The physician Luke wrote how, “Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people”, and after being interrogated by the people in the synagogue, “all that sat in the council, looking steadfastly on him, saw his face as it had been the face of an angel. Then said the high priest, Are these things so?”, and Stephen defended his faith by referring to, “Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph”. He spoke about “Moses” being raised in Egypt and defending his fellow countryman. After “Moses' act” of killing an Egyptian was known, “Then fled Moses at this saying” and after forty years, God revealed Himself to Moses in a burning bush. God sent Moses back to Egypt as a deliverer, and he “brought them out, after that he had showed wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, and in the Red sea, and in the wilderness forty years. This is that Moses, which said unto the children of Israel, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall you hear. This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spoke to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us. To whom our fathers would not obey, but thrust him from them, and in their hearts turned back again into Egypt, saying unto Aaron, Make us gods to go before us: for as for this Moses, which brought us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what is become of him. And they made a calf in those days, and offered sacrifice unto the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their own hands”, and in chapter seven and verse forty-two of the book of Acts Luke shared how Stephen said, “then God turned, and gave them up to worship the host of heaven” where we read:
Then God turned, and gave them up to worship the host of heaven; as it is written in the book of the prophets, O you house of Israel, have you offered to me slain beasts and sacrifices by the space of forty years in the wilderness?
The verse begins, “Then God turned, and gave them up to worship the host of heaven;” Luke began with the words, “then God turned” which means “at that time God the Heavenly Father twisted and reversed from His course of conduct”, “and gave them up to worship” or “an delivered the people of Israel over to serve for hire, minister to, serve and render religious service and homage toward” “the host of heaven” which means “the army, band and troops of angels belonging to the bodies of the vaulted expanse of the sky with all things visible in it”. Luke shared how “Stephen” said “God the Heavenly Father” turned away from the people of Israel and allowed them to “worship” the “stars of the heaven” rather than Him.
The verse continues, “as it is written in the book of the prophets, O you house of Israel, have you offered to me slain beasts and sacrifices by the space of forty years in the wilderness?” Luke added the words, “and as it is written” which means “in the manner it is delineated or formed in letters on tablets, parchment, paper or other material” “in the book of the prophets” or “within the the written roll or scroll”, “O you house of Israel” which means “O you, dwelling place, habitation, residence and descendants belonging to Israel whose name means he shall be a prince of God”, “have you offered to me slain beasts” or “have you, people of Israel, brought, lead and carried to me, God the Heavenly Father, victims or animals destined for slaughter” “and sacrifices” which means “and offerings” “by the space of forty years” or “for forty years of time” “in the wilderness” which means “within the desolate, lonely, separate and uninhabited place”. (See Deuteronomy 4:19; Isaiah 43:43) Luke shared how “Stephen” referred to the scriptures as he relayed to the “Sanhedrin” how God the Heavenly Father questioned “Israel's” worship of Him by offering “sacrifices” while they were in the “wilderness” for “forty years”.
When we meditate upon Luke's words in this verse, we see how “Stephen” reminded the “Sanhedrin” of the way “God the Heavenly Father” delivered the people of Israel over to “worship” the “stars and planets” rather than Him even though they had “worshiped” Him with “sacrifices” while they were in the “desert wilderness”. God will not always “strive” with man, (See Genesis 6:3), and even though He has given His Son Jesus to be the “Savior and Lord” of the world, when people are insistent about “worshiping” something other than Him, He allows it. God loves people, and He knows that a personal relationship with Him through His Son Jesus lends toward the best life a person may live both in this life and the life to come. Those who refuse and reject Him will be allowed to “worship” anything they desire, however, they do so to their own hurt and eternal demise.
Next time Luke shares how Stephen recalls how the people of Israel, “took up the tabernacle of Moloch, and the star of your god Remphan, figures which you made to worship them”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".
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