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, Joseph and Moses”. He asked the Sanhedrin, “Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which showed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom you have been now the betrayers and murderers. Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it. When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth. But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, and said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God. Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord, And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul. And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit”, and in chapter seven and verse sixty of the book of Acts Luke shared how Steven, “kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge” where we read:
And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.
And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
The verse begins, “And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.” Luke began with the words, “and he kneeled down” which means “and Stephen bent his knees toward the ground”, “and cried with a loud voice” or “and shouted, vociferated and prayed by using massive, large abundant and intense speech of uttered words”, “Lord” which means “One to whom a person or thing belongs about which he has power of deciding; master, and the title given to God the Messiah”, “lay not this sin” or “do not fix, establish or make firm this error, wrong, mistake and missing of the mark” “to their charge” which means “don't hold the religious leaders in the Sanhedrin accountable”. Luke shared how “Stephen” fell to his knees and told the “Lord” not make the religious leaders in the “Sanhedrin” to be responsible for the “sin” of murdering him.
The verse goes on to say, “And when he had said this, he fell asleep.” Luke continued with the words, “and when he had said this” which means “and at the time and moment Stephen uttered, declared and proclaimed the words about not laying this sin to their charge”, “he fell asleep” or “Stephen became calm, quiet and dead”. Luke shared how “Stephen” died after he asked the Lord not to “charge” the “religious leaders” with this wrong.
When we meditate upon Luke's words in this verse, we become even more amazed at this wonderful servant of Jesus, “Stephen”. Even while the religious leaders in the “Sanhedrin” were stoning him, he called out to God to “not charge” them with this “sin”. This is amazing faith, and it is very much like Jesus Himself who cried out on the cross, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do”. God loves to have a personal relationship with every person through His Son Jesus, and when they believe and trust in Him like “Stephen”, they please Him greatly. God will reward all who give their lives to Jesus whether it be through death or life, and those who are wise will carefully examine themselves to determine whether they would have the faith of “Stephen” if they ever found themselves in the same place as he.
Next time we begin a new chapter and see Luke share how, “Saul was consenting unto his death”, 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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