arehis children. God does not giveAbraham’s children a different kind offaith and a different kind of inheritance

than He promised him. We know this isthe case, for it is written, “And if ye beChrist's, then are ye Abraham's seed, andheirs according to the promise” (Gal3:29).

THIS EXPOSES A MODERNERROR

Those who preach that theinheritance of the saints of God has to dowith worldly possessions and status arenot only in error, they are at afundamental variance with theScriptures in general, and the salvationof God in particular. It is not possible forthem to be more wrong. When they setbefore us their resources andpossessions, they must at the same timeconfess they will have to give them up.They cannot be transported to the otherside of death. In fact, such possessionscannot even exist in the presence of the

Lord, from before whose face “the earthand the heaven fled away; and there wasfound no place for them” (Rev 20:11).

What these lying prophets haveactually acknowledged is that they aredriven by lust – the lust that will passaway with its object. As it is written,“And the world passeth away, and thelust thereof: but he that doeth the will ofGod abideth for ever” (1 John 2:17). Itsimply is not possible to integrateworldly possessions and health with “forever.” These men – false prophets – aredrawing people into their lucrativeempires with covetousness, just as theScriptures affirm. Like it or not, theword of God says they are appointed todamnation. “But there were falseprophets also among the people, even asthere shall be false teachers among you,who privily shall bring in damnableheresies, even denying the Lord that

Those who preach that the inheritance of the saints ofGod has to do with worldly possessions and status arenot only in error, they are at a fundamental variancewith the Scriptures in general, and the salvation of Godin particular. It is not possible for them to be morewrong.



bought them, and bring upon themselvesswift destruction. And many shall followtheir pernicious ways; by reason of whomthe way of truth shall be evil spoken of.And through covetousness shall theywith feigned words make merchandise of

you: whose judgment now of a long timelingereth not, and their damnationslumbereth not” (2 Pet 2:3).

There is no room for the slightestbit of tolerance of an emphasis of life inthis present evil world. The justified ones

live in prospect of the coming world, inwhich all things will be made new. LikeAbraham, they are looking for somethingthat will survive the fiery conclusion ofthis world, and everything that is in it.

YET HE PROMISED THE LAND TO ABRAHAM AND HIS SEED, WHEN HE HAD NO CHILD

“ 5b . . . yet He promised that Hewould give it to him for a possession, andto his seed after him, when as yet he hadno child.”

Stephen now accents the time inwhich the promise was made, accentingthat Abraham’s seed, or offspring, wouldalso inherit the land. Again, the promisewas that God would give the land toAbraham and his offspring “for apossession” – a land that he would occupyas its owner.

YET HE PROMISED“ . . . yet he promised that He

would give it to him for a possession, andto his seed after him . . .” Other versionsread, “and to his descendants after him,”NKJV “and to his offspring after him,” NASB

“he and his descendants after him wouldpossess the land,” NIV “and to his posterityafter him,” RSV “ but He gave him anundertaking that he would give it to him

and to his children after him,” BBE “Hepromised that He would give it him, asan inheritance to him and to his seed,”MRD “God did promise, however, thateventually the whole land would belongto Abraham and his descendants,” NLT

“God promised that eventually the wholecountry would belong to him and hisdescendants,” LIVING “He promised to

bestow the land as a permanentpossession on him and his posterity afterhim,” WEYMOUTH and “promised that itshould eventually belong to him and hisdescendants.” PHILLIPS

The promise to which Stephenrefers was stated several times.

- WHEN NAMED ABRAM – “And theLORD appeared unto Abram, andsaid, Unto thy seed will I give thisland. . .” (Gen 12:7).

- WHEN NAMED ABRAM – “For all theland which thou seest, to thee will Igive it, and to thy seed for ever” (Gen13:15).

- WHEN NAMED ABRAM – “In the sameday the LORD made a covenant withAbram, saying, Unto thy seed have Igiven this land . . .” (Gen 15:18).

- AFTER NAMED ABRAHAM – “And Iwill give unto thee, and to thy seedafter thee, the land wherein thou arta stranger, all the land of Canaan,for an everlasting possession; and Iwill be their God” (Gen 17:8).

- TO ISAAC – “Sojourn in this land, andI will be with thee, and will bless

thee; for unto thee, and unto thyseed, I will give all these countries,and I will perform the oath which Isware unto Abraham thy father”(Gen 26:3).

- TO JACOB – “And, behold, the LORDstood above it, and said, I am theLORD God of Abraham thy father,and the God of Isaac: the landwhereon thou liest, to thee will I giveit, and to thy seed” (Gen 28:13).

