Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

Then the high priest asked Stephen, “Are these charges true?”
To this he replied: “Brothers and fathers, listen to me! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham while he was still in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Harran. ‘Leave your country and your people,’ God said, ‘and go to the land I will show you.’
“So he left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Harran. After the death of his father, God sent him to this land where you are now living. He gave him no inheritance here, not even enough ground to set his foot on. But God promised him that he and his descendants after him would possess the land, even though at that time Abraham had no child. God spoke to him in this way: ‘For four hundred years your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated. But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves,’ God said, ‘and afterward they will come out of that country and worship me in this place.’ Then he gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision. And Abraham became the father of Isaac and circumcised him eight days after his birth. Later Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob became the father of the twelve patriarchs.
“Because the patriarchs were jealous of Joseph, they sold him as a slave into Egypt. But God was with him and rescued him from all his troubles. He gave Joseph wisdom and enabled him to gain the goodwill of Pharaoh king of Egypt. So Pharaoh made him ruler over Egypt and all his palace.
“Then a famine struck all Egypt and Canaan, bringing great suffering, and our ancestors could not find food. When Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our forefathers on their first visit. On their second visit, Joseph told his brothers who he was, and Pharaoh learned about Joseph’s family. After this, Joseph sent for his father Jacob and his whole family, seventy-five in all. Then Jacob went down to Egypt, where he and our ancestors died. Their bodies were brought back to Shechem and placed in the tomb that Abraham had bought from the sons of Hamor at Shechem for a certain sum of money.
“As the time drew near for God to fulfill his promise to Abraham, the number of our people in Egypt had greatly increased. Then ‘a new king, to whom Joseph meant nothing, came to power in Egypt.’ He dealt treacherously with our people and oppressed our ancestors by forcing them to throw out their newborn babies so that they would die.
“At that time Moses was born, and he was no ordinary child. For three months he was cared for by his family. When he was placed outside, Pharaoh’s daughter took him and brought him up as her own son. Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in speech and action.
“When Moses was forty years old, he decided to visit his own people, the Israelites. He saw one of them being mistreated by an Egyptian, so he went to his defense and avenged him by killing the Egyptian. Moses thought that his own people would realize that God was using him to rescue them, but they did not. The next day Moses came upon two Israelites who were fighting. He tried to reconcile them by saying, ‘Men, you are brothers; why do you want to hurt each other?’
“But the man who was mistreating the other pushed Moses aside and said, ‘Who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?’ When Moses heard this, he fled to Midian, where he settled as a foreigner and had two sons.
“After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to Moses in the flames of a burning bush in the desert near Mount Sinai. When he saw this, he was amazed at the sight. As he went over to get a closer look, he heard the Lord say: ‘I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.’ Moses trembled with fear and did not dare to look.
“Then the Lord said to him, ‘Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground. I have indeed seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their groaning and have come down to set them free. Now come, I will send you back to Egypt.’
“This is the same Moses they had rejected with the words, ‘Who made you ruler and judge?’ He was sent to be their ruler and deliverer by God himself, through the angel who appeared to him in the bush. He led them out of Egypt and performed wonders and signs in Egypt, at the Red Sea and for forty years in the wilderness.
“This is the Moses who told the Israelites, ‘God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your own people.’ He was in the assembly in the wilderness, with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our ancestors; and he received living words to pass on to us.
“But our ancestors refused to obey him. Instead, they rejected him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt. They told Aaron, ‘Make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who led us out of Egypt—we don’t know what has happened to him!’ That was the time they made an idol in the form of a calf. They brought sacrifices to it and reveled in what their own hands had made. But God turned away from them and gave them over to the worship of the sun, moon and stars. This agrees with what is written in the book of the prophets:
“‘Did you bring me sacrifices and offerings
    forty years in the wilderness, people of Israel?
You have taken up the tabernacle of Molek
    and the star of your god Rephan,
    the idols you made to worship.
Therefore I will send you into exile’ beyond Babylon.
“Our ancestors had the tabernacle of the covenant law with them in the wilderness. It had been made as God directed Moses, according to the pattern he had seen. After receiving the tabernacle, our ancestors under Joshua brought it with them when they took the land from the nations God drove out before them. It remained in the land until the time of David, who enjoyed God’s favor and asked that he might provide a dwelling place for the God of Jacob. But it was Solomon who built a house for him.
“However, the Most High does not live in houses made by human hands. As the prophet says:
“‘Heaven is my throne,
    and the earth is my footstool.
What kind of house will you build for me?
says the Lord.
    Or where will my resting place be?
Has not my hand made all these things?’
“You stiff-necked people! Your hearts and ears are still uncircumcised. You are just like your ancestors: You always resist the Holy Spirit! Was there ever a prophet your ancestors did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him—you who have received the law that was given through angels but have not obeyed it.”
When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”
At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul.
While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep.

