The First Martyr (Part 3) | Rejection of God's Delivers

Introduction

Focus Passage

Acts 7:9–36 KJV

9 And the patriarchs, moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt: but God was with him, 10 And delivered him out of all his afflictions, and gave him favour and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house. 11 Now there came a dearth over all the land of Egypt and Chanaan, and great affliction: and our fathers found no sustenance. 12 But when Jacob heard that there was corn in Egypt, he sent out our fathers first. 13 And at the second time Joseph was made known to his brethren; and Joseph’s kindred was made known unto Pharaoh. 14 Then sent Joseph, and called his father Jacob to him, and all his kindred, threescore and fifteen souls. 15 So Jacob went down into Egypt, and died, he, and our fathers, 16 And were carried over into Sychem, and laid in the sepulchre that Abraham bought for a sum of money of the sons of Emmor the father of Sychem. 17 But when the time of the promise drew nigh, which God had sworn to Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt, 18 Till another king arose, which knew not Joseph. 19 The same dealt subtilly with our kindred, and evil entreated our fathers, so that they cast out their young children, to the end they might not live. 20 In which time Moses was born, and was exceeding fair, and nourished up in his father’s house three months: 21 And when he was cast out, Pharaoh’s daughter took him up, and nourished him for her own son. 22 And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds. 23 And when he was full forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren the children of Israel. 24 And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended him, and avenged him that was oppressed, and smote the Egyptian: 25 For he supposed his brethren would have understood how that God by his hand would deliver them: but they understood not. 26 And the next day he shewed himself unto them as they strove, and would have set them at one again, saying, Sirs, ye are brethren; why do ye wrong one to another? 27 But he that did his neighbour wrong thrust him away, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge over us? 28 Wilt thou kill me, as thou diddest the Egyptian yesterday? 29 Then fled Moses at this saying, and was a stranger in the land of Madian, where he begat two sons. 30 And when forty years were expired, there appeared to him in the wilderness of mount Sina an angel of the Lord in a flame of fire in a bush. 31 When Moses saw it, he wondered at the sight: and as he drew near to behold it, the voice of the Lord came unto him, 32 Saying, I am the God of thy fathers, the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Then Moses trembled, and durst not behold. 33 Then said the Lord to him, Put off thy shoes from thy feet: for the place where thou standest is holy ground. 34 I have seen, I have seen the affliction of my people which is in Egypt, and I have heard their groaning, and am come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send thee into Egypt. 35 This Moses whom they refused, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge? the same did God send to be a ruler and a deliverer by the hand of the angel which appeared to him in the bush. 36 He brought them out, after that he had shewed wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, and in the Red sea, and in the wilderness forty years.

The People of God Rejected His Delivers

The brothers of Joseph rejected him as their deliver - ‘And the patriarchs, moved with envy, sold Joseph into slavery...’ (v.9a)

We know the story, Jacob had a favorite son, Joseph. This was not a made up story. This is biblical truth. We find recorded in Genesis the following, Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his other sons…And his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers... (Genesis 37:3-4). This knowledge was given validation by Jacob gifting Joseph his coat of many colors (Gen. 37:3).

If the coat of many colors was not enough to drive the brothers of Joseph crazy, we find that Joseph enraged his brothers by tattling on them (Gen 37:2) and he had dreams of his sons and parents bowing down before him. Dreams in which he shared boastfully to them (Gen. 37:5-11).

Because of the tattling, because of the dreams, and because of their father’s apparent and evidential favoritism, they hated Joseph. As find recorded within the story of Joesph...

Genesis 37:4 KJV

4 And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him.

The brothers of Joseph, out of rejection of him, would plot against him. They at first planned on murdering him (Gen. 37:18-20). Then Ruben, convinced them to just place him in a pit and come back at some time later to rescue him as a lesson taught (Gen. 37:21-24). Finally, he would sold into slavery (Gen. 37:25-28), as Stephen would remind them, sold Joseph into Egypt (v.9b).

The Israelites rejected Moses as their deliver

The Jews rejected Jesus as their deliver