Notice that the promise was thatthe land would be given to AbrahamAND his seed, or offspring. The promisewas renewed to the other part of thissanctified trio: Abraham, Isaac, andJacob. This is why God is frequentlyreferred to as “the God of Abraham, theGod of Isaac, and the God of Jacob” (Ex.3:6,15,16; 4:5; Matt 22:32; Mk 12:26; Lk20:37; Acts 3:13; 7:32). It was with themthat this covenant was made. Israel was,therefore, blessed because of theirassociation with Abraham, Isaac, andJacob. It was God’s covenant with them,and their faith in Him that often provedto be the cause for Israel being blessed(Gen 26:5; Lev 26:42; 2 Kgs 13:23; Mic7:20; Lk 1:54-55,72-73).

WHEN AS YET HE HAD NO CHILD“ . . . when as yet he had no child.”

Other versions read, “when Abraham hadno child,” NKJV “though at the timeAbraham had no child,” NIV “even thoughhe was childless,” CSB “when as yet he hadno son,” MRD “childless though he was,” NJB

“even though he had no children yet,” NLT

“This was before Abraham had anychildren,” IE and “even though at the timehe had no descendant at all.” PHILLIPS

The Holy Spirit makes a point ofthe fact that the promise was given toAbraham before he had any offspring.

The Holy Spirit makes a point of the fact that thepromise was given to Abraham before he had anyoffspring. Scripture confirms that at that time Abram’swife, Sarai, through whom the offspring would come,was barren. “But Sarai was barren; she had no child”



Scripture confirms that at that timeAbram’s wife, Sarai, through whom theoffspring would come, was barren. “ButSarai was barren; she had no child” (Gen11:30). At the time of the originalpromise, Abraham was seventy-five yearsold, and Sarah was sixty-six. Twenty-fouryears later, God appeared to Abramwhen he was ninety-nine years old (Gen17:1). It was at that time that he changedAbram’s name to Abraham, and Sarai’sname to Sarah (Gen 17:5,15-16). At thattime, not only was Sarah still barren, butAbraham was past the age of bettingchildren. He therefore, “said in his heart,Shall a child be born unto him that is anhundred years old? and shall Sarah, thatis ninety years old, bear?” (Gen 17:17).He then asked the Lord for Ishmael toqualify to be the promised seed (Gen17:18). At that time, the Lord confirmed,“Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a sonindeed; and thou shalt call his nameIsaac: and I will establish My covenantwith him for an everlasting covenant,

and with his seed after him” (Gen 17:19).

Reasoning on the birth of Isaac,the book of Hebrews says, “Throughfaith also Sara herself received strengthto conceive seed, and was delivered of achild when she was past age, because shejudged him faithful who had promised.Therefore sprang there even of one, andhim as good as dead, so many as thestars of the sky in multitude, and as thesand which is by the sea shoreinnumerable” (Heb 11:11-12). Also,commenting on the occasion when Godannounced the “seed” would come

through Sarah, Paul writes, “And beingnot weak in faith, he considered not hisown body now dead, when he was aboutan hundred years old, neither yet thedeadness of Sarah's womb: he staggerednot at the promise of God throughunbelief; but was strong in faith, givingglory to God” (Rom 4:20).

Thus the triumph of faith isdemonstrated in both Abraham andSarah. We conclude, therefore, that thepromises of God are to be believed, evenwhen they contradict the full scope ofhuman knowledge.

HIS SEED WOULD SOJOURN IN A STRANGE LAND

“ 6 And God spake on this wise,That his seed should sojourn in a strangeland; and that they should bring theminto bondage, and entreat them evil fourhundred years.”

God divulged to Abraham that thepossession of the promised land would bepreceded by a period of sorrow andhardship. In Christ we are enabled to seewith even greater clarity that sufferingprecedes the fulfillment of the promise,and that obtaining the inheritancefollows the testing of one’s faith. Whilethe fulness of this circumstance was notrevealed to Abraham, the kernel of it wasgiven to him, and was substantiated byhis own experience.

GOD SPAKE ON THIS WISE“And God spake on this wise . . .”

Other versions read, “God spoke in thisway,” NKJV “God spoke to this effect,” NASB

“God spoke in these terms,” NRSV “Godspoke thus,” DARBY “God conversed withHim,” MRD “God spoke as follows,” NET “Theactual words God used when He spoke tohim,” NJB “God also told him,” NLT “God

verily spake on this wise,” TNT “This iswhat God said to him,” IE “God declared,”WEYMOUTH “This is what God promised,”WILLIAMS “ this is [in effect] what God toldhim,” AMPLIFIED and “this is the way inwhich God spoke to him.” PHILLIPS

Those who choose to make theirpersonal lives the center of theirexistence must pay close heed to thistext. The Lord speaks to Abraham aboutsomething that does not concern himpersonally – at least, not as an occupantof this world. Rather than divulging whatwas going to happen to Abraham, Godreveals what will happen to His progeny.He even speaks of something that willtake place several generations in thefuture. That is the way, or manner, inwhich He communicated with thepatriarch.

