Acts (Written)

Looking down into some chamber in Texas Capitol.

Monday, 4 July 2022

Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go near and overtake this chariot.” Acts 8:29

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)

You can also read this commentary, with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

The previous words referred to the Ethiopian eunuch sitting in his chariot and reading Isaiah the prophet. Now, it says, “Then the Spirit said to Philip.”

Although it doesn’t say, “the Holy Spirit,” that should be inferred. What is surely the same Spirit will also be referred to in verse 8:39 and is there called “the Spirit of the Lord.” It is the same term used by Paul in 2 Corinthians 3:17, 18. In whatever manner the Spirit spoke to him, it was clearly understandable, saying, “Go near and overtake this chariot.”

The word translated as “overtake” means to join to. It doesn’t just mean “walk alongside,” but actually adhere to it. The Greek word itself, kollaó, comes from the word kólla, glue. Hence, it is to attach to, either literally or figuratively. In this case, he is to come alongside his carriage and grab onto it, or maybe even ask to ride along in it.

Understanding the scenario quite well, Cambridge says, “No doubt this royal treasurer had a numerous retinue, and a single traveller on a desert road would be doing what was natural in attaching himself to a train of people who were journeying in the same direction. Philip would therefore be able to approach and hear what was read without being deemed an intruder.”

Life application: To this day, and on any given day, there are innumerable claims of people being told by God to do this or do that. People claim divine revelation on hundreds of videos posted to social media every day. But these things must always be considered suspect.

First, unless the person is proclaiming the truth about God, the claim must be dismissed immediately. God is not going to validate the religious belief of a person who is not proclaiming Jesus. The innumerable visions and prophecies that fall outside of a Jesus-directed message are lies.

Next, a person (Muslim, Buddhist, etc.) who claims to have had a vision of Jesus telling him that he must come to Jesus contradicts the Bible on several levels, but most importantly God has given the church the responsibility to share this message via the word He has given. The conversion of Paul is an exception, and it is recorded in Scripture for us to know what happened and why. To assume that God would go around His word to make exceptions negates the purpose of the word He has given us.

Why people cannot find the word of God sufficient for their lives, doctrine, and instruction is hard to figure? God has carefully and meticulously detailed things in His word to show us how His word was compiled, why things happened the way they did, and to show us the fulfillment of the necessary types, patterns, and pictures that are introduced into it.

For us to look for something more actually diminishes what the Lord has done in the giving of His word. Let us not do such things. If you come across someone claiming a word from the Lord, a vision, or a prophecy on a website or video, keep going. You are wasting time that could be spent much better on something else. The Bible presents to us all we need to know concerning how things came about to give us the word. May it be considered sufficient to us!

Lord God, thank You for the precious word You have given to lead us in our lives and to keep us from error. It will have importance to us when we pick it up and learn it. And so, help us to do just that. Help us to make learning this precious treasure a true priority in our lives. Amen.

Fancy ceiling. Texas State Capitol.

Sunday, 3 July 2022

was returning. And sitting in his chariot, he was reading Isaiah the prophet. Acts 8:28

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)

You can also read this commentary, with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

The previous verse introduced the Ethiopian eunuch who had come to Jerusalem to worship. Now it says he “was returning.” Like the Queen of Sheba who came to visit Solomon (1 Kings 10), she eventually returned to her own country. So, it is now with this unnamed eunuch. He was on his way back on the desert road leading to Gaza. Luke next records, “And sitting in his chariot.”

The word harma, or chariot, is introduced here. It will be seen three times in this account in Acts, and then one more time in Revelation 9:9. It signifies a vehicle of some sort. It is unknown exactly what type of carriage he was in. It is a conveyance that could have been on wheels, or it could have been borne by men on poles, as in a palanquin.

In this case, it is most probably not a palanquin. This will be seen in a few verses. Rather, it is probably a carriage suitable for carrying several people. Regardless of the type, it was slow enough for Philip to join beside it. Next, while sitting there in his chariot, it says of the eunuch that “he was reading Isaiah the prophet.”

The common way to read was out loud, and this is what would have made the coming events possible. What is most probable is that he was reading the Greek translation of Isaiah, the LXX, or Septuagint. Greek was the lingua franca at the time and would surely have been known to someone in the courts of Candace.

