Stephen, chosen to serve tables, out-argues the synagogue and is dragged before the council. His answer is the whole history of the prophets, and the stones come as he sees heaven open.
Lyrics
Stephen, chosen to serve tables, out-argues the synagogue and is dragged before the council. His answer is the whole history of the prophets, and the stones come as he sees heaven open.
Name one prophet your fathers didn't persecute Acts 7:52
Name one Acts 7:52
Name one Acts 7:52
Name one Acts 7:52
They came to debate a servant Acts 6:9
None of them could stand Acts 6:10
They bribed the witnesses to lie Acts 6:11, 13
And seized him by the hand Acts 6:12
Dragged him before the council Acts 6:12
The highest in the land Acts 6:12
He blasphemes Moses Acts 6:11
He blasphemes God Acts 6:11
His face shone like an angel Acts 6:15
We shouldn't waste our time serving tables Acts 6:2
The first will be last and the last will be first Matt 19:30; 20:16; Mark 10:31; Luke 13:30
Name one prophet your fathers didn't persecute Acts 7:52
They stoned him Acts 7:58-59
Do not hold this sin against them Acts 7:60
Joseph sold by his brothers Gen 37:28; Acts 7:9
Moses rejected by his own Exod 2:14; Acts 7:35
Elijah hunted and alone 1 Kgs 19:10
Amos cast out Amos 7:12-13
Jeremiah left in the ground Jer 38:6
Micaiah beaten down 1 Kgs 22:24, 27
Isaiah sawn in two Heb 11:37
Zechariah stoned in the temple 2 Chron 24:21; Matt 23:35
Uriah cut through Jer 26:23
Name one prophet your fathers didn't persecute Acts 7:52
Name one Acts 7:52
Name one Acts 7:52
Name one Acts 7:52
We shouldn't waste our time serving tables Acts 6:2
The first will be last and the last will be first Matt 19:30; 20:16; Mark 10:31; Luke 13:30
Name one prophet your fathers didn't persecute Acts 7:52
They stoned him Acts 7:58-59
Do not hold this sin against them Acts 7:60
Stiff-necked people Acts 7:51
Heathen at heart and deaf to the truth Acts 7:51
You betrayed and murdered the Righteous One Acts 7:52
As your fathers did so do you Acts 7:51
They gnashed their teeth Acts 7:54
I see heaven open Acts 7:56
And the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God Acts 7:56
They covered their ears Acts 7:57
They rushed at him Acts 7:57
As the rocks rained down Acts 7:58
Name one prophet your fathers didn't persecute Acts 7:52
Name one Acts 7:52
Name one Acts 7:52
Name one Acts 7:52
Do not hold this sin against them. Acts 7:60
Lesson
The story of Stephen, my personal favorite character in the entire Bible. The big dogs of the ministry, right after Jesus, needed to go out and spread the gospel. The issue was they had widows that needed feeding, so they chose Stephen and a few others to serve the tables. Men from the synagogue would come and try to debate Stephen, who would always win. So they dragged him before the Sanhedrin and started accusing him of things. One of the accusations was that he was blaspheming Moses. God responded by making Stephen's face shine like an angel before them. This is a direct reference to Moses's face shining when he returned from Mount Sinai with the covenant from God.
Stephen asked them, "Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute?" and came with receipts. For this song, I listed the prophets I believe he was referring to, although they are not said directly. Every one of them was persecuted. Stephen's argument was simple: every prophet God ever sent, their fathers persecuted. And with Jesus they did exactly what their fathers had done. They betrayed and murdered the Righteous One.
They were extremely angered by this, and God's response was to open heaven and give a vision of Christ STANDING at the right hand of God. This is the only place in the Bible Jesus is standing beside the Father, not seated. I believe it is to give Stephen the ultimate honor. He said the first will be last, and the last will be first. And Stephen, I believe, in this moment was given the greatest honor in heaven. Stephen, a man not great enough to go out and preach the gospel, just a humble servant feeding widows, was honored by God directly that day. Then they proved Stephen's point by dragging him outside and stoning him to death, persecuting him just as their fathers did before them. In his final moments, just as our Lord Jesus did on the cross, he asked God to not hold this sin against them.
I love this story so much, because I will never be as good as Jesus, or probably even as good as Paul or any of the prophets, but we can all strive to be humble servants.
Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you. (1 Peter 5:6, ESV)
Read it yourself: Acts 6:1-15, Acts 7:51-60, Exodus 34:29-35, Matthew 20:16, 1 Peter 5:6.