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” seeing God in a burning bush and how God sent him, “into Egypt. This Moses whom they refused, saying, Who made you a ruler and a judge? the same did God send to be a ruler and a deliverer by the hand of the angel which appeared to him in the bush. He brought them out, after that 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”, and in chapter seven and verse thirty-nine of the book of Acts Luke shared how Stephen said, “to whom our fathers would not obey” where we read:
To whom our fathers would not obey, but thrust him from them,
and in their hearts turned back again into Egypt,
The verse begins, “To whom our fathers would not obey, but thrust him from them, ...” Luke began with the words, “to whom our fathers” which means “to Moses the people of Israel's forefathers, progenitors and ancestors” “would not obey” or “intended, resolved, determined and purposed not to give ear, listen or be attentive to Moses”, “but thrust him from them” which means “nevertheless, notwithstanding and moreover pushed away, rejected, repudiated and refused Moses and set him apart and separate from them, the people of Israel”. Luke shared how “Stephen” referred to the way the people of Israel “pushed” “Moses” away from them and refused to “obey” his words.
The verse goes on to say, “... and in their hearts turned back again into Egypt, ...” Luke continues with the words, “and in their hearts” which means “and within the souls and minds which are the fountain and seat of the thoughts, passions, desires, appetites, affections, purposes, endeavors of the people of Israel” “turned back again” or “changed their mind, reversed, twisted and desired to return” “into Egypt” which means “to Egypt which means double straits and was a country occupying the northeast angle of Africa”. Luke shared how “Stephen” said the people of Israel desired to return to Egypt after they rejected the “law of God” which was given to “Moses”.
When we meditate upon Luke's words in this verse, we discover through “Stephen” how the people of Israel were not “obedient” to the “law of God” which was given to “Moses” but rather returned to “Egypt” within their “minds and souls”. The people of Israel rejected “Moses” and wanted to go back to the slavery they experienced in “Egypt”. Like the people of Israel, many people forget the horrific conditions they were in before they met the Lord Jesus, and although He forgave their sins and promised them everlasting life with God, some people desire to return to the world from which they came. God sent His Son Jesus to be the “Savior and Lord” of everyone who yields their life to Him, and when they surrender to Him, they should never find returning to the world to be a better decision than remaining in relationship with Him.
Next time Luke shares how Stephen refers to how the people of Israel tell, “Aaron, make us gods to go before us”, 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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