And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert. (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, (28) Was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Isaiah the prophet. (29) Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot. (30) And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Isaiah, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest? (31) And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him. (32) The place of the Scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth: (33) In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? 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 man? (35) Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same Scripture, and preached unto him Jesus. (36) And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? (37) And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. (38) And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him. (39) And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing. (40) But Philip was found at Azotus: and passing through he preached in all the cities, till he came to Caesarea.
We have great cause to be thankful, for the insertion of this very interesting record in this book of God; as it forms so beautiful a comment upon that part of Isaiah's writings, what hath been, and ever must be, dear to the Church: I mean the fifty-third Chapter of his Prophecy (Isaiah 53:1). Though we might have discovered, under divine teaching, much of Christ, in what the Prophet hath there written; yet we might have hesitated, in decidedly asserting, as we now do, and from an authority not to be questioned, that the Prophet wholly referred to the Lord Jesus Christ, in all that he hath there delivered. And was it not gracious then in God the Spirit, to put the matter beyond all doubt, when he commissioned Philip, and taught him from the same Scripture, to preach Jesus?
By the ministry of an Angel Philip is directed to go towards the wilderness of Judaea. It is very blessed, when ministers are sent forth by an immediate call of the Holy Ghost. It becomes the most infallible testimony of success, Acts 16:9-14; 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10. The wilderness, in this case, shall blossom as the rose, Isaiah 35:1. This Ethiopian, though he had been at Jerusalem, was returning as dark, and ignorant, as he came. But the Lord, though he found not Christ in the temple, was pleased to send a special messenger after him, that he might find him in the desert. And frequently the Lord throws a damp upon ordinances, in order to teach his people, that it is not by means of grace only, the Lord doth always work. The Lord hath blessed, and doth bless the means: and his people are commanded to make use of them, and attend them: but they are not unfrequently led to see, that the Lord works without them, as well as with them, according to the purposes of his own holy will and pleasure.
Everything in the relation of this sweet scriptural record is beautiful and interesting. The Holy Ghost directing Philip to go near to the chariot, and converse with the Ethiopian: the teachable mind which the Lord had given to this man: the having the Prophecy of Isaiah with him in his chariot, that Philip might preach from; and the portion which the man had been reading: all these, were in the predisposing circumstances of the Lord, to bring about the great event, which the Lord all along had intended. And it is very blessed sometimes to see, how corresponding things are made to meet together, in the accomplishment of the Lord's purpose. It were unnecessary to offer any comment upon this blessed portion of Isaiah's prophecy. The whole life and ministry of the Lord Jesus, and especially the concluding scenes of both, at his crucifixion and death, are direct in point; and so complete a paraphrase of the prophecy, as if it had been written after the events took place, instead of a prediction, so many hundred years before.
The question of the Ethiopian, to whom it referred, was highly proper, and which gave occasion to Philip to preach Jesus yet more fully. He took for his text these words of the prophet: but no doubt he amplified the subject, and held forth the Lord in all the endearing features of character. But what I chiefly wish may be impressed on the Reader's mind is, what God the Holy Ghost hath said, and on which too much emphasis cannot be laid, then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same Scripture, and preached unto him Jesus. Reader! do not overlook the whole burden of Philip's preaching was Jesus. This was his text and sermon in the city of Samaria (Acts 8:5) and the same was his text and sermon in the desert of Judaea. He found enough in this one text, and subject, for every preaching. Oh! that all modern Preachers could, and would, do the same.
What a short but comprehensive system of faith Philip made of it; And yet how very full, and to the point. In the belief of Jesus Christ the Son of God, is contained all the grand and leading doctrines of the everlasting Covenant. The separation of Philip from the Eunuch is very striking: and serves to teach us, that when the Lord's purposes are accomplished, it matters not how the instrument performing the Lord's will is removed. Philip was found at Azotus, about thirty miles distant, if, (as some suppose), Ashdod was the same place, 1 Samuel 6:17. And the Eunuch went on his way rejoicing. A new light shined in upon him; and a new life the Lord enabled him to enter upon. Well might he rejoice in hope of the glory of God!