Day 314: Acts 7-9

(The previous post covered Peter's and John's interaction with the religious leaders over their first healing, their second healing, being imprisoned, and their release. Also, the identification of seven ministers to take care of the physical needs of the people. One of these seven, Stephen, was falsely accused and brought to the religious leaders.)

Acts 7

(This chapter covered Stephen's defense against the false accusations by the religious leaders.)

¹ And the high priest said, Are these things so?
² And he said, Brethren and fathers, hearken: The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Haran,

(Stephen began by speaking about Abraham.)

³ and said unto him, Get thee out of thy land, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I shall show thee.

(God's call to Abraham from Genesis 12.)

⁴ Then came he out of the land of the Chaldaeans, and dwelt in Haran: and from thence, when his father was dead, God removed him into this land, wherein ye now dwell:
⁵ and he gave him none inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on: and he promised that he would give it to him in possession, and to his seed after him, when as yet he had no child.

(The inheritance promised.)

⁶ And God spake on this wise, that his seed should sojourn in a strange land, and that they should bring them into bondage, and treat them ill, four hundred years.

(Four hundred years of bondage.)

⁷ And the nation to which they shall be in bondage will I judge, said God: and after that shall they come forth, and serve me in this place.
⁸ And he gave him the covenant of circumcision: and so Abraham begat Isaac, and circumcised him the eighth day; and Isaac begat Jacob, and Jacob the twelve patriarchs.

(The Abrahamic Covenant from Genesis 17.)

(Verses 9-16: Joseph saving his family in Egypt beginning in Genesis 37.)

⁹ And the patriarchs, moved with jealousy against Joseph, sold him into Egypt: and God was with him,
¹⁰ and delivered him out of all his afflictions, and gave him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house.
¹¹ Now there came a famine over all Egypt and Canaan, and great affliction: and our fathers found no sustenance.
¹² But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent forth our fathers the first time.
¹³ And at the second time Joseph was made known to his brethren; and Joseph's race became manifest unto Pharaoh.
¹⁴ And Joseph sent, and called to him Jacob his father, and all his kindred, threescore and fifteen souls.
¹⁵ And Jacob went down into Egypt; and he died, himself and our fathers;
¹⁶ and they were carried over unto Shechem, and laid in the tomb that Abraham bought for a price in silver of the sons of Hamor in Shechem.

(Verses 17-29: the history of Moses beginning with the Book of Exodus.)

¹⁷ But as the time of the promise drew nigh which God vouchsafed unto Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt,
¹⁸ till there arose another king over Egypt, who knew not Joseph.
¹⁹ The same dealt craftily with our race, and ill-treated our fathers, that they should cast out their babes to the end they might not live.
²⁰ At which season Moses was born, and was exceeding fair; and he was nourished three months in his father's house.
²¹ and when he was cast out, Pharaoh's daughter took him up, and nourished him for her own son.
²² And Moses was instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians; and he was mighty in his words and works.
²³ But when he was well-nigh forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren the children of Israel.
²⁴ And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended him, and avenged him that was oppressed, smiting the Egyptian:
²⁵ and he supposed that his brethren understood that God by his hand was giving them deliverance; but they understood not.
²⁶ And the day following he appeared unto them as they strove, and would have set them at one again, saying, Sirs, ye are brethren; why do ye wrong one to another?
²⁷ But he that did his neighbor wrong thrust him away, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge over us?
²⁸ Wouldest thou kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian yesterday?
²⁹ And Moses fled at this saying, and became a sojourner in the land of Midian, where he begat two sons.

(Verses 30-40: Moses leading the people out of Egypt - beginning in Exodus 13.)