• Acts 7:1-60

And Saul approved of their killing him.
On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison.
Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there. When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said. For with shrieks, impure spirits came out of many, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. So there was great joy in that city.
Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great, and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, “This man is rightly called the Great Power of God.” They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his sorcery. But when they believed Philip as he proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw.
When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to Samaria. When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money and said, “Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”
Peter answered: “May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord in the hope that he may forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.”
Then Simon answered, “Pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me.”
After they had further proclaimed the word of the Lord and testified about Jesus, Peter and John returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many Samaritan villages.
Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake (which means “queen of the Ethiopians”). This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the Book of Isaiah the prophet. The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.”
Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked.
“How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.
This is the passage of Scripture the eunuch was reading:
“He was led like a sheep to the slaughter,
    and as a lamb before its shearer is silent,
    so he did not open his mouth.
In his humiliation he was deprived of justice.
    Who can speak of his descendants?
    For his life was taken from the earth.”
The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?” Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.
As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?” And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea.

• Acts 8:40

Noted Biblical Scholars, Teachers, and Preachers Comments

Acts 7 ‘telling a story’: “One of the great arts of Christian theology is to know how to tell the story: the story of the Old Testament, the story of Jesus as both the climax of the Old Testament and the foundation of all that was to come (not a random collection of useful preaching material with some extraordinary and saving events tacked on the end), and the story of the church from the first days until now. Sometimes a story is the only way of telling the truth. ln this Scripture We see Stephen telling the story to an unfriendly audience under life-and-death circumstances.”

• N. T. Wright, Acts (from the For Everyone Bible Study Series)

Acts 7:1-53 ‘Stephen’s Prophetic Summary of Israel’s Past’: “Stephen was the first deacon chosen for the church in Jerusalem (Acts 6:5). He was the first one mentioned to be a significant helper in the newly formed congregation in Israel. He was ‘full of faith’ and ‘full of grace and power, was performing great wonders and signs among the people’ (verses 5,8). Polhill observes that Stephens argument shows ‘the beginnings of the fulfillment of God’s promises to Abraham,’ continuing into the story of the patriarchs (Acts, p. 191). Since a reference to circumcision would remind them of the birth of Abraham’s son (Genesis 17:10-14), ‘the circumcision of Isaac confirms that God kept His promise’ to Abraham’s seed (Genesis 21:4). The Jewish authorities accused Stephen of speaking ‘blasphemous words against Moses and against God’ (Acts 6:11), and of speaking against the holy temple, ‘and the Law’ (verse 13). Questioned by the high priest (7:1), Stephen responded by giving the longest sermon recorded in Acts, with the conclusion that this generation of Jews ‘are doing just as your fathers did’ in rejecting God’s messengers (verse 51).
“Stephen’s sermon includes many references to Old Testament prophecies, beginning with the call of Abraham out of Mesopotamia (verses 2-3). God gave Abraham the promise of a land, and said this would be the possession of his offspring (verse 5). But the Lord also gave a prophecy that his children would be strangers for 400 years in a foreign land, Egypt (verse 6). Mentioning prophecy after prophecy and citing their fulfillments, Stephen showed how God was faithful in all of His promises to the Jewish descendants of Abraham (verses 7-45). Coming down to the story of David and Solomon, he related how God commanded that the great ‘house’ or temple be constructed by Solomon (verses 46-48). Yet God cannot be contained in a building made ‘by human hands.’ Quoting Isaiah 66:1, Stephen showed that ‘heaven is [God’s] throne, and earth is the footstool of My feet’ (Acts 7:49). No earthly temple could hold God (verse 50).”

