Bible Study series: Acts 7:30-34. Stephen knew his Scripture. Moses had a genuine call of God.
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I also translate to learn. The translations are mine, unless otherwise noted. If you would like to see many others, please click on this link:
At the link to the original post, next, I write more commentary and dig a little deeper into the Greek. I also offer a section titled Observations for Discipleship at the end. Check it out!
In this post, links are provided in the commentary section for further study.
Let’s begin.
Scripture: Acts 7:30-34
30 “And so when forty years reached their completion, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flaming fire of a bush, in the desert of Mt. Sinai. 31 When Moses saw this, he marveled at the sight. When he approached to master the mystery, there was the voice of the Lord: 32 ‘I am the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob’ [Ex. 3:6]. Moses was trembling and did not dare to master the mystery. 33 The Lord said to him, ‘Take the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you stand is holy ground. 34 I have clearly seen the mistreatment of all my people in Egypt, and I have heard their groaning, and I have come down to take them away [Ex. 3:5, 7, 8, 10]. Now come, let me send you to Egypt.’” (Acts 7:30-34)
Comments:
In Stephen’s speech before the Sanhedrin, he reminds his listeners—the most powerful court and council in the land, the temple caretakers—that Moses experienced the presence of God in the wilderness before Sinai, at that time, no holy mountain, sanctified by God. Holy ground is not restricted to the temple right outside the door to the council room. It could be in the desert. What need is there of a temple built by Herod? God can reach people outside the religious rituals and ceremonies. He is preaching a streamlined Jesus Movement.
30:
“appeared to him” could be translated “was visible to him.” The call of God can be delivered to our hearts in the remotest places and the most miraculous forms. Moses had a burning bush. You might receive an angel or a still small voice in your spirit. More likely you will receive a growing, can’t-shake-it-off, biblical, and lasting conviction.
“an angel of the Lord”: he was the preincarnate Christ, because Exod. 3 goes on to call him God and the LORD, the sacred name of God.
Who Was the Angel of the Lord?
31:
“sight”: It is mostly translated as “vision,” or it could be a supernatural sight (Matt. 17:19; Acts 10:3, 17, 19; 18:9). You’ll know it when you see it, with no room for misinterpretation. And Renewalists believe that visions still happen today. They get them all the time. It’s biblical. But our visions must be submitted to the written word because our vision may not be right, but self-serving. In contrast, Scripture has stood the test of time. Your dream or vision has not.
“Master the mystery”: F. F. Bruce called it the “master the mystery” or intellectual domination of a mystery or supernatural event like a burning bush that is not consumed. I chose his rich and wonderful suggestion. However, the standard definition encompasses “notice,” “observe,” “look at, contemplate,” “consider, notice in a spiritual sense.”
See the post:
Dreams and Visions: How to Interpret Them
32:
“master the mystery”: same Greek word, and when the voice of God went through his ears and hit his mind, he changed his mind and did not dare master the mystery or intellectually dominate the vision or sight.
“trembling”: The body is allowed to react when it experiences the manifest presence of God. Renewalists have experienced his presence and have had similar physical reactions. Do they sometimes act in the flesh or sinful nature? All humans do at times. But the bodily reaction in Moses was true—it actually happened—and now for Renewalists it is biblical.
33:
“sandals”: the Greek word could mean generic footwear, but considering the time of Moses, most translators have “sandals.” It could more fully be translated as (by context) “the sandals from your feet” or “the sandals of your feet,” or more plainly “your foot sandals.” It seems some translations understand that the sandals are for the feet, so they just have “sandals.” Makes sense.
“holy ground”: Sacred space is important. Wherever it may be for them, a walk in the country or a prayer closet at home or a prayer mountain with a chapel on top, the main point is to spend time with God.
34:
“I have clearly seen”: “Seeing, I have seen.” Doubled up synonyms is Hebraic. It is best to translate it as something strong, like “clearly” or “plainly” or “certainly,’ or “indeed.”
“I have sent”: “I’m sending you back” even before you accept my call or even before you take the first step back to Egypt. Yes, people can say no to God’s call, because their strong human free will is God’s gift too, but then he will keep wooing and courting the stubborn man or find someone else. But God’s call, in his eternal mind, is done. God operates on a different timeline from ours.
GrowApp for Acts 7:30-34
1. Moses dare not “master the mystery” of who God really was. He had to take off his sandals. Have you ever received a biblical revelation or insight into who God was in his holiness and purity? What was this like for you?
RELATED
The Historical Reliability of the Book of Acts
Book of Acts and Paul’s Epistles: Match Made in Heaven?
SOURCES
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