The Relationship of Jewish and Gentile Believers to the Law Between A.D. 30 and 70 in the Scripture

61 Not only does Stephen exalt the "customs of Moses" and exonerate himself, but also turns the charge against his accusers. He first narrates the historical rejection of the Law– giver and the Law by the nation and then indicts the present generation with the same crime. This is first evident as he describes Israel's misunderstanding of Moses first dealings with them, "And he supposed that his brethren understood that God was granting them deliverance through him; but they did not understand" (7:25). Consequently they rejected him with the words '"Who made you a ruler and judge over us?"' (7:27). This key phrase is repeated again for emphasis (7:35). 36 One of the more direct attacks against the nation's rejection of the Law comes when it is first delivered (7:38-40). Moses received the "living oracles" from God and delivered them to the people (7:39); the people "were unwilling to be obedient to him, but repudiated him, and in their hearts turned back to Egypt" (7:40), and then asked Aaron to "make {or us gods who will go before us" (7:41) in obvious rejection of the very first ..,. commandment. From then to the exile in Babylon the nation was plagued by idolatry, the most blatant form of disobedience to the Law (7:41-43). Stephen's most direct criticism of the people's rejection of the Law comes when he compares their behavior to previous generation , "You men who are stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit; you are doing just as your fathers did.... you who received the Law a ordained by angels, and yet did not keep it" (7:51, 53). Thus , Stephen, unlike his accuser who resi t the Spirit, i full of the pirit (6 : , 10; 7:55), and, unlike hi accu ers who do not keep the Law, he reverence th La . diatn