Rejected: God’s Presence In The Darker Times

Nothing would be half-hearted this day. He had traveled far too long to give the Lord anything less than what He deserved.

He was an odd choice for a pilgrimage. Somehow, this servant of Candace, queen of Ethiopia, managed to stumble upon a copy of the Hebrew scriptures. As would be expected of a scribe, especially a scribe entrusted with the queen’s royal treasure, he was highly literate, and found himself captivated by the tomes which spoke of this strange God of the Israelites. The more he read, the more his heart burned within him, until he could finally take it no more. Gathering up his belongings – and particularly the scrolls which incited this deep passion – he began the long trek from Ethiopia to Jerusalem.

I imagine the journey was filled with anticipation. The temple stood in Jerusalem, after all, and it was believed that it was this glorious monument which housed the throne of God, from whence He reigned over all creation. While the ark was no longer to be found, the inner sanctum was still a place of revered holiness, and it was at this temple that sacrifice was to be made. This eunuch from Ethiopia was on a journey to worship the God who had captured his heart.

That was not all, however. It was at the temple where the great masters of the Hebrew scriptures would gather, teaching and learning, displaying their great knowledge for all to witness. While this eunuch understood enough to fall in love with the God of Israel, much still remained in shadow. This was his opportunity to ask his questions, to revel in the mysteries laid bare before him. He was on a journey to learn.

Finally, the temple mount comes into view. His heart must have been racing as he stepped down from his carriage, and made his way to select a sacrifice. After all, the offering must be perfect, and he had the wealth to make sure of it. Nothing would be half-hearted this day. He had traveled far too long to give the Lord anything less than what He deserved. Then, clutching his offering to his chest, he ascended the steps. The gates came into view, the majestic temple looming behind them, the altar ablaze in plain view. Three steps to the courtyard… two steps… one…

“You there! Stop! Your kind is not welcome here. Turn around and go home.”

The priest barred his way. There would be no admittance for him. By Levitical law, foreigners may only have access to the court of the Gentiles, and eunuchs were granted no access at all. This foreign eunuch had traveled all the way from Ethiopia to worship, only to be turned away. You can almost hear the CRACK as his heart breaks. Dejected, he turns to leave.

It is at this point in our story that God intervenes. As Acts 8 records it, while the eunuch was leaving Jerusalem to return home, the word of the Lord came to a young man by the name of Philip. Philip was skilled at restoring those rejected by society… it was less than a chapter earlier where he bore the gospel to Samaria, resulting in an outpouring of the Holy Spirit which rivaled Pentecost. Now, he was called to this foreigner. As the carriage pulled into view, he began to jog alongside it, listening to the Ethiopian as he read from Isaiah 53.

“Do you understand what it is that you are reading?”

“How can I, unless someone guides me?” It is easy to hear the frustration and pain in the eunuch’s response. After all, he went to the temple in search of guides. The rejection cuts deeply.

So, beginning with Isaiah 53, Philip set about to guide him. Isaiah 53… the crucifixion of Christ. Isaiah 54… the new covenant. Isaiah 55… the outpouring of God’s compassion. By the end of the 55th chapter, Philip had shared the message of the Gospel. I imagine it was at this point that the Ethiopian looked out his window to see water nearby. The carriage stopped. The two men got out. The eunuch was baptized.

Suddenly, in the blink of an eye, Philip was gone. He had done what he had come to do, and this scribe from Ethiopia made his way back to the carriage, filled with joy where there had once only been pain. I think it is fair to say that, if he was reading from Isaiah before Philip, and then continued reading from Isaiah with Philip, the first thing he most likely did when he returned to his carriage was continue reading from Isaiah. This foreigner, this eunuch from Ethiopia, came to Israel to worship… only to find himself barred from God’s house, kicked off the Temple Mount, his sacrifice rejected, and his heart’s yearning spurned. This reject from God’s temple, now joined to the Lord, would have opened up that parchment and picked up where he left off. As he unfurled the scroll, these are the words that he would have read:

Let not the foreigner who has joined himself to the Lord say, “The Lord will surely separate me from his people”; and let not the eunuch say, “Behold, I am a dry tree.” For thus says the Lord: “To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, who choose the things that please me and hold fast my covenant, I will give in my house and within my walls a monument and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off.”

“And the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord, to minister to him, to love the name of the Lord, and to be his servants, everyone who keeps the Sabbath and does not profane it, and holds fast my covenant, these I will bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer; their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.” Isaiah 56:3-7

The eunuch from Ethiopia came to find God. Instead, he discovered that God had been waiting for him all along.

How have you encountered God’s presence in the dark times?

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