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. 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?”, and in chapter seven and verse forty-three of the book of Acts Luke shared how Stephen declared how God said, “you took up the tabernacle of Moloch” where we read:
Yes, you took up the tabernacle of Moloch, and the star of your god Remphan,
figures which you made to worship them: and I will carry you away beyond Babylon.
The verse begins, “Yes, you took up the tabernacle of Moloch, and the star of your god Remphan, ...” Luke began with the words, “yes, you took up the tabernacle of Moloch” which means “even so and indeed, you, people of Israel, raised the tent or movable temple belonging to Moloch whose name means king and was the name of the idol god of the Ammonites, to which human victims, particularly young children were offered in sacrifice. Its image was a hollow brazen figure, with the head of an ox, and outstretched human arms. It was heated red hot by a fire from within, and the little ones placed in its arms to be slowly burned, while to prevent the parents from hearing the dying cries, the sacrificing priests beat drums”, “and the star of your god Remphan” or “and the constellation or star of the people of Israel's god that was a representative or vicegerent named Remphan which means the shrunken and was the name of an idol worshiped secretly by the Israelites in the wilderness”. Luke shared how “Stephen” continued to share how the people of Israel had other gods than the true God and Heavenly Father such as “Moloch” and “Remphan”.
The verse goes on to say, “... figures which you made to worship them: and I will carry you away beyond Babylon.” Luke continued with the words, “figures which you made” which means “images that were formed and fashioned by the people of Israel” “to worship them” or “for the purpose of giving reverence, homage and respect: “and I will carry you away” or “and I, God the Heavenly Father, transfer and remove you, people of Israel, as settlers and captives” “beyond Babylon” which means “on the further side of Babylon which means confusion and was a very large and famous city, the residence of the Babylonian kings, situated on both banks of the Euphrates”. Luke shared how “Stephen” referred to how the people of Israel “formed and fashioned” their idols to give “reverence and homage” to them, and God the Heavenly Father would send them into exile as far away as “Babylon” because of it.
When we think through Luke's words in this verse, we learn through Stephen how the people of Israel had other gods, “Moloch and Remphan” whom they worshiped, and because of this, God sent them into exile in Babylon after delivering them from Egypt. God's desire is to have a personal relationship with every person through His Son Jesus, however, should they reject and refuse Him as their “Savior and Lord”, He will allow them to “worship” whatever they desire. This will be to their own demise. God loves people, and He knows their future on earth and their destiny with or without Him for all eternity.
Next time Luke shares how Stephen says, “Our fathers had the tabernacle of witness in the wilderness”, 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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