Jeremiah 39:15

The Bible says in Jeremiah 39:15-18, “Now the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah, while he was shut up in the court of the prison, saying,[16] Go and speak to Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will bring my words upon this city for evil, and not for good; and they shall be accomplished in that day before thee.[17] But I will deliver thee in that day, saith the LORD: and thou shalt not be given into the hand of the men of whom thou art afraid.[18] For I will surely deliver thee, and thou shalt not fall by the sword, but thy life shall be for a prey unto thee: because thou hast put thy trust in me, saith the LORD.” In this passage of scripture a special message is given to the man named Ebed-melech the Ethiopian. We remember that Ebed-melech is the black man who saved Jeremiah out of the dungeon and out of the miry pit. Was there no Jew in Israel who would have helped Jeremiah? Perhaps there was not. But God has His servants throughout the world, and throughout the peoples of the world. Ebed-melech obviously was not a Jew by birth, but he was a true believer in his heart, and the heart is what really counts, not the national or racial identity. The reason that God saved Ebed-melech is very clear. God said in verse 18 “because thou hast put thy trust in me.” In the age of grace in which we live, people get saved in the same way that Ebed-melech was saved: by trusting in the Lord Jesus. That is why it says in Romans 10:13, “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

The Bible says in Jeremiah 40:1-5, “The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, after that Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard had let him go from Ramah, when he had taken him being bound in chains among all that were carried away captive of Jerusalem and Judah, which were carried away captive unto Babylon.[2] And the captain of the guard took Jeremiah, and said unto him, The LORD thy God hath pronounced this evil upon this place.[3] Now the LORD hath brought it, and done according as he hath said: because ye have sinned against the LORD, and have not obeyed his voice, therefore this thing is come upon you.[4] And now, behold, I loose thee this day from the chains which were upon thine hand. If it seem good unto thee to come with me into Babylon, come; and I will look well unto thee: but if it seem ill unto thee to come with me into Babylon, forbear: behold, all the land is before thee: whither it seemeth good and convenient for thee to go, thither go.[5] Now while he was not yet gone back, he said, Go back also to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon hath made governor over the cities of Judah, and dwell with him among the people: or go wheresoever it seemeth convenient unto thee to go. So the captain of the guard gave him victuals and a reward, and let him go.” One of the truths that these verses remind us about is how much the Lord takes care of His children. Nebuzaradan was the captain of the guard for the Babylonians. Evidently all of the Babylonians had heard the message of Jeremiah, and they like his message because it favored them, at least in the short run. But all of that had to do with the providence of God. The lesson is this: stay true to God’s message and let the chips fall where they will. Some people will hate you message, but others will respect you for the truth that you speak. But no matter how people respond to your message, the Lord will use all things to take care of you and to accomplish His will for your life.

The Bible says in Jeremiah 40:6-12, “Then went Jeremiah unto Gedaliah the son of Ahikam to Mizpah; and dwelt with him among the people that were left in the land.[7] Now when all the captains of the forces which were in the fields, even they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah the son of Ahikam governor in the land, and had committed unto him men, and women, and children, and of the poor of the land, of them that were not carried away captive to Babylon;[8] Then they came to Gedaliah to Mizpah, even Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan and Jonathan the sons of Kareah, and Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth, and the sons of Ephai the Netophathite, and Jezaniah the son of a Maachathite, they and their men.[9] And Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan sware unto them and to their men, saying, Fear not to serve the Chaldeans: dwell in the land, and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you.[10] As for me, behold, I will dwell at Mizpah to serve the Chaldeans, which will come unto us: but ye, gather ye wine, and summer fruits, and oil, and put them in your vessels, and dwell in your cities that ye have taken.[11] Likewise when all the Jews that were in Moab, and among the Ammonites, and in Edom, and that were in all the countries, heard that the king of Babylon had left a remnant of Judah, and that he had set over them Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan;[12] Even all the Jews returned out of all places whither they were driven, and came to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah, unto Mizpah, and gathered wine and summer fruits very much.” Things had happened exactly the way that God said they should happen with Babylon taking control of Israel and Jerusalem. Things were beginning to settle down in the land, and everything would have continued in that vein if only the people would accept what God had established. But unfortunately human beings do not usually accept God’s will. A wise person finds out what is God’s will, and then goes with Him. But the human will is so strong. People will go to hell because they would not surrender to God’s will. And other people will waste great opportunities because they would not surrender to God’s will. No wonder it says about Jesus in Luke 22:41-44, “And he was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast, and kneeled down, and prayed,[42] Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.[43] And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.[44] And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.” If it was so difficult for Jesus to surrender to the will of the Father, it is going to be even more difficult for us. It is going to be painful. But it will work out so much better if we will trust Him no matter what.

