Acts 8:34-35 (ESV)
“…And the eunuch said to Philip, “About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus.”
Under the instruction of the angel of the Lord, Philip went down on the road from Jerusalem to Gaza and there he met an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of Candace who was queen of the Ethiopians. He found Him reading from the book of Isaiah and inquired from him whether he understood what he was reading. The Ethiopian eunuch did not understand because though he read the book, he did not know how to really read this portion of Biblical prophecy. As a result, he asks Philip for help and invites him to join him in his chariot.
The portion that he was reading was Isaiah 53 and Philip began with this Scripture and went on ahead to share the Gospel of Christ with him. Although the prophecy of this book was written over 700 years before Jesus came into the scene, it pointed to Him. And that is the nature of Biblical poetry – they have an immediate fulfilment, but they find their ultimate fulfilment in Jesus the Christ. Thus, we can begin anywhere within the prophetic books and passages and arrive at the good news about Jesus. Indeed, in the words of Revelation 19:10, “The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”
Reflections
1. Do you sometimes feel like the Ethiopian eunuch (unable to understand) when reading prophetic books or passages?
2. How does today’s devotion help you moving forward when reading the prophetic books and passages?
3. What other prophetic passages do you know that point to Jesus?
