CRITICAL REMARKS
Acts 8:18. And when Simon saw.—Most likely through hearing the baptised speak with tongues. He offered them money.—From Simon’s name and proposal arose the expression “Simony” for the purchase of spiritual offices. Inde Simoniœ vocabulum (Bengel).
Acts 8:19. To me also.—I.e., “as well as to you”; not “as well as to others,” “since no example of such transfer was known to him” (Hackett).
Acts 8:20. Thy money perish with thee.—Lit., thy silver with thyself be for destruction. Neither an implication nor a prediction, but a strongly expressed negation. May be purchased.—The verb in Greek being active, the clause should be translated, “because thou didst think to acquire,” etc.
Acts 8:21. In this matter.—Or, in this word—i.e., doctrine or gospel which we preach (Olshausen, Neander, Lange, Zöckler, Hackett).
Acts 8:22. For God the best authorities read Lord, as in Acts 8:24, signifying the exalted Christ If perhaps.—Taken in connection with John 20:23, these words show “how completely the apostles themselves referred the forgiveness of sins to, and left it in the sovereign power of God, and not to their own delegated power of absolution” (Alford).
Acts 8:23. Art in the or wilt become gall or a gall root of bitterness.—As in Romans 3:14; Ephesians 4:31; and Hebrews 12:15. And in the bond or a bond of iniquity.—As in Isaiah 58:6.
Acts 8:24. Pray ye to the Lord for me.—Compare the language of Pharaoh to Moses (Exodus 8:28; Exodus 9:28; Exodus 10:17).
Acts 8:25. The imperfects returned or kept returning, and preached or kept preaching, show that the evangelistic activity of the home-returning apostles was not confined to isolated acts of preaching but was continued all along the route.
Acts 8:26. For the read an before angel. Towards the south.—κατὰ μεσημβρίαν might be rendered, but not so well, at noon (compare Acts 22:6). Gaza, the modern Guzzeh, was one of the five cities of the Philistines at the southern boundary of Canaan (Genesis 10:19), about an hour’s journey from the Mediterranean. Originally belonging to Judah (Joshua 15:47) it was subsequently captured by the Philistines (1 Samuel 6:17; Judges 16:1). Gaza “is an important place still, though no vestige of the ancient city remains. It stands on an isolated mound one hundred and eighty feet above the sea, from which it is about two miles distant, and is surrounded by gardens; it is said to have still a population of eighteen thousand” (Palestine, by Rev. A. Henderson, M.A., p. 167). Which, better this or it or the same, is desert; but whether Gaza (Lekebush) or the road is meant, and whether the clause was spoken by the angel (Holtzmann, Zöckler, Alford, Hackett, and others), or by Luke (Bengel Olshausen, Winer, De Wette, and others), is doubtful, though perhaps it is more correct to regard the clause as the angel’s direction to follow the desert or unfrequented road to Gaza. Robinson (Biblical Researches, ii. 514) mentions several routes from Jerusalem to Gaza, the most frequented being by Ramleh, another by Bethshemesh, and a third by Eleutheropolis. A fourth went by Hebron and across the plain, passing through the southern part of Judæa, which in Luke (Luke 1:80) is called “the desert.”
Acts 8:27. A man of Ethiopia.—Or an Ethiopian, but whether a native or only a resident cannot be inferred from this clause, though the former is the more probable. An eunuch.—Not a term of office, but a description of bodily condition (see Tacit., Ann., vi. 31: ademptœ airilitatis. Of great authority.—An official or ruler; in this case a courtier and statesman. According to Oriental custom to employ such persons in high offices of state. Candace.—Not a personal, but a dynastic name, like Pharaoh and Cæsar. Strabo and Dio mention a queen of Ethiopia of this name in the twenty-second or twenty-third year of the reign of Augustus Caesar; while Pliny (Nat. Hist., vi. 35), states that a Candace ruled in Ethiopia in his day. The Ethiopians inhabited the region in the Nile Valley south of Egypt—Meroe, a fertile island, formed by two branches of the Nile, being a portion of their territory, The word for tressure, γάζα, is Persian, and occurs in the LXX. (Ezra 5:17; Ezra 6:1; Esther 4:7). To worship.—Heathen proselytes (John 12:20) as well as foreign Jews were accustomed to perform pilgrimages to Jerusalem for this purpose.
Acts 8:32. The place, or passage, of the Scripture—i.e., of the Old Testament—which he read, or was reading, the verb being imperfect, was this.—The citation, from Isaiah 53:7-8, follows the LXX., and differs from the Hebrew which gives in the 8th verse—“By (or, from) oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation who among them considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living?” or “and his life who shall recount?” etc. (R.V.).
Acts 8:37. Of the A.V. is omitted from the R.V. in accordance with the best authorities, א A. B.
Acts 8:39.—The Alexandrian MS. (A) reads “The Holy Spirit of the Lord fell on the eunuch but an angel of the Lord caught away Philip.” The other codices read as in the text. That Philip’s disappearance was not a natural occurrence, such as an impulsive and hasty withdrawal, but a supernatural removal (compare 1 Kings 18:12; 2 Kings 2:16), effected by the Spirit, was obviously the view of the historian.