³⁰ And when forty years were fulfilled, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in a flame of fire in a bush.
³¹ And when Moses saw it, he wondered at the sight: and as he drew near to behold, there came a voice of the Lord,
³² I am the God of thy fathers, the God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob. And Moses trembled, and durst not behold.
³³ And the Lord said unto him, Loose the shoes from thy feet: for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.
³⁴ I have surely seen the affliction of my people that is in Egypt, and have heard their groaning, and I am come down to deliver them: and now come, I will send thee into Egypt.
³⁵ This Moses whom they refused, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge? him hath God sent to be both a ruler and a deliverer with the hand of the angel that appeared to him in the bush.
³⁶ This man led them forth, having wrought wonders and signs in Egypt, and in the Red Sea, and in the wilderness forty years.
³⁷ This is that Moses, who said unto the children of Israel, A prophet shall God raise up unto you from among your brethren, like unto me.
³⁸ This is he that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel that spake to him in the Mount Sinai, and with our fathers: who received living oracles to give unto us:
³⁹ to whom our fathers would not be obedient, but thrust him from them, and turned back in their hearts unto Egypt,
⁴⁰ saying unto Aaron, Make us gods that shall go before us: for as for this Moses, who led us forth out of the land of Egypt, we know not what is become of him.

(Verses 41-50: the later history of Israel such as the Israelites' idolatry, the building of the temple, their captivity, etc.)

⁴¹ And they made a calf in those days, and brought a sacrifice unto the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their hands.
⁴² But God turned, and gave them up to serve the host of heaven; as it is written in the book of the prophets, Did ye offer unto me slain beasts and sacrifices Forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel?
⁴³ And ye took up the tabernacle of Moloch, And the star of the god Rephan, The figures which ye made to worship them: And I will carry you away beyond Babylon.
⁴⁴ Our fathers had the tabernacle of the testimony in the wilderness, even as he appointed who spake unto Moses, that he should make it according to the figure that he had seen.
⁴⁵ Which also our fathers, in their turn, brought in with Joshua when they entered on the possession of the nations, that God thrust out before the face of our fathers, unto the days of David;
⁴⁶ who found favor in the sight of God, and asked to find a habitation for the God of Jacob.
⁴⁷ But Solomon built him a house.
⁴⁸ Howbeit the Most High dwelleth not in houses made with hands; as saith the prophet,
⁴⁹ The heaven is my throne, And the earth the footstool of my feet: What manner of house will ye build me? saith the Lord: Or what is the place of my rest?
⁵⁰ Did not my hand make all these things?
⁵¹ Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Spirit: as your fathers did, so do ye.

(Stephen told them they resisted the Holy Spirit as their fathers did as a continuation of the history of God's people.)

⁵² Which of the prophets did not your fathers persecute? and they killed them that showed before of the coming of the Righteous One; of whom ye have now become betrayers and murderers;
⁵³ ye who received the law as it was ordained by angels, and kept it not.

(Stephen called them the betrayers and murderers of Jesus. Stephen was very bold with his words.)

⁵⁴ Now when they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth.

(These comments that challenged the religious leaders' beliefs cut to their hearts so they gnashed at Stephen with their teeth.)

⁵⁵ But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,

(Stephen was full of the Holy Spirit. He looked up and saw God's Glory and Jesus standing on God's right Hand.)

⁵⁶ and said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God.
⁵⁷ But they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and rushed upon him with one accord;

(They rushed upon Stephen "with one accord"...they were of one mind and one passion AGAINST Stephen.)

⁵⁸ and they cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul.

(Stephen was cast out of the city and stoned to death. Saul (Paul) was described as a young man and it seemed he watched after the stoners' coats. Saul (Paul) was present at the stoning of Stephen.)

⁵⁹ And they stoned Stephen, calling upon the Lord, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.
⁶⁰ 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.

(Stephen sounded very much like Christ by forgiving the very people who murdered him.)




Acts 8
¹ And Saul was consenting unto his death. And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church which was in Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles.

(Saul/Paul approved of Stephen's death. The religious leaders encouraged judgment on the Apostles. There was great persecution against the church in Jerusalem so that they were all scattered abroad, except for the Apostles.)

² And devout men buried Stephen, and made great lamentation over him.

(Great lamentation was made over Stephen. There was extreme mourning.)

³ But Saul laid waste the church, entering into every house, and dragging men and women committed them to prison.

