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Philip had been summoned by the Spirit of God into the desert of Gaza. It may have been to save him from the intoxication of success. We all know how prone we are — when God gives to us success — to take the credit to ourselves. It may have been therefore on this account, to save Philip from being puffed up by pride by his popularity and power, that he was summoned thus into the wilderness by God. We do not say that he was so puffed up; if he were, Simon Magus would have a thorn to prick the bladder of pride on this account. But we do say that ofttimes in our own case, God sees fit to call us aside for awhile with Him. In Philip's case it may rather have been to save him from the paralysis of despair: For now no sooner was his work tested, than the very best of his converts failed. Doubtless there would be heart-searching in the mind of Philip himself. "Was I too anxious to get that man?" "Did I soften the terms of the message so as to win him on my side?" "Was I sufficiently satisfied with the deepness of the work which he professed had taken place?" But God is a good Master, though this Simon Magus had so egregiously failed. God was about to give Philip another soul, one in whom he might indeed rejoice, and of whom — though perhaps he would never see him again — he might hear how gloriously he was carrying on the work of God in a distant land. Now there are four questions I think suggested here. In the first place, "What are you reading?" In the second place, "Understandest thou what thou readest?" And then the third question asked by the Ethiopian eunuch himself, "How can I understand?" And lastly, "What doth hinder me from obeying these precepts?"

I. WHAT teariest thou? This is distinctly a reading age. Take heed what you read. Beware of any impure books which may vitiate the imagination. Beware of any flippant and frivolous books which may make you tired of the monotony of daily life. Beware of any sceptical books, which blasphemously and irreverently decry God and His Holy Word. I know that there are men who say that you must read both sides of a question. I don't see why, if a man chooses to publish a libel upon my wife, I am obliged to wade through it on the plea of reading both sides of the question. How much is read which will scarcely bear inspection. Here this eunuch is travelling back to his own country. He had no need to be afraid of Philip asking him the question, "What readest thou?" There was no need for him to hide the book under his carriage cushion, and say, "Nothing"; no reason for a blush to come across his face. We know if he had lived in the nineteenth century, the Word of God would have been about the last thing that he, as a seeker after truth, would have considered it right to read. But not so in that century. It is as an earnest, honest seeker after truth he studied God's own Word, and asked, "What saith the Scripture?" Ah, some of the heathen will rise up in judgment against us. We read of a wild Pathan giving one-third of his month's pay in order to obtain a copy of the Word of God.

II. But Philip's question is directed, not merely to what it was he was reading, but he asked him, "UNDERSTANDEST THOU WHAT THOU READEST?" This is very important. God deals with us, not as horse or mule that has no understanding, but He puts before us a Word that requires all the best efforts of our intelligence and reason. The first great requisite of good ground to receive the seed is this — that a man understand the Word.

III. Now comes the question, "HOW CAN I UNDERSTAND?" "How can I," said the eunuch — how can I understand?" The first thing you can do is to ask the Author to explain it. If you were reading any book you could not quite understand, and the author is in the next room, it is very easy to go to the author of that book. The author of this book is God the Holy Ghost, and you can ask Him to explain it far better than any commentator.

IV. Then lastly comes the question, "WHAT DOTH HINDER YOU FROM BEING BAPTIZED?" The eunuch knew this: If it is true, I must come out and confess.

(E. A. Stuart, M. A.)

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KJV: And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest?

WEB: Philip ran to him, and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, "Do you understand what you are reading?"