26 “But an angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down 27 from Jerusalem unto Gaza; the same is desert. And he arose and went: and behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was over all her treasure, who had come to Jerusalem for worship; and he was returning and sitting in his chariot, and 29 was reading the prophet Isaiah. And the Spirit said unto 30 Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot. And Philip ran to him, and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and 31 said, Understandest thou what thou readest? And he said, How can I, except some man shall guide me? And he besought Philip to come up and sit with him. Now the place of the Scripture which he was reading was this,
He was led as a sheep to the slaughter;
And as a lamb before his shearer is dumb,
So He openeth not His mouth;
33 In His humiliation his judgment was taken away:
His generation who shall declare?
For His life is taken from the earth.
34 And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other? 35 And Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this scripture, preached unto him Jesus. And as they went on the way, they came unto a certain water; and the eunuch saith, Behold, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? 37 And Philip said, If thou believest with all thy heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the 38 Son of God. And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they both went down into the water, both Philip and the 39 eunuch; and he baptized him. And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip; and the eunuch saw him no more: for he went on his way rejoicing. 40 But Philip was found at Azotus: and passing through he preached the Gospel to all the cities, till he came to Caesarea.”
Golden Text.—“With the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”Rom. 10:10.
SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS.
(1) What message came to Philip at Samaria? Verse 26. (2) How did he respond? Whom did he meet on the way? Verse 27. Note 1. (3) In what was this man specially engaged? Verse 28. Note 2. (4) What further message did Philip have from the Spirit? Verse 29. Note 3. (5) Then what did Philip do? What did he hear? What did he say? Verse 30. (6) What was the man's reply? Verse 31. Note 4. (7) In what place in the Scripture was he reading? Verses 32, 33. Note 5. (8) What question did the eunuch ask Philip? Verse 34. (9) How did Philip reply to this inquiry? Verse 35. (10) How did the man manifest his acceptance of the truth? Verse 36. Note 6. (11) What did Philip present as a condition of baptism? Verse 37. Note 7. (12) How did Philip show a recognition of this man's confession of faith? Verse 38. (13) What was done by the Spirit after the baptism? What was the result to the new disciple? Verse 39. Note 8. (14) What more is said of Philip's labors? Verse 40; ch. 21: 8, 9.
NOTES.
1. “He arose and went.” Philip had been instrumental in arousing a great interest in Samaria. There had been a great revival in the city under his preaching. Most men would have argued that he was especially adapted to city work, to great revival work, and would have thought there was some mistake about the call to go off into a desert region. But Philip obeyed, going some three days’ journey on foot. “and behold, a man”—one man to be instructed. But that is God’s way, not man’s.
2. This man was searching for truth. He had come a long journey to Jerusalem to worship, and to learn of the Jewish teachers, recognizing them as the people of God. But he had been disappointed, and was searching the Scriptures for himself.
3. The Spirit again spoke to Philip, and in quick obedience he ran to the carriage. The man was reading aloud, for Philip heard what he was reading, and asked if he understood it.
4. It would be difficult for one who had been instructed from the standpoint of the rabbis to understand the fifty-third chapter of Isaiah. So the same Spirit that had sent Philip to him now prompted him to urge Philip to ride with him.
5. “His judgment,” that is, the justice due Him at His trial, or “humiliation.” Everything pertaining to His arrest, trial, and execution was illegal and unjust. On the expression, “His generation who shall declare,” Denton says: “His generation can not be declared, for His divine nature is incomprehensible. His human nature, as conceived by the Holy Ghost, is beyond the understanding of man. His spiritual generation, the multitude of the faithful, are known only to God.” Surely they are not confined to any particular nation, or kindred, or tongue, or people.
6. Philip did not neglect the important subject of baptism in his brief interview, for the man suggested it at the first opportunity.
7. According to Philip’s theology, the only requirement of a candidate for baptism is to believe with all the heart that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And according to the same Scriptures of truth faith is substantiated by obedience.
8. Verses 38 and 39 leave no doubt of the mode of this baptism under the express guidance of the Spirit. The mission of Philip was so well performed that there was no longer any need of his labors there.