An ApplicationFellowship with the Father does

not focus on the human designs andobjectives, but on Divine objectives.While this may appear something veryobvious, men have a great deal of

difficulty accepting it. Sin has made menself-centered, for sin is always about self.Temptation has to do with self. Unlawfullusts center in the one possessing them.However, if a person desirescompanionship with God, it must berecognized that the person will not be thefocus of the fellowship. If this is toodifficult to bear, there simply will be nofellowship, for God does not conductbusiness with men upon the basis of theiragenda. He rather moves and speaks tobring men into involvement in what He isdoing. This is seen in Abraham, throughwhom an intentional example is being setbefore us.

HIS SEED SHOULD SOJOURN INA STRANGE LAND

“ . . . That his seed should sojournin a strange land . . .”Other versionsread, “that his descendants would dwellin a foreign land,” NKJV “his offspringwould be aliens in a foreign land,” NASB

“his descendants would be strangers in acountry no their own,” NIV “residentsaliens in a country belonging to others,”NRSV “his seed would be living in a strange

Thus the triumph of faith is demonstrated in bothAbraham and Sarah. We conclude, therefore, that thepromises of God are to be believed, even when theycontradict the full scope of human knowledge.



land,” BBE “his descendants would beforeigners living in another country,” GWN

“his descendants would be exiles in aland not their own,” NJB “descendants ofhis would leave the land and live in aforeign country.” LIVING and “hisdescendants would be aliens (strangers)in a land belonging to other people.”AMPLIFIED

To the carnal mind, this makes nosense. First, God promises Abraham heand his offspring would inherit a land.Then He tells them his offspring wouldleave the land of promise, and dwell in aforeign land that belonged to others, andnot to themselves. However, we arewitnessing the ways of the Lord here,and we do well to exercise ourselves todiscern what He is doing.

First, God is stripping awayanything and everything that wouldsuggest this was going to be a humanachievement. We know from later

revelations that it is God’s nature to“destroy the wisdom of the wise, and [He]will bring to nothing the understandingof the prudent”(1 Cor 1:19). By Divineintent, He has “ made foolish the wisdomof this world” (1 Cor 1:20). He choosesrather to use “the foolish things toconfound the wise,” and “the weak thingsof the world to confound the things thatare mighty; and base things of the world,and things which are despised,” and“things which are not, to bring to noughtthings that are” (1 Cor 1:27-28). He doesthis so that “no flesh should glory in Hispresence” (1 Cor 1:29).

God begins to build this race,through whom the Deliverer will come –the race that will give us the Scriptures,and all of the prophets, and all of theapostles – with a man that is incapable ofbegetting a child, and a woman who is

old and barren. He then gives a land tothis man and his offspring that isoccupied by other inhabitants who aregreater in number and power than thepeople whom God has chosen to drivethem out. As if that was not enough, Heleads Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob tosojourn in the land He has given them,and do so as strangers and pilgrims.Then he takes the chosen race, andcauses them, through a famine, to go intoa foreign land that belongs to others, andwill never belong to them. It is in thatland that God will prepare the people toinhabit the land He has promised them.

Now, that is the manner in whichGod works! He does not take those whoare apparently significant and unusuallygifted, and employ them for His purposes.Rather, he takes those who are old,barren, few, and without a land of theirown, and with them cultures a people forHimself.

The land in which Abraham’soffspring would sojourn is Egypt. Whenwent into the land their entire nationwas only seventy in number. Sixty-sixcame with Jacob into the land, and three(Joseph and his two sons) were alreadythere. That made seventy altogether(Gen 46:26-27).

THEY SHOULD BRING THEM INTOBONDAGE

“ . . . and that they should bringthem into bondage . . .” Other versionsread, “they would be enslaved,” NASB “theywill be enslaved,” NIV “who would enslavethem,” NRSV “they would make themservants,” BBE “they will be in slavery,”CJB

“the people there would make themslaves,” GWN “they will reduce them toservitude,” MRD and “they would beoppressed as slaves.” NLT

When the small company firstwent into Egypt, they did so becausethere was a famine in the land. Josephhad been placed in charge of the land,and therefore the Israelites were treatedkindly. They were given their own sectionof the land – Goshen – and they faredwell. This proved to be “the best of theland.” Pharaoh even told Joseph “if thouknowest any men of activity among them,then make them rulers over my cattle”(Gen 47:1-6). They certainly got off to agood start. However, it did not stay thatway.

Eventually, Moses records, “therearose a new king over Egypt which knewnot Joseph” (Ex 1:8). The outcome of it allwas that Israel entered into a period ofoppression and bondage. During the timethat followed harsh taskmasters were setover them, “to afflict them with theirburdens. And they built for Pharaohtreasure cities, Pithom and Raamses” (Ex1:11).

