Friday, June 11 2010
Jeremiah 38
Verse of the Week: V10 “Then the king commanded Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, saying, Take from hence thirty men with thee, and take up Jeremiah the prophet out of the dungeon, before he die.”
1. The Man Of God Is Misunderstood (V1-6)
V4 “Therefore the princes said unto the king, We beseech thee, let this man be put to death: for thus he weakeneth the hands of the men of war that remain in this city, and the hands of all the people, in speaking such words unto them: for this man seeketh not the welfare of this people, but the hurt.”
The people he loved wanted him dead. This was the summary of the ministry of Prophet Jeremiah. He kept warning the people of Judah that God had prophesied to him that the Chaldeans would defeat Judah and in order for them to survive they had to surrender to become the prisoners-of-war. However, the princes or the leaders of Judah misunderstood Jeremiah and charged him for treason and arrested and threw him into a muddy hole, without giving him food and water, so that he would die a slow death of hunger and thirst.
V6 “Then took they Jeremiah, and cast him into the dungeon of Malchiah the son of Hammelech, that was in the court of the prison: and they let down Jeremiah with cords. And in the dungeon there was no water, but mire: so Jeremiah sunk in the mire.”
2. The Man Of God Is Rescued (V7-13)
V10 “Then the king commanded Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, saying, Take from hence thirty men with thee, and take up Jeremiah the prophet out of the dungeon, before he die.”
A stranger he did not know rescued him. It was not his own Jewish people but an Ethiopian, who courageously pleaded with the king and rescued Jeremiah from death.
V13 “So they drew up Jeremiah with cords, and took him up out of the dungeon: and Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison.”
3. The Man Of God Is Courageous (V14-28)
V17 “Then said Jeremiah unto Zedekiah, Thus saith the LORD, the God of hosts, the God of Israel; If thou wilt assuredly go forth unto the king of Babylon’s princes, then thy soul shall live, and this city shall not be burned with fire; and thou shalt live, and thine house:”
Despite almost losing his life, Jeremiah continued courageously warning his people to surrender in order to survive the impending invasion of the Chaldeans or the Babylonians.
Prayer of the Week
Dearest God, please help me to be the man of God, courageous in crises.
