  
|
Philip Preaches Jesus to the Ethiopian Eunuch Acts 8:26 ¶ And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert. Philip had taken the gospel to Samaria and had seen the whole area respond to the preaching of the name of Jesus. The apostles had arrived to confirm the work and the Holy Ghost was imparted by the laying of their hands. It seems natural that Philip and the apostles would want to stay in Samaria and see the work that he had started come to greater fruition, but this was not to be the case. The apostles left to return to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel to the towns and villages of Samaria along the way. Acts 8:27 And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship, 28 Was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet. An angel spoke to Philip and commanded him to leave and go down through the desert towards Gaza. A quick glance at the map show this to be somewhere around eighty miles. Philip may have wondered just what the Lord had in mind, but nevertheless he obeyed. God had taken notice of a sole Ethiopian who had come into possession of a scroll of Isaiah which was a rather expensive item in those days. He was reading but failing to understand it. At the direction of the Holy Ghost, Philip ran to catch up with the chariot. He saw a black man sitting in the chariot and he heard the familiar words of Isaiah 53:8. Isa 53:8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. Philip asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” The Ethiopian eunuch replied, “No, I need some help, just who is Isaiah talking about?.” That was all the invitation that Philip needed and he began to preach Jesus from that same scripture (vs. 35). I assume that the events which Isaiah wrote of about 750 years earlier were rather vivid in the mind of Philip. It is quite possible that he had witnessed the humiliation of Jesus on the cross (Mark 15:25) and had seen His triumphant resurrection from the grave (Luke 24:6), as well as the outpouring of God’s Spirit at Pentecost (Acts 2:4). I’m sure that when Philip began to preach, he may have branched out a bit. Perhaps he mentioned the promised seed of the woman in Gen. 3:15 and the Great I Am of Exodus as well as the Lamb of God in Leviticus. That’s just for starters, but you get the idea. While reading in Isaiah perhaps Philip mentioned the incarnation of God in Christ from Isa. 9:6 and 7:14. A child would be born and a Son would be given who would be called wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, The Prince of Peace and the Everlasting Father. His name would be called Immanuel which means. “God with us.” He may have mentioned that Jesus was the Branch from the root of Jesse (Isa.11). The foundation and Cornerstone of the church (Isa. 28:16). A King who would reign in righteousness (Isa. 32), with an everlasting kingdom (Isa. 35). He might have mentioned Isaiah 40:9 which declares ,"Behold your God," along with Jesus being the Servant of the Lord (Isa. 42) and the Comforter of Zion (Isa. 51) and many many more. Acts 8:36 And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? 37 And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Perhaps Philip had been present when Jesus gave commandments to His disciples pertaining to the kingdom of God (Acts 1:3). At any rate Philip obviously mentioned water baptism because upon seeing a body of water the eunuch said, "Here is some water, I need to be baptized." Philip said, "You may if you believe with all of your heart." Mental assent wouldn’t suffice. It was necessary to believe that Jesus Christ was the Son of God whom God sent forth to redeem the world and make us his heirs (Gal. 4:4-7). The eunuch assented by stating, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God." Philip baptized the man and the eunuch went on his way rejoicing. This time Philip didn’t have to walk. The Spirit transported him northward and he preached the gospel from Azotus to Caesarea. Throughout the book of Acts we see God working to breakdown the walls of partition between Jew, Samaritan and gentiles. In this instance we see that He reached across racial lines also. Surely that should be ample example for us to follow, wouldn’t you think? Next Week: Saul Meets His Match Keep Looking Up! Don and Marie Spooner About Him! Ministries Your thoughts and Inquiries Contact@about-him.com Subscribe to this devotional? Subscribe@about-him.com
The purpose of About-Him.Com is to glorify the Lord Jesus
Christ whom we preach as the Almighty God manifest in the flesh.
It is our desire that everything presented on these pages increases your
faith in our God and Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
|