By: Dr. Dale Weckbacher
Text: Acts
17:17-36
Acts
7:35-36
“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. 36 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.”
(NKJV)
Stephen continues his testimony
before the council by continuing his history lesson. In this section, he
reminds them of how Moses delivered Israel from Egyptian bondage. Again, this
is not anything new to those in the council, but as we will see in the next
section, Stephen is laying the groundwork for a comparison between Moses and
Jesus as deliverers. It is this comparison and reminder by Stephen of their
rejection of Jesus that will lead to Stephen becoming the first Martyr.
However, this is not a waste; it provides a spark that leads to Saul's
conversion and the spread of the Gospel to the Gentiles.
Stephen’s testimony,
providing a Jewish history lesson, now changes to a focus on Moses. The people
of Israel have been in Egypt for four hundred thirty years, and during that
time their numbers have multiplied, and another Pharaoh who did not know Joseph
is in power (Acts
7:17-18). This new leader is treacherous and even threatens their babies
with death (Acts
7:19). Moses is born during this time and escapes death when rescued by
Pharaoh’s daughter and raised in the Pharaoh’s palace, where he learns the
wisdom of the Egyptians (Acts
7:20-22).
When he turned forty,
Moses decided to visit his people, and when he saw an Egyptian oppressing one
of them, he killed the Egyptian, believing this would gain him favor with his
people (Acts
7:23-25). However, when Moses tried to reconcile an argument between two of
his brethren, they reminded him of what he did to the Egyptian, and he was
forced to flee to Midian (Acts
7:26-29). Forty years after fleeing to Midian, the Lord appears to Moses in
a burning bush, and when Moses is told it is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob speaking with him, he dares not look (Acts
7:30-32). The Lord then told Moses to remove his sandals because he was on
holy ground and told him he had seen the oppression of the children of Israel
and called him to be their deliverer (Acts
7:33-34). The deliverer is Moses, whom they rejected, but who would
demonstrate that God sent him through signs and wonders in Egypt, at the Red
Sea, and in the wilderness (Acts
7:35-36). The stage is now set for Stephen to compare Moses with Jesus,
whom those in the council rejected.
Stephen continues his
history lesson in response to accusations brought upon him this time, focusing
on Moses. In Moses, we see parallels to Jesus,
- At
a time when the children of Israel are under oppression and treachery, a
deliverer is born. For the children of Israel in the time of Moses, the
oppression came from the Egyptians in Egypt (Acts
7:17-20). Jesus was born at a time when the nation of Israel was under
Roman oppression and occupation (Luke
2:1-7).
- Moses
was taken by Pharaoh’s daughter to the palace of Pharaoh in Egypt for
protection (Acts
7:21). Mary, Joseph, and Jesus escaped to Egypt to escape death from
Herod’s edict to kill all the children in Bethlehem (Matthew
2:13-15).
- After
forty years in the wilderness, Moses has a visitation from an Angel of the
Lord (Acts
7:30). Jesus spends 40 days fasting in the wilderness and is tempted
by Satan (Matthew
4:1-11). However, there is a difference here: Moses encountered God at
the burning bush, and Jesus was tempted by Satan. This difference is
because Jesus is God (John
1:1) and does not need an encounter with Himself, but Moses is human
and needs an encounter with God before embarking on his mission from God.
- Although
rejected by the Jews in Egypt, Moses is the deliverer sent by God to
deliver His people (Acts
7:35-36). Jesus was rejected by the Jews in Jerusalem and sentenced to
crucifixion, but he is the Messiah, as demonstrated by the signs and
wonders he performed when on earth. However, another difference between
Moses and Jesus is that Moses first tried to deliver the children of
Israel in his own strength and failed (Acts
7:23-29). Jesus always ministered under the authority and power of God
the Father (John
5:19).
The way Moses delivered
the children of Israel provides a parallel of how Jesus delivers us.
- Jesus
comes to us at just the right time – With both Jesus and Moses, there was a
prolonged period of silence from God. For Moses, it was a period of
silence between the death of Joseph and Moses’s encounter with God at the
burning bush (Exodus
3; Genesis 50:22-26). With Jesus, it was Malachi’s prophecy and the
angels announcing his birth (Luke
2:13-14). In both cases, there was a time of silence and waiting, with
the people falling into oppression. As believers today, we await the
return of Jesus to bring peace on earth. While we can become impatient at
waiting for the return of Jesus, we can rest assured He will return at
just the right time (2
Peter 3:9).
- God
provides protection from harm occurring before we fulfill his mission for
us – At the end of Matthew’s gospel, Jesus promises to be with us till the
end of the age. He says this after giving the great commission for the
church (Matthew
28:19-20). The Lord, the great shepherd, is with us, protecting and
providing for His church (John
10:1-6; Psalm 23).
- There
will be a time of waiting, temptations, and trials to prepare us for our
mission – When we find ourselves waiting for anything, we often grow
impatient, including times when we must wait on the Lord. However, it is
during these times of waiting that our faith is strengthened (James
1:2-8). The deliverance that happened through Moses for Israel reminds
us that there may be times of waiting with trials and even temptations
before we receive our deliverance from the Lord.
- There
will be rejection – God’s people will experience rejection for their faith
(John
16:33). For some, it is a soft persecution involving the loss of
friends. For others, it is a hard persecution who live in countries where
taking a stand for Jesus is against the law and is a threat to their
lives. In either instance, there is persecution and rejection to endure.
Both Moses and Jesus endured such rejection.
The question everyone
must settle in his or her heart is what they will do with Jesus Christ. Will I
accept his gift of salvation have rescue from the penalty of my sin (Romans
6:23), or continue in sin, condemning myself to condemnation (John
3:18). I want to over an invitation to those reading this to make the
choice of eternal life free from condemnation by confessing their heartfelt
belief in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ (John
3:16-17; Romans 10:9-10), by praying with me now.
Dear Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned (Romans
3:23)
and know that the penalty for my sin is death (Romans
6:23).
I ask you to forgive me of my sin and cleanse me as you promise in your Word (1
John 1:9). I believe you died, spent three days in the grave,
and resurrected from the dead and now declare you Lord of my life.
This prayer is not some
magical prayer, but must be a genuine expression of your heart. If that is why
you prayed, rest assured, your sins are completely forgiven, and you have
eternal life. I now encourage you to let someone know of your decision. I also
urge you to find a church of truth, teaching from the Bible that is empowered
by the Holy Spirit, so you can grow in your faith. May God convict, challenge,
and bless everyone reading this post.
No comments:
Post a Comment