(Saul/Paul "laid waste" the church. This has also been translated into the word havock which meant "to affix a stigma to, to dishonor, spot, defile, to treat shamefully or with injury, to ravage, devastate, ruin." He went to every house dragging men and women and putting them in prison.)

⁴ They therefore that were scattered abroad, went about preaching the word.

(The persecution of the church actually helped spread the word abroad.)

⁵ And Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and proclaimed unto them the Christ.
⁶ And the multitudes gave heed with one accord unto the things that were spoken by Philip, when they heard, and saw the signs which he did.
⁷ For from many of those that had unclean spirits, they came out, crying with a loud voice: and many that were palsied, and that were lame, were healed.
⁸ And there was much joy in that city.

(Philip in Samaria preached Christ and did miracles which caused great joy there.)

⁹ But there was a certain man, Simon by name, who beforetime in the city used sorcery, and amazed the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one:
¹⁰ to whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is that power of God which is called Great.
¹¹ And they gave heed to him, because that of long time he had amazed them with his sorceries.
¹² But when they believed Philip preaching good tidings concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.
¹³ And Simon also himself believed: and being baptized, he continued with Philip; and beholding signs and great miracles wrought, he was amazed.

(Simon, a sorcerer, believed also and continued with Philip.)

¹⁴ Now when the apostles that were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John:

(Peter and John were sent to Samaria. Notice, these two continued to minister together.)

¹⁵ who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Spirit:
¹⁶ for as yet it was fallen upon none of them: only they had been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus.
¹⁷ Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

(Doctrine: These men received the baptism of the Holy Spirit through the laying on of hands. Remember, since Pentecost, the Holy Spirit is upon all flesh. The Holy Spirit is in every believer. The baptism of the Holy Spirit comes by laying on of hands. The Samaritans were already believers because they had been baptized in the name of Jesus. However, by the laying on of hands they received the Holy Spirit. Remember, the Jews considered the Samaritans their enemies.)

¹⁸ Now when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money,
¹⁹ saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay my hands, he may receive the Holy Spirit.

(Simon offered Peter and John money for the gift of the Holy Spirit. This was more than becoming a believer. These people produced miraculous evidence they had been baptized in the Holy Spirit, to the point Simon wanted to be able to do this.)

²⁰ But Peter said unto him, Thy silver perish with thee, because thou hast thought to obtain the gift of God with money.
²¹ Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right before God.
²² Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray the Lord, if perhaps the thought of thy heart shall be forgiven thee.

(Peter told Simon his heart was not right with God and to repent. Every miracle in the Bible was done through a person who did not have a lot of money. Jesus even made it a prerequisite for the Disciples before they were sent out in Matthew 10:9-10.)

²³ For I see that thou art in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity.
²⁴ And Simon answered and said, Pray ye for me to the Lord, that none of the things which ye have spoken come upon me.
²⁵ They therefore, when they had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, returned to Jerusalem, and preached the gospel to many villages of the Samaritans.
²⁶ But an angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza: the same is desert.

(Philip received guidance from the Spirit.)

²⁷ And he arose and went: and behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was over all her treasure, who had come to Jerusalem to worship;
²⁸ and he was returning and sitting in his chariot, and was reading the prophet Isaiah.

(Philip ran into an Ethiopian eunuch who was reading the Book of Isaiah.)

²⁹ And the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot.
³⁰ And Philip ran to him, and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest?

(The Holy Spirit continued to give direction to Philip and Philip was obedient.)

³¹ And he said, How can I, except some one shall guide me? And he besought Philip to come up and sit with him.

(The eunuch wanted guidance from Philip so that he could understand what he was reading.)

³² Now the passage of the Scripture which he was reading was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; And as a lamb before his shearer is dumb, So he openeth not his mouth:
³³ In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: His generation who shall declare? For his life is taken from the earth.

(The eunuch was reading Isaiah 53:7.)

³⁴ And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other?

(The eunuch wanted to know who this passage was about. He wanted the interpretation/understanding.)

³⁵ And Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture, preached unto him Jesus.

