Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1902-02-22
THE SABBATH SCHOOL
international Lesson Comments For
February %.
Subject: The Arrest OF Stephen. Acts W..
l.i5-GoIdsu Text. Nat. ". S-Mem.
DRY Verses. Z, S-Commentary
on the Days Lesson.

on the Days Lesson
l. I'm those days. This phrase was
used to mark an indefinite period. In
Matt. 3: l it implies number OF years.
while in Acts |: Is it marks a period OF
only few days. The events OF this lesson
occ..rred just before the death of Stephen,
/ which was only short time before the
I conversion OF Saul Was multiplied"
Was becoming numerous. A murmuring.
| A complaint. The ground for the COM
! plant was that Partially had been shown
i in the distribution OF the common fund.
>. The twelve The apostles. Mat
! thias was now one OF their number. 1t
seems that up to this time the apostles
| had attended TO this matter. Called the
multitude. As soon as they were IN
| formed oi the complaints they immediate
~ called the whole church together aud
proposed a plan by which these temporal
interests could be conserved. Not rea-
SON. 1T is not fit" Il. V. 1t is not the
| proper thing to do. ''Forsake the word OF
| God" (R W To leave the higher func.
! tons to which we have been called. And
serve tables" That is; TO attend to the
business duties OF the church.
3. Look We out" Choose. Here we
see an organized. working church. The
apostles took the wise course in order to
allay any suspicion that they were show
4! ing Partially or desired to control the af-
fairs of the church. From among you
! Or. W That is, from among the Gre
! clans aud Hebrews, that there may he jus
tice done. and no further cause OF COM
plant Seven men" Seven was sa-
cred number among the Hebrews and de-
noted completeness.
]. Continually to prayer" The orig
| inal expression here used denotes intense
and persevering application to thing, or
unwearied effort in it. Even apostles could
not live without PRAYER. Ministry OF the
word The preaching OF the gospel. 1t
is by "the foolishness OF preaching that
the world is to be saved. The minister
who does not pray much Will be failure
spiritually.
). The saying pleased" There was no
thought OF neglectng any one, and the
whole body OF the disciples rejoiced that .
remedy had been proposed. stephen.
4 man in every way qualified to fill the
office. He nobly dcfended the cause Of the
Lord Jesus and had the honor of being the
first Christian martyr. Phillip" In chap
Samaria. and he is probably the same as
philip the evangelist mentioned in chap
ter 81: s. OF the other five nothing is
known outside OF this passage. Nicolas"
That Nicolas was the founder of the sect
mentioned in Rev. .: is conjecture
without proof.
6. set before the apostles The peo-
pie chose the men, but the apostles con-
| iirmed the selection This implied a veto
power Prayed. The apostles prayed
for these persons that they might he quail
| flied to till the position 10 which they had
been called. Laid their hands" This
was a symbol OF the importation of the
gifts and eraces which they needed to
| qualify them for their Office.
:. Increased That i. was more
widely spread now that the apostles We're
freed IRON secular cares. and left TO give
| themselves unto the ministry ~ the word.
/ The prosperity referred 10 shows that per
feet harmony had been restored. 4 great
! company" etc. This was the browning
! triumph OF he gospel.
s. And stephen. Very little IS
known OF the history os stephen 1t is
though. that he was one oi Peters con
ver,s on the day % pentecost. Full OF
grace and power OK. W lie was filed
with the Holy Spirit and had power. %
rs a great rcsoner and ~ 10 work MIRA
! clcs. Did He WAS a man OF deeds.
'N onders." This Is one %. the words
used III the New Testament to denote mir
! aces. Miracles -"Sigus. Il. \. lie
wrought miracles. principally. no doubt,
III c3ses OF sickness and suffering.
. There arose certain" stephen ex-
cited the envy and Jealousy 81 the unbe.
| acsing Jews. not only by the wonders aud
I miracles winch he wrought, and winch
! won distinction FOR him bus also by las
/ gifts of knowledge and c.o4uencc winch
he employed Ia bearing witness Tor Christ.
! They became excited. addressed him peT-
sonaliy, and engaged ~ discussion or de-
bates with INN. They Were Hellenistic
Jews, and had previously known stephen.
vino was very probably Il lie.ieni>t HIM
| self. 'Libertinr> '.eed men. Ro-
man captives who had been given their iib-
erty Many OF these had returned to Ju-
dea and they had a synagogue OF their
| own in Jerusalem. "Iacitus speaks OF
10000 Libertinc Jews" The Talmudsts
say there were 46D synagogues IN Jerusa-
lem. "Cyrenians. Cyrene was the chiet
city in North Africa. and a great Jewish
| colony. Numbers OF Jews We're settled
there, and are said by .losephus to have
been fourth part OF the inhabitants OF
| the city. These jews also had a syCI-
gogue. ''Alexandrians' The TaIinul
specially mentions the synagogue a. the
| Jews y 40 came from Alexandria, III whieh
city about 10000 Jews resided. lncS
We're the most learned OF their race. "Ci'
lcia. Pau.'s native province. Asia;
| This was the Roman province IN Asia Nj
nor, aud not the grand division.
10 No, able to resist. Not that they
owned thai they had failed to sustain their
| position, and thereby submitted 70 the
I truth, bat that they could addacc 10 ar
/ guments possessing any force IN oppoSi-
ton to the wisdom and the Spirit where
| with he spakc.
II. 'Suborned men" Privately bribed
! and instructed Against Moses. Ste
| phen taught that the old dispcusation was
in decay and that the temple must pass
away. Against God" This must refer
to the supreme dignity and authority
| which Stephen claimed for Christ
T. They stirred W the people" At
| this time the whole Jewish people were in
n state OF Unsurpassed frenzy and most
sensitive jealousy for the honor OF the Mo-
sale institutions which broke out
in constant revolts against the Roman
! power. This accusation was therefore the
most likely one they could have pitched
upon to stir up i'll will. Caught him
Without law or form of justice the people
| and magistrates rushed on the good man,
seized him and brought him to council
that was ready for every evil work. The
council" the Sanhedrin.
l3. False witnesses" Their falseness
consisted in the perverted turns which
they gave to the words OF Stephen.
Is. '.All-saw his face" All eyes turned
upon Stephen As he had been inspired
by the Spirit in his arguments, so now,
in the hour of trial, the Spirit shone out
upon his face, to testify of his presence
within "Of an angel" Gods people
shine brightest in severe trials.