City Life Starter

Written by Megan Meier

The Word

“41 And they made a calf in those days, and offered a sacrifice to the idol and were rejoicing in the works of their hands. 42 But God turned away and gave them over to worship the host of heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets:

‘Did you bring to me slain beasts and sacrifices,
    during the forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel?
43 You took up the tent of Moloch
    and the star of your god Rephan,
    the images that you made to worship;
and I will send you into exile beyond Babylon.’

44 Our fathers had the tent of witness in the wilderness, just as he who spoke to Moses directed him to make it, according to the pattern that he had seen.”

Acts 7:41-44 ESV

Reflection

During Stephen’s speech about Moses, he interjects a prophecy made 700 years after Moses’ time from Amos 5:25-27. Of the hundreds of prophecies in the Tanakh, why did God want the scribes to hear this one?

Amos was one of the twelve minor prophets who lived in the days of King Uzziah of Judah and King Jeroboam II of Israel. King Jeroboam II may have been a wealthy and successful military leader, but according to the prophets, he had failed his duty as king and leader. He allowed Canaanite idol worship, neglected the poor, and turned a blind eye to injustice (Bible Project, 2023).

In Amos’ prophecy, when and if the Israelites offered physical sacrifices to the Lord, their heart was not in the act but they were merely going through the motions. Stephen seems to suggest they were offering sacrifices not to God, but to false idols (Marshall, 1980, p. 153). Moloch was a Canaanite idol who required child-sacrifice in return for protection and prosperity, and Rephan was an Egyptian idol associated with the planet Saturn, he was an astral idol or a “host of heaven” (Marshall, 1980, p. 154). Leviticus specifies any Israelite who sacrifices to Moloch will be put to death as it is profanity to the Lord (Leviticus 18:21, 20:1-5). The first two Commandments explicitly state against idol worship or making an image of an idol (Exodus 20:3-5). The Israelites knew idol worship was against God’s Law, and they had known this for at least 700 years. But they did it anyway. Amos’ prophecy came to pass forty years after when the Assyrian empire destroyed the city and took the people into exile around 722 B.C. (BibleProject, 2023) (see also 2 Kings 17:5-23).

What does this prophecy have to do with the scribes Stephen is speaking to? Both King Jeroboam II and the scribes had a love of money and no interest in helping the needy. Jesus publicly accused the scribes and Pharisees of loving appearances and money to the point of exploiting widows, and God will severely punish for this sin (Matthew 23:14, Luke 20:45-47). This memory would have been fresh in the scribes’ minds. They were very highly educated in the Tanakh, and the reference to the Book of Amos and his prophecy would not have been lost on them. Stephen is implying they are the ones who are disobeying the law of Moses. His final words confirm his point:   

51 “You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. 52 Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered, 53 you who received the law as delivered by angels and did not keep it.” Acts 7:51-53 ESV

Application

Stephen was not afraid to do what was right. His boldness was so extreme he told authority figures right to their faces they were doing wrong and calling it right (Isaiah 50:20). He used God’s Word as the ultimate authority of godly living and did not try to twist it (like the scribes and Pharisees), he just told the Truth, the whole Truth, and nothing but the Truth.

Read and understand God’s Word, dig deep into what was happening at the time and what does it mean for you today. When you present your case for Christ, listen to the Holy Spirit.    

Prayer

Holy Spirit, please grant me the courage to do what is right and to let You speak when presenting Your case. Grant me understanding when studying the Word. In Jesus’ Name I pray, amen.

References

Bible Project. Book of Amos | guide with key information and resources. (2023, March 30). https://bibleproject.com/guides/book-of-amos/.  

Marshall, I. H. (1980). Tyndale New Testament Commentaries–Acts. Williams B. Eerdmans Publish. Pp. 153, 154