Acts 7:30-40 Telling and Retelling

Observation: This sounds very "Old Testament", because it tells Moses' story, but it's actually from the New Testament. It's part of a public sermon given by Stephen, an early Christian deacon, making the point that God's people have always rejected the prophets God sends. 

Application: This text goes head to head against two ideas that to me are like nails on a chalkboard. 

The first is, "Oh, I like the New Testament God a lot more than the Old Testament God." Those who are not as familiar with the Bible tend to have the perception that there are somehow two different Gods at work in the Bible, one violent, vengeful Old Testament God, and one loving, forgiving New Testament God. This is actually one of the first beliefs the Christian community rejected as false. (It's called Marcionism, for those keeping score). From this New Testament text, you can see that Stephen, who was himself Jewish and was talking to other Jews, still very much revered the Old Testament (or as he and his master, Jesus, knew it, "the scriptures," because there was no "new" testament yet). Though the New Testament does a lot of reinterpreting of the Old Testament, it clearly bases its own legitimacy on its being a continuation of that same story, of that same God. 

The second is more subtle, and tends to come even from seasoned Christians: the idea that the God of the Old Testament is "God the Father", and the Son and Holy Spirit only showed up on the scene in the first century. Nope. That's not how this works. As Christians reflected on scripture as a whole, they began seeing Jesus, who they regarded as God's Son, and the Spirit he had granted them, present in everything they read, going back to the very beginning. So as Christians, we read both Testaments and find there the God who has always been there, always in relationship, always inviting us in. 

Anyway, that's where my mind goes this morning. I hope this is useful for others. Sometimes getting our thoughts out there gives us clarity to see the situations we may face later.  

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thanks for walking with your people even before we knew who you are. Thanks for walking with us now, even though we can't see you. Amen.