Jeremiah 38:1
The Bible says in Jeremiah 38:1-6, “Then
Shephatiah the son of Mattan, and Gedaliah the son of Pashur, and Jucal the son
of Shelemiah, and Pashur the son of Malchiah, heard the words that Jeremiah had
spoken unto all the people, saying,[2] Thus saith the LORD, He that
remaineth in this city shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the
pestilence: but he that goeth forth to the Chaldeans shall live; for he shall
have his life for a prey, and shall live.[3] Thus saith the LORD, This
city shall surely be given into the hand of the king of Babylon's army, which
shall take it.[4] 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.[5] Then Zedekiah the king said, Behold, he is in your hand:
for the king is not he that can do any thing against you.[6] 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.”
Jeremiah is well-known for this incident when he was let down into the dungeon,
sank into the mire, and was left to die. The men that wanted Jeremiah to die
first asked the king to put him to death, but the king would not do it. The
king told them to do their own dirty work.
But God is in charge of all things,
and God is in charge of every life. The Lord decides who dies and when we die.
The Lord used Ebed-melech
the Ethiopian to rescue Jeremiah. It says in Jeremiah 38:7-13, “Now when Ebed-melech 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] Ebed-melech 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 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.[11] So Ebed-melech 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 Ebed-melech 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.”
The Bible says in Jeremiah 38:14-28, “Then Zedekiah the king sent, and took Jeremiah the
prophet unto him into the third entry that is in the house of the LORD: and the
king said unto Jeremiah, I will ask thee a thing; hide nothing from me.[15]
Then Jeremiah said unto Zedekiah, If I declare it unto thee, wilt thou not
surely put me to death? and if I give thee counsel, wilt thou not hearken unto
me?[16] So Zedekiah the king sware secretly unto Jeremiah, saying, As
the LORD liveth, that made us this soul, I will not put thee to death, neither
will I give thee into the hand of these men that seek thy life.[17] 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:[18] But if thou wilt not go forth to the
king of Babylon's princes, then shall this city be given into the hand of the
Chaldeans, and they shall burn it with fire, and thou shalt not escape out of
their hand.[19] And Zedekiah the king said unto Jeremiah, I am afraid of
the Jews that are fallen to the Chaldeans, lest they deliver me into their
hand, and they mock me.[20] But Jeremiah said, They shall not deliver
thee. Obey, I beseech thee, the voice of the LORD, which I speak unto thee: so
it shall be well unto thee, and thy soul shall live.[21] But if thou
refuse to go forth, this is the word that the LORD hath shewed me:[22]
And, behold, all the women that are left in the king of Judah's house shall be
brought forth to the king of Babylon's princes, and those women shall say, Thy
friends have set thee on, and have prevailed against thee: thy feet are sunk in
the mire, and they are turned away back.[23] So they shall bring out all
thy wives and thy children to the Chaldeans: and thou shalt not escape out of
their hand, but shalt be taken by the hand of the king of Babylon: and thou
shalt cause this city to be burned with fire.[24] Then said Zedekiah
unto Jeremiah, Let no man know of these words, and thou shalt not die.[25]
But if the princes hear that I have talked with thee, and they come unto thee,
and say unto thee, Declare unto us now what thou hast said unto the king, hide
it not from us, and we will not put thee to death; also what the king said unto
thee:[26] Then thou shalt say unto them, I presented my supplication
before the king, that he would not cause me to return to Jonathan's house, to
die there.[27] Then came all the princes unto Jeremiah, and asked him:
and he told them according to all these words that the king had commanded. So
they left off speaking with him; for the matter was not perceived.[28]
So Jeremiah abode in the court of the prison until the day that
It is interesting that Jeremiah said to King
Zedekiah in verse 22, “And, behold, all the women
that are left in the king of Judah's house shall be brought forth to the king
of Babylon's princes, and those women shall say, Thy friends have set thee on,
and have prevailed against thee: thy feet are sunk in the mire, and they
are turned away back.” Where did Jeremiah learn about having one’s feet
sunk in the mire? Of course, Jeremiah experienced it himself when he was
lowered into a dungeon. Jeremiah used his own experience of being stuck in the
mire to be symbolic of a spiritual lesson. Someone who is stuck in the mire
cannot move. They are trapped unless someone helps them out. They cannot get
out themselves. They need help. Anyone who does not follow the will of the Lord
is trapped. And they will not get out of the trap unless someone helps them to
get out: that someone is Jesus Christ. Turn to Jesus and He will lift you up
out of the miry pit. It says in Psalms 40:2, “He
brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my
feet upon a rock, and established my goings.”
