Note 1 at Acts 7:2: Stephen's defense didn't deny any of the accusations that were made against him (see note 9 at Acts 6:14, p. 604). Instead, he begins to assert his identity as a true Jew by tracing Jewish history. He concludes his statements by saying that just as the Jewish nation as a whole had resisted God throughout history, so they were resisting God now by rejecting the Messiah, Jesus Christ, whom God had sent (vv. 51-53).

Note 2 at Acts 7:2: Stephen, speaking under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, gives us details and insights into Old Testament events in this discourse which greatly enhance our understanding of what actually happened. For instance, Stephen says that God appeared to Abram. This is a detail which we were not furnished with in the Genesis account.

Stephen also says that the Lord spoke to Abram about leaving his country before he dwelt in Haran. If you were to read Genesis 11:31-12:4 without the aid of Stephen's statements, you might think that God spoke to Abram after he was already living in Haran. Therefore, we can conclude that Terah, Abram's father, took his family from Ur of the Chaldees and headed toward Canaan (Gen. 11:31). In route, the Lord appeared to Abram in Mesopotamia and gave him instructions before he arrived in Haran.

Upon closer examination, you can see this in Genesis 12:1. The scripture says, "the Lord had said unto Abram" Thus Stephen's explanation of Jewish history does not contradict Old Testament accounts, but enhances and clarifies certain things.