Acts 7:30 - Printer Friendly

ESV: "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.

NIV: "After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to Moses in the flames of a burning bush in the desert near Mount Sinai.

NASB: After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in the flame of a burning thorn bush.

CSB: After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in the flame of a burning bush.

NLT: Forty years later, in the desert near Mount Sinai, an angel appeared to Moses in the flame of a burning bush.

KJV: 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.

NKJV: “And when forty years had passed, an Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire in a bush, in the wilderness of Mount Sinai.

The Jews of Stephen's time claim to be extremely devout. Those accusing him have come all the way from northern Africa and modern-day Asia Minor to worship at the temple in Jerusalem. They arrived to find a new sect has grown around a man named Jesus who had been crucified and whom His followers attest rose again. Stephen, one of the first deacons in the church, has been debating them, and they have no way to counter his arguments. So they resort to false accusations, claiming that he is blaspheming God and Moses and that he is encouraging the disrespect of the temple and the Mosaic law (Acts 6:8–14).

Stephen is countering with the argument that God worked in the lives of the Israelites centuries before they had Moses, the Law, the temple, or even a place to call their own. In addition, not even the Israelites of Moses' time respected him.

In that context, Stephen has explained how in Moses' earlier years he wasn't worthy of respect because he murdered an Egyptian. He did so in an attempt to rescue an Israelite, but the action proved to increase the distance between him and his people even more—not to mention incite the Pharaoh to put a price on his head. To save his life, Moses fled to Midian on the western coast of the Arabian Peninsula where he married Zipporah and became father to two sons (Acts 7:23–29).

Now, Stephen reminds his audience of the supernatural event that accompanied God's call. While tending his father-in-law's sheep, Moses encountered the angel of the Lord in a flame that engulfed a bush without burning it. Stephen's accusers know this story, that Moses trembled in fear before the fire, and that he gave several excuses as to why he wasn't fit to serve God. All of this points to something Moses and Stephen were well aware of but the Jews seemed to have forgotten: it is not Moses who is worthy of worship but the God Who is speaking to him (Exodus 3:1–2).

Acts 7:30–34 records Stephen as he continues the story of Moses. He is instructing the Sanhedrin and a crowd of Jews with a short version of Israel's history to show them how to put the things they love, like the Law and the temple, into proper perspective. The account of God calling Moses to rescue his people sets up Stephen's argument that neither the Israelites in Moses' time nor those in Stephen's ever really respected Moses. This is a quick synopsis of Exodus 3:1—4:23.

Stephen is a Greek-speaking Jewish Christian and one of the first deacons in the church in Jerusalem (Acts 6:1–7). He's also a skilled apologist and has been debating Jews from outside Judea about the proper place of the Mosaic law and the temple (Acts 6:8–15). His opponents cannot counter his arguments so they resort to lies. They tell the Sanhedrin that Stephen wants to destroy the temple and repeal the Mosaic law. Stephen counters that his accusers don't respect Moses or the Law, and the temple isn't necessary to worship God. This enrages the mob, and Stephen is stoned, becoming the first Christian martyr.

Chapter 7 is one of the pivot points of the book of Acts. Until recently, the early church has seen favor from the people and indifference from the Sanhedrin. Now, the Sanhedrin has beaten the apostles and ordered them not to preach about Jesus (Acts 5:40), and the people are starting to realize how different Christianity is. In Jerusalem, a Hellenist Jewish Jesus-follower named Stephen has been in a debate with other foreign Jews who finally accuse him of wishing to destroy the temple, like Jesus (Acts 6:8–15). This is Stephen's defense, which leads to his death and the introduction of Paul.

The summary of the book of Acts is provided in Jesus' words in Acts 1:8: ''But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'' In Acts 2:1–13, the Christ-followers receive the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:14—7:60 describes the rapid growth of the church in Jerusalem. Chapters 8—12 find Jewish persecution inadvertently spreading the gospel throughout Judea and Samaria. And in chapters 13—28, Paul and his companions spread the good news throughout the Roman Empire.