AND ENTREAT THEM EVIL“ . . . and entreat them evil four

hundred years.” Other versions read,“oppress,” NKJV “mistreated,” NASB “ill-treatthem,” RSV “be cruel to them,” BBE

“oppressed,” CJB “afflict them,” ESV “do itevil,” YLT and “do evil things to them.” IE

The accent of the oppression is onthe state of the Israelites when theycame out of Egypt. From the very first,they were not liked by the Egyptiansbecause they were shepherds (Gen 46:32;47:3), and “every shepherd is anabomination unto the Egyptians”(Gen46:34). However, as time progressedthe were afflicted more and more, withtheir lives “being made bitter with hardbondage” (Ex 1:14). The circumstancewas so grievous that the children ofIsrael “cried, and their cry came up untoGod by reason of the bondage” (Ex 2:23).

God told Abraham his seed wouldbe afflicted for “four hundred years” inthis strange land (Gen 15:13). Moses saysthey so journed in the landfor“fourhundred and thirty years” (Ex12:40-41). Paul says that the time fromthe covenant made with Abraham to thegiving of the Law was “four hundred andthirty years” (Gal 3:17). Some havestruggled with this seeming disparity,but there is no need to do so.

To the carnal mind, this makes no sense. First, Godpromises Abraham he and his offspring would inherita land. Then He tells them his offspring would leave theland of promise, and dwell in a foreign land thatbelonged to others, and not to themselves.



First, they were afflicted for fourhundred years – but they were notafflicted for all of the time they were inthe land. The four hundred and thirtyyears are calculated from the time thecovenant was made with Abraham, asPaul affirms in Galatians 3:17. Exodusalso cites this number, stating that the“sojourning of the children of Israel” was“four hundred and thirty years.” Thepoint being made there is that from thepromise to the Jews becoming a people

and headed for the promised land, wasfour hundred and thirty years. The “fourhundred years” are from the perspectiveof their suffering. The “four hundred andthirty years” are from the perspective ofthe promise.

During their stay in Egypt theywere never truly received. As timeprogressed, things got worse and worse,until they could bear it no longer. In allof this they were being weaned, as it

were, from Egypt. Their souls were beingcultured to long for the land that hadbeen promised to Abraham four centuriesbefore. Such are the ways of the Lord, tomake the foreign land intolerable inorder that the home land be appreciated.As is apparent, the Lord is still doingthis. Through life’s experiences. He isteaching us this world is not our home. Itis to us what the wilderness was toIsrael. We are, in fact, sojourners.

GOD WOULD JUDGE THEIR OPPRESSORS

“ 7 And the nation to whom theyshall be in bondage will I judge, saidGod: and after that shall they come forth,and serve me in this place.”

Four centuries of suffering, withthe least being at the beginning, and theworst being at the conclusion! Someonefrom the twentieth century might haveconcluded God had “forgotten to begracious” (Psa 77:9). It certainlyappeared that way. Imagine peoplecoming to America like Abraham, Isaac,and Jacob, living all their lives herewithout possessing any part of it, yetclaiming it had been given to them andtheir offspring by God. Then theiroffspring spend 400 years in anothercountry as abject slaves. Would it notappear as though they were mistakenabout being led to the land? How couldsuch a people claim that God was theirGod.

Now that religious charlatanshave become popular (2007), it is beingpreached through the media thatprosperity is a sign of being the realpeople of God. It is, they say, theevidence of the blessing. What shall wesay of our text, where the real people ofGod are being oppressed for four hundredyears, with no apparent intervention byGod. Their oppressors dominate them,and make lives miserable for them.Further, there is no particular sinregistered against them, unless it be thatduring the latter time, when they wereignorant of the fact that God was going todeliver them through Moses (Acts 7:25).

Behind the scenes, the oppressionof His people had been duly noted by theLord, and He will not let Egypt continuetheir oppressiveness. They will pay thepenalty for the maltreatment of theoffspring of Abraham.

THIS NATION I WILL JUDGE“And the nation to whom they

shall be in bondage will I judge . . . ”Other versions read, “I Myself willjudge,” NASB “I will punish,” NIV “I willbring judgment on,” NAB and “I will passsentence on.” WILLIAMS

God revealed Himself to Moses,declaring some of His attributes. One ofthem is that He will “by no means clearthe guilty, visiting the iniquity of thefathers upon the children, and upon thechildren’s children, unto the third andfourth generation” (Ex 34:7). Thus God toldAbraham He was going to judge Egypt forwhat they would do after Abraham himselfhad died in a good old age.

The judgment took place as aprelude to the deliverance of Israel, andwhen they crossed the Red Sea to

commence their journey to the promisedland. Not only did God judge theEgyptians themselves, but he executedjudgment “against all the gods of Egypt”(Ex 12:12). Those false gods were unableto protect the Egyptians as the Lord

judged them with ten grievous plagues.

- Their water was turned to blood (Ex7:14-25).

- Frogs filled the land (Ex 8:1-15).

