Sermon – Help For Those Stuck In The Mud

Sermon – Help For Those Stuck in the Mud

Scripture Lesson: Jeremiah 38:1-11 “Now Shephatiah son of Mattan, Gedaliah son of Pashhur, Jehucal son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur son of Malkijah heard what Jeremiah had been telling the people. He had been saying, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Everyone who stays in Jerusalem will die from war, famine, or disease, but those who surrender to the Babylonians will live. Their reward will be life. They will live!’ The Lord also says: ‘The city of Jerusalem will certainly be handed over to the army of the king of Babylon, who will capture it.’” So these officials went to the king and said, “Sir, this man must die! That kind of talk will undermine the morale of the few fighting men we have left, as well as that of all the people. This man is a traitor!” King Zedekiah agreed. “All right,” he said. “Do as you like. I can’t stop you.”

So the officials took Jeremiah from his cell and lowered him by ropes into an empty cistern in the prison yard. It belonged to Malkijah, a member of the royal family. There was no water in the cistern, but there was a thick layer of mud at the bottom, and Jeremiah sank down into it. But Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, an important court official, heard that Jeremiah was in the cistern. At that time the king was holding court at the Benjamin Gate, so Ebed-Melech rushed from the palace to speak with him. “My lord the king,” he said, “these men have done a very evil thing in putting Jeremiah the prophet into the cistern. He will soon die of hunger, for almost all the bread in the city is gone.” So the king told Ebed-Melech, “Take thirty of my men with you, and pull Jeremiah out of the cistern before he dies.” So Ebed-Melech took the men with him and went to a room in the palace beneath the treasury, where he found some old rags and discarded clothing. He carried these to the cistern and lowered them to Jeremiah on a rope.”

Introduction: Have you ever been stuck? The truth is, everybody gets stuck, at some time, some place. Living life is hard! Sometimes God’s message is hard. Often His messengers are misunderstood. Of life, Job 5:7 reads,” Yet man is born to trouble as surely as sparks fly upward.” A man that is born of woman has but a few days, and they are full of trouble. For the child of God, life’s problems seem just as complexed and some trials feel impossible to overcome, some sink into deep despair. Often during such desperation, we feel alone and isolated. We feel as if we have been cast into a deep pit without hope!

At the present moment, Israel’s king, King Zedekiah fail to provide proper leadership. He was indecisive and allowed the government officials to seize power to do anything they wanted. The government officials were out of control, so labeled Jeremiah, a traitor and took their anger on him. When people label you, they often mistreat you. These were God’s chosen people, the seed of Abraham, but they are not acting that way. With the government out of control, stuck in the mud, Jeremiah down in a muddy cistern, stuck up to his arm pit, with no way out and the enemy knocking at the door, God still had a way out! God’s way out does not look like much. God’s man does not look like a hero. His name is Ebed-Melech, an African eunuch.

It is said of Ebed-Melech that he was an Ethiopian which means that he was captured heathen, selected to serve the king. The scripture asks, “Can the Ethiopian change his skin?” Even though an Ethiopian cannot change their skin color, this Ethiopian eunuch had a transformed moral character and was an example of grace and integrity among his kind. Many eunuchs were known to be cruel, hostile and without pity. They had a reputation for cruelty, but Ebed-Melech was different. He was as kind as the rest of his clan was cruel. Someone called him, “The benevolent Eunuch.” Then he is likewise described as a servant of the king. Royal servants were usually godless, because they serve their as if the king was god. But Ebed-Melech was faithful to God and faithful to king Zedekiah. He loved the prophet Jeremiah and risked his own life to save the man of God. Among the lessons to be gleaned from the record of this eunuch who was greater than his fellows are: He was superior to his surroundings. He put more pretentious people to shame. He had the courage of his convictions. He had a kind way of doing kindness. He achieved a great service with poor instruments. Old rags and cords! How God can use weak things for the accomplishment of His plan! His faith in God was the secret of his noble life. He was divinely rewarded by God.