• Tim LaHaye and Ed Hindson, Exploring Bible Prophecy

Acts 7:1 ‘high priest’: “Probably Caiaphas (see … John 18:13, 14), Who remained in office until A.D. 36. Are these things so? In modern legal terminology, ‘How do you plead?’ ”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

Acts 7:2 ‘The God of glory’: “A title used only here and in Psalm 29:3. God’s glory is the sum of His attributes (see … Ex. 33:18, 19). Abraham … Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Haran. Genesis 12:1—4 refers to the repeat of this call after Abraham had settled in Haran (c. 500 miles northwest of Ur). Evidently, God had originally called Abraham while he was living in Ur (cf. Gen. 15:7; Neh. 9:7), then repeated that call at Haran (see notes on Gen. 11:31—12:3).”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

Acts 7:16 ‘they were … laid in the tomb’: “‘They’ refers to Joseph (Josh. 24:32) and his brothers, but not Jacob, who was buried in Abraham’s tomb at Machpelah (Gen. 50:13). the tomb that Abraham bought … of Shechem. Joshua 24:32 states that Jacob bought this tomb, although Abraham had earlier built an altar at Shechem (Gen. 12:6, 7), and probably purchased the land on which he built it. Abraham did not settle there, however, and the land apparently reverted to the people of Hamor. Jacob then repurchased it from Shechem (Gen. 33:18-20), much like Isaac repurchased the well at Beersheba (Gen. 26:28-31) that Abraham had originally bought (Gen. 21:27-30). It is clear that Joseph was buried at Shechem as he requested (Gen. 50:25; Ex. 13:19; Josh. 24:32). The OT does not record where Joseph’s brothers were buried, but Stephen reveals it was in Shechem.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

Acts 7:23 ‘he was forty years old’: “Moses’ life may be divided into three forty-year periods. The first forty years encompassed his birth and life in Pharaoh’s court; the second his exile in Midian (vv. 29, 30); and the third revolved around the events of the Exodus and the years of Israel’s wilderness wandering (v. 36).”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics

Acts 7:34 ‘God stoops to us’: “God first says, ‘I have heard their groaning and have come down to set them free.’ And then He adds, ‘I will send you to Egypt.’ Truly, from the grandeur of the divine working down to the insignificance of our instrumentality is a tremendous stoop! Yet the God who says, ‘I will save sinners by my grace,’ also says to me, ‘Go and preach the gospel to them.’ The same Lord who says, ‘I will change the heart of stone into a heart of flesh,’ also says to us, ‘Speak to the persons sitting with you in the pew and point them to the Savior.’ It is an amazing stoop, but it is the condescension of almighty grace, and it brings great honor to the poor, trembling, unworthy person to whom the message is addressed.”

• Charles H. Spurgeon, from sermon notes

Acts 7:36 ‘wonders and signs’: “The ten plagues in Egypt and the miracles during the wilderness wandering (e.g., the parting of the Red Sea, Ex. 14: 1-31; the miraculous provision of water at Rephidim, Ex. 17:1-7; and the destruction of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, Num. 16:1-40). See … 2:19.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

Acts 7:42 ‘God … gave them up’: “Quoted from Amos 5:25-27. Judicially abandoning the people to their sin and idolatry (cf. Hos. 4:17; see … Rom. 1:24, 26, 28). the host of heaven. Israel’s idolatrous worship of the sun, moon, and stars began in the wilderness and lasted through the Babylonian captivity (cf. Deut. 4:19; 17:3; 2 Kin. 17:16; 21:3—5; 23:4; 2 Chr. 33:3, 5; Jer. 8:2; 19:13; Zeph. 1:5).”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

