Study Desk

"But when he was approaching the age of forty, ^(C1)it entered his ^(F1)mind to visit his countrymen, the sons of Israel.

"And when he saw one of them being treated unjustly, he defended and took vengeance for the oppressed man by fatally striking the Egyptian.

"And he thought that his brothers understood that God was granting them ^(F1)deliverance ^(F2)through him; but they did not understand.

"^(C1)And on the following day he appeared to them as they were fighting each other, and he tried to reconcile them to peace, by saying, 'Men, you are brothers, why are you injuring each other?'

"But the one who was injuring his neighbor pushed him away, saying, '^(C1)WHO MADE YOU A RULER AND JUDGE OVER US?

'^(C1)YOU DO NOT INTEND TO KILL ME AS YOU KILLED THE EGYPTIAN YESTERDAY, DO YOU?'

"At this remark, ^(C1)MOSES FLED AND BECAME A STRANGER IN THE LAND OF ^(F1)MIDIAN, where he ^(C2)fathered two sons.

"After forty years had passed, ^(C1)an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in the flame of a burning thorn bush.

"When Moses saw it, he was astonished at the sight; and as he approached to look more closely, the voice of the Lord came:

'^(C1)I AM THE GOD OF YOUR FATHERS, THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, AND ISAAC, AND JACOB.' Moses shook with fear and did not dare to look closely.

"^(C1)But the LORD said to him, '^(F1)(C2)REMOVE YOUR SANDALS FROM YOUR FEET, FOR THE PLACE ON WHICH YOU ARE STANDING IS HOLY GROUND.

'^(C1)I HAVE CERTAINLY SEEN THE OPPRESSION OF MY PEOPLE WHO ARE IN EGYPT, AND HAVE HEARD THEIR GROANING, AND I HAVE COME DOWN TO RESCUE THEM; AND ^(C2)NOW COME, I WILL SEND YOU TO EGYPT.'

"This Moses whom they ^(C1)disowned, saying, 'WHO MADE YOU A RULER AND A JUDGE?' is the one whom God ^(F1)sent to be both a ruler and a deliverer with the ^(F2)help of the angel who appeared to him in the thorn bush.

"^(C1)This man led them out, performing ^(C2)wonders and ^(F1)signs in the land of Egypt and in the Red Sea, and in the ^(C3)wilderness for forty years.

"This is the Moses who said to the sons of Israel, '^(C1)GOD WILL RAISE UP FOR YOU A PROPHET ^(F1)LIKE ME FROM YOUR COUNTRYMEN.'

"This is the one who was in ^(C1)the ^(F1)assembly in the wilderness together with ^(C2)the angel who spoke to him at length on Mount Sinai, and who was with our fathers; and he received ^(C3)living ^(C4)words to pass on to you.

"Our fathers were unwilling to be obedient to him; on the contrary they ^(C1)rejected him and turned back to Egypt in their hearts,

^(C1)saying to Aaron, 'MAKE US ^(F1)A GOD WHO WILL GO BEFORE US; FOR THIS MOSES WHO LED US OUT OF THE LAND OF EGYPT—WE DO NOT KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM.'

"^(F1)At that time ^(C1)they made a ^(F2)calf and brought a sacrifice to the idol, and were rejoicing in ^(C2)the works of their hands.

"But God ^(C1)turned away and gave them over to ^(F1)serve the heavenly ^(F2)lights; as it is written in the book of the prophets: '^(C2)YOU DID NOT OFFER ME VICTIMS AND SACRIFICES ^(C3)FOR FORTY YEARS IN THE WILDERNESS, DID YOU, HOUSE OF ISRAEL?

'^(C1)YOU ALSO TOOK ALONG THE TABERNACLE OF MOLOCH AND THE STAR OF YOUR GOD ^(F1)ROMPHA, THE IMAGES WHICH YOU MADE TO WORSHIP. I ALSO WILL DEPORT YOU BEYOND BABYLON.'

"Our fathers had ^(C1)the tabernacle of testimony in the wilderness, just as He who spoke to Moses directed him to make it ^(C2)according to the pattern which he had seen.

"Our fathers in turn received it, and they also ^(C1)brought it in with Joshua upon dispossessing the ^(F1)nations that God drove out from our fathers, until the time of David.

"^(F1)(C1)David found favor in God's sight, and ^(C2)asked that he might ^(F2)find a dwelling place for the ^(F3)house of Jacob.

"But it was ^(C1)Solomon who built a house for Him.

"However, ^(C1)the Most High does not dwell in houses made by human hands; as the prophet says:

'^(C1)HEAVEN IS MY THRONE, AND THE EARTH IS THE FOOTSTOOL OF MY FEET; WHAT KIND OF HOUSE WILL YOU BUILD FOR ME?' says the Lord, 'OR WHAT PLACE IS THERE FOR MY REST?

-'^(C1)WAS IT NOT MY HAND THAT MADE ALL THESE THINGS?'

"You men who are ^(C1)stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit; you are doing just as your fathers did.

"^(C1)Which one of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? They killed those who had previously announced the coming of ^(C2)the Righteous One, and ^(C3)you have now become betrayers and murderers of Him;

you who received the Law as ^(C1)ordained by angels, and yet did not keep it."