Acts 8:28

Acts 8:28 says, Was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet. The eunuch was returning from Jerusalem where he had gone to worship.  Even though he was in charge of an earthly treasure, he was looking for knowledge of God. Sometimes, people start out simply looking for knowledge about God, but in their search, God draws them to know not just about Him, but to know Him personally.  I believe this is where the Ethiopian eunuch was.  He was reading Isaiah when Philip caught up with him.  Verse twenty-nine adds, Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot.  Philip was moved by the Holy Spirit to go and join the chariot.  We need to be open to the leadership of the Holy Spirit even if we don’t fully understand what we are being led to do.  Verse thirty continues, And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest?  Philip asked the eunuch if he understood what he was reading.  We may see or hear people reading the Bible today, but we need to be attuned to God's leadership to see if we need to ask if they understand what they are reading.  Verse thirty-one states, 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. The eunuch replied by asking how could he understand except some man should guide him, and he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.  Philip now knew the reason God had led him to the desert.  Verse thirty-two adds, 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:  Verse thirty-three continues, In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth.  He was reading in Isaiah 53 about the coming of Christ, but he didn't understand Who the passage was about.  Verse thirty-four says, And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man?  The Ethiopian asked Philip if this passage referred to the speaker or someone else, and we know it referred to the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Verse thirty-five adds, Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.  Philip started where the Ethiopian was at in his understanding and preached to him Jesus.  We have to start where people’s understanding is and then preach to them Jesus if we are going to reach them.  Verse thirty-six continues, 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?  When they came to a body of water, the Ethiopian asked what prevented him from being baptized.  Philip neither said let's do it nor began to set down a bunch of requirements.  If people want to know what they must do to be baptized, we must tell them what Philip told the eunuch.