Acts 8:29-31

Summary retelling of Acts 8: 29-31:

The Holy Spirit tells Philip to go up to the chariot, where Philip hears the Ethiopian reading from Isaiah.  (We’ll see tomorrow that the passage the Ethiopian is reading is Isaiah 53:7-8)  Philip runs to the chariot and asks the Ethiopian if he understands.  The Ethiopian replies that he cannot understand unless someone tells him.

Thoughts for Today:

First Thought:

I love this passage for three reasons.  The first reason is because Philip hears the call of the Lord and responds once more.  But Philip doesn’t just respond, he runs.  Philip makes it a priority in his life.  So many times I (and probably we) hear the call of the Lord and we put it on the back burner.  So many times we feel God tugging on our heart strings and we push God to the middle of the priority list.  So many times we have the best of intentions following God, but never get around to it.  Not Philip.  Philips feels God leading and he makes it a priority.

Have you made following God’s leading a priority or is it something you’ll “get around to doing?”

Second Thought:

The second reason I love this passage is because Philip initiates the conversation.  Philip is ready and prepared.  Philip knows that he is hearing God’s word and he is ready to pounce.  He knows he can take the words being said and make them make sense to this Ethiopian’s life.  This is a key to Christianity.  We must know God’s Word intimately if we are to have any hope of having it make sense to people.  If we do not know God’s Word intimately, then how will we be able to talk meaningfully about it?  But here we see Philip hear God’s Word and literally pounce on the opportunity to talk to someone about God.

How comfortable are you in God’s Word?

Third Thought:

The third reason I love this passage is because of the wonderful humility we see in the Ethiopian.  When Philip asks the question, he could have said, “Of course!  Why would I read something I don’t understand?”  He could have been filled with pride and machismo and not wanted to portray himself as dumb or uninformed.  But the Ethiopian is humble.  He confesses that he doesn’t know and he cannot possibly know unless someone explains it to him.  He is humble before God, and God has supplied him with someone who can make it make sense.  What comes over the next few days is rooted in the Ethiopian’s humility.

How willing are you to present yourself as not knowing something?

Passage for Tomorrow: Acts 8:32-35