Seared or Separation unto Christ?
Acts 7:41–50 (NKJV)
41 And they made a calf in those days, offered sacrifices to the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their own hands. 42 Then God turned and gave them up to worship the host of heaven, as it is written in the book of the Prophets: ‘Did you offer Me slaughtered animals and sacrifices during forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel?
We left off of our last study in Israel’s departure for the Egyptian form of worship. It was in their hearts that they turned back to Egypt after the confrontation of the Law. Having gone astray in their hearts they chose laziness over self-governance. They wanted earthly judges to rule over them rather than take advantage of the liberty for which the Angel of Lord has set them free. The Lord desired to put the heart of His Spirit in them and to rule over them. The burden of His Spirit was too heavy; so they casted off the burden, and laid it upon Moses, not even willing to wait for what he was receiving from the Lord. They returned in their heart to what they had known in Egypt; the sin of formulating an idol from their own hands and imaginations, which was of the strongest inclination of their own hearts in the poverty of the desert, desiring to be enslaved to tradition rather than a living covenant that would steer them to complete liberty in God.
And they made a calf in those days, offered sacrifices to the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their own hands.
Beginning with the phrase, “And they made a calf in those days,” we will see whose design it was to turn the image of God into a calf. It starts out with “they made” according to Stephen’s understanding of the historical account. One commentary rightly points out that this was the will of the whole house of Israel.
Aaron is represented as exclusively the maker. But he very justly charges the former with the act, for Aaron was governed by their directions, and was, in a certain sense, only the obedient servant who executed the will of the sovereign people. [Lange, J. P., Schaff, P., Gotthard, V. L., Gerok, C., & Schaeffer, C. F. (2008). A commentary on the Holy Scriptures: Acts (p. 125). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.]
This makes sense because in our last study we saw how they wanted “gods” to rule over them. Aaron having been pressured by the imaginations of the people, obeyed their requests out of weakness. Aaron was left alone to deal with their complaints while Moses got away to hear from the Lord. Under immense pressure Aaron caved in to the desires of the people. Therefore, Stephen charges all of Israel with the sin of desiring to have “a god” rule over them. As the commentators pointed out, the responsibility falls upon Aaron. The people were listening to the grumblings of their belly and could only remember the meat they had eaten in Egypt. So Aaron shaped a god that fit their present sinful inclination. Aaron was the only one with the motivation and skill to make the image. Aaron most likely remembered the gods that the Egyptians worshiped and copied the design of a calf in judgment of Israel. Remember that this was the result of their rejection of the image of God, in the form of the Law, which spoke out of the fire (Deut.4:15). It was the burden of seeing themselves in the mirror of God, which is also the Law of God, in the fire that aroused this desire to change God’s incorruptible image into a golden calf. Aaron is simply giving them over to their sinful desires out of pressure placed upon him “in those days.”
Exodus 32:4 (NKJV)
4 And he received the gold from their hand, and he fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made a molded calf. Then they said, “This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!”
But is Aaron totally responsible for the blasphemy of changing what God had written upon the foreskin of their conscience? I don’t believe that Aaron had removed from his conscience what God had written upon it. No, it was Israel that had removed the foreskin of their conscience. But what did they remove it with? They removed it with an insufficient sacrifice – their own works. It says “they” said, “This is your god.” They go onto to equate the works of “their” hands with the works of the “Angel of the Lord” who brought them out of the slavery of Egypt. Do you see the offense in that? It was most certainly blasphemous to God by equating their sinfulness to His righteousness. Maybe Aaron was included in that? I don’t know for sure, but it would appear to me that he was given a conscience to know that they had sinned. The others were not able to see their sin and were blinded by their evil. However, Aaron is responsible for his lack of love and faith to steer the people towards patience, until Moses returned with the Word of the Lord. The jealousy and anger of the Lord was “aroused” for rejoicing in their sacrifices to this image of sin. The sin of God’s chosen people was that they were too impatient to be circumcised of the covenant of death before God was willing to give them a sufficient sacrifice. Therefore as we will see in the following verses that God gives them over to the destruction and damnation of the covenant. This is what Stephen is implying to the high counsel of Israel, that God is giving them over to the rejection of the sufficient sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and over to the condemnation of the Law’s demands having seared their conscience with the hot iron of the Law of God! Remember that Stephen’s jealousy for their salvation is increasing as he is pressing the Law’s demands upon them, hoping that God would give them the understanding to see how they have misused the Law of God.
1 Timothy 4:1–5 (NKJV)
4 Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, 2 speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, 3 forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. 4 For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving; 5 for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.
The apostle Paul, in his letter to Timothy, prophesied of the apostasy of those who would misuse the Law of God, as had been done in Israel’s history. It may also be important to note and remember that Paul was present in the stoning of Stephen. Remember that Stephen is giving this rebuttal as a result of the debates in the synagogue that Paul attended before his conversion. Therefore, Paul would be well acquainted with the grief of Israel’s sin (Rom.10:3). While Israel is an elect nation, and has not been given over to the fullness of their apostasy, the visible church is not elect, and can have the covenant of God’s grace removed from those members that remain under the teaching of those false leaders (Rev.2:1). There are those who have been once named a church of God, but are now under the eternal damnation of their apostasy (Rev.2:5; Gal.1:6-9) like the Roman Catholic Church.
