Jer 38:10 | KingComments | STEP | Then Ebed-melech appears on the scene ( ) to speak up for Jeremiah. Therefore, we hear of this man, of whom we would never have heard otherwise. We hear of him for the first time here and for the last time in the next chapter. He appears in the hour of Jeremiah’s greatest distress and of the greatest opposition from the people to the man of God. Ebed-melech means “servant of the king”. In him it is revealed that he is a servant of the most high King. He is an Ethiopian, a dark colored man. In the heart of this dark colored stranger compassion and sympathy burns and the conviction of the Divine service of Jeremiah lives. All of this is completely missing from the four accusers who are leaders of God’s people. God finds this servant willing to deliver His prophet. When Ebed-melech hears what has happened to Jeremiah, he leaves his place of work and goes to the king ( ), who is in the Gate of Benjamin to administer justice. Undaunted, but with tact and wisdom, he speaks to the king that what the men have done to Jeremiah is evil ( ). He is careful not to accuse the king, who is after all the main culprit. He points out to Zedekiah that it was not at all necessary to throw Jeremiah into the cistern to make him die, because if he had remained a prisoner in the city, he would have died too. After all, the bread had run out. In his changeable indecisiveness, Zedekiah orders the Ethiopian Ebed-melech to take thirty men and bring up Jeremiah from the cistern ( ). He also urges Ebed-melech to hurry, for Jeremiah must be freed before he dies. The king is well aware that he has delivered Jeremiah to death. Perhaps his conscience still speaks somewhat and he now sees an opportunity to appease it. However, there is no confession of his sin in Jeremiah’s condemnation, not even an apology for his so unjust surrender of him into the hands of his officials. Be that as it may, Ebed-melech goes straight to work ( ). However, he is not tempted by his enthusiasm to go straight to the cistern. He realizes the condition of Jeremiah and what he needs to bring him up out of the cistern of mud in the most painless way possible. Jeremiah will be sucked in. Then ropes under his armpits without soothing clothes will cause tremendous pain. That is why Ebed-melech first goes “to [a place] beneath the storeroom” to bring from there “worn-out clothes and worn-out rags”, and then uses the ropes to let them down into the cistern. We may well compare the work with the worn-out clothes to the cup of water given to persecuted people in the Name of the Lord ( ). The Lord will not forget to reward that on the day when everything comes into the light. Thus He will not forget to reward Ebed-melech for what he did to ease Jeremiah’s pain. It is also remarkable with how much emphasis is spoken of this facet in Jeremiah’s deliverance. It is also remarkable that this old, worthless clothing has to come all the way from under the storeroom. Do we have to go so deep to give someone some relief from pain? How important even what is old can be. How Jeremiah must have looked up, both literally and figuratively, when up there over the edge of the cistern appears the dark head of Ebed-melech. The voice of Ebed-melech must have sounded like music to his ears. It is the voice of a deliverer with a message of deliverance with instructions for that deliverance. Ebed-melech tells Jeremiah to put the worn-out clothes and rags under his armpits and the ropes under them ( ). Jeremiah obediently does what Ebed-melech says. Then Jeremiah is pulled up with the ropes and lifted out of the cistern ( ). Not all thirty of the king’s men will have pulled on the ropes, but some will have helped. It was impossible for Ebed-melech to do it alone. The other soldiers must have provided protection during this liberation operation. After all, the adversaries can just show up. The use of the worn-out clothes and rags holds a practical lesson for those who help others who are in need. It is not only a matter of saying the right things, but they must also be said in the right tone and at the right time. Someone who is in need should be treated with gentleness and not with rudeness. Good intentions alone are not enough; wisdom must also be used.

‏ Jeremiah 38:10

Deliverance of Jeremiah

Then Ebed-melech appears on the scene (Jer 38:7) to speak up for Jeremiah. Therefore, we hear of this man, of whom we would never have heard otherwise. We hear of him for the first time here and for the last time in the next chapter. He appears in the hour of Jeremiah’s greatest distress and of the greatest opposition from the people to the man of God. Ebed-melech means “servant of the king”. In him it is revealed that he is a servant of the most high King.

He is an Ethiopian, a dark colored man. In the heart of this dark colored stranger compassion and sympathy burns and the conviction of the Divine service of Jeremiah lives. All of this is completely missing from the four accusers who are leaders of God’s people. God finds this servant willing to deliver His prophet. When Ebed-melech hears what has happened to Jeremiah, he leaves his place of work and goes to the king (Jer 38:8), who is in the Gate of Benjamin to administer justice.

Undaunted, but with tact and wisdom, he speaks to the king that what the men have done to Jeremiah is evil (Jer 38:9). He is careful not to accuse the king, who is after all the main culprit. He points out to Zedekiah that it was not at all necessary to throw Jeremiah into the cistern to make him die, because if he had remained a prisoner in the city, he would have died too. After all, the bread had run out.

In his changeable indecisiveness, Zedekiah orders the Ethiopian Ebed-melech to take thirty men and bring up Jeremiah from the cistern (Jer 38:10). He also urges Ebed-melech to hurry, for Jeremiah must be freed before he dies. The king is well aware that he has delivered Jeremiah to death. Perhaps his conscience still speaks somewhat and he now sees an opportunity to appease it. However, there is no confession of his sin in Jeremiah’s condemnation, not even an apology for his so unjust surrender of him into the hands of his officials.

Be that as it may, Ebed-melech goes straight to work (Jer 38:11). However, he is not tempted by his enthusiasm to go straight to the cistern. He realizes the condition of Jeremiah and what he needs to bring him up out of the cistern of mud in the most painless way possible. Jeremiah will be sucked in. Then ropes under his armpits without soothing clothes will cause tremendous pain. That is why Ebed-melech first goes “to [a place] beneath the storeroom” to bring from there “worn-out clothes and worn-out rags”, and then uses the ropes to let them down into the cistern.

We may well compare the work with the worn-out clothes to the cup of water given to persecuted people in the Name of the Lord (Mk 9:41). The Lord will not forget to reward that on the day when everything comes into the light. Thus He will not forget to reward Ebed-melech for what he did to ease Jeremiah’s pain. It is also remarkable with how much emphasis is spoken of this facet in Jeremiah’s deliverance. It is also remarkable that this old, worthless clothing has to come all the way from under the storeroom. Do we have to go so deep to give someone some relief from pain? How important even what is old can be.

How Jeremiah must have looked up, both literally and figuratively, when up there over the edge of the cistern appears the dark head of Ebed-melech. The voice of Ebed-melech must have sounded like music to his ears. It is the voice of a deliverer with a message of deliverance with instructions for that deliverance. Ebed-melech tells Jeremiah to put the worn-out clothes and rags under his armpits and the ropes under them (Jer 38:12). Jeremiah obediently does what Ebed-melech says.

Then Jeremiah is pulled up with the ropes and lifted out of the cistern (Jer 38:13). Not all thirty of the king’s men will have pulled on the ropes, but some will have helped. It was impossible for Ebed-melech to do it alone. The other soldiers must have provided protection during this liberation operation. After all, the adversaries can just show up.

The use of the worn-out clothes and rags holds a practical lesson for those who help others who are in need. It is not only a matter of saying the right things, but they must also be said in the right tone and at the right time. Someone who is in need should be treated with gentleness and not with rudeness. Good intentions alone are not enough; wisdom must also be used.