And more, it is probable that in having read the Septuagint in the past, it is what brought him to want to worship in Jerusalem in the first place. Not because he was a proselyte, but because he wanted to worship the God proclaimed in their Scriptures. With this now noted, the narrative will continue to unfold in the coming verses.

Life application: The man in the chariot was a trusted member of the court of Candace. He was an approved traveler to go to worship in Jerusalem. He is noted now in the Bible as playing a key and pivotal role in fulfilling a particular pattern that is noted in the early Genesis narrative, and yet there is no record of his name.

As such, it tells us that it is not his name that is important, but who he stems from – something carefully recorded by Luke, and which must have been told to him by Philip. He is from Ethiopia. As such, he descends from the line of Ham and then through his son Cush. Ham is the son that did something perverted to his father, and because of what he did, Noah placed a curse on Ham’s son Canaan.

Along with the curse resting on Canaan, the entire line of Ham is the least favored line of the three sons of Noah because of what he did to his father. And yet, we are seeing an account of an Ethiopian becoming the center of the biblical narrative. But more, Moses was said to have married an Ethiopian (Numbers 12:1), and an Ethiopian eunuch was given a great note of grace from the Lord in Jeremiah 38.

God can work through any supposed limitation we possess. He did it with the Canaanite Rahab the harlot (two strikes against her), he did it through a sketchy intermarriage between Solomon and a woman of Ammon, bringing those who issue from her into the kingly line, and so on.

The point is, that whatever limitation you think might be resting upon you, God can still use you for His purposes and His glory. Don’t feel that because the whole world doesn’t know your name that you are somehow unimportant. God does. And with that, and if you are in Christ, you are a most important part of what He is doing in the world. Be confident of this.

Lord God, thank You that our names are known to You, and that we each have a part to offer in Your eternal home where the righteous will dwell. Thank You that because of Jesus this is possible. Yes, thank You for Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Top floor of Texas, Capitol.

2 July 2022

So he arose and went. And behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace the queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge of all her treasury, and had come to Jerusalem to worship, Acts 8:27

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)

You can also read this commentary, with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

The previous verse detailed Philip’s commission by the messenger of the Lord to go on the desert road to Gaza. Luke now continues with a note concerning his immediate obedience, saying, “So he arose and went.”

Philip is being given a charge completely separate and distinct from Peter and the other apostles. He was part of the dispersion noted early in Acts 8, and he was found faithful in opening his mouth and proclaiming the gospel to the mixed-race of Samaritans. Certainly because of his zeal for telling others the good news of Christ, he is commissioned to pass on this same good news again. That is seen with the next words, “And behold, a man of Ethiopia.”

There is an immense amount of speculation concerning who this person is in relation to Judaism, but Luke – the most meticulous of chroniclers – says nothing of his being of Israelite descent or of him being a proselyte, both of which he carefully records concerning others elsewhere. Rather, he simply calls him a man of Ethiopia. Vincent’s Word Studies provides additional insights into the word “Ethiopia” –

“The name for the lands lying south of Egypt, including the modern Nubia, Cordofan, and Northern Abyssinia. Rawlinson speaks of subjects of the Ethiopian queens living in an island near Mero, in the northern part of this district. He further remarks: ‘The monuments prove beyond all question that the Ethiopians borrowed from Egypt their religion and their habits of civilization. They even adopted the Egyptian as the language of religion and of the court, which it continued to be till the power of the Pharaohs had fallen, and their dominion was again confined to the frontier of Ethiopia. It was through Egypt, too, that Christianity passed into Ethiopia, even in the age of the apostles, as is shown by the eunuch of Queen Candace.’”

As for the term anér, or man, it is a general word used to signify a male human. Nothing more should be read into it. To say anything more is to insert into the narrative something unintended by the record itself.

He is next called a eunouchos, a eunuch. The word comes from eune (a bed) and echo (to have or possess). As such, it is a person who possesses the bed of another. Scholars, in an attempt to claim he is something other than what is stated, will stretch the meaning of what Luke is clearly conveying. He is a castrated person who attended to the bed of another. He is next noted as being “of great authority.”

