John Calvin Commentary Acts 7:44

"Our fathers had the tabernacle of the testimony in the wilderness, even as he appointed who spake unto Moses, that he should make it according to the figure that he had seen." — Acts 7:44 (ASV)

The tabernacle of witness. Stephen shows here that the blame cannot be laid upon God because the Jews polluted themselves with diverse superstitions, as if God had allowed them to wander freely. For he says that God had commanded how He would be worshipped by them.

From this it follows that they were entangled in so many errors because they would not follow that form which God had appointed.

Although he rebukes them for two causes: first, because, not being content with that rule alone which God had prescribed, they invented strange worships for themselves; secondly, because they had no respect for the proper end of the temple and of the ceremonies which God had appointed.

For whereas these ought to have been for them exercises of spiritual worship, they grasped nothing but that which was carnal, according to their carnal nature; that is, they took the shadow for the body.

Therefore, we see that the Jews were first rebuked for their boldness, because, not being content with the plain word of God, they were carried away by their own inventions. Secondly, they are reproved for the preposterous abuse of the true and sincere worship, because they followed the flesh instead of the Spirit.

They had, he says, the tabernacle of witness. Therefore, it was their own recklessness and rashness alone which caused them to sin. For since they were well taught what was the right way and order of worshipping God, all excuse of ignorance was taken away.

This is worth noting. For since God, in a way, bridles us when He makes His will known to us, if after we have received His commandment we turn aside, either to the right hand or to the left, we are twice guilty; because the servant who knows his master’s will, and does it not, shall suffer more stripes.

This is the first mark by which the Holy Spirit distinguishes all illegitimate and corrupt forms of worship from the true and sincere worship.

Indeed, (to speak more briefly,) the first difference between true worship and idolatry is this: the godly undertake nothing but what is agreeable to the Word of God, but others think anything lawful that pleases themselves, and so they count their own will a law, whereas God allows nothing but what He Himself has appointed. The word witness serves this purpose.

The Hebrew word [מד] (moed) signifies, indeed, an appointed place and time, or an assembly of men; but the reason expressed in Moses shows that there is another cause why it is so named. For in Moses this is often repeated, I will meet with you there. Therefore the tabernacle was consecrated by the covenant and the word of the Lord, and His voice was heard there continually, that it might be distinguished from all profane places.

According to the form which he had seen. This is referred to the second point which I have mentioned; for it may be that one who uses only the ceremonies which God appointed may nonetheless worship God wrongly. For God does not care for external rites, except insofar as they are expressions of heavenly truth; therefore, God would have the tabernacle be made like the heavenly figure, so that the Jews might know that they were not to remain focused on the external figures.

Furthermore, let him who is disposed read my Commentaries upon the Epistle to the Hebrews, and he shall see what that figure, of which mention is made in Exodus 25 (Exodus 25:40; Hebrews 8:5), signified. Stephen only briefly tells them in this place that the worship which God commanded the Jews is spiritual, and that they, according to their carnal dullness, were evil and false interpreters.

Therefore, as we have said that God allows no worship but that which is grounded in His commandment, so we are taught here that it is necessary in the right use of the commandment that the spiritual truth be present.

This being granted, it was a similar question, which we said consisted principally in this issue: whether the shadows ought to yield to the body or not.

When Moses is said to have seen a form or figure, the Spirit of God signifies by this that it is unlawful for us to invent forms at our pleasure; but that all our senses must be fixed upon that form which God shows, so that all our religion may be formed according to it.

The word figure signifies here, in this place, the principal pattern, which is nothing else but the spiritual truth.