“No one whose testicles are crushed or whose male organ is cut off shall enter the assembly of the LORD." (Deuteronomy 23:2- cf. Lev. 20:21).
7But Ebed-Melek, a Cushite, c an eunuch in the royal palace, heard that they had put Jeremiah into the cistern. While the king was sitting in the Benjamin Gate, 8Ebed-Melek went out of the palace and said to him, 9“My lord the king, these men have acted wickedly in all they have done to Jeremiah the prophet. They have thrown him into a cistern, where he will starve to death when there is no longer any bread in the city.”
10Then the king commanded Ebed-Melek the Cushite, “Take thirty men from here with you and lift Jeremiah the prophet out of the cistern before he dies.” (Jeremiah 38)
Thoughts: The Ethiopian Eunuch found in Acts 8, is an important figure- probably the first African baptized. To understand his story fully, we must recognize a few things:
1) The term "Ethiopian" is a Greek word meaning black. It is not referring to the modern country of Ethiopia- though certainly it is nearby where this man lived.
2) The region this man was from is probably the kingdom of Mores (formerly Cush) which is primarily in South Sudan and parts of Sudan today. We know this because the queen "Kandake" (or Candace in KJV) is the throne name for the queen of that region much like "pharaoh" is the name for the king of Egypt.
3) The man was a God-fearer- a believer who sought to worship. He may have been delivering a gift to the Temple from his queen, but he also sought to worship. Whether he actually got into worship is debatable. Deuteronomy 23:2 and Leviticus 20:21 seem to prohibit eunuchs from going into the Temple- or at least the inner courts. He probably traveled hundreds and hundreds of miles by chariot- full of dust and danger- in order to deliver his gift and worship but was most likely turned away. But the deacon Philip welcomed him into the fold. The New Testament invitation is "whosoever will- let them come and drink freely from the river of the water of life."
It should be noted that there was another Ethiopian/Cushite Eunuch in the Bible who served in the palace of the king of Judah in the time of Jeremiah (590 BC). This foreigner saved the prophet with his sense of fairness.
But eunuchs were said to be without hope and descendants. Isaiah 53 indicates that a common perception was that a eunuch was like a "dried up tree." Tomorrow we will look more at the hope given to this man in scripture. The good news is that He was welcomed in and found peace and joy with God.
1) The term "Ethiopian" is a Greek word meaning black. It is not referring to the modern country of Ethiopia- though certainly it is nearby where this man lived.
2) The region this man was from is probably the kingdom of Mores (formerly Cush) which is primarily in South Sudan and parts of Sudan today. We know this because the queen "Kandake" (or Candace in KJV) is the throne name for the queen of that region much like "pharaoh" is the name for the king of Egypt.
3) The man was a God-fearer- a believer who sought to worship. He may have been delivering a gift to the Temple from his queen, but he also sought to worship. Whether he actually got into worship is debatable. Deuteronomy 23:2 and Leviticus 20:21 seem to prohibit eunuchs from going into the Temple- or at least the inner courts. He probably traveled hundreds and hundreds of miles by chariot- full of dust and danger- in order to deliver his gift and worship but was most likely turned away. But the deacon Philip welcomed him into the fold. The New Testament invitation is "whosoever will- let them come and drink freely from the river of the water of life."
It should be noted that there was another Ethiopian/Cushite Eunuch in the Bible who served in the palace of the king of Judah in the time of Jeremiah (590 BC). This foreigner saved the prophet with his sense of fairness.
But eunuchs were said to be without hope and descendants. Isaiah 53 indicates that a common perception was that a eunuch was like a "dried up tree." Tomorrow we will look more at the hope given to this man in scripture. The good news is that He was welcomed in and found peace and joy with God.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for your acceptance of us all- weaknesses, deformities, problems, and failures. Help me to be kind to those who have gone through a tough life.
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