Destroy This Temple (Jn.2:19)
Acts 7:42–50 (NKJV)
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? 43 You also took up the tabernacle of Moloch, And the star of your god Remphan, Images which you made to worship; And I will carry you away beyond Babylon.’ 44 “Our fathers had the tabernacle of witness in the wilderness, as He appointed, instructing Moses to make it according to the pattern that he had seen, 45 which our fathers, having received it in turn, also brought with Joshua into the land possessed by the Gentiles, whom God drove out before the face of our fathers until the days of David, 46 who found favor before God and asked to find a dwelling for the God of Jacob. 47 But Solomon built Him a house. 48 “However, the Most High does not dwell in temples made with hands, as the prophet says: 49 ‘Heaven is My throne, And earth is My footstool. What house will you build for Me? says the Lord, Or what is the place of My rest? 50 Has My hand not made all these things?’
We closed our last study in the middle of God’s judgment upon Israel for the blasphemy of their pagan worship. We saw how Aaron gave them over to their sin when the Hebrews came to him to forge a pagan calf in honor of their deliverance. We saw how Stephen is giving the Sanhedrin over to their idolatry and enslavement to the Mosaic covenant (form of worship) that has been circumcised through Christ (Col.2:11-14). Stephen is basically calling them hypocrites, for charging him with blasphemy while they and their fathers are guilty of blaspheming the eternal Son of God, and are on the verge of blaspheming the Holy Spirit. God sarcastically asked Israel, “Was it Me that you offered sacrifices in the wilderness for forty years?” What God spoke through the fire fell on deaf ears as they continued to reduce the image and glory of God down to figures made to look like men and various animals (Rom.1:22-24).
You also took up the tabernacle of Moloch, and the star of your god Remphan, Images which you made to worship; And I will carry you away beyond Babylon.’
In contrast to the tabernacle of witness, they carried along with them the tabernacle of Moloch. What they witnessed in the fire was not enough to destroy their faith in the form of worship directed by a dictatorship as had been done in Egypt. Moloch means “your king.” This tabernacle dedicated to a king insinuates that the people wanted worship dictated to them. The voice and witness spoken to them from the fire was not enough to direct their hearts towards the proper respect of God and their fellow man. These early Hebrews wanted somebody to tell them how to worship. In other words they preferred the voice of a man rather than the voice and conscience of God. God’s voice was too convicting and they needed a king to lighten the burden.
Remphan is taken from the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the OT) which means “shrunken and lifeless.” Stephen is most likely just picking one of the many star deities that the pagan nations worshiped. Remphan was probably one of the most popular in the pantheon of the star gods. Stephen is also quoting from Amos. Amos used the term Chuin which translates as an "image on a pillar." Both of these terms indicate the foolishness of worshiping the creation over the Creator. Putting these terms together you have the definition of pagan idolatry. Both terms refer to the idolatry of the planet Saturn. Egypt and Babylon both dedicated worship to Saturn as a deity. Both the prophet Amos and the translators of the Septuagint are pointing out that Israel, along with the pagan nations, have “reduced the glory of God down to the image of the stars, and made them to look like the men and animals of the earth.” They have shrunken the glories of the heavens down to a lifeless image carved out of wood and bowed down to it for worship. The worship of these images symbolize the apostasy of Israel in departing from the living God. Remphan and Chuin are probably not the pagan terms used to describe their images of the deity of Saturn. Remphan and Chuin are the names and terms that Holy Spirit used to define and describe the pagan idolatry of Saturn.
Israel’s discipline for worshiping these images was to be carried beyond Babylon. Amos prophesied beyond Damascus, but the Septuagint translates it Babylon. Stephen doesn’t correct the Septuagint to indicate that God’s discipline is always in keeping with Israel’s idolatry. The further down they try to reduce and lower the worship of God, the further God is going to carry them away to see the greatness and sovereignty of God in their exile. God is going to take them beyond Babylon to see how big and how far God extends. The host of the heavens declare the infinite glory of God; but man has shrunken or reduced down what God has made, to what man has made with his own hands. The host of the heavens were not made to be worshiped, but to show man how great and awesome God is in His power and strength. The host of the heavens were to show man how finite and small that God has made him and his need to cry out to the Creator.
“Our fathers had the tabernacle of witness in the wilderness, as He appointed, instructing Moses to make it according to the pattern that he had seen, . . .
Stephen continues with the special revelation of God in contrast to the created revelation of God. God has revealed Himself in the glory of the heavens, the glory of man, and the glory of the animals in the created order; but to know God personally we must have a special revelation of Him. Stephen points to the tabernacle of “witness” that was according to the pattern that God instructed Moses to assemble. The tabernacle that was dedicated to Moloch was in honor of the created revelation of God which was insufficient to reveal the whole counsel of God. Man is without excuse in regards to sin against the Creator because His invisible attributes are clearly seen, even the co-equal and eternal Triune members of the Godhead, and are understood by the things He has made (Rom.1:20).
The tabernacle of witness was given, as a special revelation, to remove the burden of the voice that all of Israel “witnessed” in the fire –– the voice of conviction. The slaughter of those animal sacrifices were to reveal God’s anger against sin. The voice they witnessed in the fire revealed the knowledge of their sin, and the only way for their sin to be removed was through the shedding of blood to satisfy the justice of God (Heb.9:22). Those sacrifices were given as a temporary covenant until the appointed time that God would send and raise up the sinless seed who would offer Himself, once and for all time, for the remission of sins (Heb.9:23-26).