The Bible says in Jeremiah 39:1-10, “In the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth
month, came Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon and all his army against Jerusalem,
and they beseiged it.[2] And in the eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the
fourth month, the ninth day of the month, the city was broken up.[3] And
all the princes of the king of Babylon came in, and sat in the middle gate,
even Nergal-sharezer, Samgar-nebo, Sarsechim, Rab-saris, Nergal-sharezer,
Rabmag, with all the residue of the princes of the king of Babylon.[4]
And it came to pass, that when Zedekiah the king of Judah saw them, and all the
men of war, then they fled, and went forth out of the city by night, by the way
of the king's garden, by the gate betwixt the two walls: and he went out the
way of the plain.[5] But the Chaldeans' army pursued after them, and
overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho: and when they had taken him, they
brought him up to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to Riblah in the land of
Hamath, where he gave judgment upon him.[6] Then the king of Babylon
slew the sons of Zedekiah in Riblah before his eyes: also the king of Babylon
slew all the nobles of Judah.[7] Moreover he put out Zedekiah's eyes,
and bound him with chains, to carry him to Babylon.[8] And the Chaldeans
burned the king's house, and the houses of the people, with fire, and brake
down the walls of Jerusalem.[9] Then Nebuzar-adan the captain of the
guard carried away captive into Babylon the remnant of the people that remained
in the city, and those that fell away, that fell to him, with the rest of the
people that remained.[10] But Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard left
of the poor of the people, which had nothing, in the land of Judah, and gave
them vineyards and fields at the same time.” When we look at some of
these severe consequences that the Jewish people suffered, we learn several
things. We learn how harsh people were in the times of the Old Testament. To
kill someone’s children in front of their eyes, and then to put their eyes out
so that would be the last things that they would see is cruelty beyond measure.
We also have a great deal of cruelty in our own society. Just look at the news
stories every day: the murders, and the acts of terrorism, and the slaughter of
innocents. What it means is that human nature has not changed after all. It is
just like the Bible says in Romans 3:23, “For all
have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” It also says in Genesis
6:5, “And God saw that the wickedness of man was
great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was
only evil continually.” It is wonderful to live in the age of grace, instead
of living under the law. It is also wonderful that Jesus has provided a means
of salvation for us so that through Him we are free from the guilt of our sins.
The Bible says in Jeremiah 39:11-14, “Now Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon gave charge concerning
Jeremiah to Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard, saying,[12] Take him,
and look well to him, and do him no harm; but do unto him even as he shall say
unto thee.[13] So Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard sent, and
Nebushasban, Rab-saris, and Nergal-sharezer, abmag, and all the king of
Babylon's princes;[14] Even they sent, and took Jeremiah out of the
court of the prison, and committed him unto Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son
of Shaphan, that he should carry him home: so he dwelt among the people.”
It is always best to trust in the Lord and to serve the Lord. One of the
reasons that people do not serve the Lord is because they are afraid of
persecutions and other hardships that can come from serving Christ. But in
reality there are far more benefits for serving God than not doing so.
Especially at the last, the believers always come out on top, and there are no
exceptions to that. That is why Jesus said in Matthew 5:5, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”
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Copyright; 2013 by Charles
F. (Rick) Creech
All Rights Reserved