and how shall they hear without a preacher? Your email address will not be published. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. The Ethiopian eunuch travelled to Jerusalem by chariot. So this eunuch travelled a round trip of 3200 miles just to stand outside the temple to worship! 32This is the passage of Scripture the eunuch was reading: He was led like a sheep to the slaughter. The Ethiopian eunuchs story starts out with an angel of the Lord telling Philip to travel along the desert road that goes from Jerusalem to Gaza. It takes a very humble heart to admit that you dont fully understand the Scriptures and need someone to teach you, especially when you have as committed of a heart as the eunuch had. Azotus is the old Philistine city of Ashdod, about 20 miles north of Gaza. For it says the Eunuch could not see him [Philip] anymore. The Ethiopian eunuch had not read much of the Bible, but when he had found one witness from the prophets he was guided by it to salvation. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. From remote antiquity, eunuchs were employed in the Middle East and in China in two main functions: as guards and servants in harems or other womens quarters, and as chamberlains to kings. The Ethiopian eunuchs story truly is a great example of what it means to worship God with all of your heart. It shows Philip the Evangelist baptising an Ethiopian man, a eunuch, on the road from Jerusalem to Gaza, traditionally marking the start of the Ethiopian Church (Acts 8:2639). The Gospel According to John describes Philip as a fisherman from Bethsaida in Galilee, the same town as Andrew and Peter. 22:16). This is a deserted road. 27 So he got up and went. WebA reading of Acts 8:26-39. Home Travel Question: How Far Did The Ethiopian Eunuch Travel. The prophets Amos and Zephaniah are believed to have prophesied that Gaza would be deserted. It records the burial of Stephen, the beginnings of Christian persecution, and the spread of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the people of Samaria and Ethiopia. Philip travels in the area, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea (8:40). Where did they stop once the Ethiopian eunuch had been baptized? The eunuchs journey represent his existence on the way (, vv. The vast majority are afflicted with prostate cancer. His life of faith was a regular, continuous and also complete walk with God. Browse 60+ years of magazine archives and web exclusives. I love you all! WebRemoval of or defect in either or both of the testicles disqualifies for admission to the assembly of the Lord. We consider virtues like humility as weakness, or wrongly assume that if were humble, it automatically means that someone is taking advantage of us. It thus should not be at all surprising that some Israelites would be living in southern Egypt and Ethiopia. Due to the volume of mail, we cannot answer all questions. Im a super huge Tom Hanks fan and have seen practically every movie of his, can quote the entire Forrest Gump movie, and nearly cried when we and Rita Wilson tested positive for the coronavirus. Required fields are marked *. If you read it in the physical sense you wont see it, but if you read it in the Spirit, it will be clear as day! Here are five things that give us understanding of this Ethiopian dignitary. Yet, the Ethiopian eunuch didnt wait until he was back at home to get baptizedhe saw water in the desert and took the opportunity to get right with God immediately. All rights reserved. Answer: They were receptive and many came to believe in Jesus. Wholly Hearted is a Christian blog that wants you to be inspired by Gods word and love Him wholeheartedly through insightful Bible studies. His wholehearted devotion to God had paid off. What happened to Philip is described by the Greek word harpazo (Strongs #726), which is translated above as suddenly took. Commentators explain that words desert in Lukes account can refer either to Gaza or to the road. Where was the eunuch baptized? It was an immediate departure. We put on a facade because we live in a social media, everyone-is-perfect-and-a-guru-at-something, era. and how shall they hear without a preacher? Book of Numbers 12:1 states that Moses was criticized by his older siblings for having married a Cushite woman, Aethiopissa in the Latin Vulgate Bible version. It shows Philip the Evangelist baptising an Ethiopian man, a eunuch, on the road from Jerusalem to Gaza, traditionally marking the start of the Ethiopian Church (Acts 8:2639). The Old Testament is a spiritual foreshadowing of what happens in the New Testament. Just because he left suddenly doesnt mean he didnt use the normal means of transport. Do you understand what you are reading? Philip asked. The Bible states that he strolled with God for 300 years! Answer: He was one of the first evangelists to bring Christianity to Ethiopia and his preaching helped to create a strong Christian community there. [13] For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Subscribers receive full access to the archives. To become a eunuch for the sake of a job (career) was probably not something this man took lightly. One interpretation of this verse is that Moses wife Zipporah, daughter of Reuel/Jethro from Midian, was black. Instead of being occupied with the person God used to assist in his conversion, he was occupied with Christ as he went on his way rejoicing, which is much more important than Philips mode of travel. Many of their miracles are recorded in the book of Acts: many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles (Acts 2:43ESV). I at least better have a confirmation to personally meet him! There are two versions of his death, the first being that he died a natural death but the second one says he angered a local king who ordered him nailed to a bed, covered his whole body with paper, brimstones, oil, asphalt and brushwood and set him on fire. Answer: It took him several months to make the journey. Well talk about this more later, but what does that have to do with him being a treasurer? After this, Philip was suddenly taken away by the Spirit of the Lord, and the eunuch went on his way rejoicing (verse 39). If you continue reading it says that Philip found himself at Azotus. It is not clear exactly how far he travelled but it seems that he went out of his way to make the journey. Thank you. The angel told Philip to go near the chariot and stay with the Ethiopian eunuch. 