John Calvin Commentary Acts 7:33

"And the Lord said unto him, Loose the shoes from thy feet: for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground." — Acts 7:33 (ASV)

Because the place in which. The Lord meant by this commendation which He gives to the place, to lift up the mind of Moses to heaven, so that he might not think about any earthly thing. And if Moses needed to be spurred on by so many prompts, so that, having forgotten the earth, he might listen to God, must we not have our sides, as it were, even pierced through, since we are a hundred times slower than he?

Nevertheless, a question may be asked here: how did this place become so holy? For it was no more holy than other places before that day. I answer that this honor is given to the presence of God, and not to the place, and that the holiness of the place is spoken of for man’s sake.

For if the presence of God makes the earth holy, how much more should human beings feel its power? Nevertheless, we must also note that the place was beautified in this way only for a time, so God did not permanently establish His glory there, just as Jacob erected an altar to God in Bethel after God had shown some sign of His presence there (Genesis 35:7).

When Jacob's descendants later imitated this act of worship, it was a form that was reproved. Ultimately, the place is called holy for Moses’ sake alone, so that he might better prepare himself to fear God and obey Him.

Since God now reveals Himself to us everywhere in Christ—not in obscure figures, but in the full light and perfect truth—we must not only take off our shoes from our feet, but strip ourselves stark-naked of our own selves.