. . . which our fathers, having received it in turn, also brought with Joshua into the land possessed by the Gentiles, whom God drove out before the face of our fathers until the days of David, . . .
Stephen is extending the history of this covenant to the days of David. This covenant is what gave Israel rights to the land they possess and what has driven away their enemies. Stephen is affirming this covenant as a legitimate and special revelation of God to Israel, but he is also leading up to the nullification of its effect in the death of Jesus Christ. It was because of their idolatry that Rome had control of their nation. It was hypocrisy to stand in judgment of Rome’s idolatry when they also have sinned in the manner of the Gentiles. The covenant they made was indeed a death sentence; but God has chosen to take that death sentence upon Himself.
. . . who found favor before God and asked to find a dwelling for the God of Jacob.
God favored David enough to extend the promise of the covenant to a permanent dwelling, to signify and re-establish the promise of a King, who would always reign from Zion the righteousness and justice of God (2Sam.7:13-16;Ps.132:13,14;Isa.28:16).
But Solomon built Him a house.
God did not answer David’s request in the manner that he petitioned. God’s intent was to dwell in the hearts of men –– the very creation that He Himself has made. God did not need a house built by men to His honor. However, to signify a perpetual covenant to David’s house, God promised to dwell and rest in Zion to establish David’s kingdom forever. But the cornerstone of this house, once laid as the foundation, nullifies the covenant through Moses that brought death and destruction to Israel. The covenant that was intended to give life brought death by their inability to keep it. Therefore God promises to annul it through the death of His Son and the destruction of the Temple and the animal sacrifices.
Isaiah 28:14–19 (NKJV)
14 Therefore hear the word of the Lord, you scornful men, who rule this people who are in Jerusalem, 15 because you have said, “We have made a covenant with death, and with Sheol we are in agreement. When the overflowing scourge passes through, It will not come to us, for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood we have hidden ourselves.” 16 Therefore thus says the Lord God: “Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, A tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; Whoever believes will not act hastily. 17 Also I will make justice the measuring line, and righteousness the plummet; the hail will sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters will overflow the hiding place. 18 Your covenant with death will be annulled, and your agreement with Sheol will not stand; when the overflowing scourge passes through, then you will be trampled down by it. 19 As often as it goes out it will take you; for morning by morning it will pass over, and by day and by night; it will be a terror just to understand the report.”
“However, the Most High does not dwell in temples made with hands, as the prophet says:
God is not limited or confined to a particular space that man has dedicated to Him. God is omnipresent and inhabits all of humanity and all of creation (Ps.139:8). God is not limited to a particular day of the week to rest from labor. He is omnipotent and upholds the universe by the word of His power (Heb.1:3). He needs no place of rest, no shelter, nor a place of refuge. He has, however, become a part of His creation in the person Jesus Christ to dwell among men in the flesh –– a body formed in the likeness of men (the seed of the woman) is His tabernacle (Col.2:9).
‘Heaven is My throne, And earth is My footstool. What house will you build for Me? says the Lord, Or what is the place of My rest? Has My hand not made all these things?’
Stephen is quoting the prophet Isaiah to correct any misunderstandings of the dwelling place of God. By God declaring heaven as His throne, He is saying that His kingdom is from heaven. All power and all authority in the earth originate from a realm that is not of this present world. By God declaring that the earth is His footstool, He is stating that His presence is not absent from the earth. God is boldly declaring that He inhabits both heaven and earth at the same time. He is saying that He is not limited to one realm of life; but operates in both, the spiritual and natural realms of creation. He is openly declaring that He is not hidden from sight and dwells among men in Spirit and in Truth. By the statement, “Or what is the place of My rest?” God is revealing His purpose for the Sabbath. The Sabbath was not created for God, as though He needed rest, but for man to rest in the work of God (Mk.2:27). The Sabbath was created for man to reflect upon the goodness and awesome attributes of God’s created order that declares His glory. God’s glory is what He has made with His hands. In asking the rhetorical question, “Has My hand not made all these things?” God is really asking, “Why would you build a place for Me to rest in, as though I needed it?” The interesting thing about the Sabbath, and the worship that centered on it, was that rest was the furthest activity that occurred on the Sabbath in the Temple. The priests had no place to sit down and were continually offering up bloody sacrifices to God. It was to show that the work of God never ceases (Jn.5:17). This was not the worship that God has ordained. God takes no pleasure in death (Ezk.33:11).
Psalm 40:6 (NKJV)
6 Sacrifice and offering You did not desire; My ears You have opened. Burnt offering and sin offering You did not require.
Hebrews 10:5–10 (NKJV)
5 Therefore, when He came into the world, He said: “Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, But a body You have prepared for Me. 6 In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You had no pleasure. 7 Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come— In the volume of the book it is written of Me— To do Your will, O God.’ ” 8 Previously saying, “Sacrifice and offering, burnt offerings, and offerings for sin You did not desire, nor had pleasure in them” (which are offered according to the law), 9 then He said, “Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God.” He takes away the first that He may establish the second. 10 By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