- The dust was turned into lice thatplagued all the land (Ex 8:16-19).

- Flies filled the land (Ex 8:20-22).

- A grievous plague came on all oftheir cattle (Ex 9:1-7).

- The people were stricken withfestering and spreading boils (Ex 9:8-12).

- A plague of hail came, poundingdown all of their crops (Ex 9:18-34).

- A horde of locusts invaded the land,

A genuine fellowship with the Lord involves Him divulgingwhat He was going to do, thereby establishing that He is aGod who cannot lie, and is thoroughly capable of fulfillingHis promises to the most exacting degree. No one can stopHim from doing this.



consuming every bit of vegetationthat had not been destroyed by thehail (Ex 10:1-20).

- Gross darkness fell upon the land,being so thick that it could be “felt”(Ex 10:21-23).

- The first born every house, includingboth man and beast, were strickendead (Ex 11:4-7; 12:29-30).

- Pharaoh and his armies wereuttering destroyed, being drowned inthe Red Sea (Ex 15:4).

Suffice it to say, “It is a fearfulthing to fall into the hands of the livingGod” (Heb 10:31).

THEY SHALL COME FORTH ANDSERVE ME

“ . . . said God: and after thatshall they come forth, and serve me inthis place.” Other versions read,“worship Me in this place,” NIV “worshipMe in this land,” MRD “do me service inthis place,” YLT and “worship Me on thisvery spot.” WILLIAMS

God revealed to Abraham that hisoffspring would come out of Egypt – butthey would do so to serve Him, notmerely to geta way from their oppressors.When God revealed Himself to Moses atthe burning bush, telling him he wasbeing called to deliver Israel, this is whatHe told him. “When thou hast broughtforth the people out of Egypt, ye shallserve God upon this mountain” (Ex3:12).

God told Moses he was to appearbefore Pharaoh, giving him this message:“Thus saith the LORD, Israel is My son,even My firstborn: And I say unto thee,Let My son go, that he may serve Me:and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, Iwill slay thy son, even thy firstborn” (Ex4:23). When Moses prepared to turn thewater into blood, God told him to say:“The LORD God of the Hebrews hathsent me unto thee, saying, Let my peoplego, that they may serve Me in thewilderness” (Ex 7:16). Six more times,Moses told Pharaoh God said to let Hispeople go, “that they may serve Me” (Ex8:1,20; 9:1,13; 10:3,7). When the hour ofdeliverance arrived, “He called for Mosesand Aaron by night, and said, Rise up,

and get you forth from among my people,both ye and the children of Israel; and go,serve the LORD, as ye have said” (Ex12:31).

Thus Israel was released fromserving the Egyptians in order that theymight serve the Lord. That was thereason for their deliverance. That wasthe reason for God choosing them – “to bea peculiar people unto Himself, above allthe nations that are upon the earth”(Deut 14:2). Once again, it is made clearthat the Lord is not working to simplymake human conditions more pleasant.

These insights were delivered toAbraham in order to fuel his faith, andcause his hope to flourish. It also servedthe purpose of confirming to latergenerations that God is faithful to Hisword, and cannot lie.

A genuine fellowship with theLord involves Him divulging what Hewas going to do, thereby establishingthat He is a God who cannot lie, and isthoroughly capable of fulfilling Hispromises to the most exacting degree. Noone can stop Him from doing this.

HE GAVE ABRAHAM THE COVENANT OF CIRCUMCISION

“ 8a And He gave him thecovenant of circumcision . . .” Otherversions read, “agreement of whichcircumcision was the sign,” BBE

“circumcision to confirm his promise,” GWN

“ the ceremony of circumcision at thattime, as evidence of the covenantbetween God and the people ofAbraham,” LIVING “an agreement withAbraham; was circumcision,” IE “thesacred compact of circumcision,” WILLIAMS

“a covenant of circumcision, and underthis covenant,” MONTGOMERY and “acovenant (an agreement to be religiouslyobserved) xof which circumcision was theseal.” AMPLIFIED

Here again is a working of theLord that reveals something of Hisnature. First, He does not forget Hiscovenant, because He “cannot denyHimself” (2 Tim 2:13) – and Hiscovenants are an expression of His

Person.

The account of the giving of thiscovenant is found in Genesis 17:9-14.“And God said unto Abraham, Thou shaltkeep My covenant therefore, thou, andthy seed after thee in their generations.This is My covenant, which ye shall keep,between Me and you and thy seed afterthee; Every man child among you shallbe circumcised. And ye shall circumcisethe flesh of your foreskin; and it shall bea token of the covenant betwixt Me andyou. And he that is eight days old shallbe circumcised among you, every manchild in your generations, he that is bornin the house, or bought with money ofany stranger, which is not of thy seed. Hethat is born in thy house, and he that isbought with thy money, must needs becircumcised: and My covenant shall be inyour flesh for an everlasting covenant.And the uncircumcised man child whose

flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised,that soul shall be cut off from his people;he hath broken My covenant.”

