ACTS LESSON 15
We will begin this lesson in Acts 7:29 "Then fled Moses at this
saying, and was a stranger in the land of Madian, where he begat two
sons."
In the last lesson, the leaders of the temple were questioning
Stephen, and in answer, Stephen started relating the history of the
Hebrew family as far back as Abraham. We closed out the last lesson
where Moses had killed the Egyptian and had been found out. In this
lesson, Stephen relates how Moses went to the desert, and walked
across it. He met Zipporah, Jethro's daughter. Soon after, they were
married. Moses spent forty years in Midian near Mt. Sinai. During
his stay, he and Zipporah had two sons.
Acts 7:30 "And when forty years were expired, there appeared to
him in the wilderness of mount Sina an angel of the Lord in a flame of
fire in a bush."
This occurred when Moses was eighty years old. This is the
burning bush that did not burn up.
Acts 7:31 "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,"
Acts 7:32 "[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."
Stephen is giving to these Jewish leaders an even better detailed
happening than, perhaps, even they could have given. He explained to
Moses that He was the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Stephen,
explains, here that Moses was frightened at the sight of God.
Acts 7:33 "Then said the Lord to him, Put off thy shoes from thy
feet: for the place where thou standest is holy ground."
This, to me, is one of the most important things for us to
remember in our churches today. We take God far too casually. If we
want the Lord to be with us in our services, we must keep it a holy
place. Wherever God is, is holy ground.
Acts 7:34 "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."
Here, Stephen is reminding these Hebrews that once before God had
heard their cries and sent them a deliverer to take them out of Egypt
(type of the world). Jesus was a deliverer, also. Jesus delivers all
who will follow Him from a life of sin unto their own promised land
(eternal life with Him).
Acts 7:35 "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."
We see that Moses was not only to deliver the Hebrews, but was
also to rule over them, as well. Moses' power was not his own. He
was a very meek man. His power was that of God in him. God empowered
Moses to do the things necessary to deliver the Hebrews.
Acts 7:36 "He brought them out, after that he had shewed wonders
and signs in the land of Egypt, and in the Red sea, and in the
wilderness forty years."
We remember from our Exodus teaching that God brought them out
with a mighty hand. God brought ten plagues on the Egyptians
(demoting their worldly gods). Each plague showed the helplessness of
an Egyptian god when facing the true God. Three million
(approximately) Hebrews walked through the Red sea on dry ground and
all of the Egyptians chasing them were drowned. The miracle of the
forty years was that God miraculously provided for them. Their shoes
did not wear out in forty years. To learn more about this, read the
study on Exodus.
Acts 7:37 "This is that Moses, which said unto the children of
Israel, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your
brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear."
Up until now, these leaders in the temple could not find anything
wrong with what Stephen had said, because this is what they had been
taught from their youth. Everything Stephen had said so far, was
leading up to the next few verses. This, they will not accept. This
one, spoken of that would come from their brethren that they were to
hear, is Jesus Christ the Messiah who they have rejected.
Acts 7:38 "This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness
with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and [with] our
fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us:
You see, Jesus Christ the Lord was actually the doer part of the
Godhead. I use the Scripture in St. John so much, but it tells it
just like it is. John 1:3, "All things were made by him; and without
him was not any thing made that was made." In the verse above, we see
that it was actually Jesus Christ (Word) who put the ten commandments
on the stone. JESUS IS THE WORD. He is the written Word and the
spoken Word.
Acts 7:39 "To whom our fathers would not obey, but thrust [him]
from them, and in their hearts turned back again into Egypt," Acts
7:40 "Saying unto Aaron, Make us gods to go before us: for [as for]
this Moses, which brought us out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what
is become of him."
They soon forgot the mighty works of God in bringing them out of
Egypt. As we have said so many times, Egypt is a type of the world.
Stephen said here that they had turned back to the world (Egypt) in
their hearts. Jesus says your heart will be judged. They are guilty
of turning from the true God back to a sinful world life style. So
many people are like this today. They walk with God, but when He
delays His coming, many go back into a worldly life.
Acts 7:41 "And they made a calf in those days, and offered
sacrifice unto the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their own
hands." Acts 7:42 "Then God turned, and gave them up to worship the
host of heaven; as it is written in the book of the prophets, O ye
house of Israel, have ye offered to me slain beasts and sacrifices [by
the space of] forty years in the wilderness?"
This has to do with the Scriptures in Amos, which say, because of
their unfaithfulness to God while Moses was on the mountain, God would
not accept their burnt offerings to Him. Read chapter 5 of Amos,
particularly verses 25, 26, & 27. This star, in Amos mentioned, is
perhaps, Saturn. This speaks of God's great displeasure with the
Israelites worshipping false gods. It, also, teaches against
astrology. God allowed them to wander forty years in the wilderness,
until the old ones died off and a new generation came on.
Acts 7:43 "Yea, ye took up the tabernacle of Moloch, and the star
of your god Remphan, figures which ye made to worship them: and I will
carry you away beyond Babylon."
The children of Israel would not get out of one mess until they
were worshipping some other god. Moloch was just one of the false
gods they worshipped. This Moloch, here, is the same as Molech in the
Old Testament. In Leviticus 18:21, we read a direct quote where God
told them not to worship Molech, "And thou shalt not let any of thy
seed pass through the fire to Molech, neither shalt thou profane the
name of thy God: I am the Lord." You see, God is a jealous God. He
will not allow His people to worship other gods. We see in verse 43,
that the very reason they were captured and sent to Babylon was
because they worshipped other gods. All that we can find about
Remphan is that it was an idol. We may not call our false gods by
these names, but there are plenty of them around today, as well. God
is still jealous and will not allow us to hold anything or anyone
(even ourselves) ahead of Him.
Notes
Acts 15 Questions
1. What land did Moses flee to?
2. How many sons were born to him there?
3. What was the name of Moses' wife?
4. Who was her father?
5. What mount was near by?
6. How many years did Moses live here?
7. Who appeared to Moses in the burning bush?
8. Who did the voice in the bush say He was?
9. Who were the three Old Testament Patriarchs named?
10. Why was Moses to take off his shoes?
11. What had God heard that caused Him to send a deliverer to His
people?
12. What is Egypt symbolic of?
13. In what way was Moses like Jesus?
14. Where did Moses' strength come from?
15. How did Moses bring them out?
16. What did the ten plagues do, besides free the Israelites?
17. What miraculous thing happened at the Red sea?
18. What miraculous thing occurred with what they were wearing the
forty years??
19. Who had prophesied and called Jesus a Prophet?
20. Who received the lively oracles?
21. Who put the ten commandments on the stone?
22. Jesus is the __________ Word and _________ Word.
23. What evil thing did the people talk Aaron into doing?
24. In what Old Testament prophetic Book do we find that God refuses
to accept their sacrifices because of their false gods?
25. Which does God teach against; astronomy or astrology?
26. Who was the false god in verse 43?
27. Remphan was what?
28. God is a __________ God.
Notes
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