(Philip told the eunuch that the person he was reading about was Jesus Christ.)

³⁶ And as they went on the way, they came unto a certain water; and the eunuch saith, Behold, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?
³⁷ And Philip said, If thou believest with all thy heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
³⁸ And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they both went down into the water, both Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him.

(The eunuch was converted and then baptized.)

³⁹ And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip; and the eunuch saw him no more, for he went on his way rejoicing.
⁴⁰ But Philip was found at Azotus: and passing through he preached the gospel to all the cities, till he came to Caesarea.

(As they came out of the water, the Holy Spirit "caught away Philip." Philip was physically translated to a different place (Azotus). This was definitely a supernatural event.)




Acts 9
¹ But Saul, yet breathing threatening and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest,
² and asked of him letters to Damascus unto the synagogues, that if he found any that were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.

(Saul went to the high priest and desired letters that would give him permission to bring any people of "the Way" (believers) in Damascus bound to Jerusalem.)

³ And as he journeyed, it came to pass that he drew nigh unto Damascus: and suddenly there shone round about him a light out of heaven:

(On his way to Damascus a light from heaven shone around him.)

⁴ and he fell upon the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?

(Saul fell to the ground and heard a voice ask "why are you persecuting me?" The voice said "Saul" twice.)

⁵ And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest:

(Saul said "Who art thou, Lord?" By saying Lord, it showed that Saul immediately recognized that this voice was coming from someone greater than him. The voice came from Jesus! Jesus answered, "I am Jesus whom thou persecutest:" The KJV included the statement: "it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks." A "prick" was a stick that shepherds used to direct their sheep. Jesus had been directing Saul a certain way but Saul was "kicking against the pricks" or said another way "ignoring the direction that Jesus was giving him.")

⁶ but rise, and enter into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.

(Saul was trembling and asked what Jesus would have him do. Jesus told him to go to the city (Damascus) and it would be told to him what to do.)

⁷ And the men that journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing the voice, but beholding no man.
⁸ And Saul arose from the earth; and when his eyes were opened, he saw nothing; and they led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus.
⁹ And he was three days without sight, and did neither eat nor drink.

(Saul was blind for three days in which he neither ate nor drank.)

¹⁰ Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and the Lord said unto him in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord.
¹¹ And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go to the street which is called Straight, and inquire in the house of Judas for one named Saul, a man of Tarsus: for behold, he prayeth;
¹² and he hath seen a man named Ananias coming in, and laying his hands on him, that he might receive his sight.

(Ananias had a vision where Jesus told him to enquire of Saul who was also seeing a vision of Ananias who would put his hands on Saul so he would receive his sight. Try imagining what this must have been like for Ananias, this would be similar to Jesus telling a Jew in Nazi occupied Austria to go find Hitler and put your hands on him.)

¹³ But Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard from many of this man, how much evil he did to thy saints at Jerusalem:
¹⁴ and here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call upon thy name.

(Ananias told Jesus about Saul and how much evil he had done.)

¹⁵ But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles and kings, and the children of Israel:
¹⁶ for I will show him how many things he must suffer for my name's sake.

(Jesus said to go because Saul "is a chosen vessel" of Jesus'. Saul would proclaim Jesus' Name to the Gentiles, kings, and children of Israel. Saul would be shown the great things he must suffer for Christ's sake. Was Saul being shown these "things" while he was blind for three days? Regardless, do not lose sight of this statement from God: Saul was shown up front the things he would have to suffer. There was nothing pleasant about this experience for Saul. He was being broken mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and physically so that God would be able to work through him.)

¹⁷ And Ananias departed, and entered into the house; and laying his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, who appeared unto thee in the way which thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mayest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Spirit.

(Ananias was obedient and found Saul. Ananias called him "Brother" and told Saul that Jesus sent him so that Saul would receive his sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.)

¹⁸ And straightway there fell from his eyes as it were scales, and he received his sight; and he arose and was baptized;

(Immediately scales fell from Saul's eyes and he received his sight and was baptized.)

