20151004 Sunday, October 4 2015
Jeremiah 39: The LORD's Rescue Of The Ethiopian

by Wayne Blank
See also 1 Year Holy Bible Reading Plan

"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"

Ancient Ethiopia was located south of Egypt, extending through the junctions of the Nile River, including, and beyond, what is today Sudan (the map at Ethiopia). "Ethiopia" is the English-language pronunciation of the Greek word that was used for the Hebrew word Cush, with both used interchangeably through The Bible. Ethiopia was populated primarily by Ham's son Cush (see The First Nations Of The New World).

Ethiopians were involved throughout Bible history. Moses married an Ethiopian, which did not meet with the approval of his siblings Aaron and Miriam (12:1 And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman" Numbers 12:1; see The Jealousy Of Miriam and Aaron), while it did with the LORD (see The Identity Of The LORD God and The LORD God Our Saviour).

In the New Testament era, Ethiopians were among the earliest converts to Christianity. Philip was directed by the LORD to the famous meeting and baptism of the Ethiopian (see the Fact Finder question below).

In the time of Jeremiah, as the Kingdom of Judah was completing its self destruction (see The Sinking Of His Majesty's Vessel, Judah), Ebedmelech the Ethiopian saved the life of Jeremiah (see Jeremiah In The Dungeon).

"38:7 Now when Ebedmelech 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; 38:8 Ebedmelech went forth out of the king's house, and spake to the king, saying,

38:9 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.

38:10 Then the king commanded Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, saying, Take from hence thirty men with thee, and take up Jeremiah the prophet out of the dungeon, before he die.

38:11 So Ebedmelech 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.

38:12 And Ebedmelech the Ethiopian said unto Jeremiah, Put now these old cast clouts and rotten rags under thine armholes under the cords.

And Jeremiah did so.

38:13 So they drew up Jeremiah with cords, and took him up out of the dungeon: and Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison." (Jeremiah 38:7-13 KJV)

Ebedmelech's rescue of Jeremiah was not forgotten. As the city fell to the slaughter, the LORD rescued the man who had rescued Jeremiah: "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. 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."

"39:1 In the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month, came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army against Jerusalem, and they besieged it.

39:2 And in the eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, the ninth day of the month, the city was broken up. 39:3 And all the princes of the king of Babylon came in, and sat in the middle gate, even Nergalsharezer, Samgarnebo, Sarsechim, Rabsaris, Nergalsharezer, Rabmag, with all the residue of the princes of the king of Babylon.

39:4 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.

39:5 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.

39:6 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. 39:7 Moreover he put out Zedekiah's eyes, and bound him with chains, to carry him to Babylon.

39:8 And the Chaldeans burned the king's house, and the houses of the people, with fire, and brake down the walls of Jerusalem.

39:9 Then Nebuzaradan 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. 39:10 But Nebuzaradan 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.

39:11 Now Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon gave charge concerning Jeremiah to Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, saying,

39:12 Take him, and look well to him, and do him no harm; but do unto him even as he shall say unto thee.

39:13 So Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard sent, and Nebushasban, Rabsaris, and Nergalsharezer, Rabmag, and all the king of Babylon's princes; 39:14 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.

39:15 Now the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah, while he was shut up in the court of the prison, saying,

39:16 Go and speak to Ebedmelech 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. 39:17 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. 39:18 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." (Jeremiah 39:1-18 KJV)

Fact Finder: What happened when the LORD directed Philip to meet with the man from Ethiopia?
See The Crossing Of Philip And Saul