Rev 18:23-24
23 The light of a lamp shall not shine in you anymore, and the voice of bridegroom and bride shall not be heard in you anymore. For your merchants were the great men of the earth, for by your sorcery all the nations were deceived. 24 And in her was found the blood of prophets and saints, and of all who were slain on the earth." NKJV
Israel, as a nation, has only been given over to their sin for a period of time because of the covenant that God made with them in reference to the days of Moses. But the Roman “city” that deceives the nations by her sorcery will have the light and voice of Christ removed from her presence forever. It is by her deception that the martyrs of Christ and the simple were killed.
Ex 19:4-5
4 'You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to Myself. 5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. NKJV
Ex 24:7-8
7 Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read in the hearing of the people. And they said, "All that the Lord has said we will do, and be obedient." 8 And Moses took the blood, sprinkled it on the people, and said, "This is the blood of the covenant which the Lord has made with you according to all these words." NKJV
Ex 31:16-18
16 Therefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant. 17 It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.'" 18 And when He had made an end of speaking with him on Mount Sinai, He gave Moses two tablets of the Testimony, tablets of stone, written with the finger of God. NKJV
Ex 34:10,14
And He said: "Behold, I make a covenant. Before all your people I will do marvels such as have not been done in all the earth, nor in any nation; and all the people among whom you are shall see the work of the Lord. For it is an awesome thing that I will do with you. 14 (for you shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God), NKJV
Notice that the covenant was perpetual upon the sign of the Sabbath. Israel was chosen above all the nations to represent God in the earth and to keep this covenant reguarding the Sabbath, until God removes the foreskin of their conscience (Jer.9:26). Remember at the beginning of Stephen’s rebuttal that he began with the covenant of circumcision as a sign to Abraham that Israel would become a nation. God is fulfilling that covenant through Moses and adding the sign of the Sabbath to show how Israel has been made holy above all the other nations. Stephen is establishing that Christ was the sign of the new covenant and was the sufficient sacrifice to remove the foreskin of their conscience forever. The laws that centered on the Sabbath were all removed in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Christ is the sign that will make this nation holy, not obedience to the laws that demanded a better sacrifice. The strong voice that spoke to them from the fire near Horeb seared their conscience and calloused the foreskin of their heart from knowing God. The Law was not sufficient to write upon man's conscience the glory and image of God. The Law was not powerful enough to transform the corruption of man's heart. But the Law was and is powerful enough to reveal the condition of man's heart. So powerful that if rejected, the gospel is powerless to transform (Heb.4:12). The holiness of Christ is the circumcision that is necessary to remove what hot iron of the Law seared to the conscience of man. If the Law of God does not first penetrate your heart to the conviction of sin, the image of God cannot be stamped upon it. If the Law (the mirror of God) doesn't reveal the image of sin to man, the image of Christ cannot has not shone into your heart (2Cor.4:6).
Heb 9:11-18
But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. 12 Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. 13 For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, 14 how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? 15 And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. 16 For where there is a testament, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. 17 For a testament is in force after men are dead, since it has no power at all while the testator lives. 18 Therefore not even the first covenant was dedicated without blood. NKJV
Then God turned and gave them up to worship the host of heaven, as it is written in the book of the Prophets: ‘Did you offer Me slaughtered animals and sacrifices during forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel?
Stephen adds that God gave them up to worship the heavens. Stephen is answering the rhetorical question that God asked in the days of the prophet Amos. In asking the question, God is basically stating that He did not hear their prayers or receive their false worship. Offering to a golden calf in His name, shaped like the gods of Egypt who worshiped the stars, is why their prayers only reached the heavens and did not enter His heart. It is like sarcastically asking, “Oops, those offerings were for me? Sorry, I thought they were for someone else.” God having been offended offers a bold remark for their blasphemy and disrespect of His works. However, the Holy Spirit through Stephen is applying it to all the false worship that continues to take place on the Sabbath. As the Hebrew writer noted above, that Christ is the sign and fulfillment of the new covenant, there no longer needs to be a sacrifice for sin in the onetime offering of Christ’s death.
Stephen is saying that the death of Christ has circumcised them from the guilt of the Law’s demands and the consequence of their failure to keep them. Christ has removed the foreskin of their heart’s conscience. Stephen is saying, “You killed Him, but He died for you. You no longer have to persecute the Lord’s disciples. Repent and trust the promise of this new covenant.”
Stephen knows and understands this but thinks Israel’s smartest and brightest should have understood this by now. The Spirit’s jealous anger for the nation of Israel is working in him to declare why they cannot understand. In Stephen’s final conclusion he slaps them with the phrase, “You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you!” He is basically saying the foreskin of their conscience is seared to their heart. Their hearts have become so calloused, like that of Pharaoh, that the Word of God has no effect on them. They have a cold, dead, and un-shapable heart of stone. Does this describe you?
1 Corinthians 15:56–58 (NKJV)
56 The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
Romans 6:14 (NKJV)
14 For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.