Acts 7:59 ‘Stephen’s death, in ways like Jesus’: “Stephen’s death was full of Jesus in four ways. Jesus was seen, invoked, trusted, and imitated. First, the martyr looked up steadfastly into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God (vv. 55-56). Our Lord is generally described as sitting, but it was as if the sympathizing Lord had risen up to draw near to his suffering servant, eager both to sustain him and to receive him when the conflict was over. It further is said he saw the Son of Man (v. 56). Jesus frequently called himself the Son of Man, but his disciples did not call him so. On this occasion it was peculiarly suitable, for the Lord himself had warned his enemies, ‘In the future you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power’ (Mt 26:64). Jesus had spoken those words to the men who now heard Stephen bear witness that it was so.
“Next Jesus was invoked. Stephen ‘called out: “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” ‘ Dying Christians are not troubled with questions as to the deity of Jesus. Stephen does not mention any other intercessor. He invoked the Lord Jesus and leaned wholly on him. There is no right living or joyful dying except by invoking Christ.
“Stephen also trusted Jesus and confided in him only, for we find him saying, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’ He felt that his spirit was about to leave his body. He placed his unclothed spirit into the hands of Jesus, then he was quite done with it. He prays no more for himself, but intercedes for his enemies. And then he closes his eyes and dies. This is the simple and sublime art of dying—to take our soul and place it in the pierced hands of him who is able to keep it.
“Finally, in Stephen we see Jesus imitated. The death of Stephen is a reproduction of the death of Jesus. Jesus died outside the gate; so did Stephen. Jesus died praying; so did Stephen. Jesus committed his spirit to the Father (Lk 23:46); Stephen says, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’ Christ dies pleading for his murderers; so does Stephen—‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them!’(7:60).”

• Charles H. Spurgeon, from sermon notes

Acts 7:60 ‘a prisoner of one’s own hatred’: “’Love your neighbor as you love yourself’ (Galatians 5:14). As long as you hate your enemy, a jail door is closed and a prisoner is taken. But when you try to understand and release your foe from your hatred, then the prisoner is released and that prisoner is you.
“Perhaps you don’t like that idea. Perhaps the thought of forgiveness is unrealistic. Perhaps the idea of trying to understand the Judases in our world is simply too gracious.
“My response to you then is a question. What do you suggest? Will harboring the anger solve the problem? Will getting even remove the hurt? Does hatred do any good? Again, I’m not minimizing your hurt or justifying their actions. But I am saying that justice won’t come this side of eternity. And demanding that your enemy get his or her share of pain will, in the process be most painful to you.
May I gently but firmly remind you of something you know but may have forgotten?
Life is not fair. That’s not pessimism; it’s fact.“

• Max Lucado, And the Angels Were Silent

Acts 8:4-40 ‘Philip, the Evangelist’: “Philip, one of the seven deacons appointed in Acts chapter 6, seems to have quickly outgrown his purely administrative role. He has had to leave Jerusalem in a hurry following the death of Stephen, but he is by no means in hiding. This chapter of Acts concerns the remarkable doings of Philip, the deacon-turned-evangelist; and from another point of view it continues the theme of the opening up of the gospel to the non-Jewish world. Jesus was the one through whom the slow and winding story of God’s people had reached its destination, and with it the moment of redemption for the whole world.”

• N. T. Wright, Acts (from the For Everyone Bible Study Series)

Acts 8:4 ‘went everywhere’: “This Greek word is used frequently in Acts for missionary efforts (v. 40; 9:32; 13:6; 14:24; 15:3, 41; 16:6; 18:23; 19:1, 21; 20:2).”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

Acts 8:5 ‘Philip’: “Cf. 6:5. The first missionary named in Scripture and the first to be given the title ‘evangelist’ (21:8). the city of Samaria. The ancient capital of the northern kingdom of Israel, which eventually fell to the Assyrians (722 B.C.) after over 200 years of idolatry and rebellion against God. After resettling many of the people in other lands, the Assyrians located Gentiles from other areas into the region, resulting in a mix of Jews and Gentiles who became known as Samaritans (see notes on John 4:4, 20).”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

Acts 8:8 ‘No labor for God is lost.’: “Verse 5 tells us, ‘Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah to them,’ and ‘great joy’ was the result. He had a speedy and remarkable success. He scarcely opened his mouth without gaining attention and had not long proclaimed his message before people willingly received it and many were converted to Christ and had ‘great joy.’ What was the explanation of this wonderful blessing? Something had been done years before to prepare the way for Philip. A weary man had come to that region who sat on the well at Sychar and spoke to Samaria‘s daughter concerning the living water(Jn 4: 5). And she had heard, believed, and been saved. And she, fallen woman as she had been, had gone back to the city to tell the people she had met the Messiah. In all probability the work done by our Lord at Sychar had affected the whole district so that, when Philip went to the city of Samaria, he found there a people prepared of the Lord. Jesus sowed the seed; Philip came and reaped the harvest. No good work for God is ever lost. If you have labored in a village or town and have seen no great success, someone else may see it.”

