Charles Spurgeon Commentary Acts 7
Charles Spurgeon Commentary
Acts 7
Charles Spurgeon Commentary
Acts 7
"And Joseph sent, and called to him Jacob his father, and all his kindred, threescore and fifteen souls. And Jacob went down into Egypt; and he died, himself and our fathers; and they were carried over unto Shechem, and laid in the tomb that Abraham bought for a price in silver of the sons of Hamor in Shechem. But as the time of the promise drew nigh which God vouchsafed unto Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt," — Acts 7:14-17 (ASV)
Note those words, the time of the promise, and remember that every promise has its due time of fulfillment, and that there is a time of promise, to all the Lord's chosen people, when he will surely bring them out of bondage into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
"till there arose another king over Egypt, who knew not Joseph. The same dealt craftily with our race, and ill-treated our fathers, that they should cast out their babes to the end they might not live. At which season Moses was born, and was exceeding fair; and he was nourished three months in his father`s house." — Acts 7:18-20 (ASV)
In the darkest night of Israel's bondage in Egypt, her star of hope arose: Moses was born, and was exceeding fair; or, as the margin has it, was fair to God, with a beauty something more than human.
"But when he was well-nigh forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren the children of Israel. And seeing one [of them] suffer wrong, he defended him, and avenged him that was oppressed, smiting the Egyptian: and he supposed that his brethren understood that God by his hand was giving them deliverance; but they understood not." — Acts 7:23-25 (ASV)
Alas! It is just the same with Israel now. The Lord Jesus came to his own, and, according to one of his parables, the Father said of him, They will reverence my Son; but they did nothing of the kind; they said, This is the Heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance shall be ours. And, alas! How many, nowadays, are imitating their evil example! They say, We will not have this man to reign over us; they refuse to yield themselves to the sovereignty of the Lord Jesus Christ.
"And the day following he appeared unto them as they strove, and would have set them at one again, saying, Sirs, ye are brethren; why do ye wrong one to another? But he that did his neighbor wrong thrust him away, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge over us? Wouldest thou kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian yesterday? And Moses fled at this saying, and became a sojourner in the land of Midian, where he begat two sons. And when forty years were fulfilled, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in a flame of fire in a bush." — Acts 7:26-30 (ASV)
So that he was eighty years of age when he really began his great lifework. Perhaps, as a rule, the larger part of our time is occupied in getting ready to work. Yet, if we are able to perform a work as good as that which Moses did, it will repay us well for a long period of preparation.
"And when Moses saw it, he wondered at the sight: and as he drew near to behold, there came a voice of the Lord, I am the God of thy fathers, the God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob. And Moses trembled, and durst not behold. And the Lord said unto him, Loose the shoes from thy feet: for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. I have surely seen the affliction of my people that is in Egypt, and have heard their groaning, and I am come down to deliver them: and now come, I will send thee into Egypt." — Acts 7:31-34 (ASV)
When Moses saw it, he wondered at the sight: and as he drew near to behold it, the voice of the Lord came unto him, saying, I am the God of thy fathers, the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Then Moses trembled, and durst not behold. Then said the Lord to him, Put off thy shoes from thy feet: for the place where thou standest is holy ground. I have seen, I have seen the affliction of my people which is in Egypt, and I have heard their groaning, and am come down, to deliver them.
All this must have been very pleasant to the ear of Moses; it was solemn, yet it was exceedingly sweet; but notice what comes next:
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