Acts 7:17-37God Delivers Israel by Moses
“But when the time of the promise drew near which God had sworn to Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt till another king arose who did not know Joseph. This man dealt treacherously with our people, and oppressed our forefathers, making them expose their babies, so that they might not live. At this time Moses was born, and was well pleasing to God; and he was brought up in his father’s house for three months. But when he was set out, Pharaoh’s daughter took him away and brought him up as her own son. And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and deeds.”
“Now when he was forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren, the children of Israel. And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended and avenged him who was oppressed, and struck down the Egyptian. For he supposed that his brethren would have understood that God would deliver them by his hand, but they did not understand. And the next day he appeared to two of them as they were fighting, and tried to reconcile them, saying, ‘Men, you are brethren; why do you wrong one another?’ But he who did his neighbor wrong pushed him away, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge over us? Do you want to kill me as you did the Egyptian yesterday?’ Then, at this saying, Moses fled and became a dweller in the land of Midian, where he had two sons.”
“And when forty years had passed, an Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire in a bush, in the wilderness of Mount Sinai. When Moses saw it, he marveled at the sight; and as he drew near to observe, the voice of the Lord came to him, saying, ‘I am the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ And Moses trembled and dared not look. ‘Then the Lord said to him, “Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground. I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt; I have heard their groaning and have come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send you to Egypt.”’
“This Moses whom they rejected, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge?’ is the one God sent to be a ruler and a deliverer by the hand of the Angel who appeared to him in the bush. He brought them out, after he had shown wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, and in the Red Sea, and in the wilderness forty years. “This is that Moses who said to the children of Israel, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear.’”
Stephen is one of those chosen to distribute resources to the Greek widows following Jesus in Jerusalem. Members of the Freedmen’s Synagogue have brought false charges against him, and he is now defending himself. Most of us would begin by listing the good things we have done; however, Stephen is describing God’s engagement with the Jewish people throughout the ages. Why is Stephen doing this?
The Holy Spirit is guiding Stephen. There are cultural variations in handling confrontations, and in this culture, setting the background is very important. Stephen is defending himself in front of Jewish religious scholars who value the learning of others. If Stephen wants these men to respect him and give him serious consideration, he must first demonstrate his knowledge of Scripture. Stephen’s defense demands that he first prepare his audience before he gives a description of the events that culminate in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Stephen has begun by describing Abraham’s faith journey, moving then to Jacob and Joseph. Now Stephen is retelling the story of Moses, concluding with a significant phrase. “This is that Moses who said to the children of Israel, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear.’” Here, Moses is foreshadowing the coming of Jesus, for it is Jesus whom Moses is describing as the future Prophet.
At this point, some of the scholars in the crowd might be starting to realize the point Stephen is going to make. But these men are waiting to see if Stephen is really going to say what they anticipate. What I said yesterday still holds.
“Why does Luke record Stephen’s entire speech? The Holy Spirit wants every word that Stephen speaks to be recorded, not only for those in New Testament times but for all the generations to come. Stephen describes a shining record of faith that will inspire believers for all time. Due to the length of Stephen’s speech, we will continue it tomorrow. But the take-home lesson for us is this: We can be inspired by the Holy Spirit and say everything He wants us to say and still be persecuted. Sometimes, we are not rewarded on earth but only rewarded in heaven. But heavenly rewards are eternal. Let us keep our eyes fixed on heavenly goals, not on earthly ones.”
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to be patient when we find we must defend ourselves. Help us to rely on the Holy Spirit for all our words. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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