• Charles H. Spurgeon, from sermon notes

Acts 8:9 ‘sorcery’: “This refers to magic which originally referred to the practices of the Medo-Persians: a mixture of science and superstition, including astrology, divination, and the occult (see notes on Deut. 18:9—12; Rev. 9:21).”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

Acts 8:13 ‘Simon … believed’: “His belief was motivated by purely selfish reasons and could never be considered genuine. Cf. John 2:23, 24. He saw it as an external act useful to gain the power he believed Philip possessed. By following Philip, he also was able to maintain contact with his former audience.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

Acts 8:16 ‘as yet … upon none of them’ “This verse does not support the false notion that Christians receive the Holy Spirit subsequent to salvation. This was a transitional period in which confirmation by the apostles was necessary to verify the inclusion of a new group of people into the church. Because of the animosity that existed between Jews and Samaritans, it was essential for the Samaritans to receive the Spirit, in the presence of the leaders of the Jerusalem church, for the purpose of maintaining a unified church. The delay also revealed the Samaritans’ need to come under apostolic authority. The same transitional event occurred when Gentiles were added to the church (10:44—46; cf. 15:6—12; 19:6).”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

Acts 8:26-40 ‘The Ethiopian Eunuch and Isaiah 53’: “An angel of the Lord instructed Philip, one of the first deacons in the Jerusalem church (6:5), to ‘go south to the road that descends from Jerusalem to Gaza’ (8:26). There, Philip had an encounter with an Ethiopian eunuch, or court official, who represented the queen of the ancient land of Nubia. The name ‘Candace’ (verse 27) was a descriptive title for all the queens of that nation. Philip found the man, who was on his way back to North Africa, sitting in his chariot reading Isaiah 53 (verse 28). The Spirit of God instructed and guided Philip to ‘go up and join this chariot’ (verse 29), which was apparently parked or moving slowly along the desert road. When Philip asked the eunuch if he understood what this chapter was about (verse 30), the eunuch answered ‘Well, how could I, unless someone guides me?’ And with that, he invited Philip to join him in the chariot (verse 31).
“The eunuch was studying Isaiah 53:7-8, which prophesies, ‘He was led as a sheep to slaughter; and as a lamb before its shearer is silent, so He does not open His mouth. In humiliation His judgment was taken away; who shall relate His generation? For His life is removed from the earth’ (Acts 8:32-33). When the eunuch asked who this was (verse 34), Philip began to preach Jesus to him from this Scripture (verse 35). Seeing some water, the man instantly asked Philip what would prevent him from being baptized (verse 36). Philip responded, ‘If you believe with all your heart, you may.’ The man answered, ‘I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God’ (verse 37). Coming out of the water, Philip was snatched away by the Spirit of the Lord, and the man went away rejoicing (verse 39).
“This event shows how important Isaiah 53 was in Jewish theology at that time. The Jewish rabbis recognized this passage as messianic in nature. It was obvious that the verses were prophesying the substitutionary death of Christ, as a sacrificial lamb, for the sins of Israel. This story also shows it was common knowledge that the lamb of Isaiah 53 was the Son of God of Psalm 2:7. The encounter also illustrates that it was commonly held by the Jews that water baptism was a sign of inner conversion and repentance. An inner cleansing had taken place by the confession of Jesus as the Son of God! It is not necessarily a coincidence that the eunuch was reading Isaiah 53 when he did. Journeying from Jerusalem, this man had more than likely heard much about the death and resurrection of Christ. Many other people who heard about these events also connected them with the Old Testament prophecies that foretold of these things.
“This incredible story shows the extraordinary measures God will go to to bring the truth about ]esus to one lost soul.”

• Tim LaHaye and Ed Hindson, Exploring Bible Prophecy

Acts 8:26 ‘going without fear’: “Philip, who had been so useful to the multitude, must now be of service to a solitary individual. If we can gather a crowd of people together, we should preach the gospel to them. But if we cannot do that, we must preach the gospel to one person, if we can only reach one. It was a desert, but the angel of the Lord instructed Philip to go there. If the Lord should send us to the wilderness, we can depend that he will send somebody else there for us to bless. We can go, therefore, without fear.”

