What Old Testament connections can be made with God's command in Acts 7:3? Setting the Verse in View “ ‘Leave your country and your kindred, and come into the land I will show you.’ ” (Acts 7:3) Immediate Old Testament Echo • Genesis 12:1—“Then the LORD said to Abram, ‘Leave your country, your kindred, and your father’s household, and go to the land I will show you.’ ” – Stephen is quoting this exact moment. – The commands, wording, and sequence line up point-for-point with Acts 7:3. Backdrop in Genesis 11–12 • Genesis 11:31 records Terah starting toward Canaan but stopping in Haran. • God’s word in Genesis 12:1 propels Abram to finish the journey. • Acts 7:2 notes God appeared “before he lived in Haran,” matching Genesis 11–12’s timeline. Reinforcements of the Same Call • Genesis 15:7—God reminds Abram: “I am the LORD, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.” • Genesis 13:14-15; 17:8; 22:17—reiterate the land promise and countless descendants. • Each repetition underscores that the call in Acts 7:3 is not a one-time suggestion but the backbone of the Abrahamic covenant. Later Scripture Looking Back • Joshua 24:2-3—Joshua retells how God “took your father Abraham from the other side of the River” and “led him throughout the land of Canaan.” • Nehemiah 9:7-8—Ezra’s prayer reviews the same act: God “chose Abram and brought him out of Ur.” Themes Threaded Through the Old Testament • Separation for holiness—Leaving country/kin shows a clean break from idolatry (Joshua 24:2). • Pilgrimage and promise—God gives directions step by step (“I will show you”), mirrored later in Israel’s wilderness journey (Exodus 13:17-18). • Covenant land—The specific geography (Canaan) is repeated in Leviticus 20:24 and Deuteronomy 1:8 as an everlasting possession. • Faith-first obedience—Abram obeys without seeing, a pattern echoed in every faith test that follows (e.g., Genesis 22:2’s call to Moriah). Takeaway Connections • Acts 7:3 is not an isolated New Testament statement; it lifts Genesis 12:1 verbatim. • The verse encapsulates the entire Abraham narrative—origin (Ur), journey (Haran to Canaan), and covenant (land, seed, blessing). • Subsequent Old Testament books affirm, celebrate, and build on that initial command, proving Scripture’s seamless unity from Genesis through Acts. |
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