³⁰“After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in the flame of a burning thorn bush. ³¹When Moses saw it, he marveled at the sight; and as he approached to look more closely, there came the voice of the Lord: ³²‘I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob.’ Moses shook with fear and would not venture to look. ³³But the Lord said to him, ‘Take off the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground. ³⁴I have certainly seen the oppression of My people in Egypt and have heard their groans, and I have come down to rescue them; come now, and I will send you to Egypt.’”

Moses’ life was thematically divided into three periods of forty years. The first forty was living in the household of Pharaoh; the second forty, a self-imposed exile in the desert area of Mount Sinai; and the final period was leading the people of Israel out of Egypt and through the desert.

We have scant information about the middle period; the little we know is in Exodus 2:15–25. But the event leading to Moses’ return to Egypt to rescue his people is summarized here. The details of this encounter at the burning bush are found in Exodus 3. This singular event was pivotal in the history of Israel, as much so as the commissioning of Abraham in Genesis 12, inaugurating the godly line of God’s people through whom He would save the world. On this level we place the calling of Moses to rescue God’s people from slavery.

Every Jew who has ever lived knows this story well, and Stephen tells it with the view to bringing conviction on the current generation of Jewish people. Again, the focus is on the rescuer of God’s people. Stephen quotes the full description God gave Moses, which is to make absolutely clear that this is not some new god the Christians are following, but just like with Moses, this was “the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob.” Stephen was placing the Christian message of grace and truth in Jesus Christ directly in the context of historic Judaism. In other words, so far, the stories of Abraham, Joseph, and Moses all lead in the direction of Jesus Christ.

Indeed, we agree with theologians who assert that the voice of God speaking out of the burning bush was a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ. Moses’ reaction to the holiness of God provides the model for how all Jews should respond to the presence of God: with fearful awe. The Christians taught that Jesus was Emmanuel, which means “God with us” (Matt. 1:23). Just as God sent Moses to rescue His people, so now He sent Jesus to save them from their sins. Unfortunately, as this story plays out, God’s people continued to reject Jesus, their Savior.

Lord, I pray for the Jewish people, that they would recognize their Savior.