• Charles H. Spurgeon, from sermon notes

Acts 8:27 ‘Ethiopia’: “In those days, a large kingdom located south of Egypt. eunuch. This can refer to one who had been emasculated, or generally, to a government official. It is likely he was both since Luke refers to him as a eunuch and as one who held a position of authority in the queen’s court—that of treasurer, much like a minister of finance or secretary of the treasury. As a physical eunuch, he would have been denied access to the temple (Deut. 23:1) and the opportunity to become a full proselyte to Judaism. Candace. Probably not a name, but an official title (like Pharaoh or Caesar) given to the queen mothers in that land.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

Acts 8:30 ‘understanding – with Holy Spirit guidance’: “That is the main thing! A religion that is not based on understanding will soon come to an end. An emotional religion—one that is nothing but emotion—will be a temporary and transient religion. The Bible was meant to be understood, and it benefits us in proportion as we get at the meaning of it. The mere words of Scripture passing over the ears or before the eyes can do us little good. I heard a person say once, concerning a great doctrine I hold to be plainly taught in Scripture, that he had read the Bible through—I think he said six times—on his knees, but he could not find that doctrine. I replied, ‘Brother, that is an awkward position in which to read the Bible. I should have sat in a chair and studied the page in a natural and easy posture. Moreover, I should not have galloped through it at the rate at which you must have raced over the chapters. I should rather have read a little at a time and tried to understand it.
“Does it not strike you as being remarkable that he should be reading at that moment the best text that Philip could have selected? He had reached a portion of Scripture from which, without the slightest digression, the evangelist preached Jesus as the slain lamb, the willing sacrifice for guilty men. The same conjunction of providence and the Holy Spirit constantly occurs in conversions.”

• Charles H. Spurgeon, from sermon notes

Acts 8:39 ‘caught Philip away’: “Elijah (1 Kin. 18:12; 2 Kin. 2:16) and Ezekiel (Ezek. 3:12, 14; 8:3) were also snatched away in a miraculous fashion. This was a powerful confirmation to the caravan that Philip was God’s representative.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics

 

My Thoughts

The chief priest challenges Stephen to defend himself against charges brought forward by false witnesses (same as in the case of Jesus).  Stephen gives them a history lesson, showing how the Israelites became stiff-necked and God fulfilled his promises.  The focus was around Moses and how Moses was promised a prophet greater than he who Jesus was the fulfillment of.  Then Stephen made the crowd uneasy when he accused them of killing Jesus, but then Stephen looks to Heaven and speaks of seeing Jesus at the right hand of God.  This statement sent the crowd into a frenzy, and they took Stephen out and stoned him.  Note the different ways Jesus’ death and Stephen’s death run parallel.  It is quite obvious in reading the various accounts.

I again disagree with Rev. MacArthur on the characterization that Philip is absolved of his administrative responsibilities.  The believers were scattered in fear of persecution, many of their fellow believers were in prison.  The administrative issues went with Philip and became much harder.  They are now down to six deacons.  The church is growing in spite of the persecution.  There is even a greater need, but as Philip does his administrative work in Samaria, he talks to people.

My wife loved talking to people, but she got a lot of work done at the same time.  She made cooking for a crowd fun, or the clean-up afterward.  Often, she gave her Indonesian experience talks while cooking.  Once, I was making nasi goreng, Indonesian fried rice, in a huge wok on the huge grill at a golf club while she told stories.  She looked over my shoulder on occasion, giving me advice.  She watched carefully as I turned the skewers of sate (satay), but she made the peanut sauce.  She never trusted me making that.  She told more stories as they ate the rice and saté, and I fried bananas for dessert.  She worked herself into a lather, but she entertained at the same time.

My point is, like last week discussing Stephen, Philip could do both jobs at the same time, and probably did a better job than those who just stuck to distributing the food and money.

I agree with Rev. MacArthur about the receptivity of the Samaritans.  While there is not documentation to back that up, I believe there are connections between such stories in the Scriptures.  They could have been many nervously anticipating what Jesus would do.  But it could equally be the work of the Holy Spirit.  In the conversation with the woman at the well, she asked the proper way and place to worship and then a small part of the Good News is that there is no one place in which to worship.  If this was a concern across all of Samaria, it was good news indeed.

But then, in the midst of a revival of sorts, Philip goes down toward the Gaza road. …

Note: the term “going down” in modern parlance is usually meant going south.  You orient the map with north at the top, and you go south, going down as you look at the map.  But throughout the New Testament, you read about Jesus going from Jerusalem to Galilee and going down.  Philip went down from Jerusalem to Samaria.  The biblical context is almost always in elevation.  So, forget map orientation, unless you have a topographical map.

