Acts 8:34
And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man? And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man?
The Ethiopian treasurer under Candace is returning from worship at Jerusalem reading Isaiah's prophecy of the suffering servant led as a sheep to the slaughter, and he asks Philip whether the prophet means himself or another man because he cannot tell without a guide. The prophecy speaks of Jesus Christ and His mission to save sinners through His humiliation, suffering and death. Philip begins at that same scripture and opens it to preach Jesus as its fulfillment, and the eunuch believes with all his heart that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, is baptized in water, and goes on his way rejoicing. He stands for a large class who read the Scriptures without understanding their true meaning and cannot understand unless someone guides them. God therefore directs His servants by angel and Spirit to join themselves to such ready, honest-hearted seekers, since even one soul in an out-of-the-way place is worth personal labor and may carry the light onward to many others.
The Eunuch's Question
The question is asked by the Ethiopian eunuch, a man of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians who had charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was journeying homeward, seated in his chariot reading Isaiah the prophet. He was studying the prophecy he was reading without understanding of whom the prophet speaks, and his question confesses his need of a guide and invites Philip to come up, sit beside him, and explain it.
What he was reading was Isaiah's prophecy of the suffering servant, concerning Christ and His redemption. It is the prophecy of Christ's suffering, humiliation and death. It is the place about One led as a sheep to the slaughter who opened not His mouth.
He asks of whom the prophet speaks, of himself or of some other man. His question shows that people can read Scripture without understanding its true meaning and cannot identify the person in the prophecy without guidance. It confesses he needs someone knowledgeable to guide him in what he reads, and it opens the way for Philip to explain the passage and preach Jesus from it.
He is an honest-hearted seeker after light and truth, seeking light and ready to receive the gospel, with an interested and inquiring mind and a newly awakened mind. He is half-converted, believing the Scriptures yet unable to understand them by reading alone and unable to comprehend the written prophecies without a human guide. He is longing and praying for light from heaven, starving for it, and angels take notice of him as one seeking enlightenment. He is drawn to the Saviour without resisting the drawing and without making his high position an excuse for not accepting the crucified One. He had become interested by hearing Christ's sermons to the people, and was searching the Scriptures with desire for light.
Philip Preaches Christ
The question points to Isaiah's prophecy of the suffering servant, and that prophecy concerns Jesus Christ, His redemption, and His mission to save sinners. It is not about the prophet himself but about another Man, and the seeker's need for guidance to see this gives the opening to explain it as concerning Jesus and to preach the gospel from it. Philip answers by beginning at that same scripture, opening it to understanding, explaining the passage, and preaching Jesus from it as its fulfillment. He does not leave the reader to read alone without meaning but takes the very place being read and makes Christ known from it.
With heart and mind enlightened the hearer is delighted with the truth. He believes with all his heart that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, confesses that faith, takes the steps requisite in conversion through baptism, and is baptized by Philip in water when they come to water. He then goes on his way rejoicing as a believer in God's Word, promptly acting on belief in a lesson of accepting, confessing, and obeying the call of duty. What began as inability to comprehend the written prophecies without a human guide ends in faith, baptism, and joy.
His conversion carries the gospel to Ethiopia, where many accept Christ. It also helps convince the apostles and leaders in Jerusalem that God has granted Gentiles repentance unto life, and this prepares the way for Paul's mission.
Guiding Seekers Today
The question about whether the prophet speaks of himself or of another reveals that a person can read Scripture without grasping its true meaning. The eunuch reading without understanding represents a large class of people who cannot understand what they read unless someone guides them. This includes those who search the Scriptures yet remain ignorant of them, who starve for the Word of the Lord, and who are as sheep having no shepherd because shepherds feed themselves and do not feed the flock.
God brings His servants into association with susceptible hearts that need help and are ready to receive the gospel. He sends missionaries who hear His voice and go where He sends them, as Philip was directed by an angel and by the Spirit to go and join himself to the chariot. Angels take notice of honest seekers after light and cooperate by sending a heavenly messenger to show the human worker his work. Heavenly messengers do not themselves preach the gospel, for God sends light through angelic ministration to His people so that it can be given to the world through them, as the Holy Spirit guides willing men and women into positions to communicate what they have received.
Even one soul in a neglected or out-of-the-way place is worth personal labor and a special mission. Such a soul is more precious than all the combined wealth of the world, and God puts forth great effort for even one such person, with His Spirit waiting to enlighten and convert souls to the truth. Those seeking preparation for service in the byways and hedges should therefore be given a place, given hearty encouragement and support, and allowed to go where there are only a few.
Workers must be on the watch and ready to help every case that comes to their notice. They are to be wholly consecrated, quick to understand their work, and wise to take advantage of every circumstance to teach the grace of God and draw men to Christ. The need is urgent because a case may hang in the balance at a decisive moment, when evil angels wait for opportunity to press in falsehoods and Satan interposes obstacles to confuse the mind and divert the seeker from truth. Left then without guidance the seeker might never accept the Saviour, and neglect of this work of guiding readers of Scripture to Christ brings judgment.
Through such a convert the light of truth shines to the higher classes and opens doors to enter new fields and to work with people who have an advanced acquaintance with temperance principles. There are many ways for truth to find access to those who desire light and search the Scriptures with an interested and inquiring mind. The Lord in providence brings honest-hearted ones in every age into connection with those best fitted by special knowledge and training to reach the individual needs of each case. Just as God sent Philip to the earnest seeker, He will raise up workers today to carry the message of truth to those who greatly need it, calling white people and colored people together to engage in His service as laborers together with Him.