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, 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,
The man was an Ethiopian eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, with charge of all her treasure, who had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning in his chariot reading Isaiah the prophet. He was an honest-hearted, inquiring seeker after light, a Gentile of wide influence whose acceptance of the Saviour still hung in the balance as he prayed for understanding. God saw his case and angels ministering to heirs of salvation worked for him, directing Philip by the Spirit to go to the desert way to Gaza, join his chariot, and teach him. Heavenly messengers do not themselves preach the gospel, but God uses men to explain the Word, for he could not comprehend the prophecies by reading alone and needed one with knowledge of God to lead him to Jesus and baptism. Great effort is made to reach even a single precious soul, and his conversion is the pattern for personal labor for souls under conviction, carrying the light of truth through him to others of his class and to Ethiopia.
The Eunuch and Meeting
The man is an Ethiopian, a eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, with charge of all her treasure. He is a high-ranking official trusted with the queen's treasury, holding a high position of wide responsibility. He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was now returning, seated in his chariot reading Isaiah the prophet. He was met on the desert way from Jerusalem to Gaza, where Philip arose in obedience to angelic direction and went south to join him.
He is a man of good repute, high standing and wide influence, doing a great work. His standing and influence meant that after receiving the gospel he could share its light with others, including others of the same class. God was guiding him toward the Saviour and arranging for Philip to explain the Scriptures to him.
He is an honest-hearted seeker after light, half converted, with a newly awakened and inquiring mind searching the Scriptures and desiring understanding. His acceptance of the Saviour still hung in the balance, so that without immediate guidance he might never accept Him. After finding the explanations of the priests and scribes confusing, he prayed for light, and he had become interested by hearing Christ's sermons to the people. He could not comprehend the written prophecies by reading alone and needed someone to teach him and lead him into full light.
He belongs to the earnest seekers outside Judaism, a Gentile who longed and prayed for light from heaven. He is a man of the colored race especially recognized by God in the time of the apostles, seen in his interest in the Scriptures. When Christ was revealed to him he received Him gladly, and his conversion helped convince the apostles that God granted Gentiles repentance unto life.
Heaven Guides Human Witness
God looked down upon the Ethiopian as he tried to understand the message of salvation, knowing his case and his interest in the Scriptures. Angels who minister to those who shall be heirs of salvation took notice of him as an honest seeker for light and enlightenment, working in his behalf and cooperating with a human worker to win him to Christ. He was being drawn to the Saviour without resisting the drawing, and did not make his high position and wide influence an excuse for refusing the Crucified One.
By angelic direction Philip arose in obedience and went toward the south to the desert way going down from Jerusalem to Gaza, where he met the treasurer returning in his chariot reading Isaiah. By the Spirit's direction he was to join himself to the chariot, be invited up into it, and teach the seeker whom he could not have reached otherwise. The encounter shows the close connection between heaven and earth, and that the Lord still has angels in the earth today, ministering although unseen and sometimes in human form, to connect His servants with seekers. An angel directed Philip to find the one who was ready to receive the truth, giving precious instruction and the highest education in evangelistic work for students to study and follow.
Heavenly messengers do not themselves undertake the work of preaching the gospel, but God requires men to connect with fellow men as His instrumentality. Through the ministration of angels God sends light to His people, and through His people this light is to be given to the world, with the Holy Spirit guiding and placing men and women where they can communicate what they have received. In providence He brings those with special knowledge and fitness into contact with inquirers according to their individual needs, so that knowledge of heavenly things is communicated from the informed to the uninformed. God guides willing messengers to those who seek spiritual light and are ready to receive the gospel, while assigning to human beings the work of sharing it with one another.
The Ethiopian could not comprehend the written prophecies by reading alone, but needed someone with knowledge of God to explain the Word to him and lead him to Jesus and baptism. His story was given for workers to study as the pattern for personal labor for souls under conviction, showing that God has a special work to be done for a few souls in needy, out-of-the-way fields. He represents a large class who read the Scriptures without understanding their meaning and need missionaries like Philip who hear God's voice and go where He sends them. Such seekers are starving for the Word of the Lord yet ignorant of the Scriptures, as sheep having no shepherd because their shepherds feed themselves and feed not the flock, so teachers must go to new territories to present the truth with the Holy Spirit accompanying it.
While angels from heaven were working for him, Satan was interposing obstacles to confuse his inquiring, newly awakened mind, and evil angels were waiting for opportunity to press in falsehoods and divert him from seeking after truth. His acceptance of the Saviour still hung in the balance, so that if left without immediate guidance he might never accept Him. Philip was therefore sent as God's representative to bring divine help, enlighten his understanding, and teach the grace of God to draw him to Christ.
Pattern for Gospel Work
Heaven counts one seeking soul worth a special mission, and Philip was turned aside into the desert to meet a single traveler because every soul is precious and the Spirit was waiting to enlighten and convert him. God keeps His eye upon every soul, looking down upon the inquirer as he tries to understand the message of salvation. He has a special work to be done for a few souls in needy, out-of-the-way fields, and provision is still made to raise up workers to carry truth to those who greatly need it.
The record stands as the pattern for personal labor for souls under conviction and the highest education in evangelistic work for students and workers to study and follow. It teaches consecrated watchfulness, to be on watch and ready to help every case brought to notice, quick to understand, wholly consecrated, wise to use every circumstance. This is true Christian home missionary labor, the kind of personal work now needed.
The traveler was a man of the higher classes, of good standing, high rank and wide influence with charge of treasure, and his conversion through Philip's preaching of the gospel carried the light of truth to others of the same class. After receiving the gospel he shared it with others, so that its light spread in Ethiopia where many accepted Christ and turned from heathenism to Christianity. His reception of truth helped convince the apostles that God had granted to the Gentiles repentance unto life.
His experience calls those who know God to hear His voice and go where He sends them to explain the Word to those who read Scripture without understanding its meaning. Teachers must go to new territories to present the truth with the Holy Spirit accompanying it, for seekers are starving for the Word as sheep having no shepherd. The way is to begin where unity is possible on temperance principles and then, by request, lead to Bible light such as the Sabbath, so that receivers will work to give it to others. White people and colored people are called to engage together as laborers with God, and those seeking preparation for service in the byways and hedges in places where there are only a few should be given encouragement and support, while neglect of this heritage brings judgment.