Acts chapter 8:26-33:

Acts chapter 8:26-33:

V26:  Now God speaks to Philip – the Angel of the Lord in the OT speaks of God Himself appearing to those He chooses, many believe the pre-incarnate Jesus –  can we say then that Jesus Himself now directs Philip to leave his fruitful ministry in Samaria, to go down to a road that leads from Jerusalem to Gaza, through a largely desert area. How strange, we may think, but God’s ways are always right.

V27:  For there Philip meets this man from Ethiopia, the treasurer of their queen, but clearly a believer in the God of Israel – a “God-fearer” in the terms of the day. As a Eunuch, he could not have been a full proselyte, but the old barriers of the ceremonial law are being broken down in Christ.

V28:  Having been to Jerusalem to worship, he is now returning in his chariot, but even as he travels he is reading from the book of Isaiah. As a man of rank, he would of course have had a chariot driver with him, and the “book” would be a scroll.

V29-30:  The Holy Spirit tells Philip to go up to the chariot. Eager to do God’s will, Philip runs to join the man, and Philip hears him reading from Isaiah 53 – in that day, many would have read aloud, especially in a language not their own, as presumably was the case here. Prompted by the Spirit, Philip asks him if he understands what he is reading?

V31:  He readily admits he needs someone to explain it to him – and seems to see Philip as sent for this purpose – so, asks him into the chariot to do so. Clearly, here is a heart prepared by God’s grace for the gospel.

V32-33:  He is reading from Isaiah 53:7-8. The quotation is a little differently worded from those actual verses in our ESV, and would be from the Greek version of the OT widely used at this time. How remarkably God is at work in all this. Could any passage give a clearer lead to point to Jesus?