Because Stephen was a devoted follower of Jesus, the religious authorities accused him of crimes similar to those brought against his Savior and Friend. Stephen responded to these complaints by recounting the history of the Hebrew people.
In today’s YouTube video, Rudy Ross, Bruce Kirby, and I explore God’s activity with Abraham and the patriarchs, culminating with the Israelites settling in Egypt. One constant theme running through Acts 7:4-16 is how God’s people repeatedly had to wait for His promises to become reality.
A Wait Rewarded and Rejected
Stephen reminded his listeners of God’s faithful work among His people. He pointed out that although God promised great things to Abraham, the fulfillment of those promises took a very long time.
- Abraham was promised that a great nation would come from his family line, but he and Sarah had to wait until their old age before God miraculously gave them a child.
- Joseph eventually saved the Hebrew people from starvation during a severe famine, but first, he endured years languishing in prison before rising to a leadership role in Pharaoh’s administration.
Sometimes, you may wait so long for God’s promises to come true that you begin to think they never will. Then, when the answer finally arrives—often looking entirely different than you expected—it can be tempting to turn against the very person carrying God’s promise.
This was certainly true with Jesus. God’s children had waited centuries for the Messiah. Yet, when Jesus arrived, He did not look like the savior they anticipated. So, they rejected Him.
Now Stephen, representing Jesus the Messiah, stands accused because the religious leaders cannot accept his message. They simply could not see beyond their own rigid expectations of how and when God would work.
Humble Waiting on God
The response of the religious leaders to Jesus and the early church should challenge us to examine our own hearts. While we shouldn’t blindly accept every new teaching presented to us, we must maintain a posture of humility regarding our own understanding.
The religious authorities were so rigid in their theology that they rejected Jesus simply because He didn’t fit their mold. If we hold our beliefs with humility and remain open to how God might move, we are far less likely to make that same tragic mistake.
A well-known passage in Isaiah begins by acknowledging that God’s people were tired of waiting. Maybe you find yourself in that kind of place today. You have held tightly to one of God’s promises, but the fulfillment feels hopelessly out of reach.
When what you believe about the Lord clashes with the painful reality of your current circumstances, it is natural to bring your complaints to God:
“Why do you say, O Jacob,
and assert, O Israel,
‘My way is hidden from the Lord,
and my right is disregarded by my God’?”
— Isaiah 40:27
Our ability to wait for God’s timing does not depend on our own strength; it depends entirely on His character. When we truly know who God is, we can wait patiently for His work to unfold.
“Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
his understanding is unsearchable.
He gives power to the faint
and strengthens the powerless.”
— Isaiah 40:28-29
Stephen pointed to the faithful waiting of Hebrew heroes like Abraham and Joseph. Sadly, the religious leaders of his day could not see that God had fulfilled His ultimate promise through Jesus.
Let’s not make the same mistake. Read the ending of this powerful passage in Isaiah, and remember that waiting on the Lord means trusting Him faithfully, no matter what happens in the meantime:
“Even youths will faint and be weary,
and the young will fall exhausted,
but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint.”
— Isaiah 40:30-31
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross, Bruce Kirby, and I discussed Acts 7:4-16 on YouTube today. I hope you’ll join us there!
