Acts 7:1-22

Stephen, Full of the Holy Spirit
1Then the Chief Priest said, "What do you have to say for yourself?" 2-3Stephen replied, "Friends, fathers, and brothers, the God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was still in Mesopotamia, before the move to Haran, and told him, ‘Leave your country and family and go to the land I’ll show you.’ 4-7"So he left the country of the Chaldees and moved to Haran. After the death of his father, he immigrated to this country where you now live, but God gave him nothing, not so much as a foothold. He did promise to give the country to him and his son later on, even though Abraham had no son at the time. God let him know that his offspring would move to an alien country where they would be enslaved and brutalized for four hundred years. ‘But,’ God said, ‘I will step in and take care of those slaveholders and bring my people out so they can worship me in this place.’ 8"Then he made a covenant with him and signed it in Abraham’s flesh by circumcision. When Abraham had his son Isaac, within eight days he reproduced the sign of circumcision in him. Isaac became father of Jacob, and Jacob father of twelve ‘fathers,’ each faithfully passing on the covenant sign. 9-10"But then those ‘fathers,’ burning up with jealousy, sent Joseph off to Egypt as a slave. God was right there with him, though—he not only rescued him from all his troubles but brought him to the attention of Pharaoh, king of Egypt. He was so impressed with Joseph that he put him in charge of the whole country, including his own personal affairs. 11-15"Later a famine descended on that entire region, stretching from Egypt to Canaan, bringing terrific hardship. Our hungry fathers looked high and low for food, but the cupboard was bare. Jacob heard there was food in Egypt and sent our fathers to scout it out. Having confirmed the report, they went back to Egypt a second time to get food. On that visit, Joseph revealed his true identity to his brothers and introduced the Jacob family to Pharaoh. Then Joseph sent for his father, Jacob, and everyone else in the family, seventy-five in all. That’s how the Jacob family got to Egypt. 15-16"Jacob died, and our fathers after him. They were taken to Shechem and buried in the tomb for which Abraham paid a good price to the sons of Hamor. 17-19"When the four hundred years were nearly up, the time God promised Abraham for deliverance, the population of our people in Egypt had become very large. And there was now a king over Egypt who had never heard of Joseph. He exploited our race mercilessly. He went so far as forcing us to abandon our newborn infants, exposing them to the elements to die a cruel death. 20-22"In just such a time Moses was born, a most beautiful baby. He was hidden at home for three months. When he could be hidden no longer, he was put outside—and immediately rescued by Pharaoh’s daughter, who mothered him as her own son. Moses was educated in the best schools in Egypt. He was equally impressive as a thinker and an athlete.
Devotional (by Emily Alsobrook):
You may be wondering, as did I, why Stephen is talking about Joseph, Abraham, Moses, etc. He is basically on trial so why is he giving a history lesson?
Stephen is going back to the roots of the Jewish heritage to remind those in the audience of where they came from. He is building a foundation for his statements that we will see in the next devotional, but I think Stephen is forcing the council and those around him to look at where they have come from.
Many times, it is good to look back and see where life has taken you. Remembering humble beginnings, tragedies, God’s faithfulness and provision, celebrations, and everyday experiences can remind us what a gift life is.
So if you’re in a good place right now, you can look back over your life and see how God brought you to this point and thank Him for His faithfulness. If you’re in a tough place right now, like so many are, you can look back over your life and see how God has never left you and taken care of you in the past, and be assured that He will do the same now and in your future.

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for the ways You have been there for me in the past. Help me to remember those instances and see how You love me. Thank You for who You are and how You love all people. Help me to live a life of remembrance, thankfulness, and hope for the future. Amen.