Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go near and overtake this chariot.” So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him. (Acts 8:29-31)

Do You Understand What You Are Reading?

The treasurer of Candace, the queen of the Ethiopians, was traveling home after journeying to Jerusalem to worship. This would be nearly six thousand miles for the official to travel by chariot, accompanied by his escort. Nothing is known of his background except that he was a believer in God and possessed copies of the Old Testament. As a well-educated man, the treasurer enjoyed reading the old texts of the prophets and was reading through the prophet Isaiah when a stranger approached him.

An angel of the Lord had spoken to the evangelist Philip, instructing him to go toward the south along the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza. According to Luke, this area was desert. When Philip found the Ethiopian, the man was sitting in his chariot reading from the prophet Isaiah. The Holy Spirit told Philip to join himself with the Ethiopian, which Philip eagerly did. Approaching the man, Philip asked him if he understood what he was reading.

Reading the word of God is a vital part of seeking God. The Jews were the caretakers of the oracles of God as given by Moses to the people. Over a period of fourteen hundred years, the scriptures of the Old Testament were developed by inspired men as the Holy Spirit moved them. It had been four hundred years since the Lord had revealed Himself to man, but the complete record of God’s dealings with the world and the Jewish nation was complete in the Old Testament scrolls. The Ethiopian had a copy of Isaiah and was reading it in either Hebrew (the original language) or Greek (a translation made ca. 280 B.C., called the Septuagint or LXX).

Philip’s question is the heart of the matter when it comes to the word of God. Men can read the word of God without seeking to understand it. The Ethiopian was a diligent student of the word who longed to know as much as he could about the will of God. When the stranger approached him, the eunuch did not hesitate to invite the man to explain what Isaiah meant. He was hungry to know the truth. Reading Isaiah’s words created a thirst in the Ethiopian’s mind to understand the scriptures fully. Through the Holy Spirit, the divine guidance of bringing Philip to this man of a foreign nation would help to spread the gospel throughout the whole world.

When Philip joined the eunuch in his chariot, he began to expound on Isaiah’s writings by preaching about Jesus to him. The core message of the gospel from the beginning of time is Jesus Christ. It is not known how much time transpired from Philip joining the Ethiopian until they parted, but Philip opened up the scriptures to reveal the divine plan of saving man. The Ethiopian was keen to understand Philip’s teaching as the evangelist told him the story of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. There was a time when the group traveled down the road, and the eunuch saw a body of water and realized something he had learned from Philip. Jesus commanded baptism for the remission of sins. The eunuch commanded the chariot to stand still and asked Philip, “What hinders me from being baptized?”

Reading the scriptures helped lead the Ethiopian to the gospel, but understanding moved his heart to act upon the will of the Father. He knew Isaiah was writing about the suffering servant, Jesus Christ. Philip opened his heart to the good news of the gospel of the kingdom of God. In his teaching of the Ethiopian, the evangelist told his student the necessity of baptism for the remission of sins through the blood of Jesus Christ. Understanding the words he had been reading, and hearing the preaching of Philip, the eunuch responded the only way he knew – he wanted to be baptized. His reading led to his understanding, and by the grace of God, brought someone to explain the scriptures. The eunuch did not argue or deny baptism. He did not suggest he believed already, and that was all that was necessary. Having read the scriptures and understood their meaning, the eunuch obeyed.

The lesson of the eunuch is needed today. Many religious people read the scriptures and learn the story of Jesus, but they refuse to understand the meaning of what the word teaches. Unlike the eunuch, they deny the need for baptism. The only way to reject baptism is to reject Jesus. Philip preached Jesus – the eunuch wanted to be baptized. The eunuch had been reading, but he needed someone to help him understand, and Philip opened his eyes to the grace of God. Truth is more than reading; it is understanding. When a man reads and understands, he will have but one thing to do. “See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?”