Day 1029: The full picture - Acts 7 vs 23 - 37

23-29 “When Moses was forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brothers, the children of Israel. And seeing one of them being wronged, he defended the oppressed man and avenged him by striking down the Egyptian. He supposed that his brothers would understand that God was giving them salvation by his hand, but they did not understand. And on the following day he appeared to them as they were quarrelling and tried to reconcile them, saying, ‘Men, you are brothers. Why do you wrong each other?’ 28-29 But the man who was wronging his neighbour thrust him aside, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge over us? Do you want to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?’ At this retort Moses fled and became an exile in the land of Midian, where he became the father of two sons.

30-34 “Now when forty years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in a flame of fire in a bush. When Moses saw it, he was amazed at the sight, and as he drew near to look, there came the voice of the Lord: ‘I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob.’ And Moses trembled and did not dare to look. Then the Lord said to him, ‘Take off the sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground. I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt, and have heard their groaning, and I have come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send you to Egypt.’ 35 “This Moses, whom they rejected, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge? - this man God sent as both ruler and redeemer by the hand of the angel who appeared to him in the bush. 36 This man led them out, performing wonders and signs in Egypt and at the Red Sea and in the wilderness for forty years. 37 This is the Moses who said to the Israelites, ‘God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers.’ Acts 7:23-37 English Standard Version

The man speaking in today's reading was Stephen, a disciple who'd been arrested after preaching about Jesus Christ in Jerusalem. The charge against him was that he'd spoken words against the holy place and the law. False witnesses testified that he had said Jesus of Nazareth would destroy the temple and change the customs Moses had given. It was a serious charge and Stephen's life was on the line. In his defence, Stephen turned to the very law they were accusing him of ridiculing. He recounted the history of how Moses tried to bring about salvation for the Jews when they were slaves in Egypt. But what was the result of that attempt? (vs 28-29)

They had rejected his desire to bring about their salvation. So Stephen reminded them of the wonderful way God made Himself known to Moses when he was living in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, where he'd fled for refuge. God showed Himself to be someone who was eternal – being the God of men like Abraham who'd lived hundreds of years before Moses, and a God who is holy. He was also a God who saw the affliction of Abraham’s descendants, and a God who is able to save. Stephen then made the case that the present rejection of Jesus by the Jews, was not the first time they'd rejected the saviour God had sent. He says: “This Moses, whom they rejected, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge? - this man God sent as both ruler and redeemer by the hand of the angel who appeared to him in the bush.”

What was another important parallel between Jesus and Moses that Stephen reminded them of in vs 36.

God had enabled Moses to do amazing signs in Egypt, which we read of in the book of Exodus. And Jesus also did amazing things when He was in the world. The gospels tell of the many miracles God did through Him. At this point Stephen also reminded them of something Moses had said (in Deuteronomy 18:15) concerning how God would one day raise up another prophet like himself. The implication of his words is obvious. Jesus was the person Moses spoke of.

The Old Testament has many promises and pictures of what the Messiah would be like. It gives us a preview of the salvation He was bringing. So as we read the Bible, both Old and New Testaments, may God help us to see the full picture of the Saviour He sent into the world, not only for the Jews, but gentiles too.