The Martyrdoms of Stephen and Zechariah
Submitted by J on December 21 2001 06:35:45
In reply to erratum submitted by Splash! on December 17 2001 14:17:07
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Dear Splash! Wow, thanks for the expansion you provided on the Jesus/Isaac~Church/Rebekah typology – that was awesome! You are well versed in the Word, my friend. And indeed, the parallels between Joseph and Jesus are even more numerous than those between Isaac and Jesus – we could spend lots of long posts discussing these. I’ll offer up the basics of one of the more obvious types this time around and let you expand if you wish (you do it very well): Two of Pharaoh’s men came to be imprisoned with Joseph, a cupbearer and a baker (cf. Genesis 40:1-3). The cupbearer was restored to his position, while the baker was executed by hanging on a tree (cf. Genesis 40:19-22). The two symbols of wine (cupbearer) and bread (baker) are present, representing Jesus’ blood and body respectively (cf. Luke 22:19-20). The method of execution is similar (hanging on a tree or possibly impaling on a pole vs. crucifixion). The cupbearer and baker also represent the two criminals crucified with Jesus. The baker is the criminal who hurled insults at Jesus and died in his sins (cf. Luke 23:39), while the restored cupbearer is the criminal who was saved (cf. Luke 23:40-43). Going back to the death of Stephen again, he is the first Christian martyr mentioned in the New Testament and his death parallels closely that of the last recorded martyr in the Old Testament (Chronicles appearing last in the Hebrew arrangement of books): Then the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest. He stood before the people and said, “This is what God says: ‘Why do you disobey the LORD’s commands? You will not prosper. Because you have forsaken the LORD, he has forsaken you.’ " But they plotted against him, and by order of the king they stoned him to death in the courtyard of the LORD’s temple. King Joash did not remember the kindness Zechariah’s father Jehoiada had shown him but killed his son, who said as he lay dying, “May the LORD see this and call you to account.” 2 Chronicles 24:20-22 1. The Holy Spirit empowered both Zechariah and Stephen (compare 2 Chronicles 24:20 with Acts 6:8-10; 7:55). 2. Zechariah stood up before the people and condemned them while Stephen stood up before the Sanhedrin and did the same (compare 2 Chronicles 24:20 with Acts 6:12; 7:51-53). 3. Both Zechariah and Stephen were plotted against (compare 2 Chronicles 24:21 with Acts 6:9, 11, 13-14). 4. Both Zechariah and Stephen were stoned to death (compare 2 Chronicles 24:21 with Acts 7:58-59). 5. Zechariah’s death took place in the temple courtyard while Stephen’s inquiry before the Sanhedrin took place here before he was dragged outside the city and killed (compare 2 Chronicles 24:21 with Acts 6:13-14; 7:55, 58). 6. Zechariah’s death was carried out by the order of Joash while Stephen’s death was given approval by Saul (compare 2 Chronicles 24:21 with Acts 8:1; 22:20). 7. Zechariah asked for God to call Joash to account while Stephen asked God not to hold his murderers' sin against them (compare 2 Chronicles 24:22 with Acts 7:60). 8. God answered Zechariah’s request and executed judgment on Joash, who was conspired against and murdered in his bed; God also answered Stephen’s request and extended mercy and grace to Saul (compare 2 Chronicles 24:23-25 with Acts 9:1-19). Perhaps a closer look at comparing the lives of Joash and Saul (Paul) would yield even more interesting parallels – for instance Joash started out well and turned bad (cf. 2 Chronicles 24:2, 17-18), while the exact opposite held true for Saul (Paul)! Indeed, Paul’s comments about singleness are intriguing and I would tend to agree that one’s spouse can often usurp God’s number one place in our lives, but that needn’t be the case and one can lead a godly married life. I struggled with the inerrancy of Scripture for a long time and for years I used supposed errors in my attacks on it. It was only very recently, while I was in prison, that I accepted the inerrancy of Scripture based on the fact that Jesus accepted the Old Testament as the inerrant Word of God. Since I believed that He was God, how could I not then accept His view of Scripture! Since then I have studied the Bible from this perspective and been able to solve all of the difficulties I’d had with certain passages for years. Indeed, we need a standard of truth by which to judge our own actions and the actions and beliefs of others by. Without it, it would be a free-for-all of beliefs, a confusion of relative truths – a state that the world is sadly embracing whole-heartedly to its own destruction. In closing, I completely understand and will respect your desire not to be too specific about personal details on this forum. I wish you well in your musical projects and pray that God will bless people’s lives through them. Look forward to hearing from you and continuing to share and learn in our discussions. Take care, my friend. Love in the Lord, J |
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