THE UNEXPECTED WILL OF GOD
While God’s nature is predictably stable, his will for his people is often unpredictable. God is ready to take his people through an adventure here on earth, but only if they are willing to hearken to his voice and respond accordingly. The story of Philip’s encounter with the Ethiopian, recorded in Acts 8:26-39, is remarkable.
Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian[a] eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the Book of Isaiah the prophet. The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.”
Philip would have no doubt been surprised to find God telling him to go south away from the site of action, Jerusalem. Surely, God could use him at Jerusalem, and what good could be accomplished at Gaza? To his credit, listening to God was more important than following his own logic. Finding the convoy of the Ethiopians, he was again instructed to stay near it. The Ethiopian official was actively seeking God and searching for the truth. Philip’s gift was in preaching the gospel and when he found the man reading from Isaiah, Philip spontaneously started explaining the truth to him. He started with an angelic revelation, going on to the leading of the Spirit and then moved on to doing what he did best as he coalesced his actions with the will of God.
Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked.
“How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.———–Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.
As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?”——- When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. (Acts 8:26-39)
What followed was truly amazing as God opened the eyes of the Ethiopian to accept the truth and be baptized to receive Christ. The miracle was confirmed when the Spirit of God suddenly transported Philip away from that scene and Philip found himself many miles away at Azotus. God’s will was done as the Ethiopian and perhaps through him a nation and a continent received Christ. And all of that was made possible, because one man was able to discern the unexpected will of God and obey.
