Ebed-melech, the Ethiopian

GOLDEN TEXT: “As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men.”—Galatians 6:10

JEREMIAH 38:7-13—Ebed-melech is a name little known to students of the Bible, yet the Lord knew and blessed him because of his work of faith and trust. He was an Ethiopian eunuch. Apparently he held a high position of trust in the household of Zedekiah, the last king of Judah. In this respect he reminds us of the Ethiopian eunuch mentioned in Acts 8:27, for he too was a highly placed servant of royalty, and also, like Ebed-melech, reverenced God.

Ebed-melech’s trust in God and the acceptable service which it prompted him to render, is manifested in his plea to King Zedekiah on behalf of the Prophet Jeremiah. Jeremiah persisted in declaring the message which the Lord had given to him, and the “princes” of Israel construed his faithfulness in this respect to mean that he was siding with the enemies of the nation and that his warning to the, people to flee from Jerusalem, and if need be to surrender to the invaders, was destroying the morale of the soldiers who were defending the city, so they demanded of the king that the prophet be put to death.

Zedekiah apparently felt that he had no alternative but to permit these “princes” to carry out their evil designs toward Jeremiah, so he told them to take him and do with him as they would. Even so, they did not kill the prophet outright but lowered him into a dungeon where there was no food, and where, according to the account, he sank into the “mire.” They had no other intention, of course, than that Jeremiah should be left in this place of torture until he died. Probably they thought that death would soon overtake him.

It is at this point that Ebed-melech enters into the picture. He learned of the disposition which the princes had made of Jeremiah and petitioned the king on behalf of the prophet. As the king had more or less unwillingly consented to Jeremiah’s death, he was probably glad for this favorable opportunity to act on his behalf, so he instructed the Ethiopian to secure the services of thirty men to effect his release from the dungeon. Ropes were used for the purpose, and the tender consideration given to making the rescue as painless as possible is revealed in the provision made for cushioning Jeremiah’s armpits to prevent the ropes with which they hoisted him from chafing or bruising his flesh.

After he was released, Jeremiah again appeared before the king and when asked if he had a message from the Lord reiterated what he had already prophesied concerning the doom of the City and the nation. Zedekiah was impressed, but regardless of the degree of his repentance, it was now too late to do much about it. God’s judgments had begun to fall, and nothing could be done to prevent the nation from being taken captive to Babylon. However, knowing that the “princes” would endeavor to make it appear that he was sympathetic toward Jeremiah, he instructed the prophet how to explain his visit in the event they asked him. He was to say that he had appealed to the king not to allow him to be returned to the prison to die.

JEREMIAH 39:15-18—We have the Lord’s own explanation concerning the Ethiopian’s reason for coming to the rescue of Jeremiah. He instructed the prophet to assure the eunuch of special protection when the invaders entered the city, and to explain to him that this was “because thou hast put thy trust in me.” It would seem from this that Ebed-melech had more confidence in the God of Israel than most of the Israelites themselves, and certainly more than the king of Israel. Possibly he had accepted the Jewish faith. In any event, God rewarded his work of faith in interceding for Jeremiah by protecting him during the siege and capture of the city.

We have an incident somewhat similar to this in connection with Rahab and her service on behalf of the spies who visited Jericho. Paul mentions her in the 11th chapter of Hebrews, placing her among the ancient worthies, with the explanation that it was. her faith which induced her to co-operate with the Lord in concealing the spies. In both of these cases it may be seen how highly God values faith, especially a faith that causes an individual to act on behalf of his servants.

The Golden Text assigned to this study can be associated to the thought of the lesson in principle only. It is an admonition to Christians to be faithful in divine service. All who do good to others unselfishly are to that extent practicing godliness, for God bestows certain of his blessings upon the just and the unjust alike. Those who serve others because they believe them to be the servants of God and that by serving them they are serving God, are even more in line with the true principles of righteousness.

This evidently was the position of Ebed-melech. He recognized in Jeremiah a prophet of the true God and his faith prompted him to render a much needed and much valued service—a service that was appreciated both by Jeremiah and God. Christians are to do good unto all men, but their special concern is to be for those who are of the household of faith; and these we are to serve with gladness because they are the people of God—those for whom we are admonished to lay down our lives

QUESTIONS:

Who was Ebed-melech, and what other character mentioned in the Scriptures rendered a similar service to God’s servants?

What prompted Ebed-melech to render service to Jeremiah?

How is the Golden Text related to the lesson?

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