The Ethiopian Eunuch

There are some very interesting questions raised by the account of the Ethiopian eunuch in the passage before us. Why did this man make this thousand plus mile journey from his home land to Jerusalem to worship? He is called a eunuch and, according to Deuteronomy 23:1, he cannot be a proselyte or joint the congregation of Israel. Yet he is a God-fearer and a God-seeker.

Why didn't the apostles present the gospel to him while he was in Jerusalem since they were already there? Why did the Spirit take Philip from the revival in Samaria (30 miles northeast of Jerusalem) all they way to the road going to Gaza on the southern border of Israel to deal with a single individual? The whole encounter was Spirit orchestrated from beginning to end. How did the Ethiopian come to possess a copy of the Scripture? How did know to read Isaiah 53?

An interesting theory may suggest answers to some of these questions. Levites may have taken the Ark of the Covenant out of the Temple and carried it to Ethiopia for safekeeping during the reign of Manasseh to protect it from the Babylonians. A curious Scripture appears in 2 Chronicles 35:3 and 20ff.

The Ethiopians believe that they have the ark are keeping it until the Messiah comes to establish His throne in Jerusalem. Did the Ethiopian eunuch come to Jerusalem because he heard that Messiah came? Was his searching of the Scripture an effort to resolve the questions in him mind when he learned that Jesus was crucified. The Spirit of God brought Philip to Him as he read Isaiah 53 and brought him to saving faith (Isaiah 56:3). God used the Ethiopian to demonstrate His desire to build a global house (Psalm 68:31).