Acts 7:1, 30-43And the high priest said, “Are these things so?” 2 And Stephen said:
“Now when forty years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in a flame of fire in a bush. 31 When Moses saw it, he was amazed at the sight, and as he drew near to look, there came the voice of the Lord: 32 ‘I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob.’ And Moses trembled and did not dare to look. 33 Then the Lord said to him, ‘Take off the sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground. 34 I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt, and have heard their groaning, and I have come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send you to Egypt.’
35 “This Moses, whom they rejected, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge?’—this man God sent as both ruler and redeemer by the hand of the angel who appeared to him in the bush. 36 This man led them out, performing wonders and signs in Egypt and at the Red Sea and in the wilderness for forty years. 37 This is the Moses who said to the Israelites, ‘God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers.’ 38 This is the one who was in the congregation in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him at Mount Sinai, and with our fathers. He received living oracles to give to us. 39 Our fathers refused to obey him, but thrust him aside, and in their hearts they turned to Egypt, 40 saying to Aaron, ‘Make for us gods who will go before us. As for this Moses who led us out from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’ 41 And they made a calf in those days, and offered a sacrifice to the idol and were rejoicing in the works of their hands. 42 But God turned away and gave them over to worship the host of heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets:
“‘Did you bring to me slain beasts and sacrifices,
during the forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel?
43 You took up the tent of Moloch
and the star of your god Rephan,
the images that you made to worship;
and I will send you into exile beyond Babylon.’
Do you know what cred means? Check out these quotes:
The optional carbon-ceramic brakes add cred to the M in front of the Gran Coupe’s 8 and better withstand the abuse of a track day.—Austin Irwin, Car and Driver, 18 July 2023
World of Hyatt The brand added considerable indie cred in 2018 with its acquisition of Alila Hotels & Resorts and Thompson Hotels.—Katie Seemann, Travel + Leisure, 3 June 2023
Merriam Webster says that cred means: CREDIBILITY specifically : the ability to gain acceptance as a member of a particular group or class.
Moses had cred. Stephen lists it out here:
“This Moses, whom they rejected, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge?’—this man God sent as both ruler and redeemer by the hand of the angel who appeared to him in the bush.36 This man led them out, performing wonders and signs in Egypt and at the Red Sea and in the wilderness for forty years. 37 This is the Moses who said to the Israelites, ‘God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers.’ 38 This is the one who was in the congregation in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him at Mount Sinai, and with our fathers. He received living oracles to give to us.
It’s a way of saying he’s the real deal. He’s worthy of our trust. He’s the one we need to follow. He is no faker. Not a wannabe.
There are others who would deserve to be considered the real deal: Saul of Tarsus (who will soon take the name Paul when he goes to the Gentiles with the Good News of the gospel). Peter, son of Zebedee. Justin Martyr. Jan Hus. Martin Luther. These don’t mail it in when it comes to their faith. They put their lives on the line. They are sold out to Jesus.
You likely can name others. They are people worth listening to. They merit our attention. They deserve our respect.
But Stephen is teaching a lesson to these Jewish leaders. He’s setting them up when he praises Moses because he knows they and the generations before them failed to listen to Moses as they should. In fact, Peter will make a point some time later saying, “So why are you now challenging God by burdening the Gentile believers with a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors were able to bear? (Acts 15:10)
All those attributions of greatness given to Moses were meant to point people to him as God’s chosen leader. Even those who considered him their great leader failed to follow him as they should. Even we who put Jesus above all others fail to follow him as we should.
But we try to follow Jesus because he redeemed us, and forgives us when we fall short. That’s something Moses could not do – at least not to the full extent that Jesus did. Jesus’ cred includes his miracles, teachings, faithfulness even to death, and his resurrection from the grave. He has shown himself to be worthy of all honor and glory, faith and love, trust and obedience.
David Bahn - Reflections 
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