The Church of the Holy Apostles;
A Bible Study on the Book of Acts
Based upon the Homilies of St John Chrysostom (SJC)
Study Guide – January 28, 2015, Acts 7.6-34, Homily 16
Chapter 7 v. 6-8 – "But God spoke in this way: that his descendants would dwell in a foreign land, and that they would
bring them into bondage and oppress them four hundred years. 'And the nation to whom they will be in bondage I will
judge,' said God, 'and after that they shall come out and serve Me in this place.' "Then He gave him the covenant of
circumcision; and so Abraham begot Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day; and Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob
begot the twelve patriarchs.
Delayed fulfillment of promise of God – great lesson on endurance
SJC “He the Same, that promised, He that gave the land, first permits the evils. So also now, though He has
promised a Kingdom, yet He suffers us to be exercised in temptations. If here the freedom was not to be till
after four hundred years, what wonder, with regard to the Kingdom?”
SJC “This above all showed the riches of God’s resources, that in its very reverses, the nation increased, while
enslaved, while evil-entreated, and sought to be exterminated. And this is the greatness of the Promise. For
had it increased in its own land, it had not been so wonderful.”
Joseph is introduced as a “TYPE” for Christ
Chapter 7 v. 9-16 – " And the patriarchs, becoming envious, sold Joseph into Egypt. But God was with him "and
delivered him out of all his troubles, and gave him favor and wisdom in the presence of Pharaoh, king of Egypt; and he
made him governor over Egypt and all his house. "Now a famine and great trouble came over all the land of Egypt and
Canaan, and our fathers found no sustenance. "But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent out our
fathers first. "And the second time Joseph was made known to his brothers, and Joseph's family became known to the
Pharaoh. "Then Joseph sent and called his father Jacob and all his relatives to him, seventy-five people. "So Jacob went
down to Egypt; and he died, he and our fathers. "And they were carried back to Shechem and laid in the tomb that
Abraham bought for a sum of money from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem.
The Jews themselves were the cause of their own evils
The Jews had to depend upon Joseph for everything
Stephen teaches the Resurrection from the Dead figuratively using the Jewish Plight – famine, enemies, destroyed
by foreign king.
Stephen humors the Jews by retelling the Jewish History – retelling of the Patriarchs’ jealousy
Chapter 7 v. 17-22 – " But when the time of the promise drew near which God had sworn to Abraham, the people grew
and multiplied in Egypt "till another king arose who did not know Joseph. "This man dealt treacherously with our people,
and oppressed our forefathers, making them expose their babies, so that they might not live. "At this time Moses was born,
and was well pleasing to God; and he was brought up in his father's house for three months. "But when he was set out,
Pharaoh's daughter took him away and brought him up as her own son. "And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the
Egyptians, and was mighty in words and deeds.
Pattern of the Imagery – Joseph, Moses, Christ
Constant fight against the People of God, but God always wins
SJC “Mark how it shows the truth of that saying of Gamaliel’s”
Every attempt to destroy God’s promise is used to fulfill it. SJC “They were saved by the means of the very
person whom they expected to be destroyed.”
God always sends help when things are at their worst. SJC “He who is to be their champion, is born, neither after
nor before, these things, but in the very midst of the storm.”
SJC “Thus also does Christ in His death give proof of His power: thus also does He reign as King where they sold
Him.”
Chapter 7 v. 23-29 – "Now when he was forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren, the children of Israel.
"And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended and avenged him who was oppressed, and struck down the Egyptian.
"For he supposed that his brethren would have understood that God would deliver them by his hand, but they did not
understand. "And the next day he appeared to two of them as they were fighting, and tried to reconcile them, saying, 'Men,
you are brethren; why do you wrong one another?' "But he who did his neighbor wrong pushed him away, saying, 'Who
made you a ruler and a judge over us? 'Do you want to kill me as you did the Egyptian yesterday?' "Then, at this saying,
Moses fled and became a dweller in the land of Midian, where he had two sons.
Stephen is patient and not offensive – he draws them in to save them.
SJC “So habitual a thing was it for the Jews to wrong their benefactors when in the act of receiving benefits.”
Chapter 7 v. 30-34 – "And when forty years had passed, an Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire in a
bush, in the wilderness of Mount Sinai. "When Moses saw it, he marveled at the sight; and as he drew near to observe, the
voice of the Lord came to him, "saying, 'I am the God of your fathers -- the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the
God of Jacob.' And Moses trembled and dared not look. 'Then the LORD said to him, "Take your sandals off your feet, for
the place where you stand is holy ground. "I have surely seen the oppression of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard
their groaning and have come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send you to Egypt." '
Time does not dilute the Promise of God during suffering
SJC “The greatness of His tender care...see how He shows, that both by kindness, and by chastisements, and by
miracles, God was drawing them to Him: but they were still the same. That God is everywhere present, they
learned.”
Teaching on Trusting in Spiritual Endurance – (see Homily 16, pp 103-105)
1. The Power of God is revealed in affliction
2. Nothing good is from bodily origin, but spiritual origin
3. To go without joy here, is to go without grief also
4. The humble man lives in much enjoyment
Life Application – A Healthy Body requires labor, so with the soul (Homily 16, pp 105-106)
1. If you desire a healthy soul, you will not fill it with excess. Just as the body is ruined by excess good
without physical work, so too the soul is ruined by experiencing only blessings without suffering.
2. Labor for the soul = affliction, humility, sacrifice