What is the meaning of Acts 7:29? At this remark “ ‘Who appointed you ruler and judge over us?’” (Acts 7:27) was the stunning rebuttal that stopped Moses in his tracks. • Stephen is retelling Israel’s history to highlight their pattern of rejecting God-sent deliverers, a theme echoed later in Acts 7:51-52. • The insult stung because Moses sincerely thought his brethren “would understand that God was giving them deliverance by his hand” (Acts 7:25). • Like Jesus, who “came to His own, and His own did not receive Him” (John 1:11), Moses felt the pain of rejection even while following the Lord’s call. • Exodus 2:14-15 records the same reaction, showing perfect harmony between Luke’s account and Moses’ own narrative. Moses fled to Midian “Then, at this remark, Moses fled to the land of Midian” (Acts 7:29). • The flight was not cowardice but obedience to God’s sovereign redirection; Hebrews 11:27 says, “By faith Moses left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger.” • Midian lay outside Egyptian jurisdiction, giving Moses decades of refining that prepared him for future leadership. • God often removes His servants from the spotlight to shape them—think of David in the wilderness (1 Samuel 24:1-2) or Paul in Arabia (Galatians 1:17-18). Where he lived as a foreigner The verse adds, “where he lived as a foreigner.” • Moses, raised in Pharaoh’s palace, now felt the weight of being an outsider—an experience that forged humility and empathy for Israel’s soon-to-be wilderness wanderings. • Peter later urges believers, “Conduct yourselves with reverent fear during your stay as foreigners” (1 Peter 1:17), underscoring that pilgrim living nurtures dependence on God. • This status previews Israel’s identity: a nation sojourning toward promise (Hebrews 11:13-16). And had two sons Here Stephen compresses nearly forty years: “and had two sons.” • Gershom’s name means “I have been a stranger in a foreign land,” mirroring Moses’ testimony (Exodus 2:22). • Eliezer’s name celebrates deliverance: “My father’s God was my helper and saved me from Pharaoh’s sword” (Exodus 18:4), a quiet reminder that God never stopped writing Moses’ story. • Family life in Midian grounded Moses, giving him firsthand experience of shepherding—a skill God would later scale up to nation-size (Psalm 77:20). summary Acts 7:29 shows the pivotal turning point where God moves Moses from misguided zeal to prepared shepherd. Rejection led to refuge; refuge produced refinement; refinement birthed a family and forged a leader. The verse underscores that God’s redirections—even those sparked by painful words—are precise instruments shaping servants for greater purposes. |
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