The pain will only get worse, if we do not find the love to be able to surrender to the will of the Lord. Some people just could not accept what God had brought to pass in Israel, and so we see what happened as a result of that. It says in Jeremiah 40:13-16, “Moreover Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces that were in the fields, came to Gedaliah to Mizpah,[14] And said unto him, Dost thou certainly know that Baalis the king of the Ammonites hath sent Ishmael the son of Nethaniah to slay thee? But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam believed them not.[15] Then Johanan the son of Kareah spake to Gedaliah in Mizpah secretly, saying, Let me go, I pray thee, and I will slay Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and no man shall know it: wherefore should he slay thee, that all the Jews which are gathered unto thee should be scattered, and the remnant in Judah perish?[16] But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam said unto Johanan the son of Kareah, Thou shalt not do this thing: for thou speakest falsely of Ishmael.” Gedaliah made several mistakes. He did not know as much as he thought he did. He needed to take someone else’s advice. You have heard the old saying, “Two heads are better than one.” That is supposed to be one of the big benefits of marriage. Instead of relying on only your own opinions, when you are married, husband and wife can share their opinions and come up with a better answer than just one of them would have come up with. Perhaps another mistake that Gedaliah made was that he did not have the right view of human nature. Human beings are sinners, and some of the sinners are going to do the worst of al actions. Beware and be careful. Do not be foolishly optimistic. Be realistic and realize that things can go wrong because of the evil that can enter into someone’s heart.

What happened to Gedaliah because he did not listen to good advice is found in Jeremiah 41:1-10, “Now it came to pass in the seventh month, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah the son of Elishama, of the seed royal, and the princes of the king, even ten men with him, came unto Gedaliah the son of Ahikam to Mizpah; and there they did eat bread together in Mizpah.[2] Then arose Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and the ten men that were with him, and smote Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan with the sword, and slew him, whom the king of Babylon had made governor over the land.[3] Ishmael also slew all the Jews that were with him, even with Gedaliah, at Mizpah, and the Chaldeans that were found there, and the men of war.[4] And it came to pass the second day after he had slain Gedaliah, and no man knew it,[5] That there came certain from Shechem, from Shiloh, and from Samaria, even fourscore men, having their beards shaven, and their clothes rent, and having cut themselves, with offerings and incense in their hand, to bring them to the house of the LORD.[6] And Ishmael the son of Nethaniah went forth from Mizpah to meet them, weeping all along as he went: and it came to pass, as he met them, he said unto them, Come to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam.[7] And it was so, when they came into the midst of the city, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah slew them, and cast them into the midst of the pit, he, and the men that were with him.[8] But ten men were found among them that said unto Ishmael, Slay us not: for we have treasures in the field, of wheat, and of barley, and of oil, and of honey. So he forbare, and slew them not among their brethren.[9] Now the pit wherein Ishmael had cast all the dead bodies of the men, whom he had slain because of Gedaliah, was it which Asa the king had made for fear of Baasha king of Israel: and Ishmael the son of Nethaniah filled it with them that were slain.[10] Then Ishmael carried away captive all the residue of the people that were in Mizpah, even the king's daughters, and all the people that remained in Mizpah, whom Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard had committed to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam: and Ishmael the son of Nethaniah carried them away captive, and departed to go over to the Ammonites.” Ishmael added sin upon sin. He went from murder to mass murder and to kidnapping. All of this happened because Ishmael was not wise enough to understand the importance of knowing how to determine God’s will, and the importance of being surrendered to God’s will. It was God’s will that Babylon conquer Israel. God also had promised that the Jewish people would return to the Promised Land, but that was still seventy years away. Also, Ishmael did not live by the principle of submission to authority. Authorities are set up by God, and Christians should always show respect and honor to whoever is in authority at all levels. Remember that this life is temporary and so are all the kingdoms of this world. Believers will be with King Jesus forever. That is why Jesus said in Mark 12:17, “Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.” One of the great passages that reminds Christians to be submitted to governmental authorities is Romans 13:1-7 that says, “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.[2] Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.[3] For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:[4] For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.[5] Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake.[6] For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God's ministers, attending continually upon this very thing.[7] Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.” Also, we are told in First Timothy 2:1-4, “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;[2] For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.[3] For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;[4] Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.”

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