Acts 8:40. Azotus.—Or, Ashdod, originally a seat of the Anakim (Joshua 11:22), became one of the five chief cities of the Philistines (Joshua 13:4; 1 Samuel 6:17), and the principal seat of the Dagon worship (1 Samuel 5:1; 1Ma. 10:83; 1Ma. 11:4). It was handed over to the tribe of Judah at the conquest (Joshua 15:46), but did not continue long in their possession, and after the exile appeared among Israel’s foes (Nehemiah 4:7). It is represented by the present day Esdud, a miserable Mohammedan village, two miles south of Jamnia, and half an hour’s journey from the sea. Philostratus mentions that Apollonius of Tyana was found one day at noon in Rome before the tribunal of Domitian and at evening in Puteoli. Cæsarea.—Six hundred furlongs distant from Jerusalem, built by Herod the Great on a site before called Strato’s Tower, named Cæsarea Sebaste, and inaugurated with great pomp and splendour in the twenty-eighth year of his reign, B.C. 12 (Jos., Ant. XV. ix. 6). As the official residence of the Herodian kings and Roman governors, it soon became the most important city in Palestine, as well as its chief port. Paul visited Cæsarea more than once (Acts 9:30; Acts 18:22; Acts 21:8-16; Acts 22:23-30; Acts 24-26.). In the third century it became the seat of a bishopric and of a public school in which afterwards Origen taught. Eusebius was born in Cæsarea in the fourth century. At the present time “by the sea shore, midway between the Nahr-er-Zerka and the Nahr-Mef-jir, a vast expanse of ground is covered with the almost indistinguishable débris of Herod’s once splendid city.”—Picturesque Palestine, iii., 126).
HOMILETICAL ANALYSIS.—Acts 8:26-40
The Conversion of the Eunuch; or, the Gospel carried into Ethiopia
I. Occasioned by Providence.—The preparatory steps which led to this remarkable occurrence were seven.
1. The Eunuch’s adhesion to the Hebrew faith. An Ethiopian from the upper valley of the Nile, a eunuch of great authority under Candace, Queen of the Ethiopians (Ethiopia being at this time ruled by female sovereigns, of whom Candace was the official title), who had charge of all her treasure, who was her Finance Minister—five clauses descriptive of his extraction, his condition, his dignity, his time, and his office—he had in measure at least renounced his original heathen superstitions, having, like so many others about that period, come to realise their inability to satisfy the wants of the soul. It has been supposed indeed that he was a Jew who had risen to eminence in Ethiopia, as Moses had done in Egypt, Daniel in Babylon, and Mordecai in Shushan (Stokes), chiefly on the ground that had he been a heathen, Cornelius could not have been designated the first Gentile convert. As an argument, however, this is scarcely convincing, since in the Eunuch’s case no question arose about terms of admission to the Palestinian Church, while if as stated he was a circumcised pagan, his case was sufficiently distinguished from that of Cornelius, who was certainly an uncircumcised Gentile. The probability, therefore, is that he was an African who, having embraced the Jewish faith, was attached to the temple as a proselyte (compare Acts 10:2; Acts 13:16), but whether of the gate (Alford, Renan) or of righteousness (Plumptre) cannot be determined. Neither can it be ascertained how he had been led to such an act of renunciation and acceptance as this his proselyte relation to Judaism implied. Jews, it is known, had for centuries been settled in Ethiopia; and the Greek or Septuagint translation of the Scriptures was at this time widely diffused throughout the world.
2. The Eunuch’s pilgrimage to Jerusalem to worship. It was the custom for proselytes as well as for foreign Jews to undertake such pilgrimages in order to attend the great annual religious festivals at Jerusalem (Acts 2:10; John 12:20); and the Treasurer of Meroë had manifestly been in the Jewish capital, observing one or other of these feasts; most likely a Pentecost, which was usually attended by the largest numbers. That he had done so had no doubt been of God’s ordering.
3. The Eunuch’s homeward journey through the desert. What particular motive the African statesman had for selecting the desert route to Gaza, viâ Bethlehem and Hebron, in preference to any of the other roads, as for instance that which led through Ramleh or that which ran by Bethshemesh, cannot be conjectured; but it need not be questioned that God’s object in directing him to the choice he made was to secure the quietude necessary for conversation with the messenger of heaven who was about to be despatched to join him.
4. The Eunuch’s meeting with Philip at the moment of his need. According to the story, while his chariot, “a mode of locomotion at all times almost unknown to Syria and Palestine” (Renan), rolled along upon its homeward way, the distinguished traveller, following a custom then quite common, occupied himself in reading. The book which engaged his attention was that of Esaias the prophet. It is not necessary to suppose (Stier) that he had only for the first time procured a copy of the Scriptures when in the Jewish capital. It is more likely that he had long possessed one, but that, having heard in Jerusalem about the death and resurrection of Jesus, he may have been examining the prophecies to ascertain how far these had been fulfilled in Christ’s person and work (Hackett). Anyhow, he had just arrived at a passage in the narrative for which he felt the need of an interpreter when he encountered Philip, whom, the moment before, he could hardly have expected to find in a solitude like that through which he was passing. But this also was of the Lord.
5. The Eunuch’s occupation at the moment of Philip’s appearance. Not merely reading but reading aloud, which furnished Philip with an opportunity and an excuse for striking in with a query—“Understandest thou what thou readest?”—which perhaps he could not otherwise so readily have done.
