In Acts 7:14 and 15 Stephen speaks of Jacob’s going down into Egypt: “Joseph sent and called for Jacob his father and all his relatives—seventy-five souls in all. And Jacob went down into Egypt; and he ended his days, he and our fathers.” We should compare the number seventy-five in verse 14 with the number seventy in Genesis 46:27 and Exodus 1:5. Stephen quoted this number from the Septuagint, which adds Joseph’s five descendants in Genesis 46:20. Hence, the number he mentioned of the house of Jacob who came to Egypt was seventy-five instead of seventy.
In Acts 7:18 Stephen says that “another king rose up over Egypt who did not know Joseph.” The Greek word rendered “another” also means different in character. The king referred to here was not only another king, but a king of a different character.
In 7:20 through 44 Stephen purposely gives a long narration in the most positive way concerning Moses. He did this to vindicate himself before his opposers, who had accused him of blaspheming Moses (6:11). In verse 20 Stephen says, “At which time Moses was born and was handsome to God; and he was nurtured three months in his father’s house.” The Greek words translated “handsome to God” also mean “fair to God.” This is a Hebraism denoting fair in the sight of God; hence, exceedingly fair.
In verse 21 Stephen continues, “And when he was thrown out, Pharaoh’s daughter took him up and nurtured him as her own son.” The Greek words rendered “thrown out” also may be translated “put out to die.” The Greek verb for “took him up” is “used of acknowledging or adopting as one’s child” (F. F. Bruce).
Acts 7:22 says, “And Moses was trained in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and he was powerful in his words and deeds.” The wisdom mentioned here is wisdom in learning.
In 7:30 Stephen says, “And when forty years were fulfilled, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai in the flaming fire of a thornbush.” Here and in verses 35 and 38 the angel in the Old Testament was Christ the Lord, who is Jehovah, the Triune God (Exo. 3:2-16; Judg. 6:12-24; Zech. 2:6-11). This is proved by “the Lord” and “God” in the following verses. The Lord and God in verses 31 through 35 is the angel in verses 30, 35, and 38.
In 7:41 through 43 Stephen went on to say, “And they made a calf in those days and brought a sacrifice to the idol, and made merry in the works of their hands. But God turned and delivered them up to serve the host of heaven, even as it is written in the book of the prophets, Have you offered slain beasts and sacrifices to Me forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel? And you took up the tent of Moloch and the star of your god Rompha, the images which you made to worship them. And I will carry you away beyond Babylon.” In verse 42 serving the hosts of heaven is a matter of star worship. The tent of Moloch in verse 43 was the portable tent-temple of the god to be carried in procession (M. R. Vincent). Rompha was the Coptic name for Saturn.
In verse 44 Stephen comes to the matter of God’s habitation, the tabernacle of testimony. Concerning this Stephen says, “The tabernacle of testimony was with our fathers in the wilderness, even as He who spoke to Moses instructed him to make it, according to the pattern which he had seen; which also our fathers, having in their turn received, brought in with Joshua in their taking possession of the nations, whom God drove out before the face of our fathers until the days of David; who found favor before God, and asked to find a tabernacle for the God of Jacob” (vv. 44-46). These verses indicate that one generation after another maintained the tabernacle. God, however, was not satisfied, and David, a man according to God’s heart, knew it. Therefore, David was seeking a better habitation for God. However, it was eventually Solomon who built a house for the Lord (v. 47). But God could not be satisfied with anything made by human hands. He needed something better. In his speaking Stephen began with the God of glory and covered many matters until he came to God’s habitation.
In verses 48 through 50 Stephen went on to say, “But the Most High does not dwell in that which is made by hands, even as the prophet says, Heaven is My throne, and the earth is a footstool for My feet. What kind of house will you build for Me, says the Lord, or what is the place of My rest? Has not My hand made all these things?” In verse 48 Stephen speaks of God as the Most High. Stephen called God the God of glory and the Most High to vindicate himself before his opposers who had accused him of blaspheming God (6:11).
In verse 48 Stephen says that the Most High does not dwell in that which is made by hands. This implies that God would abandon the material temple of the Old Testament and initiate a new dispensation for His people to worship Him in the spirit (John 4:24), in which is God’s spiritual habitation, the church (Eph. 2:22).
The word in 7:49 indicates that the Lord was seeking a spiritual habitation in man’s spirit. This is proved by the following part of the quotation from Isaiah 66:1-2, which says, “But to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit.”