26 Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is a desert place. 27 And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship 28 and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah. 29 And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.” 30 So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” 31 And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. 32 Now the passage of the Scripture that he was reading was this:
“Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter
and like a lamb before its shearer is silent,
so he opens not his mouth.
33 In his humiliation justice was denied him.
Who can describe his generation?
For his life is taken away from the earth.”
34 And the eunuch said to Philip, “About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” 35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus. 36 And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?” 38 And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. 39 And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing. 40 But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through he preached the gospel to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.
(ESV)
STOP! Think a little 🤔 What is God saying to you?
- What is the writer saying?
- How do I apply this to my life?
Philip was given a specific instruction by an angel of the Lord to go to a desert place on the road between Jerusalem and Gaza. Philip immediately obeyed. There he found an Ethiopian eunuch, a treasurer from the queen’s court. Candace was her title, not her name (similar to Pharoah is the title of the king of Egypt). The eunuch was a God-fearing Gentile who had gone to Jerusalem to worship and was on his way back. He was seated in his chariot reading from to book of Isaiah. The Spirit told Philip to go over and join him at his chariot. When Philip was at the chariot, he heard the eunuch reading from Isaiah and asked him if he understood what he was reading. Philip showed a genuine concern that the eunuch’s bible reading resulted in comprehension. It was a great question because the eunuch answered that he was not able to understand correctly unless he was guided. With that, he invited Philip to sit with him. He was reading from Isaiah 53:7-8 which prophesied about the Messiah’s sacrificial death. Philip then used that as a launching point to share the gospel and point to Jesus. When they came to some water, the eunuch asked what prevented him from being baptised. The biblical answer to this question is belief in Christ. As soon as someone believes, they are ready for water baptism. So he stopped the chariot and they went into the water and Philip baptised the eunuch. Going down into the water and coming up out of the water both strongly suggest full immersion. When they came out of the water the Spirit took Philip away to Azotus and he preached the gospel from there until he came to Caesarea (in Maritima on the Mediterranean, not Philippi).
Philip was available and obedient. People’s interest and questions can be a great intro to begin discussing eternal things, then we must lead the conversation to Jesus. Perhaps you can pray for God to show you someone’s interest in spiritual things and give you an opportunity to lead a discussion towards talking about Jesus.
Major Stories of the Bible Reading Plan
Spiritual Gifts: 1 Corinthians 11-12