6. The Spirit’s direction to Philip to approach the Eunuch. Although Philip had been sent to the desert road from Samaria—not from Jerusalem (Zeller)—by an angel, he had not been instructed by the angel as to what was the object of his journey. Even when the opulent African appeared, he could not be certain that his mission related to a personage so great without further instructions. These, however, were conveyed to him by a special inspiration: “The Spirit said to him, Go near and join thyself to this chariot”; and with that, of course, all hesitation vanished. It is worth observe that this is “the first mention in the Acts of that inner prompting of the Spirit which is referred to again, probably in Acts 13:2, but certainly in Acts 1:19, Acts 16:6-7” (Alford). Such inward guidance is not unknown to Christians yet.
7. The Eunuch’s request to Philip to ascend his chariot. Had the Eunuch resented Philip’s inquiry, which from a worldly or at least modern point of view was not remarkably polite, there had been no conversation and no conversion; but being anxious to understand, and perhaps solicitous about salvation, and obviously humble withal, the distinguished official did not discern any lack of courtesy in Philip’s question, or, if he did, he passed it over, and, like one willing to be taught, invited Philip to ascend and sit beside him. And so the providential chain was complete.
II. Effected by the word.—If, as already suggested, the Eunuch’s conversion from heathenism to Judaism was brought about by a believing study of the Old Testament Scriptures, through the same instrumentality was he now to be led over from Judaism to Christianity.
1. By the word read. Or heard. Salvation is not a magical or supernatural transformation to be effected on the soul without intelligent co-operation on its part, but an inward moral and spiritual renewal which can be carried through solely by means of the truth. In accordance with this the Eunuch was engaged in reading the fifty-third chapter of Isaiah when Philip met him. Modern critics, on what seems to the present writer altogether insufficient grounds, have decided that the passage named was not penned by the son of Amos but by an unknown prophet who lived towards the close of the exile; but it is obvious that this was not the view taken either by the Ethiopian treasurer who was groping his way out of heathen darkness, or by Philip the Christian deacon, who at the moment was under the special guidance of the Holy Ghost, or by Luke the evangelist, whom the Holy Ghost employed to record the incident.
2. By the word understood. Mere reading without intelligent apprehension can effect nothing. Hence the question of the deacon was directed towards ascertaining whether the Eunuch comprehended the import of what his eye followed and his tongue uttered; and on learning that he did not, immediately the deacon undertook the office of expounding to him the sense of the sacred text. The Eunuch could indeed perceive that the prophet spoke of a suffering servant of Jehovah; what was not apparent was whether that suffering servant should be identified with the prophet himself or with another. That he was neither, but, as the newer critical school asserts, the people of Israel, did not occur to either the Eunuch or the Deacon. Both sought him in an individual, and that individual Philip told his distinguished scholar was Jesus, whose death was foreshadowed in the prophet’s language, which pointed out—
(1) the meekness of it on Christ’s part—“He was led as a sheep to the slaughter,” etc.;
(2) the iniquity of it on the part of those by whom it was compassed—“In His humiliation His judgment was taken away,” meaning that “through oppression and a judicial sentence he was taken away”—i.e., the rights of justice and humanity were denied Him, or in other words He was judicially murdered;
(3) the fruitfulness of it in the number of spiritual descendants secured by means of it to Christ—“Who shall declare His generation?” or “Who shall count the number of His posterity?”—a translation which the Hebrew will support, though another rendering makes it equivalent to the preceding thought—“who shall declare the wickedness of His contemporaries?” and
(4) the triumph of it, inasmuch as through it His life was taken away from the earth, not merely by a violent death, but by exaltation to heaven—“for His life is taken from the earth” (Luke’s translation is from the LXX., and every clause in Acts 8:33 has been debated by interpreters; but as all the above renderings are possible, they may be used as representing the course of evangelical instruction through which Philip put the Eunuch).
3. By the word believed. As salvation comes not by reading or hearing where understanding is wanting, so neither does it result from understanding where faith does not ensue. The truth concerning Jesus must be accepted as correct, in so far as it is a testimony, and relied on by the heart’s trust in so far as it is a means of salvation. Faith in Scripture is always more than intellectual assent. It involves as well cordial reliance on Him of whom the testimony speaks. This faith was unquestionably exhibited by the Eunuch.
III. Accompanied by confession.—The particular mode in which the Eunuch avowed his acceptance of Christianity was by submitting to the rite of baptism, concerning which four things may be noticed.
1. The place where the rite was performed. Not otherwise indicated than by the circumstance that in its immediate vicinity was “a certain water,” it cannot now be identified, although Eusebius and Jerome have decided for Bethsur (Joshua 15:58; Nehemiah 3:16), near Hebron, about twenty miles south of Jerusalem, and two from Hebron, against which stands no improbability; but rather for which may be urged that a fountain named Ain-Edh-Dhirweh rises near the town, which still retains the old name in a slightly altered form, Beil-Sur. Other sites have been selected, as Ain-Haniyeh, about five miles south of Jerusalem, and a Wady in the plain near Tell-el-Hasy.
2. The talk before the rite was performed. Drawing attention to the water by the wayside, the Eunuch expressed a wish to be baptised, from which it has been inferred that Philip must have enlightened him concerning the nature and necessity of baptism. Of this, however, he may have learnt in Jerusalem. Philip’s reply must have been something like that contained in Acts 8:37, though by the best MSS. this is omitted. Yet, if spurious, the insertion must have been as old as Irenæus, who cites the words without misgiving. Meyer thinks they have been culled from some baptismal liturgy, to show that the Eunuch was not baptised without a formal profession of his faith (see “Hints on Acts 8:37”).
3. The mode in which the rite was performed. It is commonly asserted that the words “and they went down both into the water” imply that the Eunuch was immersed; but if “into the water” signifies that the Eunuch was immersed then as Philip went down into the water, in company with the Eunuch, Philip also must have been immersed; while if Philip could have gone down into the water without being immersed, it is obvious that the Eunuch could have done the same. The impromptu character of the baptism suggests something simpler than immersion, most likely sprinkling or pouring.
4. What happened after the rite was performed. The Alexandrian text reads, “And the Holy Spirit of the Lord fell on the Eunuch,” which may have been inserted to harmonise the incident with theological requirements (see Acts 1:5), or with what was supposed to have usually occurred after baptism (Acts 2:38); but the Samaritans were not endowed with the Holy Ghost immediately after baptism (Acts 8:16), and the gracious indwelling of the Spirit in the heart of a believer is not necessarily connected with baptism (Ephesians 1:13). What did occur was that Philip was miraculously caught away by the Spirit of the Lord from the Eunuch’s side, as Old Testament prophets had often been supernaturally rapt from the eyes of beholders (1 Kings 18:12; 2 Kings 2:16), as Paul afterwards was caught up into the third heaven (2 Corinthians 12:2; 2 Corinthians 12:4), and as the then living believers will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air at His second coming (1 Thessalonians 4:17). By that (mysterious) departure the Eunuch’s faith could scarcely fail to be confirmed (Bengel), unless indeed it was a purely natural, though sudden and impulsive withdrawal on the part of Philip (Zeller, Hackett, Plumptre, Olshausen, Meyer), in which case its effect upon the Eunuch would rather seem to have been disturbing. But the appended statement that Philip was found at Azotus, or Ashdod, one of the principal cities of the Philistines near the sea-coast, rather points to a miraculous removal (Bengel, Alford, Stier, Spence, Lechler, Holtzmann, Zöckler).
IV. Followed by joy.—Though the Eunuch no more beheld the evangelist he went on his way rejoicing, thus showing that the change which had passed upon him was independent of the agent by whose mediation it had been effected. The causes of the chamberlain’s rejoicing may be set down as four.
1. He had found the true object of worship. This in a manner he had known before, inasmuch as the object of his journey to Jerusalem had been to worship Jehovah, but since meeting with Philip he had learnt that Jehovah had revealed Himself in Jesus Christ, “the image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15), “the brightness of His Father’s glory and the express image of His person” (Hebrews 1:3), as the supreme and sole object of adoration.
2. He had found the key to the Bible. Before he encountered Philip the Bible which he read had been a dark book to him; after his conversation with Philip he discovered that he had obtained a light which enabled him to peruse its prophecies with understanding. “The golden key to the Psalter” says Bishop Alexander, “lies in the pierced hand.” The same key unlocks the mysteries of the law and the prophets. “Moses wrote of Me,” said Christ (John 5:46); and of the prophets Peter affirms “The Spirit of Christ was in them” (1 Peter 1:11).
3. He had found a personal Saviour. The faith professed by the Eunuch was more than a bare intellectual assent to the truths propounded by Philip. It was a heart reception of Jesus whom Philip had set forth as the Redeemer. It was a trust which reposed on His death as a true atonement for sin, and looked to His resurrection as the source of spiritual life for his soul. It was a faith that might have said “I am crucified with Christ,” etc. (Galatians 2:20). A faith which enabled him to rejoice in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:3) as his Saviour and friend.
4. He had found a blessed gospel for his countrymen. On his upward journey to Jerusalem he was only treasurer of Candace, the Queen of the Ethiopians; on his downward way he had become a treasurer of the King of kings, and was bearing to his benighted countrymen, in the name of that King, riches more precious than all the wealth of Ethiopia, the joyful tidings that for them, too, had arrived a day of salvation, and a heavenly Saviour who could, and would, rescue them from sin and misery, if only they put their trust in Him. Tradition preserves the Eunuch’s name as Indich, and credits him with being the first to preach the gospel in Ethiopia, even converting Queen Candace, after which he departed to India and taught in Ceylon.
Learn.—
1. That earnest seekers after God will eventually be guided into the truth concerning God.
2. That the best companion for an anxious inquirer after God and salvation is the Bible.
3. That nothing is so effective for conversion work as the story of the death and resurrection of Christ.
4. That Old Testament Scripture was intended to point the way to Christ.
5. That the ordinance of baptism should not be neglected by professed disciples of Jesus Christ.
6. That the mode of Christian baptism may be by sprinkling or pouring as well as by immersion.
7. That no joy can be compared to the joy of salvation.
HINTS AND SUGGESTIONS
Acts 8:26. Angels.
I. Their nature.—Spiritual intelligences (Psalms 104:4).
II. Their number.—Practically beyond reckoning (Psalms 68:17; Hebrews 12:22; Revelation 5:11).
III. Their dignity.—Superior to man (Psalms 8:5; 2 Peter 2:11), they stand in God’s presence (Psalms 68:7; Zechariah 6:5; Revelation 5:11; Matthew 18:10).
IV. Their character.—
1. Holy (Daniel 4:13; Daniel 4:17; Matthew 25:31; Revelation 14:10).
2. Reverential (Isaiah 6:2).
3. Obedient (Isaiah 6:2; Matthew 6:10).
4. Powerful (Psalms 103:20; 2 Thessalonians 1:7).
V. Their employment.—
1. Worshipping God (Nehemiah 9:6); Psalms 148:2; Luke 2:13; Revelation 4:8).
2. Doing God’s will (Psalms 103:21; Matthew 6:10).
3. Studying the manifold wisdom of God (Ephesians 3:10; 1 Peter 1:12).
4. Rejoicing in the conversion of sinners (Luke 15:10).
5. Ministering to the heirs of salvation (Hebrews 1:14), as, for instance (to mention only cases that occur in the Acts), to the disciples at Christ’s ascension (Acts 1:10-11), to Peter and John (Acts 5:19), to Philip (Acts 8:26), to Cornelius (Acts 10:7), to Peter (Acts 12:8), to the Church in the destruction of Herod (Acts 12:23), to Paul on ship board (Acts 27:23).
Acts 8:27. The Heavenly Treasure.
I. Where it was found. On a solitary way through the desert.
II. The chest that contained it. The Scripture with its dark sayings and seals.
III. The key which opened it. The preaching of Philip.
IV. The jewel which sparkled to him. Christ who died for our sins and rose again for our justification.
V. The seal of possession. Granted to him by baptism.
VI. The joy which it occasioned. That of forgiveness and salvation.—Adapted from Gerok.
Acts 8:28. Bible Reading.—A duty.
I. Divinely commanded.—Even Christians forget this; but see Deuteronomy 6:6; Deuteronomy 16:19; Deuteronomy 31:11; Joshua 1:8; John 5:39; 2 Peter 1:19.
II. Greatly neglected.—Not by the unbelieving world only, but also by the professed followers of Christ.
III. Highly profitable.—Imparting light, strength, and joy to such as practise it (Psalms 19:11; Proverbs 6:23; Romans 15:4; 2 Timothy 3:16).
Acts 8:30. Three Questions about the Bible.
I. Readest thou what thou hast?—
1. Thou hast the Bible, which is the word of God, and worthy of being read.
2. It was given thee to be read, and cannot be neglected without sin.
3. If not read it will one day testify against thee.
II. Understandest thou what thou readest?—
1. It supposes that we read the Bible—which is good.
2. It discloses to us our natural blindness—which is better.
3. It excites us to seek the true interpreter and guide—which is best.
III. Obeyest thou what thou understandest?—
1. What is not understood cannot be obeyed. An extenuation of the sins of the heathen and the ignorant.
2. What is understood is designed to be obeyed. Hence arises the responsibility of the enlightened.
3. If what is understood is not obeyed, it will entail upon the disobedient both loss and guilt. No duty can be neglected without inflicting hurt upon the disobedient as well as exposing him to punishment.—Adapted from Gerok.
Acts 8:28-31. Four Marvels.
I. A courtier reads.—Here deplore the sad neglect of education on the part of many and the little attention paid to books even by not a few great men.
II. A courtier reads the Bible.—Comment upon the melancholy want of religious sentiments in mankind and the inattention paid to the Bible.
III. A courtier owns himself ignorant of his subject.—A good sign and a happy omen of coming enlightenment and progress wherever it appears, but one seldom present in those who fill exalted stations in life.
IV. A courtier applies to a minister of Christ for information and follows his counsel. The right thing to be done by such as require instruction, but an example too seldom followed.—Adapted from a well-known incident.
Acts 8:32-33. The Sufferings of Jesus.
I. Foretold in Scripture.—The hope and consolation of Israel.
II. Realised in history.—The atonement for a world’s sin.
III. Preached in the Gospel.—The greatest moral force on earth.
IV. Believed in by a sinner.—The source of his individual salvation.
Acts 8:39. The Ethiopian Eunuch.
I. The character he bore.—
1. A professor of true religion.
2. A man of sincere devotion.
3. A devout lover of the Scriptures.
II. The change he experienced.—
1. Ministerial in its agent.
2. Personal in its principle.
3. Practical in its influence.
III. The happiness he obtained.—A joy of—
1. Heartfelt gratitude.
2. Gracious experience.
3. Glorious anticipation.
Lessons.—
1. Religion not confined to any class or condition.
2. The insufficiency of a form of godliness without its power.
3. The influence of piety upon its subjects.
The Joyful Traveller on his way Home.
I. Where did his joy come from?—He had not brought it with him. It came from what he heard from Philip, or rather from what he read in Isaiah. But how did that statement bring him joy? It told him of a Sin-bearer,—long-predicted, come at length. What he read was as blessed as it was true.
II. Where should our joy come from?—From the same testimony to the same finished work. The sinner is not happy. His sin comes between him and joy. That burden must be removed ere he can taste of joy; and it can only be removed by approaching the cross. Why is there so little joy among Christians?
1. Not because God does not wish them to have it. It is not forbidden fruit.
2. Not because joy dishonours Him. Gloom dishonours God; joy honours Him.
3. Not because joy is not safe for us to have. True joy is the safest of all things. It makes a man stedfast and earnest.
