Stephen’s Testimony, Part I
TRANSLATION
(2) To this Stephen 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 Haran. (3) He said to him, ‘Leave your country and your people and go to the land I will show you.’ (4) He then left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. After the death of his father, God sent him to this land where you are now living. (5) He gave him no inheritance here, not even enough ground on which to place his foot. But God promised that he and his descendants would possess the land even though Abraham had no child at that time. (6) 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. (7) But I will punish the nation which they will serve as slaves,’ God said, ‘and afterward, they will come out of that country and serve me in this place.’ (8) Then God gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision. And Abraham became the father of Isaac and circumcised him eight days later. Then Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob became the father of the twelve patriarchs.
(9) “Because the patriarchs were jealous of Joseph, they sold him as a slave into Egypt, but God was with him (10) and rescued him from all his troubles. He gave Joseph wisdom and enabled him to gain favor with Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who made him ruler over Egypt and over all his household. (11) Then a famine struck all of Egypt and Canaan, bringing great suffering, and our forefathers could find no food. (12) When Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our forefathers on their first visit. (13) At their second visit Joseph told his brothers who he was, and Pharaoh learned about Joseph’s family. (14) After this Joseph sent for his father, Jacob, and all his relatives, seventy-five in all. (15) And Jacob went down to Egypt where he and our ancestors died. (16) Their bodies were carried to Shechem and buried in the tomb that Abraham had purchased from the sons of Hamor with silver.”
OBSERVATIONS
In this first segment of his testimony before the Sanhedrin, Stephen used a number of repetitions for emphasis. “Father(s)” occurred six times along with “forefathers” (in vss. 2, 8, 12, & 14). “God,” the most frequently utilized term for deity in the Old Testament, appeared seven times (in vss. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, & 9). We find “land” four times (in vss. 3, 4, & 5) and “patriarchs” twice (in vss. 8 & 9). Several proper names were repeated: “Abraham” four times (in vss. 5, 8, & 16), “Isaac” twice (in vs. 8), “Jacob four times (in vss. 8, 12, 14, & 15), “Joseph” five times (in vss. 9, 10, 13, & 14), “Egypt” six times (in vss. 9, 10, 11, 12, & 15), and “Pharaoh” three times (in vss. 10 & 13).
OUTLINE
I. God graciously called and established his covenant with the patriarch, Abraham. (1-8)
II. God provided a place of refuge in Egypt for Jacob’s descendants through Joseph. (9-16)
IDEA STATEMENT
At the start of his testimony before a hostile audience, Stephen wisely referenced both Abraham and Joseph, patriarchs whose stories were familiar to all.
APPLICATION
Stephen skillfully began his testimony by recounting a history familiar to all faithful Jews, namely, God’s gracious dealings with the patriarch, Abraham, and then his gracious provision for Abraham’s offspring, Jacob and his family, in Egypt. The first hint of negativity came with the brothers selling Joseph into slavery because of jealousy. It was the faith of Abraham and the faithfulness of Joseph in spite of this betrayal that became Stephen’s first examples in a message that would ultimately climax with the sacrifice of the Messiah. However, at this point in his testimony, Stephen had been careful not to mention anything that would have alienated his audience. They willingly allowed him to continue with his skillful recounting of Israel’s history, a story with which all were fully acquainted.