The Greek word is dunastés, a word connected to our modern word “dynasty.” It signifies a potentate or a mighty leader. Paul uses it in 1 Timothy 6:15 when describing Jesus as “the blessed and only Potentate.” In the case of this man, he is a member of the court “under Candace.”

Rather than a name, this is a title used only here in the Bible, Kandaké. Like the term Pharaoh, it is a term used as the dynastic title for the queens of Ethiopia. As such, the person now being described is a high-level official and a eunuch assigned under her. Next, the term Kandaké is explained with the words, “the queen of the Ethiopians.”

This would be comparable to saying, “Pharaoh, the king of Egypt,” as is seen quite frequently in the Old Testament and even once in Acts 7:10. This man, who is a eunuch under Candace is the one “who had charge of all her treasury.”

This indicates that he was not only powerful in authority, but he was a trustworthy man as well. His position put him over all her treasures. The word used, gaza, is found only here. It is a Persian word adopted by the Greeks and Latins to indicate the treasures and wealth she possessed. Finally, it says of this person that he “had come to Jerusalem to worship.”

The immediate conclusion is that some claim this “proves” that he was a proselyte. Rather, this only proves that he came to Jerusalem to worship, but that can actually mean almost anything as people go to “worship” all over the world and for a variety of reasons. Jews went up on the hills of Israel to worship and get closer to whatever god they were worshipping at the time. If he was a proselyte, Luke would have carefully stated it, as he did in Acts 2:10, 6:5, and 13:43.

Further, it is claimed that he was there to worship on Passover (Barnes), or Pentecost (Cambridge, etc.), as was stated in Acts 2. These same scholars have already said in their commentaries that a long and/or unknown time has passed since Acts 2. It could have been years at this point. There is nothing recorded by Luke concerning the reason that he came other than to worship.

Also, being a eunuch, according to Deuteronomy 23:1, he was not acceptable to be counted among the assembly of Israel. Like the Ethiopian Ebed-Melech recorded in Jeremiah, he was not a part of the assembly, even if he was living in the land. This Ethiopian Eunuch may have been worshipping the Lord, like Ebed-Melech, with his heart, even if he was not acceptable under the law. Like Ebed-Melech, he will receive a special note of favor from the Lord for his attentiveness to Him (see Jeremiah 39:15-18).

Life application: A few points about this verse, if hyperdispensationalism were true, which it is not, the church would have begun with Philip, not with Paul. This is because he is the first noted as evangelizing a Gentile. However, the church did not begin with Philip either. It began in Acts 2 and both Philip now, and Paul in the verses to come, are (or will be) carrying out the tasks set before them to continue the growth of what the Lord is doing.

There is a specific reason for the selection of this Ethiopian and the evangelization of him now. It will be noted in the verses ahead, and it is specifically to complete a pattern that was laid down in the early Genesis account.

Secondly, the words “man” and “eunuch” are both used concerning this individual. According to this account in the Bible a man, even if he is physically changed through emasculation, remains a man. Cutting off body parts or being crazy in one’s head and thinking you are not what you were born as does not change what you are.

In today’s world, people claim they are something other than what they were designed by God to be. They even go to extreme lengths to physically alter themselves in order to be “something else.” But they are what they are. The only difference is that they no longer properly conform physically to what they are.

Heavenly Father, help us to have right thinking concerning our doctrine so that our doctrine will be right. In straying from proper doctrine, our doctrine will be wrong.  As such, only we will suffer, but Your word and its intent for us remains the same. Help us in this, O God. Help us to pursue Your word according to how it is presented. Amen.

Texas seal from the THIRD level. Whoo, tingly toes at this height.

Friday, 1 July 2022

Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, “Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is desert. Acts 8:26

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen).

You can also read this commentary, with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

With the account concerning Peter and John completed, the narrative now returns to Philip, beginning with, “Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip.” As always, the word “angel” signifies a messenger. Nothing more is said to further define its meaning at this time, but in both 8:29 and 8:39, the Spirit is mentioned as communicating with or physically transporting him.

As this is the case, it may be that the “messenger” of the Lord is a dream, a vision, or by direct communication from the Spirit. But because that is not explicitly mentioned, this is only speculation. Regardless of this, Philip is given a direct communication from the Lord through a messenger, “saying, ‘Arise.’”

