Acts 7:51 “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.”
As mentioned yesterday, Stephen had been arrested for boldly sharing his faith - something Christians had become know for in that day. During his defense, he went back into their history of faith to show this repeated pattern. Joseph was given a special dream and promise by God, but his brothers (greatly outnumbering him) became jealous and sold him into slavery, hoping to get rid of him later. Moses was sent by God to deliver them from Egypt, but when he was gone too long on the mountain, giving up on him and turning to the golden calf. When they were settled in the promised land, God finally allowed them to build a permanent temple, but soon they left Him there as if in a box, where they could walk away and do whatever they wanted to do. They had a history of resisting God's plan, persecuting His deliverers, and breaking His covenant. They were now doing it all over again. How often do we repeat such history?
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