Heavenly Father, thank You for this day and the things my hands and hearts touched. May they be as ripples in the water, as they continue to spread and impact Your Kingdom. Amen.

Acts 7:1-53 (<<click here to read the passage)

A couple of years ago, we spent a good part of a day off in Delaware, Ohio. For lunch, we decided to eat at The Thurman Café, a local landmark. Massey decided to go for one of the dishes they are well known for…The Thurmanator! It. Was. HUGE! (See above.)

It consists of the following: Bottom bun, mayo, lettuce, tomato, pickle, banana peppers, 12-ounce burger, bacon, cheddar, another 12-ounce burger, sautéed onions & mushrooms, ham, mozzarella & American cheese, top bun served with fries, and a pickle spear.

For sure it was a knife and fork kind of meal. There was no possible way to get your mouth wide enough to take a bite from top to bottom! 

Reading through Stephen’s speech is sort of like that! It’s nigh impossible to take a bite out of it. It begins in verse 2 and ends in verse 53! And he covers a lot of Israel’s history and in doing so highlights the Jewish nation’s ongoing problem. The Life Application Study Bible states,

From Old Testament history he showed that the Jews had constantly rejected God’s message and his prophets and that this council had rejected the Messiah, God’s Son…

…Stephen was accusing these religious leaders of failing to obey God’s laws – the laws they prided themselves in following so meticulously. This was the same accusation that Jesus had leveled against them.

And as we will see they didn’t like Stephen’s accusations any more than they liked Jesus’!

The only way to digest what Stephen communicated to the council is by taking one bite at a time. He does an excellent job of condensing the entirety of the main points of Jewish history to prove his point. From day one they had fought against the lordship of God. Like all of mankind, they wanted things their way. To yield to some “god” went against the grain.

His quoting of Amos 5:25-27 gives a very articulate snapshot of Israel’s overall mentality when it came to following God.

‘Was it to me you were bringing sacrifices and offerings
….during those forty years in the wilderness, Israel?
No, you carried your pagan gods—
….the shrine of Molech,
….the star of your god Rephan,
….and the images you made to worship them.
So I will send you into exile
….as far away as Babylon. vs42b-43

They never loved the Lord, their God, with all of their heart, soul, mind, and strength. It was like making a promise with their fingers crossed behind their backs. They may have sworn fealty to Him but at the same time, they had a pagan idol stuck in their back pocket…

Lord Jesus, we may gasp at their audacity, but we are no less guilty. We swear our allegiance to You, but all the while we do not cease feeding our addictions whatever they may be. Forgive us… Give us the strength and fortitude to love You as we ought, holding nothing back. Amen.

Feb 24th, 2022, Thurs, 7:39 pm