It is a way of indicating that he must now take action according to the word of the Lord. The last time he was mentioned was in Acts 8:13. He may have received these instructions while he was still in Samaria. With the apostles there or having left (depending on when this call to him is made), he now has a new charge set before him. One can assume that because of his faithfulness in evangelizing, he is being personally selected to continue on with the Lord’s unfolding of the redemptive narrative.

As such, the messenger continues with, “and go toward the south.” As he is in Samaria, it would be to the south of that. The specific directions are being given for a specific purpose which will be revealed in the coming verses. What occurs will bring about a conversion that fits a pattern that goes all the way back to the early Genesis narrative. The Lord is purposefully directing Philip to represent this pattern for the New Testament.

In order to do so, Philip is to go toward the south “along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” Here, a word is introduced that is found only one more time, in Acts 22:6, mesémbria, and which is translated as “south.” It is a compound word coming from mesos, meaning “middle,” and hémera, meaning “day.” Hence, it means “mid-day.”

All translations say “south” because it is where the sun is at mid-day. However, it could just as easily be that Philip is being told, “Rise up and go toward mid-day to the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” The reason for this is that people would not want to travel in such a hot place at a time like this. Instead, it would be much less taxing to go early in the morning when it was cool.

Gaza, or Azzah, means “Strong,” or “Strong Place.” It was granted to Israel as a part of their inheritance when the borders were originally defined in Numbers 34. It was then assigned to Judah in Joshua 15:47. For a historical view of the location, Charles Ellicott provides the following:

“The history of the city so named (appearing at times in the English version—Deuteronomy 2:23; 1Kings 4:24; Jeremiah 25:20—as Azzah) goes even as far back as that of Damascus, in the early records of Israel. It was the southernmost or border-city of the early Canaanites (Genesis 10:19), and was occupied first by the Avim, and then by the Caphtorim (Deuteronomy 2:23). Joshua was unable to conquer it (Joshua 10:41; Joshua 11:22). The tribe of Judah held it for a short time (Judges 1:18), but it soon fell into the hands of the Philistines (Judges 3:3; Judges 13:1), and though attacked by Samson, was held by them during the times of Samuel, Saul, and David (1Samuel 6:17; 1Samuel 14:52; 2Samuel 21:15). Solomon (1Kings 4:24), and later on Hezekiah (2Kings 18:8), attacked it. It resisted Alexander the Great during a siege of five months, and was an important military position, the very key of the country, during the struggles between the Ptolemies and the Seleucidæ, and in the wars of the Maccabees (1 Maccabees 11:61).”

The reason for the specificity concerning what to do (and/or when to do it) is explained by Vincent’s Word Studies –

“There were several roads from Jerusalem to Gaza. One is mentioned by the way of Bethlehem to Hebron, and thence through a region actually called a desert.”

In order to ensure that the divinely planned meeting that is intended to happen comes about, Philip is given exacting instruction. As such, it could be that he is being told to take the south road, or if “mid-day” is intended, the correct road to take would still be known based on the final words of the verse, which say, “This is desert.”

If “south” is meant, then these words now may be Luke’s explaining the directions of the messenger. If “mid-day” is meant, then this is the messenger’s explanation of which of the two roads to take. Either way, it is known by Philip to go on a particular road down to Gaza, and it very well may be at a particular time of day. The latter seems quite possible based on the events that will come about in the verses ahead.

Life application: The events taking place in Acts are often given with very specific instructions to those who are to carry them out. A plan is being worked out, and patterns and parallels to other parts of the Bible are being completed now in Acts. Only in referring to the Old Testament can these be understood.

God is revealing to us the redemption of man. But man isn’t just one line of people, even if all people descend from one man. Rather, there are records of who various people groups are, and we are seeing the divinely unfolding plan of God for those groups of people. Some were to be exterminated for His sovereign reasons. And yet, even in the extermination of those people groups, there are those who are spared. One example is seen in the instructions to Israel –

“But of the cities of these peoples which the Lord your God gives you as an inheritance, you shall let nothing that breathes remain alive, ¹⁷ but you shall utterly destroy them: the Hittite and the Amorite and the Canaanite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite, just as the Lord your God has commanded you, ¹⁸ lest they teach you to do according to all their abominations which they have done for their gods, and you sin against the Lord your God.” Deuteronomy 20:16-18

Among those in this group who Israel failed to exterminate are several people who became key figures in the redemptive narrative, such as Rahab the harlot, Uriah the Hittite whose wife was Bathsheba, and Araunah the Jebusite. Jesus descends from both Rahab and Bathsheba, and He holds the title to real estate because of the record of a purchase made from Araunah that is found in 2 Samuel. None of these things occurred by accident, even if Israel failed to do as they were instructed.

