John Calvin Commentary Acts 7:38

"This is he that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel that spake to him in the Mount Sinai, and with our fathers: who received living oracles to give unto us:" — Acts 7:38 (ASV)

Stephen proceeds to set forth the perversity of the people, who though they were stirred up by so many benefits from God, yet they never ceased maliciously to reject Him. If they had been disobedient and unthankful to God before, yet this so wonderful a deliverance ought to have brought them to a better state of mind; but he declares that they were always true to their character.

It was fitting that so many miracles should not only have remained firmly in their minds, but also have continued to be before their eyes. But having forgotten all, they suddenly reverted to the superstitions of Egypt. The memory of their cruel servitude, from which they had escaped by passing over the Red Sea, was still fresh; and yet they preferred those tyrants, by whom they had been treated with extreme cruelty, over their Deliverer. This, therefore, was an utterly desperate display of ungodliness, so that their stubbornness could not be broken or overcome by so many benefits from God, but instead they always returned to their old nature.

This greatly increases the gravity of the offense, when Stephen says that Moses was then with them in the wilderness. The Lord's rare goodness and long-suffering are evident here in His patience with them. Yet, they render themselves completely inexcusable. While being beset on every side by so many difficulties and brought into such great distress, having Moses as their guide in their journey and the faithful keeper of their lives, they nevertheless treacherously fall away from God. Finally, it appears that they were like untamed beasts, whom God could not keep in obedience with so many restraints.

Therefore, since Moses did not cease to govern them even through the wilderness, under the guidance and aid of the angel, it is easy to infer from this circumstance of time how incurable and obstinate their perversity was; it was an act of monstrous rebellion not to be humbled by miseries, nor even by the very sight of death.

When he says that Moses was with the angel and the fathers, there are distinct relationships involved. He was present with the fathers so that he might be their guide according to the commandment of the Lord; he was with the angel as a minister. From this it follows that it was not to a private person that this injury was done, but to the governance of God itself, since the people could not be restrained by reverence for either Moses or the angel from running headlong into wicked rebellion.

We have already spoken of the angel. But the participle [λαλουντος] or which spoke, has a double meaning. For it may be understood either of the first vision, by which Moses was called to redeem the people, or of that speech which God had with Moses after they had crossed the Red Sea.

And because Christ declared in both instances that He was the author of their deliverance, it does not greatly matter which we choose; indeed, there is nothing to prevent it from being extended to both. For He who began to speak to Moses from the beginning, so that He might send him into Egypt, continued the tenor of His speech afterward, until the work was finished.

Which received lively oracles. Erasmus translated it lively speech; but those who are expert in the Greek tongue will know that I have more faithfully translated the words of Stephen. For there is greater majesty in Oracles than in Speech. I speak only of the word itself; for I know that whatever proceeds from the mouth of God is an oracle.

Moreover, he secures authority for the doctrine of Moses in these words, because he utters nothing but what proceeded from God. From this it follows that they rebelled not so much against Moses as against God, by which their stubbornness is more revealed. And this is a general principle for establishing doctrine: when men teach nothing but what is commanded them by God.

For who would dare to consider Moses inferior to anyone else, when he (as the Spirit affirms) ought to be believed solely for this reason: because he faithfully unfolded and delivered the doctrine which he had received from God? But some may ask this question: Why did he call the law living speech?

For this title seems to disagree greatly with the words of Paul, where he says that the law is the ministry of death, that it works death, and that it is the strength of sin (1 Corinthians 3:7). If you take lively speech to mean that which is effectual and cannot be frustrated by the contempt of men, there will be no contradiction; but I interpret it as spoken actively, meaning that which gives life.

For since the law is the perfect rule of godly and holy life, and it shows the righteousness of God, it is, for good reasons, considered the doctrine of life and salvation. And that solemn protestation of Moses serves this purpose, when he calls heaven and earth to witness that he has set before them the way of death and life.

In this sense the Lord Himself complains that His good law is broken, and His good commandments, about which He had said, He which shall do these things shall live in them (Ezekiel 20). Therefore the law has life in itself. Yet if anyone would rather take living to mean that which is full of efficacy and strength, I will not strongly dispute it.

And when it is called the ministry of death, that is incidental to it, because of the corrupt nature of man; for it does not engender sin, but it finds it in us. It offered life, but we, who are altogether corrupt, can receive nothing but death from it. Therefore, it is deadly only in relation to mankind.

However, Stephen had something further in mind here; for he does not only speak of the bare commandments, but includes all of Moses’ doctrine, in which the free promises are included, and so consequently, Christ Himself, who is the only life and health of men.

We must remember the kind of men with whom Stephen was dealing. They were men who were preposterously zealous for the law, who focused only on the dead and deadly letter of the law. In the meantime, they raged against Stephen because he sought Christ in the law, who is, indeed, its soul.

Therefore, by lightly touching on their perverse ignorance, he gives them to understand that there is something greater and more excellent hidden in the law than they have known until now. For as they were carnal, and content with an outward show, they sought nothing spiritual in it; indeed, they would not even allow it to be shown to them.

That he might give them to us. This serves to refute the false accusation with which he was falsely burdened. For since he submits his neck to the yoke of the law and professes that he is one of Moses’ disciples, he is far from discrediting him among others. Indeed, he rather turns back the fault with which he was charged upon those who were the authors of the slander.

That was, so to speak, a common reproach against all the people, because the fathers would not obey the law. Furthermore, he tells them that Moses was appointed to be a prophet, not only for his own time, but so that his authority might remain in force with posterity, even after he was dead.

For it is not fitting that the doctrine of God should be extinguished along with His ministers, or that it should be taken away. For what is more unlikely than that the doctrine by which we have immortality should itself die? So we must think today.

As the prophets and apostles spoke to the men of their time, so they also wrote to us, and the force of their doctrine is continual, because God, rather than men, is its author. Meanwhile, he teaches that if any reject the word appointed for them, they reject the counsel of God.