Introduction

Some days feel like pits, don’t they? Not just potholes in the road, but deep, echoing cisterns of disappointment, decisions, and delays. You pray and the sky seems quiet. You plan and the ground gives way. You stand in the middle of a week that you never wanted and wonder, How do I get out of here? If you’ve ever felt stuck in the mud of worry, the mire of guilt, or the weight of what-ifs, take heart. The God who hears from on high also stoops down low. He sees the prophet in the pit, the parent with a trembling heart, the widow with an empty table, the teen with a hidden tear, the worker with a weary soul. He is not indifferent. He is near. And He has a way of sending help—sometimes from the most unexpected places.

A nameless hero to most, Ebed-melech steps onto the page for just a moment, and his simple, steady obedience changes the course of a day, and in God’s hands, the course of a life. He’s not on a throne. He’s not a priest. He’s not a prophet. He’s a servant in the king’s house—an outsider by nationality and by status—who hears a groan no one else will own, and moves toward it. Courage walks into the courtyard. Compassion speaks up in the palace. Providence ties cords to rags, and a man sinks into mud no more.

There’s a sentence from a wise voice that hums like a hymn over this scene and over ours: “The time is always right to do what is right.” — Martin Luther King Jr. Not when it’s easy, not when it’s popular, not when it’s guaranteed to work out the way we wish—but now. Right now. When someone’s in a pit, the clock of compassion is set to the present tense.

So, dear friend, as we open the Scripture today, let’s watch God stitch together courage, compassion, and His quiet care into a rope strong enough to lift a life. We will see how courage steps toward the pit instead of away. We will see how compassion appeals to power and bears the cost. We will witness how providence lifts the fallen through faithful action. And maybe, just maybe, the Spirit will put a rope in your hands—old rags and all—and point you toward a person who needs lifting.

Before we speak of pits and ropes and rags, let’s hear the Word of the Lord.

Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 38:7-13 (KJV)

7 Now when Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, one of the eunuchs which was in the king's house, heard that they had put Jeremiah in the dungeon; the king then sitting in the gate of Benjamin; 8 Ebedmelech went forth out of the king's house, and spake to the king, saying, 9 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 like to die for hunger in the place where he is: for there is no more bread in the city. 10 Then the king commanded Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, saying, Take from hence thirty men with thee, and take up Jeremiah the prophet out of the dungeon, before he die. 11 So Ebedmelech took the men with him, and went into the house of the king under the treasury, and took thence old cast clouts and old rotten rags, and let them down by cords into the dungeon to Jeremiah. 12 And Ebedmelech the Ethiopian said unto Jeremiah, Put now these old cast clouts and rotten rags under thine armholes under the cords. And Jeremiah did so. 13 So they drew up Jeremiah with cords, and took him up out of the dungeon: and Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison.

What a picture: a faithful God working through a willing servant; a prophet with mud on his robes and hope in his heart; cords that don’t cut because kindness wrapped them in rags. Can you see it? Can you sense it? This is not just an ancient rescue; it is a window into how God still works—through people who listen, love, and lift.

Let’s pray.

Father, thank You that no pit is hidden from Your sight and no cry is too faint for Your ear. Where some of us feel stuck, speak hope. Where some of us feel silenced, grant holy courage. Where some of us have grown numb, awaken compassion. Put an Ebed-melech spirit within us—eyes to notice, feet that move, voices that appeal with wisdom, and hands that lift with gentleness. Use our small obedience, our frayed cords, our old rags, to carry Your mercy to those You love. Guard our hearts from fear, guide our words with grace, and give us faith to act while it is still called today. In the name of Jesus, who reaches into every pit and raises the weary, Amen.

Courage steps toward the pit instead of away

Some moments call for steps that feel small and bold at the same time. A need rises. A name is whispered. A path opens. You feel the weight in your chest and you move. You move toward hurt, not away from it. You do not wait for perfect timing. You take the step that is in front of you.

In the passage, a servant hears a report. A faithful man is stuck in a wet hole. Food is gone. Breath is thin. The city is tense. That is the setting. And a choice sits in the heart of one person who hears. Stay quiet. Or move toward the place of pain.

He acts fast. He walks out of his post and goes straight to the king who is seated in the gate. He could have sent a rumor. He could have looked for a safer way. He chooses a direct path. Courage looks like that. It is a walk down a hallway you would rather avoid. It is a step into a public space where eyes watch and tongues wag. It is hearing of a man sinking and letting the report press you into motion. Speed matters here. Hunger will not wait. Mud pulls hard. The moment calls for feet that go. That is what this servant gives. He does not stall. He does not check every angle. He hears, he rises, he takes the hard walk, and the path of help begins.

He speaks with care and with weight. His words to the king are simple and brave. He honors the throne. He does not flatter. He says the deed is wrong. He names the risk. He tells the truth about a prophet in a hole and a city without bread. He does not raise his voice. He does not spin a story. He offers clear facts, a moral call, and a plea that has a clock on it. This is courage with a voice. It does not rage. It does not hide. It names harm in the hearing of those who can act. It accepts the cost that may come when officials are crossed. It trusts that honest words in a tense place can move a hand to do good. Many heard the same news. This man put shape to it with plain speech and a plan that the king could approve at once.

He takes people with him and thinks ahead. The king orders help, and the servant gathers thirty men. He does not go alone to a pit guarded by those who hated the prophet. He honors the order and leads a team. Then he does something quiet and wise. He heads under the treasury and finds worn cloths. Old pieces. Soft to the touch. He will need cords to lift a weak man. He also knows the pull of rope will cut into skin and bone. So he pairs strength with softness. He will lower both. He will guard the body while he saves the life. This is courage with a mind. It is help that plans for pain and makes room for kindness. It uses what is at hand. It wastes nothing. It shows that love thinks. It shows that faith is not loud only. Faith looks for a way that heals and does not harm on the way out.

He stays present for the hard part. He leans over the edge and calls down instructions. He tells the prophet how to place the cloths under the arms. He waits while they are set. He gives the cue to pull. He shares the load with his men. He keeps the pace steady. He does not leave the scene until the man is standing on solid ground and placed in a safer court. This is courage that keeps showing up. It speaks. It gathers help. It prepares tools. Then it holds the rope and pulls. It does not rush past the person in need to a new task. It bears weight. It watches for signs of strain. It uses tender words in a harsh place. It stands there until the lift is complete. And in that steady work, you can see how God likes to move. He sets a rescue in motion through a person who is willing to take steps, use simple means, and stay with the work until a life is raised.

Compassion appeals to power and bears the cost

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