Guides

November 10th

Today's Bible Reading

Guides

Acts 8:30-31

So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading? ”And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

Understanding is the precursor to application. Comprehension leads to compliance. Apprehension enables appropriate action. If I do not know what it says, I will not know what to do. Meaning mobilizes the messenger.

Phillip encounters a proselyte, a Jewish convert. He was reading a portion of the Bible. He was investigating the book of Isaiah. He was contemplating the meaning of what he was reading. He considered what it said. Yet its insight eluded him. He lacked understanding. He was confused regarding to whom the text was referring. He needed someone to “guide” him to its meaning. He needed to find an inquisitor’s instructor.

Phillip had been taught the text. He understood its meaning. It referred to Christ. It was a prophetic portrayal of the Messiah. Coming along side, as the Levites of Nehemiah’s time, he helped him. He brought clarity to his confusion. The eunuch comprehended of whom it spoke. His mind was illuminated. The truth was ascertained. His heart was stirred. He reacted. He embraced Christ.

We are like both Phillip and the eunuch. We are guides and guided. As we gain understanding of scripture, we become a guide for others. But as we lack understanding we need to be guided by others. We learn Biblical insight and instruct others. We lack knowledge and need to be instructed by others. Either way the goal is understanding. We seek spiritual enlightenment. We want to gain knowledge of the truth.

Scripture can be understood. It’s jewels can be mined. It's sweetness can be savored. We need to be persistent in our pursuit. We must continue when confused. Yet we also must be willing to concede our lack of comprehension. We must acknowledge our difficulty in determining its meaning. We need someone to teach us. We must acquire those how have tussled with the text. We need those who have contemplated its complexities and have turned up its truth. We must look to them to help guide your inquiry. We need to be like the inquisitive Ethiopian and ask “How can I, unless someone guides me?”. And like him, we need a Phillip to come up and sit with us to aid your investigation.

The Lord instructs them. Let them instruct you. Then, you can instruct others. Do not be dismayed or discouraged when you encounter perplexing passages. Seek to understand them. Exhaust every means at your disposal to discern there meaning. But when you have depleted all available resources, find a trusted tutor to help you understand. Search out a Philip to sit with you in your chariot of confusion and help you comprehend the meaning of God’s message, that like the eunuch you might go on your way rejoicing.

Today thank God for the Phillips in your life. Praise Him for those scholarly, studious saints who learned the word and helped you learn it too. Rejoice that their insight became your instruction. If you know how to contact them, take time to communicate with them how grateful that you are for the time that they took to impart God’s truth to you. Thank them for being a trusted tutor of the oracles of God. Thank them for being a good guide of God’s word. Pray that you might be a guide for someone else.