Ruler and Redeemer

“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.” – Acts 7:35

This verse comes in the middle of Stephen’s speech right before he is stoned, martyred for his faith. Stephen is recounting parts of Israel’s history, and when he mentions Moses, he says that God sent Moses as both a ruler and a redeemer. 

But Moses is not the only ruler and redeemer that God sent. 

We know from the book of Hebrews that Jesus is greater than Moses. Hebrews 3:3 says that “Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses—as much more glory as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself.”

Moses was a mighty man of God who served the Lord’s purposes for his people at a unique time in history; but Jesus is the ultimate ruler and deliverer, who came “when the fulness of the time had come” (Gal. 4:4). 

We know, first of all, that Jesus is our ruler. Revelation 11:15 tells us of a day in the future: “Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, ‘The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.’” 

There have been countless rulers throughout the history of the world. Kings, priests, emperors, chancellors, and presidents. Some have been good, some have been really bad, and some have been evil. But when all rule and authority and power are ended (1 Cor. 15:24), Jesus will be the only ruler that remains. He will be all in all, everything will be under His dominion. Moses may have led God’s people for a brief time, but Jesus will rule over all people and all of creation for eternity. His Kingdom and dominion will never end. He is the perfect king that man has been waiting and searching for. 

Jesus is not only our ruler, however. He is our Redeemer. A redeemer is “One who redeems or ransoms” (1828 Dictionary). Moses was sent by God to deliver a select people from slavery in Egypt, but Jesus was sent by God to deliver all people from an even worse kind of slavery – slavery to sin. 

We need to be redeemed because, apart from Jesus, we are all slaves to sin. Jesus said in John 8:34, “everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.” Jesus’ blood is the price that could pay our ransom. God “has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:13-14). 

Jesus has delivered us from sin’s power and penalty by redeeming us with His blood. And one day, when Jesus reigns in God’s perfect Kingdom, we will be saved from the presence of sin. Just as God came down to deliver the Israelites from Egypt (Exodus 3:8), God came down in His Son Jesus to provide the redemption from sin that all mankind is in desperate need of. 

Jesus will one day reign in righteousness over all creation, and He frees us from sin. Moses served God’s purposes at a place and time in history, but only Jesus provides eternal deliverance and redemption. Have you been delivered from your sin, redeemed by Jesus’ blood? If not, please make today the day that you turn to Christ. He is both our ruler and redeemer.