Acts 8:33, commentary and pictures

It is Isaiah's prophecy of Jesus, the crucified Saviour and Son of God, who in humiliation was led silent as a sheep to the slaughter, was denied justice, and had His life taken from the earth in suffering and death for His saving mission.
The Ethiopian eunuch, a man of great authority under Candace with charge of all her treasure, was reading it in his chariot on the desert way from Jerusalem to Gaza, searching as one desiring light yet unable by reading alone to understand of whom the prophet spoke.
Directed by the angel of the Lord and the Spirit, Philip ran to him, sat with him, and beginning at that same scripture opened it to his understanding and preached Jesus from it.
The man of high position did not resist the drawing to the Saviour nor make it an excuse, but was brought into the full light with enlightened heart, believed wholeheartedly and confessed that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and when they came to water was baptized and went on his way rejoicing.
So readers may need one who knows God to sit with them and guide them into the meaning, for heaven watches earnest seekers and sends appointed teachers to join them, yet angels do not preach alone but work through consecrated people who must meet inquirers where they are without delay while the newly awakened mind hangs in the balance.

Setting and Prophetic Meaning

The passage was the prophecy of Isaiah that the Ethiopian eunuch was reading aloud in his chariot while returning homeward on the desert way from Jerusalem to Gaza after coming to Jerusalem to worship. He was a man of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, with charge of all her treasure. He was journeying homeward from Jerusalem when met, and was found sitting in his chariot engaged with this scripture.

It speaks not of Isaiah himself or of some other man but of Jesus, the crucified Saviour and Son of God. It is the prophecy of Isaiah 53:7, that in His humiliation He was led as a sheep to the slaughter and was silent as a lamb before his shearer. In that humiliation He was denied justice, with His judgment taken away, and His life was taken from the earth in suffering and death for His saving mission, and it asks who shall declare His generation.

He was searching the Scriptures as one desiring light, half-converted with some knowledge of God's Word, whose interest had begun by hearing Christ's sermons to the people. Yet he could not comprehend or understand the passage by reading alone without one to guide him. Therefore he asked of whom the prophet spoke, whether of himself or of some other man.

Preaching Jesus and Believing

Directed by the angel of the Lord and the Spirit to go to the place where the eunuch would be found, Philip ran to the chariot, heard the reading, was invited up and sat with him. Beginning at that same scripture he opened it to his understanding and preached Jesus from it. That opening showed the passage points to Jesus and delighted the reader with the truth. The work was done from the very text the eunuch could not understand without guidance, making it instruction in evangelistic work and the highest education to receive and practice.

The man of great authority under Candace, with charge of all her treasure, was being drawn to the Saviour and did not resist the drawing. He did not make his high position an excuse for refusing the crucified One, the Saviour, the Son of God. With enlightened heart and mind he was delighted with the truth and brought into the full light of the gospel. That enlightenment led to wholehearted belief and confession with all the heart that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. The prophecy thus brings a seeker after light to faith, showing how wonderfully the Lord works through His servants to convert sinners.

On that belief, when they came to a stream of water he asked for baptism. He was baptized by Philip by going down into the water upon confession of wholehearted belief. Then he went on his way rejoicing as a believer in the truths of God's Word after conversion. Through such a convert the light of truth shines to the higher classes, showing how precious even one soul in neglected parts of the vineyard is.

Pattern for Gospel Workers

The Ethiopian's reading shows that a person may read Scripture without grasping its import and needs one who knows God and the truth to explain it, so that knowledge passes from the informed to the uninformed and honest-hearted seekers in every age are brought into contact with those who can best meet their individual needs. The passage cannot be understood by reading alone, but requires a guide to sit with the reader in the chariot of his own journey and open it to his understanding until heart and mind are enlightened and delighted with the truth. Beginning at that same scripture to preach Jesus is the appointed way to lead such a reader into full light, wholehearted belief and confession that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, followed by baptism by going down into water and going on the way rejoicing.

God looks down upon earnest seekers trying to understand the message of salvation, and heavenly angels watch those seeking enlightenment and lead human workers to them while the Spirit directs appointed teachers to join them. Angels take notice of honest seekers for light, and the Lord knows each case and commands His servant to go where the seeker will be found and meet him where he is to search the Scriptures with him. Yet angels do not do the work alone and do not preach the gospel themselves, but work through people who must connect with fellow men as God's instrumentality to communicate the light received and win souls to Christ.

Workers are therefore to be on watch and ready to help every case that comes to notice, receiving this as instruction in evangelistic work and the highest education and practicing it by meeting interested and inquiring people where they are and searching the Scriptures with them. They are to value even one soul in neglected parts of the vineyard and in needy fields in the byways and hedges where only a few have never heard the last message, giving encouragement and support and going without hesitation where sent like Philip who ran when directed by the angel and the Spirit. Through such a convert the light of truth shines to the higher classes, for the man of high position did not make his position an excuse against the crucified One, and God will surely raise up workers today, both white people and colored people, to labor together with Himself in carrying truth to those who greatly need it.

The work must be done without delay by wholly consecrated workers who are quick to understand their work and as wise stewards take advantage of every circumstance to teach the grace of God and draw men to Christ. The inquiring mind seeking to understand the Word is at a decisive moment when heavenly agencies and evil agencies are both at work, with Satan interposing obstacles to confuse the mind and evil angels waiting for opportunity to press in falsehoods and divert the newly awakened mind from seeking after truth. The case hangs in the balance, and had the teacher left the seeker then he might never have accepted the Saviour.