Acts 7:31-35
 
Acts 7:31 (KJB)
When Moses saw it, he wondered at the sight: and as he drew near to behold it, the voice of the Lord came unto him,
 
Moses saw the bush burning and he also noticed that the bush was not consumed. He approached the bush to see it close up and when he did, the voice of the Lord spoke to him. Since Moses had spent 40 years in the desert, no doubt doing the same routine every day, God had done something unusual to gain his attention. Moses may have seen Mt. Sinai have lightning and thunder during his 40 years in Midian but a bush that burns and is not consumed, would definitely be a curiosity to any person. Once it got the attention of Moses, God was now ready to give him his assignment of going back to Egypt and free the Israelites by the power of God. (Exo 3:3-4 KJV) And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. {4} And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.
 
Acts 7:32 (KJB)
Saying, I am the God of thy fathers, the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Then Moses trembled, and durst not behold.
 
Trembled - Trembled through fear or terrified
Durst - Dare
 
(Exo 3:6 KJV) Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God. Then God spoke out of the burning bush and told Moses who He was. This had caused Moses to be terrified and actually tremble out of fear because he did not know what was happening. He was so frightened that he would not even dare look at God who spoke out of the burning bush. (Mat 22:32 KJV) I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. The Lord Jesus stated that God was the God of the living and not the dead. Notice God does not introduce Himself to Moses as I “was” the God of your fathers rather He “is” the God of thy fathers. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob who were alive but in Heaven at this time. (Gen 49:33 KJV) And when Jacob had made an end of commanding his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, and yielded up the ghost, and was gathered unto his people. Notice what Genesis 49:33 states that Jacob had yielded up the ghost and then was gathered unto his people. If they were not still alive in Heaven, they could not be gathered unto their people. Any time a believer dies physically, they are also gathered unto their people.
 
Acts 7:33 (KJB)
Then said the Lord to him, Put off thy shoes from thy feet: for the place where thou standest is holy ground.
 
(Exo 3:5 KJV) And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. God is a holy God and He wanted Moses to know that even though he was saved in Christ, that he was still identified with the dust of the earth from where God made Adam. That is why he had to remove his sandals because even though it may have only been one half an inch high, it nevertheless would have symbolized that Moses was above others. God was going to empower Moses to bring the children out and He never wanted Moses to forget that he was under God’s power and authority to do it. As Moses was in the presence of God, the ground where he occupied had become holy and that is why the removal of the sandals was also an act of humility and obedience. (Isa 6:5 KJV) Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts. Isaiah was also in a similar situation when he saw the Lord in His glory in Heaven. God sanctified the lips of Isaiah and he sanctified Moses. These are two events which happen in the life of every believer through Christ.
 
Acts 7:34 (KJB)
I have seen, I have seen the affliction of my people which is in Egypt, and I have heard their groaning, and am come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send thee into Egypt.
 
(Exo 3:7-8 KJV) And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows; {8} And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites. God had told Abraham that his seed would dwell in a land for 400 years and they would be mistreated but at the end of that time, God would deliver them out of the hand of that nation and would ultimately judge that nation. God now chooses Moses to go back to Egypt and by His power, they would be freed from bondage. This verse is also a comforting verse for all believers. Sometimes we go through situations and we may think that God has abandoned us or that He is not caring for us as the Scriptures told us He would. This verse tells us that God had seen the affliction of His people, and notice He states it twice, to emphasize the fact that God is fully aware of what is going on with all His children and that they are never out of His sight. God tells Moses that He is fully aware of their situation and He has heard their groaning, lamentation, pain and sorrow that they were experiencing. It is about to come to an end as Moses will now go to Egypt and confront Pharaoh to let the people go.
 
Acts 7:35 (KJB)
This Moses whom they refused, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge? the same did God send to be a ruler and a deliverer by the hand of the angel which appeared to him in the bush.
 
Stephen emphasizes a main point here as he repeats one major detail of the narrative. When the two Israelites were fighting and one had asked him, “who made thee a ruler and a judge?” The Israelites had rejected Moses but God had now worked in Moses for many years and now He was God’s chosen vessel to go to Egypt and free those who had rejected him. This is the same situation with the Lord Jesus Christ, He had gone to the cross to free many from sin and eternal damnation, of which, were many of His detractors before they became saved. This, no doubt, was the comparison that Stephen was trying to make. Christ, like Moses, was rejected, yet, salvation comes only through Christ, even to those who hated Him. This is also a warning to us that we may reject someone but God may have His hands upon them and is molding them. We must be very careful about rejecting people because we never know what God is up to in a person’s life. Very soon the Israelites will know that Moses is God’s chosen vessel to bring them out of bondage and unfortunately, Moses is going to face much more opposition from the Israelites than just a few questions. He will be tested to the limit!

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