This, Stephen declares, was “thecovenant of circumcision.” Paul declaresthat this was a sign of the righteousnessAbraham had prior to his circumcision:“And he received the sign of circumcision,a seal of the righteousness of the faithwhich he had yet being uncircumcised:that he might be the father of all themthat believe, though they be notcircumcised; that righteousness might beimputed unto them also” (Rom 4:11).

Thus we have three perspectivesof the circumcision of which Stephenspoke.

- It was a “token of the covenant” thatGod made between Abraham andHimself (Gen 17:11).



- Because it is a “token of thecovenant,” it is, in a sense, equatedwith the covenant itself. It thereforebecomes the evidence of thecovenant, and a means of assuringthe heart that it will be fulfilled (Acts7:8).

- Because Abraham had believed God,the covenant was also a pledge that hehad been made righteous, for God cannotmake a covenant with unrighteouspeople (Rom 4:11).

The covenant itself, of whichcircumcision was the token, is spelled outin Genesis 17:2-8. Remember, thiscovenant was made before Abraham hadany offspring. The following promises aremade in the covenant.

- He would multiply Abraham“exceedingly” (verse 2),

- Abraham would be the “father ofmany nations” (verse 4-5).

- God would make him “exceedinglyfruitful” (verse 6a).

- He would make nations of him (verse6b).

- Kings would come out of him (verse6c).

- He would establish His covenantwith Abraham’s offspring after him(verse 7a).

- It would be an “everlastingcovenant,” that is, it would not fail offulfillment (verse 7b).

- He would give the land of Canaan toAbraham and his seed (verse 8a).

- The land would be for an “everlastingpossession,” that is, it would nevercease to be identified with them(verse 8b).

- God would be the God of Abraham’sseed (verse 8c).

Those words were spoken toAbraham when he was ninety-nine yearsold (Gen 17:1), was impotent because ofhis age (Heb 11:12), and was “childless”(Gen 15:2). To further complicate things,his wife was ninety years old (Gen 17:17),

had always been barren (Gen 11:30), andit had ceased to be with her after themanner of women – that is, giving birthwas a biological impossibility (Gen18:11).

And what proof does Abrahamcarry with him confirming that thisremarkable covenant is valid, and willsurely come to pass? Perhaps it will be

some miraculous sign he works, as Mosesdid with he put his hand in his bosom,pulled it out, and it was leprous – thenput his hand again into his bosom andremoved it, and it was “turned again asthe other flesh” (Ex 4:6). Surelysomething like that would be a greatconfidence-booster! But, alas, in thismatter, the “token” must be morepersonal than that.

The token was Abraham’scircumcision – something that was donewhen he was “ninety years old and nine”(Gen 17:24). How do you boast aboutsomething like that? Who would believeyou if you said that was the token, orconfirmation of a covenant God had madewith you. You are ninety-nine years old,and you say a lot of nations are going tocome from you – that even kings willcome from your loins. Your offspring willbecome a great multitude, and they willbe given a special land by God himself.Furthermore, your circumcision is theproof of it all - but it is proof to Abraham,not to the world. He is the one whoneeded the confidence, not those whowere living around him.

There are several things that canbe noted about circumcision, and they allhave some significance to those who arein Christ Jesus.

- There is some discomfort associatedwith it (Gen 34:24-25).

- It involves the removal of something(Ex 4:25).

- It produces sensitivity.

- It is something that is permanent.

- It is something that is personal and

private.

- It is not something in which men canboast.

- It has a humbling effect upon theindividual.

- It is something that is always withthe individual.

THE PARALLELThus you have a picture of the

circumcision of Christ (Col 2:11), inwhich the foreskin of the heart isremoved (Deut 10:16). There is a part ofhumanity that cannot remain if Christ isto be embraced. This speaks of theremoval of “body of the sins of the flesh”(Col 2:11). That is, the totality of whatmade us unacceptable to God, and fullyjustified our condemnation, has beencompletely disassociated from “the newman” (Eph 4:24), or the “new creature” (2Cor 5:17). It is said of the new man,“which was created according to God, intrue righteousness and holiness” (Eph4:24). He is “renewed in knowledge afterthe image of Him that created him” (Col3:10). The “flesh” has no part whatsoeverwith him. It has been “circumcised withthe circumcision of Christ.”

