I Just Don’t Understand?

Acts 8:26-30 “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. 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, Was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet. Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot. And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest?”

Text Revelations 2:7 “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith”

Before us is the story of a man that has been to the right place, “had come to Jerusalem for to worship” (vs.27), and is reading the right book, “the scripture” (vs.32). Philip asked the Ethiopian, “Understandest thou what thou readest?” What if you were asked that same question? You go to church, you read the Bible, but the truth is you just don’t understand! The answer to your dilemma may be found in Christ’s words to the seven churches, “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith.” Christ points out that we must be equipped to hear, “He that hath an ear.” While you were born with two physical ears, you must be born again to obtain spiritual ears, “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (I Corinthians 2:14). Until a person accepts the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour, they can never understand spiritual things! Secondly, speaking to the redeemed in the churches, Christ offers an encouragement to hear, “let him hear what the Spirit saith.” There is the encouragement of the practice to hear, “let him hear” as well as the person to hear, “the Spirit.” We must not only possess the Spirit through the new birth, but He must possess us through our yieldedness and willingness to listen. Can you say as Samuel, “Speak, Lord; for thy servant heareth” (I Samuel 3:9)? If you still don’t understand ask this question, “Is He Lord of my life and am I listening?”