Acts 7:35-38 35This man Moses they had rejected, saying, ‘Who made you ruler and judge?’ God sent this man as ruler and redeemer, through the hand of the angel who appeared to him in the bush. 36This man led them out by doing wonders and signs in Egypt, at the Red Sea, and for forty years in the wilderness. 37This man was the Moses who told the Israelites, ‘God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your own people.’y 38This man was the one in the assembly in the wilderness, with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our ancestors; and he received living words to give us.
The story of Moses took a major shift at the forty-year mark when he fled Egypt and ended up in Midian. Stephen pointed out several significant and applicable insights about Moses in these verses. First, he recounted how the very people Moses was called to free rejected him as their savior. The word rejected (ērnēsanto) has a powerful ring in this defense because the Jewish leaders had done the same thing to the Savior of the world. The word can mean deny, repudiate, or disown. It is related to how Peter denied Jesus on the night of his trial (Luke 22:61). The parallels between Moses and Jesus are unmistakable and should have been clear to the Jews. The Israelites’ complaint contained two descriptions of Jesus: ruler and judge. Jesus was proclaimed King of the Jews upon his entry into Jerusalem and condemned to death with that written above his head. The surprising part is that he will also serve as the judge at the end of time (John 5:22).
Related to the first idea and in answer to the criticism of the Israelites is that Moses was sent by God himself, confirmed by the appearance of an angel in the burning bush. The person whom Israel rejected was the same person God chose and guided. The people were not only rejecting Moses but God. Moses came as ruler and redeemer (lytrōtēn), a word related to the salvation brought through redemption from sin. These two words also describe Jesus as King and Savior. Moses led with the help of God’s blessing and power demonstrated by wonders and signs. These two words have been multiple times in Acts thus far to describe the ministry of the Spirit-filled apostles and disciples. Stephen also did wonders and signs in his ministry (6:8).
The Jewish leaders had no excuse for not hearing and knowing about these miracles, especially with the trial of Peter and John for healing the lame beggar at the Beautiful Gate in chapter 3. All of these miracles were done in the name of Jesus, that is, through his power. The words of Nicodemus to Jesus recorded in John 3:2 echo in the background: “No one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” Once again, the connection between Moses, the early believers, Jesus, and God is clear for those with open and receptive minds. But not even the clear evidence can penetrate those with hardened hearts, like the Sanhedrin.
Stephen gives another significant idea in verse 37 about how Moses predicted a coming prophet like him. Verse 38 emphasizes just how Moses was a prophet by giving the people living words while they were in the desert. In this case, Moses was not only a prototype for Jesus but predicted his coming. Jesus spoke words of life that transformed people and gave them hope. He spoke of God’s kingdom and eternal life for all who believed. His words were consistent with and in fulfillment of the words Moses spoke long again and that the Jews cherished in the Law. If the Jews wanted to be consistent with Moses, their greatest hero, they needed to accept the one Moses predicted would come also with the same type of living words. The good news about Jesus were the words of life (5:20). Did these leaders make the connection yet?
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