Allow me to translate thisglorious circumstance into something

And what proof does Abraham carry with him confirmingthat this remarkable covenant is valid, and will surely cometo pass? Perhaps it will be some miraculous sign he works,as Moses did with he put his hand in his bosom, pulled itout, and it was leprous – then put his hand again into hisbosom and removed it, and it was “turned again as the otherflesh”



that makes for confidence and assurance.The incompatibility of the old with thenew is your token of the covenant, asaffirmed in Romans seven. The fact thatthe flesh is an offense to you, and cannotblend with your renewed heart, is yourproof that you have been born of God. Donot doubt this for a moment. This is theexact point that Paul makes in theseventh and eighth chapters of Romans.In Romans seven, he establishes theconflict between the flesh and the spirit,confirming the circumcision of Christhas, in fact, taken place. He affirms that

sinful inclinations are temptations, notthe expressions of the real child of God.“It is no more I that do it, but sin thatdwelleth in me . . . I find then a law, thatwhen I would do good, evil is presentwith me . . . I see another law in mymembers, warring against the law of mymind . . . who shall deliver me from thebody of this death?” (Rom 7:14-25).

That is the painfulness of “thecircumcision of Christ.” However, that isnot the end of the matter. That verycondition is the token that we have, in

fact, been justified. It is the confirmationthat, in Christ Jesus, we are notcondemned. We have been liberated fromcondemnation, as well as the defilementthat caused it.

That is why Paul draws a grandconclusion from this experience. “There istherefore now no condemnation to themwhich are in Christ Jesus, who walk notafter the flesh, but after the Spirit” (Rom8:1). No one but a child of God canappreciate such a marvelous token – andit is all pictured in Abraham.

AND THUS THE NATION WAS BORN

“ 8a . . . and so Abraham begatIsaac, and circumcised him the eighthday; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacobbegat the twelve patriarchs.”

AND SO“ . . . and so . . .” That is,

according to the promise of God, and injustification of the faith of Abraham, Godbegan building a nation using a man anda woman who were naturally impotent.Neither of them could bring anything tothe table – no ability, no wisdom, noinput whatsoever. Their inability,however, had nothing to do with thefulfillment of God’s promise. It was Hiscovenant. He made it, and He is the Onewho caused it to come to pass.

ABRAHAM BEGAT ISAAC“ . . . Abraham begat Isaac, and

circumcised him the eighth day . . .”Abraham begat Isaac when he was onehundred years old. The lad was born atthe exact time God had specified – at “theset time in the next year” (Gen 17:21).God had told Abraham to circumciseevery male child when it was “eight daysold” (Gen 17:12). Abraham did precisely

what the Lord commanded, at thes;pecified time. As it is written, “AndAbraham circumcised his son Isaac beingeight days old, as God had commandedhim. And Abraham was an hundredyears old, when his son Isaac was bornunto him” (Gen 21:4-5).

ISAAC BEGAT JACOB“ . . . Isaac begat Jacob . . .” The

lineage continues, as Isaac begets Jacob,being sixty years old when he was Jacobwith his twin, Esau (Gen 25:26). Isaac’sbirth was also miraculous, as his motherRebekah was also barren. As it iswritten, “And Isaac was forty years oldwhen he took Rebekah to wife, thedaughter of Bethuel the Syrian ofPadanaram, the sister to Laban theSyrian. And Isaac entreated the LORDfor his wife, because she was barren: andthe LORD was entreated of him, andRebekah his wife conceived” (Gen 25:21).

JACOB BEGAT THE TWELVEPATRIARCHS

“ . . . and Jacob begat the twelvepatriarchs.” With Jacob, the offspring

begins to spread exponentially. Abrahamhad one son through whom the nationcame, and Isaac had one as well. Jacob,however, had twelve sons. Coincidently,his favored wife, Rachel, was also barren(Gen 29:31). Jacob’s sons are called “thetwelve patriarchs” because they were theheads of “the twelve tribes of Israel” (Gen49:26). The sons through whom the tribescame were Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah,Zebulun, Issachar, Dan, Gad, Asher,Naphtali, Joseph, and Benjamin.

When it came to an inheritance,Levi was omitted because that tribebelonged to the Lord Himself (Num3:12,45; 8:14; 18:13,24 ). To fill his place,Joseph received a double portion, whichwas divided between his two sons,Ephraim and Manasseh (Gen 48:20,22).

Thus the stage has been set forthe multiplication of many people froman impossible circumstance, withabsolutely no fleshly advantages. This isthe people from whom the promisedMessiah will come. The very nation islike a sign and a wonder, the result ofDivine initiative and power. Truly theirpresence is the working of the Lord!

CONCLUSION

In his defense, Stephen will showthe prevalence of God throughout thehistory of Israel. A valid people musthave a valid beginning – and Israel is

confirmation of that. There is no way toaccount for their origin or presence uponthe basis of human wisdom or aptitude.We also see that valid beginnings are

brought about through faith, not humanworks. There is no basis for worldlyboasting in any work of Divine origin. Allsuch boasting “is excluded” (Rom 3:27).



