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Acts 7:17–19
“There arose over Egypt another king who did not know Joseph. He dealt shrewdly with our race and forced our fathers to expose their infants, so that they would not be kept alive” (vv. 18–19).
The story of old covenant Israel is indeed a story of God’s grace, and Stephen has made that clear thus far in his recounting of that story before the Sanhedrin. The Lord’s grace was evident first in His call to Abraham while he was outside the promised land, living as a pagan and worshiping other gods (Acts 7:1–7; see Josh. 24:2–3). Abraham did nothing to deserve the word of salvation from our Creator, but God chose him anyway. Later, God showed even more grace to Abraham in giving him the covenant of circumcision even after he sinned by conceiving a son with Hagar (Acts 7:8; see Gen. 16–17). The Lord did not allow the patriarch’s temporary lapse of faith to keep Him from graciously separating Abraham and his offspring from the world as His special possession. Then, the Lord did not abandon the children of Jacob when they rejected their brother, God’s servant Joseph. Instead, our Creator turned their rejection into the means of their rescue from starvation by raising Joseph to leadership in Egypt (Acts 7:9–16; see Gen. 37–50).
In today’s passage, we see that Stephen continued to emphasize the grace of God to Israel, reminding the people of where the nation stood in Egypt on the eve of the exodus. The Lord preserved His chosen nation’s existence in that foreign land. Not only did He sustain their numbers, but He actually increased them greatly (Acts 7:17–18; see Ex. 1:1–7). God’s relationship with His people was not so dependent on the promised land that our Lord was unable to prosper them outside the borders of Canaan. This was an early indication that while the promised land is an important part of God’s promises, it was never the ultimate goal of the covenant with Israel. The Lord has always sought to have people call on His name in every place on the earth, and the Israelites’ calling on God in Egypt was an early fulfillment of this purpose.
As we know, however, the increase of the Israelites caused them trouble when there arose in Egypt a new king who did not know all that Joseph had done for the nation. Stephen references this as well in today’s passage, describing Pharaoh’s attempts to deal with the Israelites “shrewdly” by putting the young males of Israel under threat of death (Acts 7:19; see Ex. 1:8–22). This scheme would not succeed, for God continued to graciously protect His children. He determined to have a people for Himself, and nothing could finally prevent Him from accomplishing His purposes.
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
God will graciously preserve His people even though they sin, and He will not allow any of their enemies to utterly destroy His church. The threats that we face both inside and outside the church may seem overwhelming at times, but they cannot finally keep God from preserving His children. That is good news indeed, and we should be eager to continue on in faith and repentance.
For further study
- Leviticus 26:44–45
- Joshua 24:16–18
- Psalm 127
- James 4:6
The bible in a year
- Deuteronomy 23–25
- Mark 14:53–72