He
supposed that his brothers understood that God, by his hand, was giving them deliverance; but they didn’t understand. “The day following, he appeared to them as they fought, and urged them to be at peace again, saying, ‘Sirs, you are brothers. Why do you wrong one another?’ But he who did his neighbor wrong pushed him away, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge over us? Do you want to kill me, as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?’ Moses fled at this saying, and became a stranger in the land of Midian, where he became the father of two sons.
Acts 7:25-29
Acts 7 [9.] “The patriarchs, moved with jealousy against Joseph, sold him into Egypt. God was with him, and delivered him out of all his afflictions, and gave him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh, king of Egypt. He made him governor over Egypt and all his house. Now a famine came over all the land of Egypt and Canaan, and great affliction. Our fathers found no food. But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent out our fathers the first time. On the second time Joseph was made known to his brothers, and Joseph’s race was revealed to Pharaoh. Joseph sent, and summoned Jacob, his father, and all his relatives, seventy-five souls. Jacob went down into Egypt, and he died, himself and our fathers, and they were brought back to Shechem, and laid in the tomb that Abraham bought for a price in silver from the children of Hamor of Shechem.
Acts 7 [17.] “But as the time of the promise came close which God had sworn to Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt, until there arose a different king, who didn’t know Joseph. The same took advantage of our race, and mistreated our fathers, and forced them to throw out their babies, so that they wouldn’t stay alive. At that time Moses was born, and was exceedingly handsome. He was nourished three months in his father’s house. When he was thrown out, Pharaoh’s daughter took him up, and reared him as her own son. Moses was instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians. He was mighty in his words and works. But when he was forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brothers, the children of Israel. Seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended him, and avenged him who was oppressed, striking the Egyptian. He supposed that his brothers understood that God, by his hand, was giving them deliverance; but they didn’t understand.
Acts 7 [26.] “The day following, he appeared to them as they fought, and urged them to be at peace again, saying, ‘Sirs, you are brothers. Why do you wrong one another?’ But he who did his neighbor wrong pushed him away, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge over us? Do you want to kill me, as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?’ Moses fled at this saying, and became a stranger in the land of Midian, where he became the father of two sons.
Acts 7 [30.] “When forty years were fulfilled, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in a flame of fire in a bush. When Moses saw it, he wondered at the sight. As he came close to see, a voice of the Lord came to him, ‘I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ Moses trembled, and dared not look. The Lord said to him, ‘Take your sandals off of your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground. I have surely seen the affliction of my people that is in Egypt, and have heard their groaning. I have come down to deliver them. Now come, I will send you into Egypt.’
Meaning:
At forty years old Moses visited his fellow Israelites and defended one of them by striking an Egyptian (Acts 7:22-24). These verses tell what happened next: Moses expected his people to recognize him as their deliverer, but they rejected him, and he fled to Midian. Stephen lingers on this rejection because it is central to his message.
- “He supposed that his brothers understood”
This sentence is Stephen’s own comment; it is not in Exodus. Moses believed that God was “giving them deliverance” by his hand, and he expected his people to see it. But his brothers did not understand. The words prepare for the climax of the speech, where Stephen accuses his hearers of failing to recognize the one God sent (Acts 7:52). Peter had already said that the people and their rulers acted against Jesus “in ignorance” (Acts 3:17).
- “Sirs, you are brothers. Why do you wrong one another?”
The next day Moses tried to make peace between two Israelites who were fighting. Exodus records his question: “Why do you strike your fellow?” (Exodus 2:13). Moses came as a peacemaker, appealing to their brotherhood.
- “Who made you a ruler and a judge over us?”
The man in the wrong pushed Moses aside and rejected his authority, quoting the words of Exodus 2:14: “Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you plan to kill me, as you killed the Egyptian?” Stephen will repeat this rejection in the next part of his speech, pointing out that the very man they refused, God sent “as both a ruler and a deliverer” (Acts 7:35).
- “Moses fled at this saying”
Exodus says Moses was afraid and fled because Pharaoh sought to kill him (Exodus 2:15). Stephen stresses instead his rejection by his own people. Like Abraham, he became a foreigner.
- “where he became the father of two sons”
In Midian Moses married Zipporah, daughter of Jethro the priest. Their sons were Gershom, because Moses said, “I have lived as a foreigner in a foreign land”, and Eliezer (Exodus 18:3). He lived there forty years until God called him at the burning bush (Acts 7:30).
The Significance of Acts 7:25-29
- Rejected deliverers
Stephen’s hearers were proud of Moses, yet their ancestors first rejected him. Stephen wants them to see that they have done the same with Jesus. John writes of Jesus, “He came to his own, and those who were his own didn’t receive him” (John 1:11). Those who honour God’s servants of the past can still reject the one God sends today.
- Peacemaking can be costly
Moses tried to reconcile two brothers and was rebuffed. Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers” (Matthew 5:9), but peacemakers are not always welcomed. They persevere, trusting God.
Cross-References:
Exodus 2:14: "Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you plan to kill me, as you killed the Egyptian?" The words Stephen quotes.
Hebrews 11:24: "By faith, Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter" Moses’ choice to stand with his people.
John 1:11: "He came to his own, and those who were his own didn’t receive him." The rejection of Jesus.
Conclusion: Moses believed his brothers would recognize that God was delivering them through him, but they did not understand. When he tried to make peace between two Israelites, he was rejected with the words, “Who made you a ruler and a judge over us?” and fled to Midian. Stephen uses this moment to show that Israel had long rejected the deliverers God sent, preparing his challenge about their rejection of Jesus.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible