25 So, when they had solemnly borne witness and spoken the word of the Lord, they started back to Jerusalem, and were proclaiming the gospel to many villages of the Samaritans.
26 But an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip saying, “Rise up and go south to the road that descends from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (This is a desert road.) 27 So he rose up and went; and behold, there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure; and he had come to Jerusalem to worship, 28 and he was returning and sitting in his chariot, and was reading the prophet Isaiah. 29 Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.” 30 And Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?” 31 And he said, “Well, how could I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. 32 Now the passage of Scripture which he was reading was this:
“As a sheep is led to slaughter;
And as a lamb before its shearer is silent,
So He does not open His mouth.
33 In humiliation His judgment was taken away;
Who will recount His generation?
For His life is removed from the earth.”
34 And the eunuch answered Philip and said, “I ask you earnestly, of whom does the prophet say this? Of himself or of someone else?” 35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture he proclaimed the good news about Jesus to him. 36 And as they went along the road they came to some water; and the eunuch *said, “Look! Water! What prevents me from being baptized?” 37 [And Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”] 38 And he ordered the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip as well as the eunuch, and he baptized him. 39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away, and the eunuch no longer saw him, but went on his way rejoicing. 40 But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through he kept proclaiming the gospel to all the cities until he came to Caesarea. Acts 8: 25-40 LSB
Acts 8: 25-40
V. 25 When they had solemnly borne witness and spoken the word of the Lord - They, were Peter and John, who had come up from Jerusalem, had laid hands on and prayed for the new believers in Samaria. Remember back in verse 16 it states that they had "simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus". Prior to Peter and John they had not had the same evidence of the Spirit falling on them like in Acts 2. We see that when the Apostles lay hands on them that they do give evidence, and we also see that there is someone, Simon the magician, who is drawn not so much to the gospel message of repentance and salvation through Jesus Christ, but to displays of power that he would like to purchase. So we see that there are genuine believers in Samaria and Jerusalem at this point in the church, a warning to shallow professors in the stories of Ananias and Sapphira, who may have been genuine believers, but who God removed for lying to the Holy Spirit. We also see a huge warning against those that would try to buy the Holy Spirit, Who is God very God, the third member of the Trinity, and that was the story of Simon. He wanted to stand out, to glorify himself, to have power and the money that comes with that, just like a Balaam. When told to repent and pray to God, Simon flips it back onto the Apostles, his heart is not right before God. We are also seeing the gospel move further into the world, from Jerusalem, to the Jew first, now to Samaria, what the Jews considered to be half breeds, people they would not associate with, and then now we will see the message extend even further to the gentiles.
…18Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. 19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”… Matthew 28: 18-20
…17I will surely bless you, and I will multiply your descendants like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will possess the gates of their enemies. 18And through your offspring all nations of the earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.” Genesis 22: 17-18
Solemnly testified (1263)(diamarturomai from diá = intensifies meaning conveying idea of "thoroughly" + marturomai = witness, bear witness) means to thoroughly bear witness, to testify earnestly, to charge as it if before witnesses, to exhort earnestly with authority in matters of extraordinary importance. This verb conveys the idea of giving a forceful order or directive.
Diamarturomai is found only 15 times in the NT with 9 of uses in Acts. Most (but not all) refer to some aspect of the Gospel, Acts 20:23 being an exception where the Spirit speaks to Paul. - PA
V. 26 Rise up and go south to the road that descends from Jerusalem to Gaza - Samaria is the name given to the northern kingdom of Israel, the people who were taken into captivity by Assyria. Jerusalem is in Judaea, it is the home of the temple that was rebuilt after the Babylonian captivity. Gaza is one of the former Philistine towns that was rebuilt on the border of Egypt. An angel has told Phillip to go to that road, and these are the only instructions we see here. He just obeys, leaves what seems to be a thriving ministry in Samaria, and goes into the desert. Phillip is a very interesting man, and there is some debate on whether he is the Apostle or one of the 7 deacons. Phillip is a common Greek name and I think the arguments for him being the Apostle Phillip are weak. I believe he is introduced to us in chapter 6 with Stephen, we see his work and ministry here, and then he is referred to in Acts 21 by the name that coincides with his type of work, gift.
…2This is the land that remains: All the territory of the Philistines and the Geshurites, 3from the Shihor east of Egypt to the territory of Ekron on the north (considered to be Canaanite territory)— that of the five Philistine rulers of Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron, as well as that of the Avvites; 4to the south, all the land of the Canaanites, from Mearah of the Sidonians to Aphek, as far as the border of the Amorites;… Joshua 13: 2-4
…13Yet to which of the angels did God ever say: “Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet”? 14Are not the angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation? Hebrews 1: 13-14
…4and will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” 5 This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, as well as Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. 6They presented these seven to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.… Acts 6: 4-6
8Leaving the next day, we went on to Caesarea and stayed at the home of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the Seven. 9 He had four unmarried daughters who prophesied. 10After we had been there several days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea.… Acts 21: 8-10
V. 27 Behold, there was an Ethiopian eunuch - Behold, is like "Check this out, be amazed". Ethiopia is a kingdom south of Egypt, also referred to as Cush, and a eunuch is usually a man who has been gelded. Kings would fix them like this and put them as charge over their harems, and it was much easier to trust a man like this for obvious reasons. I am reminded of Ebed-melech, the Ethiopian eunuch who helped the OT prophet, Jeremiah. It should also be noted that not everyone referred to as a eunuch was clipped like this either, and that Judaism did not allow for this practice.
7Now Ebed-melech the Cushite, a court official in the royal palace, heard that Jeremiah had been put into the cistern. While the king was sitting at the Gate of Benjamin, 8 Ebed-melech went out from the king’s palace and said to the king, 9“My lord the king, these men have acted wickedly in all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet. They have dropped him into the cistern, where he will starve to death, for there is no more bread in the city.”… Jeremiah 38: 7-9
MacArthur - Ethiopia in that day was a large kingdom located south of Egypt. To the Greeks and Romans, it represented the outer limits of the known world (John B. Polhill, The New American Commentary: Acts [Nashville: Broadman, 1992], 223). Its kings were believed to be incarnations of the sun god, and the everyday affairs of government were held to be beneath them. Real power lay with the queen mothers, known by the hereditary title Candace (Which is not a proper name, but an official title, like Pharaoh or Caesar). (Ibid)
…11“Not everyone can accept this word,” He replied, “but only those to whom it has been given. 12For there are eunuchs who were born that way; others were made that way by men; and still others live like eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it.” Matthew 19: 11-12
V. 27b He had come to Jerusalem to worship - This is interesting; he is from what the Roman world would call the utmost parts of the world, yet he is familiar enough with the OT to go to Jerusalem to worship Yahweh. He appears to be a proselyte in earnest.
MacArthur notes that "The eunuch is a classic example of one who lived up to the light he had. God then gave him the full revelation of Jesus Christ through Philip’s ministry." (Ibid) - PA
Let not the foreigner who has joined himself to Yahweh say,
“Yahweh will surely separate me from His people.”
Nor let the eunuch say, “Behold, I am a dry tree.”
4 For thus says Yahweh,
“To the eunuchs who keep My sabbaths,
And choose what pleases Me,
And hold fast My covenant,
5 To them I will give in My house and within My walls a memorial,
And a name better than that of sons and daughters;
I will give them an everlasting name which will not be cut off.
6 “Also the foreigners who join themselves to Yahweh,
To minister to Him, and to love the name of Yahweh,
To be His slaves, every one who keeps from profaning the sabbath
And takes hold of My covenant,
7 Even those I will bring to My holy mountain
And make them glad in My house of prayer.
Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be acceptable on My altar;
For My house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples.”
8 Lord Yahweh, who gathers the banished of Israel, declares,
“Yet others I will gather to them, to those already gathered.” Isaiah 56: 3-8
V. 28 Was reading the prophet Isaiah - Talk about divine appointment. God is sovereign in salvation. He draws men, as we can see here. There were plenty in Jerusalem who had read the prophets and yet did not believe. Know your Bible, this is important, and pray for the opportunity to be involved in such work. God has sovereignly chosen His elect from eternity, but has also chosen to bring His message to them, carried by the feet of believers who have the gospel on their lips. The ground is being tilled here, the soil prepared, the seed is even there, but it needs be watered, and God is sending someone to do just that. God has graciously brought in laborers, an angel who spoke to Phillip, who is now going to teach the one who is being drawn by the Spirit. God help us to know your word, and help us to recognize these opportunities, whether sewing, watering or reaping, that we are eager and prepared.
Vs. 29-30 Do you understand what you are reading - What a simple opening line. Someone is in the book that you love, that you know. You have a relationship with the Author, this is right up your alley.
V. 31 Well, how could I unless someone guides me - It would be sad for those that live under our roof to say this.
…13for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” 14How then can they call on the One in whom they have not believed? And how can they believe in the One of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone to preach? 15And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”… Romans 10: 13-15
Vs. 32-33 “As a sheep is led to slaughter;
And as a lamb before its shearer is silent,
So He does not open His mouth.
33 In humiliation His judgment was taken away;
Who will recount His generation?
For His life is removed from the earth.” - He is reading Isaiah 53: 7-8, from the chapter that some would call the fifth gospel, though it was written some 700 years before Christ was born. Isaiah 53 prophesies Christ coming as the Lamb of God, being wounded for our transgressions and bruised on account of our iniquities. It clearly demonstrates that it is by His suffering we are made right with God, "by His stripes we are healed".
V. 34 Of whom does the prophet say this? Of himself or someone else - Super important, and God sent the right guy who could tie in all the recent events with Christ, Who had fulfilled these prophecies. It's important, because there is always the possibility of bad interpretations as well. If he would have gone to one of the Jewish Scribes of that era, he may have heard that it referred to the Messiah, which it did, but that same Scribe would say that Jesus wasn't the Messiah. Some Scribes would say it was a reference to the nation of Israel, and still others would say that it was a referring to the prophet Isaiah. All those interpretations would be in rejection of the true Messiah, which ironically is talked about in that same passage.
…2He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no stately form or majesty to attract us, no beauty that we should desire Him. 3He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. Like one from whom men hide their faces, He was despised, and we esteemed Him not. 4Surely He took on our infirmities and carried our sorrows; yet we considered Him stricken by God, struck down and afflicted.… Isaiah 53: 2-4
Vs. 35-36 And beginning from this Scripture he proclaimed the good news to him - God puts so much power in His word. It is the one thing we are told will not return void. He takes him down another road, part of the Emmaus road, and the guy believes, he sees water and he is ready. As J Mac points out, God even provides that this man is on a road in the desert that runs by water, and he doesn't ask to be sprinkled, no he wants to be immersed and God provides.
V. 38 Both went down into the water - He even spells it out.
V. 39 The Spirit of the Lord snatched Phillip away - Certainly this left the Ethiopian with a sense of divine appointment. Looking back, putting it all together in his mind, he really was struggling with this passage, a man who wanted to know God, a worshiper, and God sent him someone to explain the passage. Those who want to see miracles, look, this is the grandest, someone dead in their trespasses and sin being brought to life. This is the testimony of everyone who truly believes, that they thought they knew the truth until they didn't, and they were full of themselves until God made them hungry and thirsty for something outside of themselves. They were blind till He caused them to see. There should be no ceiling to our gratitude, but with more query and understanding of the Scriptures comes more light as to our state outside of Christ, and we have much to be thankful for. Some of us were satisfied with this life, or thought we could be satisfied with the things of this life, but then He made us aware of life eternal.
…10Again, it says: “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people.” 11And again: “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and extol Him, all you peoples.” 12And once more, Isaiah says: “The Root of Jesse will appear, One who will arise to rule over the Gentiles; in Him the Gentiles will put their hope.”…
13Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. 14 I myself am convinced, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, brimming with knowledge, and able to instruct one another. 15However, I have written you a bold reminder on some points, because of the grace God has given me… Romans 15: 10-15
V. 40 Until he came to Caesarea - He keeps evangelizing, spreading the gospel, until he gets to where I think is his home because I believe him to be the Phillip of 21:8, printed out above.
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