Sermon Tone Analysis
Overall tone of the sermon
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Main Idea
God establishes leaders.
Man is prone to resist those leaders.
Today, we have the meatiest drumstick of the three.
Last week, we reviewed the first section of Stephen’s sermon.
We watched him recount a brief history of Abraham and Joseph.
Through Abraham, he established the proper standard of faith, and through Joseph, he showed how God will always raise a leader for his people, though the people often reject his established leader.
This is the meatiest because Stephen has a lot to say about the next leader - Moses.
I almost divided this section into three parts, but I thought it would be best for us to see the whole picture in one sitting so we can understand what Stephen is trying to communicate.
Thankfully, this section on Moses is divided into three logical chunks, making it easier to bite and chew.
Outline
I - Moses in Training - 1st 40 years (vv.
17-22)
II - Moses in Exile- 2nd 40 years (vv.
23-36)
III - Moses in the Wilderness - 3rd 40 years (vv.
37-43)
And, as a reminder, Stephen is building 2 bridges and keeping 3 rhythms throughout his speech:
BRIDGES
1. Savior bridge.
God’s leaders from history point to Christ.
2. Resistor Bridge.
The opposition to God’s leaders points to Stephen’s accusers.
RHYTHMS
1. God acts and provides wherever his people are.
2. The Israelites are prone to reject God’s established leaders.
3. God is in control of historical events.
I - Moses in Training
Stephen transitions the narrative by highlighting the elapsed time and the change in Egyptian leadership and describes the first of three 40-year periods in Moses' life.
Conditions Worsen
While in Egypt, Israel’s condition turned upside down (from favor with Joseph to oppression under the new Pharoah).
There was a new sheriff in town who had no recollection of the benefits that came from Joseph and his family.
The biblical record explains how the Israelites grew exponentially in size to the point where it intimidated Pharoah.
He thought they would increase and number and eventually rebel, so to keep them submissive, he enslaved them.
Even though Stephen doesn’t expressly mention it here, this explains the fulfillment of the prophecy God gave Abraham - that his descendants would be treated harshly in a foreign land for 400 years.
Not only were they treated harshly, but because they were increasing in number so fast, Pharoah mitigated the growth and potential overthrow of Egypt by commanding that all male infants be put to death.
That is the setting Moses is born into.
Moses’ miraculously preserved
While Moses didn’t have a miraculous birth as Jesus did, there is a parallel here.
Both Moses and Jesus were born under a ruler who commanded the slaughter of male infants to protect their rulership.
Herod commanded all males under two years old to be killed, and Pharoah commanded the male infants to be killed to cast into the Nile.
Both Messianic figures were supernaturally protected at their birth.
Moses was cared for and concealed for 3 months, after which his mother was forced to act.
To spare his life, she had to place him in a basket and send him down the river.
Though Moses’ sister kept an eye on him, God supernaturally and sovereignly directed Moses to Pharaoh’s daughter, who was bathing in the Nile, because God is in control of historical events.
And, instead of tipping the basket over and letting the baby drown, she adopted him instead.
And it is here that Stephen reiterates that Moses was beautiful in God’s sight.
Not only was he physically beautiful in the eyes of his mother (as Ex. 2:2 suggests), but he was also beautiful in God’s eyes, which likely refers to God’s plan for his life and how he is set apart for the task.
It’s also likely that Stephen is reiterating his respect for Moses, which would indirectly speak against the accusation that he is blaspheming Moses.
Moses taught and trained
For the next 40 years, Moses would continue to rise to prominence in Egypt and Pharaoh’s household.
He was given all the benefits of their educational system, which cultivated him into a strong and wise leader in the land.
God provided the conditions for Moses to be equipped with the wisdom of the Egyptians, which made him an effective and capable communicator because we are told he became strong in word and deed.
In the first 40-year cycle, Moses is supernaturally set apart at his birth (or at least within the first three months) and equipped with knowledge and experience.
God was preparing him for his life’s purpose - to be the man God uses to deliver His people out of Egypt and into the land he promised Abraham.
How many of you have gotten antsy over the years while you wait for God to fulfill a promise, a calling, or an answer to prayer?
It is easy for us to become impatient in our instant-gratification society and fail to see how God is never in a rush to get things done.
Often (and as we see here with Moses), God takes time to craft his leaders.
He does not work on our timetable, and if we could see what He sees, we wouldn’t want Him to.
God is the only one who sees the whole picture.
If you believe God called you to something or created you for a purpose that is not yet realized, rejoice!
You are in good company with many biblical and historical figures who were developed in the same way.
For Moses, his training in Egypt lasted 40 years and came to a very abrupt end that sent him into his next 40-year cycle in exile.
II - Moses in Exile
Moses lived the dream for 40 years, but unfortunately, everything changed in 24 hours.
Moses’ first attempt at leading his people
Evidently, at this point, Moses understood who he was… probably because his mother was hired to be his nurse and instilled his Hebraic heritage into him throughout his childhood.
At some point, he witnessed an Israelite being oppressed by an Egyptian, and when Moses stepped in to intervene, he killed the Egyptian.
Here, Stephen highlights Moses’ motive.
At 40 years old, Moses understood enough about his calling that he was to play a role in Israel’s salvation, as verse 25 shows.
He hoped to win their affection by freeing this Israelite from his oppressor (albeit by excessive violence).
Unfortunately for him, that didn’t play out as he had hoped.
Instead of being thanked, he was rejected.
The next day, two Israelites were arguing, and when Moses tried to play the moderator role, they rejected his help.
“Who made you judge and ruler over us?” they asked.
They flatly rejected Moses, and to ensure he never bothered them again, they revealed they knew about the murder.
This obviously freaked Moses out (and rightly so because Pharaoh wanted him dead after learning about what happened), so he fled to Midian, where he found a wife and had two sons.
Here, we see the resistor bridge again.Moses used his position to step in and stop the oppression of a fellow Israelite and mediate a quarrel, and he was rejected.
And they didn’t just reject his offer of mediation.
They specifically mentioned his rulership and position as judge, saying that no one appointed him to that level of authority and they would not abide by it.
Though these are only two men and don’t necessarily represent the enslaved nation as a whole, it does prove Stephen’s point that it is an inherent reality in their hearts.
Moses officially commissioned
This 40-year section is left hollow.
We see how it began with exile, but Stephen does not spend time reflecting on it because the next thing he mentions is at the end of this cycle.
After 40 years in exile and raising his family, Moses received his official marching orders from God via a burning bush.
The voice of the Lord came from the bush, and Moses nearly fainted.
How often have you heard of people having whimsical, informal experiences of heaven or encounters with God?
Is that how biblical characters react to God’s presence?
Moses acts like any human being should act with a real encounter with God - holy fear and trembling.
Moses had a healthy fear of the One True God, and so should we.
Is He our Abba… our heavenly Father who loves us unconditionally?
Yes!
And He is also utterly holy and deserving of our most profound reverence.
Moses correctly demonstrates that for us.
God also commands Moses to remove his sandals because where he stands is holy ground.
Why?
Because God’s presence is there!
Remember, this takes place at Mt. Sinai, not the promised land.
God acts and provides wherever his people are and will establish His holiness wherever He pleases.
Places are holy because of God’s presence there.
Likewise, people are holy, not because of any inherent quality of their being, but because God dwells there.
Remember that the next time you are inclined to think poorly of yourself.
Then, God speaks to Moses, saying he has heard his people’s prayers and plans to use Moses to deliver them.
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