Jeremiah 38:5-13-Then Zedekiah the king said, “Look, he is in your hand. For the king can do nothing against you.”
So they took Jeremiah and cast him into the dungeon of Malchiah the king’s son, which was in the court of the prison, and they let Jeremiah down with ropes. And in the dungeon there was no water, but mire. So Jeremiah sank in the mire.
Now Ebed-Melech the Ethiopian, one of the eunuchs, who was in the king’s house, heard that they had put Jeremiah in the dungeon. When the king was sitting at the Gate of Benjamin,
Ebed-Melech went out of the king’s house and spoke to the king, saying:
“My lord the king, these men have done evil in all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet, whom they have cast into the dungeon, and he is likely to die from hunger in the place where he is. For there is no more bread in the city.”
Then the king commanded Ebed-Melech the Ethiopian, saying, “Take from here thirty men with you, and lift Jeremiah the prophet out of the dungeon before he dies.”
So Ebed-Melech took the men with him and went into the house of the king under the treasury, and took from there old clothes and old rags, and let them down by ropes into the dungeon to Jeremiah.
Then Ebed-Melech the Ethiopian said to Jeremiah, “Please put these old clothes and rags under your armpits, under the ropes.” And Jeremiah did so.
So they pulled Jeremiah up with ropes and lifted him out of the dungeon. And Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison.
Verse 5-Zedekiah-The politician was more what he was than a king, he would agree with anybody that was standing in front of him, (Ebed-Melech would use this character flaw, to get Jeremiah released!), he wanted to be like, more than he wanted to be a leader.
Verse 6-They Let Down Jeremiah With Cords-
They lowered him down into the cistern, because he would not lower his standards!!
He would not lower himself to say what they wanted to hear!!
When you stand up for what you believe in, get ready for someone to lower the boom on you!!
Well in our day and time we would call what they are doing being politically correct, in other words if someone found his body, it would look like he fell in cistern and died of lack food and water, he wouldn’t have no broken bones.
In other words, they didn’t kill him, they were trying to what David tried to do to Bathsheba’s husband…Tried to send him to the front lines.
They wouldn’t have his blood on their hands!
Jeremiah Sank In The Mire-Josephus the historian said, “That Jeremiah sunk up to his neck in the mud.’
However deep he was in, whether knee deep, waist deep, or neck deep, he was definitely in a predicament!
To the human eye it would seem like the only ones who knew that Jeremiah has been thrown into a cistern, is the ones, who threw him in it!! But not only does God know about this…(God knows about your situation, nobody else may know about what you are dealing with, but God knows!!)
Do you feel overwhelmed?
Do feel like your losing ground, instead of gaining ground?
Do you feel paralyzed? Paralyzed by fear? Paralyzed circumstances?
Lamentations 3:53-56-They have cut off my life in the dungeon, and have cast a stone upon me. Waters flowed over my head; I said, I am cut off.
I called upon thy name, O Jehovah, out of the lowest dungeon.
Thou heardest my voice; hide not thine ear at my breathing, at my cry.
If you don’t go out of this building knowing anything else, please know this…God Hears Our Cries For Help!
When you stand up for what you believe, you will find out who your foes are and who your friends are!
Just like when you are going thru a trial, you’ll find out who your true friends are!!
God knew about what was happening to Jeremiah and God had a person ready to help!
God has someone ready to help you!!
Maybe the question you need to ask yourself is, “Am I ready to help somebody?”
“Am I making myself available, so God can use me to help somebody?”
Lets Look At The One God Use To Help Jeremiah.
Eunuch-A man who was familiar with suffering and cruelty from the hands of others (He had his manhood taken away), and disappointment (No chance of having children of his on, no chance of him carrying on his family name.)
Read verse 7-11
Verse 12-“Please Put These Old Clothes And Rags Under Your Armpits, Under The Ropes.”
Check out the thoughtfulness of this man, There was no doubt that they could get Jeremiah out of the cistern but he did not want to harm him in doing so, he didn’t want to leave rope burns, or scars that would be a reminder of their intervention!
There are a lot of Christians walking around who have been rescued and they have the scars to prove it, in other words they have been left with scars by the ones who are suppose to be helping them.
The Scars Of Looks-They look down their noses at you!
The Scars Of Words-”Hope you can stick with this time!” “Nice to see you in church, been a long time!” “Hope you can get your life straighten out this time.”
The Scars Of Gossip-The things you heard fellow Christians are saying about you.
There were two people who could have helped Jeremiah
1-Zedekiah, the one who had all the resources at his disposal, he had riches, power, authority, but he chose none of that to help Jeremiah
2-Ebed-Melech-foreigner, eunuch, servant, who had no riches, no power, no authority, yet he had courage, and he had a voice, God can do a lot with only those two things!!
Maybe you don’t have a lot resources, but you have a willingness to help….That’s all God needs from you!!
Ebed-Melech- It means…a servant of the lord
That could be anyone of us!!!