Carts do not go very fast.  I could see Philip walking alongside the cart.  The eunuch may have complained to slow down so that he could read.  Philip need not hop into the cart until the eunuch asked him to do so.

The eunuch is reading Isaiah 53:7-8.  As mentioned in the scholarly comments, this is not by accident.  The Holy Spirit is at work.  Philip gives a Sunday school lesson, explaining the passage and how Jesus was the fulfillment.  The eunuch, like the Samaritans, was unable to get into the temple.  He wanted to worship and now he is freed from that restriction.  He sees the first body of water and jumps at the opportunity to be baptized.  Then Philip is either carried away in a whirlwind, in the sight of the eunuch, or Philip simply disappears.  Either way, the eunuch celebrates.

Philip ends up in Azotus which was the first century name for the Philistine city of Ashdod.

The persecution of the believers was a terrible thing, but it did something similar to what happened in Genesis 11.  The people of old wanted to build a great city and build a tower right up to God.  God confused their tongues.  This not only put a halt to the tower building, but it scattered the people around the world, which is what God had commanded the extended family of Noah to do instead of building a huge city.  Jesus told the disciples to take the message to Jerusalem, then Judea, and then Samaria, and then to the ends of the earth.  But the church administration was getting so bogged down…  And they really didn’t trust the Samaritans …  Whatever the excuse, the persecution drove the believers into a scatter mode.  And they took the message of Jesus with them.  God does not cause the bad thing to happen, but He used persecution to motivate the Apostles to spread out.

And note that it is the believers who are spreading out while the Apostles stayed in Jerusalem.  But now that pockets of believers are popping up, the Apostles themselves will have to spread out themselves, many being martyred far from home.

Some Serendipitous Reflections

Acts 7:1-53 Stephen’s Speech to the Sanhedrin 1. Since the Sanhedrin knew their history every bit as well as Stephen, how do you account for their radically different response to Jesus? To fully understand Jesus, what is needed in your life besides well-rehearsed knowledge?
“2. In what ways do people hold on to religious rituals and heroes today, while missing the whole point of what those ceremonies and people represent? How does this tendency affect you?
“3. ln what ways could the charges that Stephen makes against the leaders be made against you? How might you be feeling ‘stiff-necked’ this week? How will you begin to bow to God in that area now?
“4. Would you say that the OT is more like a stranger or a close friend to you? How does this speech show the importance of the OT to the early Christians? What will you do to let its importance grow for you?
“5. When Jesus was brought to trial, he was basically quiet before the Sanhedrin; yet Stephen spoke very boldly here. How do you decide when to speak and when to be quiet before opposition?
Acts 7:54-8:3 The Stoning of Stephen 1. What is one very traumatic, upsetting thing that happened to you in your formative years? Can you see now how God has used it for good?
“2. Peter’s speech led to mass conversion (ch.2), while Stephen’s led to his death. What does that teach about ‘success’ in one’s service to God?
Acts 8:4-25 The Church Persecuted and Scattered 1. What cultural or ethnic prejudices were you brought up with? How is the gospel breaking through those prejudices in your life?
“2. What was your primary motivation in first receiving Jesus Christ as Savior? What is your primary motivation for continuing in the faith?
“3. Has your personal influence declined or increased since you became a Christian? How so? Why?
“4. How has jealousy of other Christians hindered your faith?
Acts 8:26-40 Philip and the Ethiopian 1. From the way God sets up opportunities to witness (8:26-40; 3:6-16; 2:5-14), how does that free you from fears in evangelism? What do these stories show about the context in which evangelism is to happen?
“2. Deep down, do you think successful VIPs really need the gospel as much as poor beggars do (3:2)? Why or why not?
“3. Would you know the Bible well enough to address the eunuch‘s questions? How can you grow in faith so you will be prepared for surprise (‘serendipitous’) opportunities?”

• Lyman Coleman, et al, The NIV Serendipity Bible for Study Groups

Acts 7-8 is divided into four sets of questions as noted above.

Substitute whatever group for any reference to a small group or ask who could come to your aid.

If you like these Thursday morning Bible studies, but you think you missed a few, you can use this LINK. I have set up a page off the home page for links to these Thursday morning posts. I will continue to modify the page as I add more.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.