Acts 8:26 And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert. 27 And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship, 28 Was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet. 29 Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot. 30 And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest?
This passage of scripture demonstrates the ready heart and mind that is necessary to obey implicitly what God has commanded us to do. It is of critical importance for us to observe and implement the deep spiritual lessons from this experience, for it involves much more than meets the eye. Here we see that Philip did not ask any questions when the word of the Lord came to him, instructing him to go down to Gaza, in the desert area, where the heat of the day can sometimes be unbearable. There were a whole lot of valid questions Philip could have asked, such as why he should go towards that specific location, and what was he to do when he got there. But not one single question escaped his lips, for as far as he was concerned, when God says go, it means go, and that settles it, even if no reason is given.
Again, when the command is given by God for him to join himself to the chariot that was passing by, not one word or question comes from his mouth, for again he manifests the much desired disposition to obey implicitly that which God instructs him to do, and therefore the command to "Go and join thyself to this chariot" means exactly that and nothing else. No up front question about who is in the chariot, or where the chariot is headed, nor even questions about the man's nationality or language is asked, simply because "Go and Join" means go and join. It is in obedience to God's word that many or all of our questions get answered, and without a disposition to obey, we will never realize God's perfect will for our lives. Let's read:
Acts 8:30 And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest? 31 And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him. 35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.
One of the main problems with many Christians is that we ask too many questions and require too many explanations before we obey the plainest commands of God, and often when the questions are answered and the explanations given, we still put our obedience to God's word on hold for a convenient season, and because of this, the many blessings which God was pleased to bestow at the right and opportune moment, are often forever lost upon us, and we go through life not realizing that golden opportunities have passed us by.
When God instructs us to do anything our first response should be to obey, and not to ask questions, as is so often the case, for God's will is most often revealed on a "As you go" basis. A ready mind and a willing heart is of far more value to God than the intellect and so-called intelligence which often acts as a hindrance in us rendering perfect obedience to God's will. For instance, in the days of Noah there were many philosophers and intelligent men who listened to the warnings of God through His servant, and there were many historians and scientists who scoffed at the idea of a flood of waters overspreading the entire earth.
They reasoned and queried and did their research in the universities of the day, and the news media added their two cents with commentary on the strange and seemingly foolish concept of building an Ark. Yet with all of the questions and explanations and reasonings, not one of them, with the exception of Noah and his immediate family, obeyed the simple instruction of God to walk up those steps into the ark, and as a direct result, approximately seven billion human beings were drowned in their watery graves.
In our own personal experiences with God, we should ever cultivate a disposition to run as quickly as possible when God shows us the way forward, and it will be well if we obey first and then ask questions later, rather than doing things in the reverse. This is the mindset that God is looking for in those who are to finish up the last leg of the long-running marathon of salvation, where the gospel is to be taken to a dying world living on the brink of eternity. Nothing but implicit and unquestioning obedience will do. For this reason we will end our short discourse with a passage of scripture which teaches us that the whole purpose of God in giving us His Holy Spirit, is not to question and reason back and forth, but to obey. Let's read:
Acts 5:27 And when they had brought them, they set them before the council: and the high priest asked them, 28 Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name?" ..... 29 Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men. 32 And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.
May God add His blessing to the study and practice of His word. "Good night" and God bless!