John Calvin Commentary Acts 8:31

"And he said, How can I, except some one shall guide me? And he besought Philip to come up and sit with him." — Acts 8:31 (ASV)

How should I? Most excellent modesty of the eunuch, who not only permits Philip, an ordinary man, to question him, but also willingly confesses his ignorance. And surely, we must never hope that anyone who is puffed up with confidence in his own intellect will ever show himself teachable.

This is why it happens that the reading of the Scriptures profits so few today, because we can scarcely find one among a hundred who willingly submits himself to learn. For while almost everyone is ashamed to be ignorant of what they do not know, everyone would rather proudly nourish his ignorance than seem to be a student of others.

Indeed, a great many people haughtily take it upon themselves to teach others. Nevertheless, let us remember that the eunuch confessed his ignorance, yet despite this, he was one of God’s students when he read the Scripture. This is true reverence for Scripture: when we acknowledge that the wisdom laid up in it surpasses all our understanding; and yet, we do not loathe it, but, reading diligently, we depend upon the revelation of the Spirit and desire to have an interpreter given to us.

He prayed Philip that he would come up. This is another sign of modesty, that he seeks an interpreter and teacher. He might have rejected Philip according to the pride of the wealthy; for it was a kind of subtle rebuke for his ignorance when Philip said, Understandest thou what thou readest? But rich men think that a great injury is done to them if anyone speaks plainly to them.

And therefore, they quickly break out into these speeches: "What is that to you?" or, "What do you have to do with me?" But the eunuch humbly submits himself to Philip so that he might be taught by him. This must be our mindset if we desire to have God as our teacher, whose Spirit rests upon the humble and meek (Isaiah 66:2). And if anyone, distrusting himself, submits himself to be taught, angels would sooner come down from heaven than the Lord will allow us to labor in vain; though (as the eunuch did) we must use all the aids which the Lord offers to us for understanding the Scriptures.

Fanatical men demand inspirations and revelations from heaven, and, in the meantime, they despise the minister of God, by whom they ought to be governed. Others, who trust too much in their own intellect, will not deign to listen to anyone, and they will read no commentaries.

But God does not want us to despise those aids which He offers to us, and He does not allow those who despise them to escape unpunished. And here we must remember that Scripture is not only given to us, but that interpreters and teachers are also added to be aids to us. For this reason, the Lord sent Philip rather than an angel to the eunuch. For what purpose did this indirect action serve—God calling Philip by the voice of an angel, and not sending the angel himself immediately—except that He wanted to accustom us to hear human beings? This is, certainly, no small commendation of external preaching: that the voice of God sounds in the mouths of men for our salvation, while angels keep silent. Concerning this matter, I will speak more on the ninth and tenth chapters.