¹⁹ and he took food and was strengthened. And he was certain days with the disciples that were at Damascus.
²⁰ And straightway in the synagogues he proclaimed Jesus, that he is the Son of God.

(Immediately Saul went and preached Christ in the synagogue. Saul was a Pharisee. He would have been a Torah teacher and would have had the entire Torah memorized. Knowing Jesus was the Messiah would have enabled Saul to preach Jesus immediately because the Messiah was written about in the Torah.)

²¹ And all that heard him were amazed, and said, Is not this he that in Jerusalem made havoc of them that called on this name? and he had come hither for this intent, that he might bring them bound before the chief priests.

(All those who saw him were amazed because they recognized that he was the great persecutor of the church.)

²² But Saul increased the more in strength, and confounded the Jews that dwelt at Damascus, proving that this is the Christ.
²³ And when many days were fulfilled, the Jews took counsel together to kill him:
²⁴ but their plot became known to Saul. And they watched the gates also day and night that they might kill him:

(The Jews sought to kill Saul.)

²⁵ but his disciples took him by night, and let him down through the wall, lowering him in a basket.

(Saul already had disciples that took Saul and let him down the wall in a basket.)

²⁶ And when he was come to Jerusalem, he assayed to join himself to the disciples: and they were all afraid of him, not believing that he was a disciple.

(All the Disciples were still afraid of Saul.)

²⁷ But Barnabas took him, and brought him to the apostles, and declared unto them how he had seen the Lord in the way, and that he had spoken to him, and how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus.

(Barnabas vouched for Saul.)

²⁸ And he was with them going in and going out at Jerusalem,
²⁹ preaching boldly in the name of the Lord: and he spake and disputed against the Grecian Jews; but they were seeking to kill him.
³⁰ And when the brethren knew it, they brought him down to Caesarea, and sent him forth to Tarsus.

(The Grecian Jews also wanted to kill Saul because he challenged their beliefs. Tarsus was Saul's hometown.)

³¹ So the church throughout all Judaea and Galilee and Samaria had peace, being edified; and, walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, was multiplied.
³² And it came to pass, as Peter went throughout all parts, he came down also to the saints that dwelt at Lydda.
³³ And there he found a certain man named Aeneas, who had kept his bed eight years; for he was palsied.
³⁴ And Peter said unto him, Aeneas, Jesus Christ healeth thee: arise and make thy bed. And straightway he arose.
³⁵ And all that dwelt at Lydda and in Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord.

(Peter healed a man with palsy. All those who saw this turned to the Lord. This miraculous healing led to people being converted.)

³⁶ Now there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, which by interpretation is called Dorcas: this woman was full of good works and almsdeeds which she did.
³⁷ And it came to pass in those days, that she fell sick, and died: and when they had washed her, they laid her in an upper chamber.
³⁸ And as Lydda was nigh unto Joppa, the disciples, hearing that Peter was there, sent two men unto him, entreating him, Delay not to come on unto us.
³⁹ And Peter arose and went with them. And when he was come, they brought him into the upper chamber: and all the widows stood by him weeping, and showing the coats and garments which Dorcas made, while she was with them.
⁴⁰ But Peter put them all forth, and kneeled down and prayed; and turning to the body, he said, Tabitha, arise. And she opened her eyes; and when she saw Peter, she sat up.

(Tabitha was a woman who gave so much, the people wanted her raised from the dead. Notice, during this healing Peter did not say "in the name of Jesus Christ." He only said "Tabitha, arise." Like Jesus, Peter spoke a statement where the object of the healing was the subject of the statement.)

⁴¹ And he gave her his hand, and raised her up; and calling the saints and widows, he presented her alive.
⁴² And it became known throughout all Joppa: and many believed on the Lord.
⁴³ And it came to pass, that he abode many days in Joppa with one Simon a tanner.

(Peter raised Tabitha (Dorcas) from the dead and many believed on the Lord. Again, the signs and wonders that happened through the Apostles caused people to be converted.)

(This post covered Stephen's stoning and Saul's/Paul's conversion.)

Day 315