36As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, Look, here is water. So lets go deeper into what the Scriptures say about the Ethiopian eunuch: A lot of people dont actually know what a eunuch is, but just so you dont have to Google ita eunuch is a man that has been castrated to serve a specific role. He was urgent in his response to the Gospel message. Gaza and the West Bank are claimed by the de jure sovereign State of Palestine. So grab your Bible, notebook, and a cup of coffee or tea, and lets dig deep into the Scriptures to learn more about the Ethiopian eunuch! The air travel (bird fly) shortest distance between Jerusalem and Gaza is 6,069 km= 3,771 miles. Your email address will not be published. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. All Loves Excelling: How Romance Inspired Charles Wesleys View of God, Christian Conservationists Sue to Protect Ghana Forest, Subscribe to CT magazine for full access to the. WebEthiopian Eunuch The. Observations on life; particularly spiritual, Being fruitful in work, service & relationships, A Memory from the past Moments Of The Sacred, Comprehensive outline of the book ofMatthew, How to read the Bible in chronological order. Wow what great and mighty power we have as children of The Most High God. Second, he was a Gentile, and at best could have only entered the Court of the Gentiles, but that too was now unattainable. A castrated adult male will lose muscle but gain fat. Glorious is the church that walks rejoicing after believing in the Lord than waiting on the man of God to come back and preach, again and again. He undoubtedly had a very devoted and dedicated heart that was seeking after a true relationship with God. Though no churches or converts were linked to this episode, it is remembered in the Coptic liturgy, which states, "Be glad and rejoice, O Egypt, and her sons and all her borders, for there hath come to Thee the Lord of Man." But it doesnt say how he was taken away. How did the people of Ethiopia respond to his preaching? Are the angel of the Lord (v.26) and the Spirit of the Lord (v.39) the same character? When he saw water (a rare thing in this desert place) he wished to make the best use of it. Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and travelled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea (Acts 8:39-40NIV). eunuch, castrated human man. Your email address will not be published. The Queen of Sheba appears as a prominent figure in the Kebra Nagast (Glory of King), the Ethiopian national epic and foundation story. In the times of the Patriarchs there were historically recurring invasions between Egypt and Ethiopia (Cush). The name Ethiopia (Hebrew Kush) is stated in the Bible many times (thirty-seven times in the King James variation), as well as is in numerous means considered a sanctuary. God, who knew this mans heart, had already decided to intervene. Pingback: A Memory from the past Moments Of The Sacred, I believe that Phillip was directed away and Phillip began his journey to Azotus. The outcome could be history making! In this case, the Ethiopian eunuch was a eunuch because he was working closely with the queen, and there was to be no funny business between the two. There were 260 Ethiopian men in the army of the eunuch. How might things have been different if the Ethiopian Eunuch had not been baptized? 4. Philip asks the Eunuch if he understands what he is reading, and is invited to explain this writing.He promptly baptizes the Eunuch in the water. Eunuchs would usually be servants or slaves who had been castrated to make them reliable servants of a royal court where physical access to the ruler could wield great influence. What are the idle words referred to in Matthew 12:36? Barnes says, It is not wise to suppose the existence of a miracle except where the effect cannot otherwise be accounted for, and except where there is a plain statement that there was a miracle. The geography as well as distances included naturally allow the Jesus Route to be walked as a collection of day-hikes for a total amount of 4 days, with every days walk being in between 13 as well as 19 km (8 to 12 mi) in length. After the episode recorded in the first part of this chapter, Peter and John stay in this city of Samaria for an apparently short time. This is the text the Ethiopian eunuch was reading. What did Philip tell the Ethiopian eunuch? For a man in his position as Minister of the Treasury of Ethiopia, this meant the expense of a long journey for not only himself but for his entire entourage. How long is the flight from Ethiopia to Israel? Its about 800 miles from the court to the temple, as the crow flies. Where did Philip go after he baptized the Ethiopian? Yes i belief this because if ungodly men normally do so how much more believers. He afterwards was told by an angel of the Lord to go to the road between Jerusalem and Gaza. In Ethiopia there were many Black Jews, who claimed the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as their God. Are you able to explain all of the New Testament concepts using the Old Testament Scriptures?]. But the rapture seems to be like teleportation (1 Cor. I obviously knew how to read, and the words themselves made sense, but when I tried to put everything together, I still could not understand all of the metabolic pathways that go on in the human cell. Were here to help you find ways to make sense of tough life issues, discover insights from Gods Word, the Bible and connect with others who are experiencing lifes journey. Aksum grew rich and powerful because of Adule, its port on the Red Sea. Acts 8:37 Context And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? It then says that the eunuch invited Philip up into the chariot to sit with him. According to biblical accounts, Gaza fell to Israelite rule, from the reign of King David in the early 11th century BCE. Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch, who was a member of the court of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. Adule was a world trading center. Its easy to gloss over the fact that this man had become a eunuch for the purpose of serving the queen, but this is actually one of the first clues we get about his characterthis man was wholehearted in whatever he did. Following the resurrection of Jesus, Philip was sent with his sister Mariamne and Bartholomew to preach in Greece, Phrygia, and Syria. Distance from Jerusalem to Ethiopia The shortest distance (air line) between Jerusalem and Ethiopia is 1,598.32 mi (2,572.24 km). What was Philips job before he met Jesus? [14] How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? Alright, lets walk through this! What can stand in the way of my being baptized?[37] 38And he gave orders to stop the chariot. WebPhilip the Evangelist (Greek: , Philippos) appears several times in the Acts of the Apostles.He was one of the Seven chosen to care for the poor of the Christian community in Jerusalem ().He preached and reportedly performed miracles in Samaria, and met and baptised an Ethiopian man, a eunuch, on the road from Jerusalem to Gaza, traditionally How many books are in the Ethiopian Bible? If we believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God (2 Peter 1:20-21), then that means that these minor details are in the Bible for a reason And if you dig deeper, it actually tells you a lot about this mans character. So obtaining his own personal copy of the Book of Isaiah was definitely one of those perks. Are you willing to sacrifice your time for him and love him wholeheartedly? The eunuch then continued on his way rejoicing in his new faith.The story of the Ethiopian eunuch is a remarkable one. The word describing what happened, harpazo (Strongs #726), occurs in 14 verses of the New Testament. But, while here, they testify and speak the word of the Lord. Zipporah is mentioned for the last time when she, her sons, and her father join Moses at Mount Horeb (Exod. Acts 2:41 then reports: Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. Critical scholars believe some features of the narrative are theological constructions. In Pauls case, they got ready at once to leave for Macedonia. After getting baptized, it says that the eunuch went on his way rejoicing (verse 39). Since the 1995 Oslo Accords, Bethlehem has been administered by the Palestinian Authority. Ive often heard people say, I dont understand the Old Testament, or I mainly read the New Testament because it applies most to my life today. Whats interesting though, is that Philip took an Old Testament Scripture and related it to the New Testament gospel message. Acts 8:26 -39 (NKJV) shares the tale of Philip satisfying the Ethiopian eunuch: Currently an angel of the Lord spoke with Philip, stating, Occur as well as go towards the south along the roadway which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza. This is desert. English Standard Version Acts 8 is the eighth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. The eunuch had immediate action based off what he had learned from the true gospel message, and he didnt want to delay getting right with God. Persecution in the Early Church: Did You Know? The eunuch responded to the Gospel message immediately and took action. Did A Gorilla Climb The Empire State Building, Did Corrie Ten Boom Die In The Concentration Camp, Did Corrie Ten Boom Ever Meet Her Concitration Camp Guard, Did Katy Perry Go Through Marine Boot Camp, Did Rachel Campos Duffy Give Birth To 8 Children, How Did Deregulation Change The Banking And Air Travel Industries, How Did Luckys Mom Die In Spirit Riding Free, How Did The Original Little Red Riding Hood End, How Did X Ray Get Sent To Camp Green Lake, How Far Did Nehemiah Travel From Susa To Jerusalem, How Long Did It Take To Travel The California Trail, How Long Did It Take To Walk Around Jericho, How Many Miles Did Moses Travel From Egypt To Midian, How Much Did It Cost To Repair Hiroshima And Nagasaki, How Much Did It Cost To Repair Pearl Harbor, How Much Did The Average American Travel In 1940. Travel would likely be by boat and then overland using chariots. The Ethiopian eunuch could have brushed Philip off or even questioned why some random guy would have the audacity to ask him if he understood what he was readingbut that wasnt the eunuchs response. According to the Bible the Ethiopian eunuch travelled a great distance to Jerusalem in order to worship God. WebEthiopian treasurer (vv. After hearing a reading of the prophet Isaiah he felt compelled to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem to worship the God of Israel.The eunuchs journey would have been a difficult and dangerous one. Choose Print or Kindle at Amazon.com Published as 'God's Honorable Mentions'. And I believe this is the same here, so the Eunuch would truly believe without doubt and so nothing can steal away the joy of his salvation. It is clear in the context of the text that Philip had gone through a type of supernatural transportation. Ethiopia (the upper Nile region) saw vibrant church growth in the early centuries after Christ, and legend links this growth to Philip's convert. When Luke describes the miraculous disappearance of Jesus, he doesnt use the Greek word harpazo (Strongs #726), which is used in Acts 8:39. In reality, there are more castrated men alive today that at any other point in history. It has already been shown that eunouchos, like saris in the Old Testament, had more than one meaning, and could also mean official. The story concludes with the words, he went on his way rejoicing. She stayed and learned from him for six months. Must the needy be forgotten 4ever? Copyright 2001 by the author or Christianity Today/Christian History magazine.Click here for reprint information on Christian History. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account.