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.’
As I’ve said before*, “The Old Testament is one giant object lesson on what does not work.” I think maybe Philip Yancey said it. His book, Disappointment with God, offers an insightful look into three significant questions about God: Is God unfair? Is he silent? Is he hidden? The point Yancey makes about God is that when God spoke directly with men and women it didn’t work. Adam and Eve sinned even though they had it all. When God sent judges and Kings to lead his people (at their request!), that didn’t keep Israel from going astray and falling into great sin and idolatry. When God sent the prophets, the people and leaders didn’t listen.
Moses said to the people of Israel 3500 years ago that God would raise up a prophet like him from among them. That may have been somewhat of a farewell address. It comes in Deuteronomy the last book of Moses as he bids farewell to his people before they go on into the Promised Land and before he dies.
But let’s be clear about what does and does not work. Nothing apart from God’s goodness and grace works in the final analysis. I believe that God was guiding people toward himself, the redemption and salvation he has for us.
There was a faint foreshadowing of the ultimate deliverance of God in the Exodus of the Jewish nation and their ultimate entrance into the Promised Land. That faint shadow has become reality in Jesus’ life, ministry, suffering, death and resurrection. It’s full expression and ultimate experience will be on the Great Last Day when Jesus returns and all of his people are brought into the promised New Heaven and New Earth.
Once we’re there, we’ll join in an eternal peaen of praise for God’s glorious grace. This is how Paul expresses this in Ephesians 1:3-8:
All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. 4 Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. 5 God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. 6 So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. 7 He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. 8 He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.
All the trials, missteps, misunderstandings, and failures – those things that didn’t work – will be forgotten. Tears will be wiped from our eyes. And we will be forever with our Lord, having learned how truly good, gracious, and glorious he is. One day we’ll learn it fully!
* “As I’ve said before,” is a progression of quoting others. First time, “As Philip Yancey has said…” Second time, “As I’ve said before…” Third time and every time thereafter, “As I’ve always said…” I may almost be able to say, “As I’ve always said…” about this quote very soon. I’ve quoted Yancey many times.
David Bahn - Reflections 
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