Acts 7:30Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Do you see how this divine economy is not hindered by time? When he was a fugitive and stranger, after he had spent much time in a foreign land and already had two children, and when he no longer hoped to return from there, then the angel appeared to him. Scripture calls the Son of God an angel, just as it sometimes calls Him a man. And where does He appear? In the wilderness, not in the temple. Do you see what wonders are accomplished, though there was still neither temple nor sacrifice anywhere? And here, in the wilderness, He appears not simply, but in the bush. Behold, Moses is also counted worthy of the voice.

"Then Moses fled." Yet his flight did not disrupt God's plans. For it is said: "When forty years had passed, the Angel of the Lord appeared to him." He appeared when Moses was in flight, when he no longer hoped to return, since he already had two sons. But note: Stephen now calls the Son of God an angel, just as he also calls Him a man. The angel appears to Moses not in the temple, but in the wilderness, and not simply in the wilderness, but in the bush.

Then, in order to defend himself against the charge of insulting Moses and his law, Stephen dwells at length on this great Old Testament figure (vv. 20-43). He strives to show all his reverence both for Moses and for the law given through him. In God's special providence over the salvation and destiny of Moses, his particular calling is already revealed (vv. 20-22). Stephen shows that Moses, even while at Pharaoh's court, already foresaw his vocation. No doubt, he did so by reflecting on the extraordinary circumstances of his life. This vocation was to be the deliverer of his people from the Egyptian yoke (v. 25). Then the person of Moses is fully assessed in his dignity and significance. This begins with the depiction of his calling by God to the work of delivering Israel (vv. 30-35).

"When forty years had been fulfilled." See the note on v. 23. The event depicted here is described by Moses in Ex 3. Stephen depicts it briefly, with certain distinctive features. "In the wilderness of Mount Sinai" means in the wilderness where Mount Sinai is located. In the book of Exodus, the place of the event is called Mount Horeb, not Sinai. Yet this difference is not significant. In that wilderness, from rocky and mountainous ground, two mountains rise above the others. On the northern side is Mount Sinai, the highest of all those around it. On the southern side is Mount Horeb. Both are the highest peaks of one mountain range. It seems that Horeb was the general name for this whole group of mountains, while Sinai was the name of one height within the group.

In the unburnt bush, Archdeacon Stephen points to the appearance of the Angel. This explanation is as profound as it is readily acceptable. But since this Angel calls Himself God (see Ex 3:6), one rightly sees here an indication of the Angel of Great Counsel (see Is 9:6), that is, the Son of God. He appeared on earth from the Most Holy Virgin. For this reason the name Unburnt Bush is also ascribed to her in a mystical sense. More immediately, however, the appearance of the bush is explained in relation to the Hebrews. They were, as it were, burning in Egypt from oppression, yet they were not destroyed. As for the appearance itself, since it was supernatural, it cannot be explained. Therefore Moses marveled at it, though he knew many mysteries of Egyptian wisdom.