4. Not because God’s sovereignty interposes.
5. Not because joy was not meant for these days.
6. Not because it unnerves us for work. “The joy of the Lord is our strength.” It is joy from God; joy in God; it is THE JOY OF GOD. To all this we are called. That which we possess is full of joy. The present favour and love of God. That which we hope for is full of joy.—H. Bonar, D.D.
Acts 8:26-39. The Eunuch from Ethiopia; or, Words to Seekers after God.
I. God must be sought where He has graciously been pleased to reveal Himself.—The Eunuch understood this, and sought Jehovah.
1. In the temple at Jerusalem, and,
2. In the sacred Scriptures. And in like manner seekers after God to day must seek Him in Christ, who is the image of the invisible God (2 Corinthians 4:4; Colossians 1:15), or, first, in the Scriptures which testify of Christ (John 5:39), and second, in the Christian sanctuary, where believers speak of Christ (1 Corinthians 1:2).
II. Seekers after God are never unobserved by Him whom they seek.—As Jehovah saw the Eunuch start upon his journey to Jerusalem and again upon his homeward track, and knew exactly all that was in his heart and what he more particularly required, so does He still behold from heaven every soul that is inquiring after Him, whether within or without the pale of Christendom (Proverbs 15:3; Jeremiah 32:19; Hebrews 4:13).
III. It is certain that they who seek God with their whole hearts will ultimately find Him.—That, on the word of Jehovah (Jeremiah 29:13), and of Jesus (Matthew 7:7). As Jehovah’s angel (Acts 8:26), servant (Acts 8:26), and Spirit (Acts 8:29) were all set in motion to secure that the rich treasurer should not fail in his quest, so will God by the same Spirit, and if not by the same minister by the same truth which he taught, and if not by visible angels by the same providence meet the earnest soul who is longing after Him (Isaiah 64:5; Matthew 5:4).
IV. When seekers have found God they should make public acknowledgment of the same.—Not hiding their joy in their bosoms, but giving it free expression, letting it be known, not only for the honour of God, but for the encouragement of souls in a similar seeking condition.
Acts 8:27-29. Philip and the Eunuch; or, Meetings on the Highway of Life. Such meetings are—
I. Often accidental.—At least to appearance. When Philip arose and went from Samaria, and the Eunuch se this face toward Ethiopia, neither had the least idea of encountering each other. Many meetings are, of course, purposed at least by one of the parties, as, e.g., that of Melchisedek and the King of Sodom with Abraham (Genesis 14:17-18), that of Joseph with his father (Genesis 46:29), that of Moses with Jethro (Exodus 18:1-7), that of Saul with Samuel (1 Samuel 13:10), and that of the Roman Christians with Paul (Acts 28:15); but probably an equal number are undesigned, like that of Elijah and Obadiah (1 Kings 16:7), that of Paul and Aquila (Acts 18:2), and others.
II. Frequently at most unlikely times and places.—Probably the last place in the world that either Philip or the Eunuch would have expected to meet each other would be the desert road to Gaza. Had intimation been conveyed to them beforehand that they were to cross each other’s paths, it is barely likely that either would have pitched upon the Judæan wilderness for the spot, or after the breaking up of the Jewish festival for the time. But the unexpected is that which mostly happens, so little prescient is man of the future.
III. Always providentially arranged.—“It is not in man that walketh to direct his steps” (Jeremiah 10:23). “Man’s goings are of the Lord” (Proverbs 20:24). This was signally illustrated in the experiences of both Philip and the Eunuch, who were brought together not by chance but by heavenly guidance.
IV. Sometimes fraught with momentous consequences.—As was the meeting of Philip and the Eunuch, to the former of whom it presented a glorious opportunity of preaching the gospel, and of leading a soul into the light, and to the latter an equally glorious opportunity of finding that which he sought, the pearl of great price, even Jesus, and with Him the salvation of his soul.
Lesson.—Be on the outlook for life’s chances, study their significance, and endeavour to use them for heaven’s purposes.
Acts 8:26-40. Philip the Deacon; or, the Characteristics of a good Evangelist.—These may be summed up in the motto, semper paratus, or, always ready. Ready—
I. To go where God sends, whether the order comes through a natural or a supernatural channel, whether through a vision, as with Paul (Acts 16:9), or through an angel, as with Philip. “Here am I, send me” (Isaiah 6:8), should be his constant attitude.
II. To listen to the promptings of God’s Spirit, which will come to him as they came to Philip and again to Paul (Acts 16:7), if only he train himself to recognise them and discipline himself to follow them. It is the Holy Spirit’s province to lead the people of God (Romans 8:14), and He never fails to guide them who hearken to His counsels.
III. To take advantage of every opportunity of preaching, or teaching, the gospel that Providence may open, as did Philip when he met the Eunuch, and as did Paul in Ephesus (1 Corinthians 16:9). The good evangelist will lie in wait for such (2 Timothy 4:2).
IV. To expound whatever portion of Scripture is presented to him, which will require him to be a diligent student of the word of God, as Paul counselled Timothy to be (1 Timothy 4:13-15). Ignorance of Scripture absolutely inexcusable in one whose office it is to instruct others.
V. To direct inquiring souls to Jesus Christ, who is the central theme of Scripture and to bring souls to whom is the end of all preaching. The minister or evangelist that does not know how to point anxious inquirers to Christ has mistaken his calling.