Our next Hungry Saints Meeting will be held on Friday, 5/25/2007. We will continue our currentseries of lessons on the book of Acts. The Twenty-ninth lesson will cover verses 9 through 16 ofthe seventh chapter: “STEPHEN’S DEFENSE, #2.” “STEPHEN’S DEFENSE, #2.” Stephen traces the miraculous rise of the nationof Israel, how it began its sojourn in Egypt, and what occasioned their departure from it. Ourmeeting will begin at 7:00 P.M. You are invited to bring your family and friends for fellowshiparound the Word of God. Refreshments are served afterward, with a time of extended fellowshipfor everyone.

A place where believers can meet, fellowship, be edified, and express themselves.

ADAH’s Webpage: http://wotruth.com/adah.htm -- EVA’s Webpage: http://wotruth.com/Eva.htm

WORD OF TRUTH Website: http://wotruth.com

We will find through Stephen’sdefense a marvelous example of handling

the Word of God aright (2 Tim 2:15). Ofcourse, such a use of the Word can be

expected when one is filled with theSpirit, wisdom, power, and faith.

The Blakely Family: Given, June, Benjamin, and Eva406 South Sergeant Street, Joplin, MO 64801

Telephone: (417) 782-3063, Email: Given ([email protected]) June: ([email protected])

Benjamin ([email protected]), Eva ([email protected])Adah Hutchcraft ([email protected]), Jason Hutchcraft ([email protected])

WORD OF TRUTH FELLOWSHIP Website: http://wotruth.com/wotf/wotindex.htmCOMMENTARY on Hebrews: http://wotruth.com/hebindex.htm

COMMENTARY on Revelation: http://wotruth.com/revelationindex.htmCOMMENTARY on First John: http://wotruth.com/1stjohnindex.htm

COMMENTARY on Romans: http://wotruth.com/Romans.htmCOMMENTARY on Daniel: http://wotruth.com/Daniel.htm

COMMENTARY on Colossians: http://wotruth.com/Colossians.htmCOMMENTARY on Second Corinthians: http://wotruth.com/2Corinthians.htm

COMMENTARY on Acts: http://wotruth.com/Acts.htm



BROTHERS AND SISTERSBROTHERS AND SISTERSSPEAKING/LEADING IN THE ASSEMBLYSPEAKING/LEADING IN THE ASSEMBLY

DURING APRIL 2007DURING APRIL 2007

1. Given O. Blakely (Teach AM Class, AMScripture and Benediction, AMExhortation, Teach AM Class, PMMessage, PM Message, PM Lord’s Table,PM Message).

2. Aaron Hutchcraft (AM Exhortation, AMMessage, Teach AM Class, AM Message,PM Lord’s Table, PM Message, PMExhortation).

3. Ricky Sims (Teach AM Class, Lead AMSongs, AM Exhortation, Teach AMClass, Lead PM Songs, PM Lord’s Table,PM Exhortation, PM Lord’s Table).

4. Robert Cobb (AM Message, AMExhortation, AM Message (Table In theWilderness, AM Message, PMExhortation, Lead PM Singing).

5. Jeremy Williams (AM Opening Word,PM Opening Word, PM Message).

6. June Blakely (AM Opening Word, TeachAM Class).

7. Tony Parker (AM Opening Word, AMOpening Word).

8. Barbara Hutchcraft ( AM Calling, PMInto).

9. Jonathan Blakely (AM Calling, AMLord’s Table, AM Lord’s Table, PMExhortation).

10. Benjamin Blakely (Lead AM ScriptureShower)

11. Matthew Cobb (AM Lord’s Table, PMLord’s Table).

12. Tasha Sims (Leading AM Singing, AMOpening Word, Leading PM Singing, PMIntro).

13. Levi Miller (Lead Scripture Shower,Lead AM Songs).

14. Mattie Blakely (Lead Scripture Shower,AM Calling, Lead PM Singing).

15. Michele Cole (PM Intro)

16. Melissa Parker (Lead AM Songs).

17. Judah Hutchcraft (AM Closing Scriptureand Prayer, AM Closing Scripture andPrayer, Reading PM Sermon Text).

18. Logan Williams (AM Closing Scriptureand Prayer, Read AM Scripture Text,Lead Scripture Shower, Read PM

Sermon Text). 19. Amanda Miller (Lead Scripture Shower).

20. Baylie Sims (Read AM Sermon Text,Read AM Sermon Text, AM ClosingScripture and Prayer).

21. Annie Sims (Read AM Sermon text)

22. John Hill (PM Intercession and closingPrayer).

23. LaVaine Murphy (AM Lord’s Table).

24. Tobiah Murphy (PM Intro)

25. Micaela Murphy (Read PM Sermon Text)

26. Mariah Murphy (Read AM Sermon Text,Read PM Sermon Text, Read PM SermonText)

27. Gene Hutchcraft (AM Message (Table Inthe Wilderness), AM Lord’s Table )

28. Debbie Hutchcraft (Lead AM Songs)

29. Eva Blakely (Lead PM Singing)

30. Preparing Lord’s Supper (Varioussisters).

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