After Philip spots the eunuch in the chariot, Acts 8:29-30 tells us, “The Spirit told Philip, ‘Go to that chariot and stay near it.’ Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’ Philip asked.” We know that Philip is prompted by the Holy Spirit in this moment to go to the chariot, but we don’t get much detail about the specifics. Was it an audible voice? Was it a gut instinct? Was it a stirring in Philip’s spirit? We don’t know these specifics, but we know that Philip didn’t hesitate when he heard or felt the Holy Spirit’s direction in his life.
In verse 30, we read that Philip ran over and heard the man reading from the prophet Isaiah. It's at this point that Philip realizes why God has him on this specific desert road. The eunuch is reading the Bible, but he doesn't understand it. Sometimes the Bible can be hard to understand for many of us. Even the apostle Peter, in 2 Peter 3:16, stated about Paul’s writings: “He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand.” We all struggle at times with understanding the meaning of what is written in Scripture, and it's important to acknowledge that it's okay to ask others for their help to interpret what you read. This is one of the primary reasons we gather together as a church or in small groups; to hear the word of God explained and applied to our lives so we can better understand it. So, if you ever read the Bible and don't understand something – it doesn't make you uneducated, it simply makes you normal.
Reflection/Discussion Question: Where do you go when you encounter a passage or verse in Scripture that you are having trouble understanding?
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