VI. To assist young converts in making public confession of their faith, as Philip did, when he administered the rite of baptism to the Eunuch, whose faith might otherwise have wanted confirmation and eventually declined.
VII. To hide himself behind his Master, as Philip was taught to do, when he was suddenly caught away by the Spirit so that the Eunuch saw him no more. Evangelists are only instruments in conversion; the sole agent is the Spirit. Hence the glory of any conversion belongs not to the evangelist but to the Spirit. Nor does the convert longer need the instrument, while he must never be parted from the Spirit.
Philip and the Ethiopian.
I. Certain characteristics of his work.—
1. His implicit obedience to the Spirit. The angel said, “Arise and go.” He arose and went. His faith must have been severely tested. He was preaching in a city already deeply roused. A revival was in progress. The joy of the new converts was spreading the spiritual fire. The people of Samaria were in just the condition to receive the gospel, and it seemed as if he was the one appointed messenger to proclaim it to them. The angel that commanded him to go from the revived city into the desert did not disclose the object of his journey. But Philip knew whence the message came, and without question into the desert he went. But some things concerning that guidance may be noted. It is always in perfect accord with the Scriptures. Philip might well be prompt. His work was greater than that of the angel.
2. His eagerness to impart the gospel. Those who love souls as Christ did, find opportunities to tell them of Christ’s salvation. Whatever openings we see, we must press into. They are abundant. No one lives where souls are still unsaved, where God does not open a way for him to carry the gospel. Take the first step, and God will point out the next.
3. His usable knowledge of the Scriptures. Philip had made no immediate preparation for that lesson, but he knew what was in it. He had prepared himself for such emergencies, both by experience and study. He seized the heart of it, and opened its meaning to his hearer. This scholar felt that his teacher was in earnest, and in earnest for him. The teacher’s heart was kindled with the presence of the Lord. This is living, potent teaching. The great central theme of it is Jesus Christ, the Saviour of sinners. It is most effective, even with the indifferent and unbelieving. There are many graces and virtues and duties taught in the Bible as essential to Christian character, but the entire revelation of God is pervaded by one life. As the human body has arteries, veins, muscles, and other organs, but all dependent on the heart’s blood, which supplies the life, so the mighty complex system of revealed truth has for its centre Christ.
II. Some of the Christian labourer’s rewards as illustrated in this lesson.—
1. He finds a heart prepared to receive the truth. He hungered for a new convert. We cannot always judge who are most likely to receive the truth. Sometimes the message is new to an old man who has heard preaching all his life, and to the earnest teacher on the watch for all opportunities is given the inestimable privilege of leading him to Christ. Philip expected immediate results. It was not his purpose to sow the seed and be content to leave it. He led the Eunuch on from willingness to learn to eagerness to be a recognised disciple of Jesus. He found the way to his pupil’s conscience and heart. Such a reward is Divine. We never forget the triumphs of such moments. The pathway of those who turn many to righteousness will be as the shining light in their memories.
2. He found, new evidence of being a co-worker with God. His interest was quickening in one soul; but he was only one link in the chain of God’s mighty purpose to save that soul. The angel, the Holy Spirit, the messenger called aside from a great work, were all intent on one individual. Only occasionally is the curtain lifted for us to view the operations of God’s providence to save men; but He has provided for every inquirer complete satisfaction, and for every faithful worker sufficient help. What a reward is the evidence that God makes the efforts of His faithful servant effective! What a fact is always revealed to the unconverted soul in this lesson! God is not willing that any should perish. He has here for once shown His working while the sinner is seeking. His angel is sent on an errand to earth for the sake of one man. His minister is called away from a revival into the desert. A special word from the Holy Spirit directs that minister on his errand. All this is to show to one soul that Jesus has already died to save him.
3. Philip secured a witness for the gospel. That which he was so eager to make known would now be proclaimed by another also; for, when a miracle of healing had been wrought in the Eunuch, of course he wanted to confess who had healed him. He who believes he is accepted by Christ, will, of course, want to receive baptism and unite with the followers of Christ. There was no presumption in this. It was not a profession of his religion, but a confession of his faith. To lead another soul into real fellowship with this great company is a heavenly reward. They who strive for it prize it above earthly joys.
4. Philip filled a life with joy. The Eunuch went on his way rejoicing. That great desire of his heart was satisfied. But, wherever Philip goes, he leaves a trail of joy behind him. Samaria rejoices in his presence: so did also the desert. He left happy hearts, at peace with God, wherever he went. Could there be a higher reward than this?—Monday Club Sermons.
Acts 8:27-40. Philip and the Ethiopian.
I. Philip’s ready response.—We know not the exact kind of call which brought him from Samaria way—possibly angelic and supernatural; but as the word may mean any messenger, the message may have come from a vision of the night, or by the voice of a friend, or by the inward and yet real compulsion of a spiritual conviction. At any rate Philip knows, as any level-headed Christian man may know, what duty is and where it lies. And he had, what many of us lack, the grace of promptitude in Christian service. Why go to Africa?
