by his hand would deliver them: but they understood not. 26. And the next day he shewed himself 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? 27. But he that did his neighbour wrong thrust him away, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge over us? 28. Wilt thou kill me, as thou didst the Egyptian yesterday? 29. Then fled Moses at this saying, and was a stranger in the land of Midian, where he begat two sons.
Stephen here goes on to relate,
I. The wonderful increase of the people of Israel in Egypt; it was by a wonder of providence, that in a little time they advanced from a family into a nation.
1. It was when the time of the promise drew nigh; the time when they were to be formed into a people. During the first two hundred and fifteen years after the promise made to Abraham, the children of the covenant were increased but to seventy; but in the latter two hundred and fifteen years they increased to six hundred thousand fighting men; the motion of providence is sometimes quickest, when it comes nearest the centre. Let us not be discouraged at the slowness of the proceedings toward the accomplishment of God's promises; God knows how to redeem the time that seems to have been lost, and, when the year of the redeemed is at hand, can do double work in a single day.
2. It was in Egypt, where they were oppressed, and ruled with rigour; when their lives were made so bitter to them, that, one would think, they should have wished to be written childless, yet they married, in faith that God in due time would visit them; and God blessed them, who thus honoured him, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply. Suffering times have often been growing times with the church.
II. The extreme hardships which they underwent there, v. 18, 19. When the Egyptians observed them to increase in number, they increased their burthens; in which Stephen observes three things:
1. Their base ingratitude. They were oppressed by another king that knew not Joseph, that is, did not consider the good service that Joseph had done to that nation; for, if he had, he would not have made so ill a requital to his relations and family. Those that injure good people are very ungrateful, for they are the blessings of the age and place they live in.
2. Their hellish craft and policy. They dealt subtly with our kindred. Come on, said they, let us deal wisely, thinking thereby to secure themselves, but it proved dealing foolishly, for they did but treasure up wrath by it. Those are in a great mistake, who think they deal subtily for themselves, when they deal deceitfully or unmercifully with their brethren.
3. Their barbarous and inhuman cruelty. That they might effectually extirpate them, they cast out their young children, to the end they might not live. The killing of their infant-seed seemed a very likely way to crush an infant-nation.
Now Stephen seems to observe this to them, not only that they might further see how mean their beginnings were, fitly represented (perhaps with an eye to the exposing of the young children in Egypt) by the forlorn state of a helpless, out-cast infant, (Ezek. 16. 4.) and how much they were indebted to God for his care of them, which they had forfeited, and made themselves unworthy of: but also that they might consider that what they were now doing against the christian church in its infancy, was as impious and unjust, and would be in the issue as fruitless and ineffectual, as that was which the Egyptians did against the Jewish church in its in fancy. "You think you deal subtly in your evil entreating us, and in persecuting young converts, you do as they did in casting out the young children; but you will find it is to no purpose, in spite of your malice, Christ's disciples will increase and multiply.
III. The raising up of Moses to be their deliverer. Stephen was charged with having spoken blasphemous words against Moses, in answer to which charge, he here speaks very honourably of him.
1. Moses was born when the persecution of Israel was at the hottest, especially in that most cruel instance of it, the murdering of the new-born children; At that time, Moses was born, (v. 20.) and was himself in danger, as soon as he came into the world, (as our Saviour also was at Bethlehem,) of falling a sacrifice to that bloody edict. God is preparing for his people's deliverance, then when their day is darkest, and their distress deepest.
2. He was exceeding fair; his face began to shine as soon as he was born, as a happy presage of the honour God designed to put upon him; he was, ἀστεῖος τῷ θεῷ—fair toward God; he was sanctified from the womb, and that made him beautiful in God's eyes; for it is the beauty of holiness that is in God's sight of great price.
3. He was wonderfully preserved in his infancy, first, by the care of his tender parents, who nourished him three months in their own house, as long as they durst; and then by a favourable providence that threw him into the arms of Pharaoh's daughter, who took him up, and nourished him for her own son; (v. 21.) for those whom God designs to make special use of, he will take special care of. And did he thus protect the child Moses? Much more will he secure the interests of his holy child Jesus (as he is called, ch. 4. 27.) from the enemies that are gathered together against him.
4. He became a great scholar; (v. 22.) He was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, who were then famed for all manner of polite literature, particularly philosophy, astronomy, and (which perhaps helped to lead them to idolatry) hieroglyphics. Moses, having his education at court, had opportunity of improving himself by the best books, tutors, and conversation, in all the arts and sciences, and had a genius for them. Only we have reason to think, that he had not so far forgotten the God of his fathers, as to acquaint himself with the unlawful studies and practices of the magicians of Egypt, any further than was necessary to the confuting of them.
5. He became a prime minister of state in Egypt; that seems to be meant by his being mighty in words and deeds. Though he had not a ready way of expressing himself, but stammered, yet he spake admirable good sense, and every thing he said commanded assent, and carried its own evidence and force of reason along with it And in business, none went on with such courage, and conduct, and success. Thus was he prepared, by human helps, for those services, which, after all, he could not be thoroughly furnished for without divine illumination. Now, by all this, Stephen will make it appear that notwithstanding the malicious insinuations of his persecutors, he had as high and honourable thoughts of Moses as they had.
IV. The attempts which Moses made to deliver Israel, which they spurned, and would not close in with. This Stephen insists much upon, and it serves for a key to this story, (Exod. 2. 11—15.) as does also that other construction which is put upon it by the apostle, Heb. 11. 24—26. There it is repre-
