Acts 7:35

This Moses whom they refused, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge? the same did God send to be a ruler and a deliverer by the hand of the angel which appeared to him in the bush.

Acts 7:35 (KJV)

Context

Acts 7 records Stephen’s defense before the Jewish council, the Sanhedrin. In his speech, Stephen retells Israel’s history to show how God worked through leaders whom the people often rejected. Acts 7:35 focuses on Moses, specifically on his role as both ruler and deliverer.

Meaning

The verse begins by recalling the moment when the Israelites refused Moses. When Moses intervened in a dispute between two Hebrews, they challenged his authority, asking, “Who made thee a ruler and a judge?” (Exodus 2:14). That question revealed their resistance to his leadership. Yet the same Moses whom they rejected, God sent to be a ruler and a deliverer. The Greek word translated “deliverer” carries the sense of a redeemer, and Jewish tradition often spoke of Moses in this way.

God’s sending was not by human appointment but by divine agency: “by the hand of the angel which appeared to him in the bush.” This refers to the encounter at the burning bush in Exodus 3, where the Angel of the LORD appeared to Moses in a flame of fire (Exodus 3:2). The text notes the appearance of an angel, though it does not explicitly state that the angel was a manifestation of God Himself. In that encounter, God commissioned Moses to lead Israel out of bondage.

Biblical connections

Stephen’s reference to Moses draws a typological parallel between Moses and Jesus. Just as Moses was initially rejected but later became the deliverer, so Jesus, though rejected by the Jewish leaders, was sent by God as the ultimate deliverer. This connection is reinforced in the following verse, Acts 7:37, where Stephen quotes Moses’ prophecy of a coming prophet like himself (Deuteronomy 18:15). The rejection of Moses foreshadows the rejection of Christ, and Stephen uses this pattern to challenge his audience’s unbelief.

Application

This verse reminds us that human rejection does not thwart God’s purposes. God raised up Moses despite the people’s refusal, and He sent Jesus even though many would reject Him. God’s commission comes through His own authority, not through human approval. When we face opposition or doubt, we can trust that God’s plans stand, and He equips those He calls.

Reflection

Stephen’s speech calls us to examine our own response to God’s chosen instruments. Do we resist those God sends, or do we recognize His hand in their calling? The same God who sent Moses through the angel in the bush is at work in salvation history, and He calls us to respond in faith, not rejection.