1. Because the marching orders say “Go.”
2. And secondarily, because it pays to obey orders—scientifically, archæologically, commercially, socially, historically, and spiritually. Such spontaneous, willing response as Philip’s to this call into desolate Gaza is an index of the healthy, unselfish character of his Christian life. This promptitude of response is not only self-registering as to the quality and quantity of the obedience that is in us, but it is a tremendous advertisement to all lookers-on of the vitality and joy of the gospel itself. To move towards duty-doing with halting steps, as children drag themselves to school in June days, is to lose the zest of service and its reflex influence of soul cheer.
II. God always matches an obedience with an opportunity.—This incident is a concrete illustration of the Divine oversight which is constantly mating wings and air, tins and water, in a world of providence and design, and teaches us that when God sends a call he also blazes a path for our feet—a fact of Christian philosophy which the acts of all Christian apostles, ancient and modern, have verified for nineteen centuries. You speak, after long hesitation and fear, to a friend upon the theme of personal religion, and lo! you find him waiting for your word and ripe for your wish. You walk out upon an unfrequented path of Christian endeavour, and discover that the way was already trodden by unseen feet before you. Philip is called into the desert with no apparent purpose. The way is lonely and the country is desolate—when behold! a royal traveler approaches, troubled over the great question of the ages—what to do with Jesus of Nazareth. Here is Philip’s opportunity. He takes it, and an arrow of light is sent into upper Egypt from this bow, drawn, as we say, at a venture. Obedience is the pivotal thing; God takes care of the rest. This factor of providence in Christian service must not be overlooked, for it will inspire us with courage and a sense of companionship as we go upon out-of-the-way pilgrimages and take up heavy burdens. With this lesson of Divine plan in life and all its ministries, every Divine call will have such large possibility as to warrant no delay or selfish balancing of accounts for the triumphs of the desert. We never know along what road God’s providences are coming, the way of the desert or the way of the cross, in the desolate border town or in “Jerusalem the Golden,” and therefore we must travel all roads.
III. This scene illustrates also the part which the incidental experiences of life play in the interpretation of the truth.—We dwell much upon the light which, in the Leyden pastor’s phrase, shall break forth from the word itself. The truth does grow clearer the longer we look, and multiplies itself as the stars do in the night sky, as every student of God’s Book may testify; but to the rank and file of Christian disciples the sidelights of others’ experiences are more illuminating than their own insight. The Ethiopian was in darkness with the roll of prophecy open before him, until Philip poured the light of his own eyes, and the hopes of his own heart, upon this strange vision of Isaiah, when suddenly a meaningless chapter in a familiar prophet glows with “the light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.” Thus we all grow in knowledge and in grace, more than we think, through the experiences of our neighbours and the insights of our friends. The chance conversations, the familiar conference and prayer meeting, the Bible class, the passing comment, the public providence and the personal sorrow, are all commentators upon the eternal truths. Besides, these incidental helps are unexpected and therefore the most winsome and abiding. We venture to think that Philip here on the highway was more influential with this stranger than he would have been the preceding Sabbath in the synagogue at Jerusalem. He found his man off guard and natural, as a pastor may find his people in their daily perplexities, or the teacher her scholar in his out-of-door naturalness.
IV. The teachable temper with which this Ethiopian faces new truth.—He hears strange news in Jerusalem, news which blights the most cherished hopes of an ancient race. Suspension of judgment, a patient waiting for light, and an earnest spirit of search, these are the characteristics of this treasurer of Candace—characteristics which we need in the nineteenth century as in the first: for each generation has to travel a new path and solve a new problem, and the Ethiopian, rather than the Pharisee, is the type of the world’s hope.—William H. Davis.
Acts 8:26-40. The Conversion of the Ethiopian Eunuch.
I. Notice the method of the Holy Spirit with the evangelist Philip.
II. We turn now to the Spirit’s method with the Ethiopian Eunuch, for further illustration of our subject.—Here, then, you see the first step in the dealing of the Holy Spirit with the Ethiopian Eunuch. It was to reveal to him the vanity of earthly good as a means of support for the soul; it was to bring the conviction of need, guilt and peril; it was to make him discontented with himself and the world, and to fill his heart with longings for the favour of God and the forgiveness of sin. To this vague yearning for good God has added a deep sense of personal sin, and has led him to the sincere use of means in prayer and the study of His revealed word. In the same way does the Spirit of God now and ever incline sinners to act.
III. Consider the harmony of these two methods of influence in their final adjustment.—As the obedient Christian stands waiting on the highway, and as the anxious heathen comes on in his chariot reading the prophet Isaiah, the well-timed plan of God approaches its consummation. The preacher had been brought there to find his audience, the convicted sinner had been brought there to hear. This subject of the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch imparts several practical lessons.
1. We see by it how important it is that Christians should yield prompt obedience to the impulses of the Spirit of God, and especially to those which impel them to present Christ to the impenitent.
2. This lesson shows us the importance of personal guidance for the inquiring and anxious mind.—Had the eunuch turned from Philip or failed to hear the word of counsel from his lips, he would have lost the saving grace of God.
3. Our subject also shows us the simplicity of saving faith. “Believe with thy whole heart,” was Philip’s word, and the Eunuch answered, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” Here is the touchstone of all sincere desire. What doth hinder? Nothing but your will stands in the way, and it is your duty to bend that will in an instant submission before God. Mark the blessedness of faith and the joy of pardoned sins as here displayed! See the Eunuch on his way rejoicing with a joy that just begins, and that will go on increasing through eternal ages!—R. R. Booth, D.D.