If you feel you are either unimportant or that your role in God’s plans and designs is insignificant, you are incorrect. These people probably felt just the same way. And yet, they became central figures in what God was doing. And you will be a central part of what God is doing as well. Metaphors are used concerning believers, such as “living stones” or “pillars” in the temple that the Lord is building.

A temple cannot stand without proper support. As such, it cannot stand without you. God has figured you in as a most important part of what He is creating. Be pleased to know this.

Lord God, thank You that we are counted as important parts of what You are doing. You hold all of the power of the universe, and more, in Your hands. And yet, You have determined that we are useful in the temple You are building where we will dwell with You forever. Thank You that You have such care, even of us. Amen.

Fun bench. Texas Capitol.

Thursday, 30 June 2022

So when they had testified and preached the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many villages of the Samaritans. Acts 8:25

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen).

You can also read this commentary, with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

With the narrative concerning Simon complete, Luke now continues with the actions of Peter and John, beginning with, “So when they had testified.”

The word used, diamarturomai, is stronger than simply testifying. It is the giving of full and clear testimony. HELPS Word Studies says it “is always in the Greek middle voice which emphasizes witnessing done with a high level of self-involvement, i.e., with strong personal interest motivating it.” Hence, it may be more suitably translated “having earnestly testified.” They gave their earnest testimony “and preached.”

The word here, translated as “preached,” is not the same as the final clause of this verse. This word means “to say.” Hence, this first clause should read, “They then, indeed, having earnestly testified and having spoken the word of the Lord.” The words give a full description of the care of Peter and John for their mission. They proclaimed the word of the Lord, and they also were fully and intimately involved in testifying to what they personally knew concerning its fulfillment in Christ. Once that was complete in the area where they were, it says, “they returned to Jerusalem.”

This mission in Samaria is coming to a close. It is now understood by the apostles that not only was the gospel to be preached to those in Samaria (Acts 1:8), but that the people who believed were given the Holy Spirit. As this is now known, the report of this can be taken back to the apostles in Jerusalem for their understanding. The people of Israel are no longer the only focal point of God’s attention. Something far greater is coming about. The verse next ends with the fact that on their way back, the apostles were also “preaching the gospel in many villages of the Samaritans.”

Here, the word “preaching” is correct. It is the same word, euaggelizó, used so far in verses 8:4 and 8:12. It means to evangelize or preach the good news. This is what Philip did originally in “the city of Samaria,” and now these two are doing it in the smaller country towns and villages as they wind their way back to Jerusalem.

Life application: Suppose you go on a short-term mission trip. You are excited about going, you raise the funds to join, you get your tickets and such, and you go with the mission group. When you get there, you are told it will be a public bus that takes 10 hours to get to the location out in the country. You do your mission work, get back on the bus, head to the airport, and fly home.

It was a fun time. You got energized about helping others in a remote place. But did you talk to a single person on the way to the mission spot? Did you talk to anyone on the way back home? What was the point of your mission work? If building a house or a church, or helping to plant various crops, is all that you did then your time was not well spent.

The people at the mission site have all been evangelized. The building you helped put up could have been done without your help. You just helped it get done sooner. But the people that you passed by, on the streets and towns you stopped at, never got to hear about Jesus. The same is true with your vacations at home, your shopping at the store each week, and your visit to the restaurant last night.

Are you hoping someone else will tell all these people about Jesus? Try taking tracts and handing them out. Or try something really fun and do what Philip did in verse 8:4 and what Peter and John are doing in this verse. Try telling people about what you know. If not you, then who?

Lord God, someone told us about Jesus, and we responded. Isn’t it our time to do the same for others? Help us to be willing to share the saving message of Jesus to the people we encounter along life’s path. May it be so, and may we start today. Help us in this, O God. Amen.