Revealing God

DEVOTION

THE BOOK OF ACTS

REVEALING GOD

Acts 8:30-35

30 Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. "Do you understand what you are reading?" Philip asked. 31 "How can I," he said, "unless someone explains it to me?" So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. 32 The eunuch was reading this passage of Scripture:

"He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before the shearer is silent, so he did not open his mouth. 33 In his humiliation he was deprived of justice. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth." 

34 The eunuch asked Philip, "Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?" 35 Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.

NIV

What a wonderful experience to have someone actually ask about the scriptures. Of course this eunuch was a Jew and would have the tradition of the scriptures in his life. This is most likely not his first time reading the scriptures. We cannot know for certain but having lived away from his homeland for so many years, he may not have every read from the prophet Isaiah. While in Jerusalem he could have obtain a copy for the first time. It is also interesting that having lived outside of Israel, although a Jew he was not familiar with the prophet and of whom the prophet spoke, at least of a Messiah, if not specifically Jesus. This could be a life lesson in itself. We might be among some who are classified as believers, or call themselves Christian, but who actually do not understand the scriptures they read. Although they may be unlike this Eunuch and know Isaiah was talking about Jesus, but they still miss out on understanding on much of the scripture. The sad commentary is many believers will not admit they cannot understand unless someone explains it to them. Sometimes it appears we all want to act like we know all of scripture and all the truth contained within it. We might actually approach having spiritual pride. The truth is we can study the scriptures all our life and only gain a portion of its truth. It is not that God intends to hide any of the truth from us, for he has sent the Holy Spirit to lead us into all truth. It is God’s desire for us to know him completely and that is the purpose of the scripture. So often we look at the scripture as a law to live by, that if we fail to comply with every aspect of it, we are in trouble with God. The truth is that God has given us the scripture so that we might know him. Just as Phillip used this passage to explain to the eunuch all about Jesus, so he could know him. Our life should not be about the law of the scripture, but the Spirit of the scripture, which is to know God. Yes, there are truths about how we should live, but those truth reveal more about God then about how we should behave. It is true, if we love the Lord God Almighty we will want to make every effort to please him, but if we put too much focus on the law of the word, we might miss out on the spirit of the word, knowing God. Although that word ‘knowing’ has some lose meanings, in the sense that we might know a person, but actually know nothing about them,  our their lives. In the sense of knowing God, it has to imply that we not only know who he is, or of him, but that we are intimate with him, as Adam knew Eve. As Phillip explained open the scripture so this man could know Jesus, we too must open the scripture to ourselves as well as to others, so we all might know in an intimate way, the Lord our God. The scriptures reveal God.