Acts 7:43

"But God turned away and gave them up to serve the army of the sky, as it is written in the book of the prophets, ‘Did you offer to me slain animals and sacrifices forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel?"

Key Reflection

In Acts 7:43, Stephen speaks about how God turned away from the Israelites and allowed them to serve other gods during their sojourn in the wilderness. This was a fulfillment of prophecy, as recorded in various books of the Old Testament, such as Exodus 16:27, where Moses instructs the people to preserve a sample of manna as a reminder of God's provision. The cultural context here highlights the shift from divine favor and guidance to abandonment and idolatry, emphasizing the consequences of disobeying God’s commands and seeking false gods. This narrative foreshadows the broader theme of Israel’s spiritual wandering and eventual return to faith throughout the biblical narrative.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

Verse 43. Yea, ye took up. That is, you bore, or you carried with you, for purposes of idolatrous worship. The tabernacle. This word properly means a tent; but it is also applied to the small tent or house in which was contained the image of the god; the house, box, or tent, in which the idol was placed. It is customary for idolatrous nations to bear their idols about with them, enclosed in cases or boxes of various sizes, usually very small, as their idols are commonly small. Probably they were made in the shape of small temples or tabernacles; and such appear to have been the silver shrines for Diana, made at Ephesus, Ac 19:24.

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