Ebed-Melech
Besides being a Vikings fan, I have been a fan of football all my life. From that, I have always been intrigued by obscure players that make a huge impact to a situation and then are almost never heard from again. A couple of players come to mind.
Clint Longley. Longley is probably best remembered for his performance in a Thanksgiving Day game in 1974 for the Cowboys against the Washington Redskins. Filling in for an injured Roger Staubach, Longley, then a rookie, threw two touchdown passes including the game winning 50 yarder to Drew Pearson with less an a minute remaining. Longley never did much again after that.
Timmy Smith. He was drafted out of Texas Tech in the fifth round of the 1987 NFL Draft. In his rookie season, Smith set a Super Bowl rushing record, gaining 204 yards and scoring two touchdowns in Super Bowl XXII. His efforts helped lead the Redskins to a 42-10 victory over the Denver Broncos. Smith faded into the woodwork and almost never made an impact again after that.
As I progress with my reading of the Bible, I’m finding these same kinds of characters. People that, in certain situations, make a huge impact on the outcome of things and then you never hear much about them again. One that has recently caught my eye during my reading of Jeremiah is a man named Ebed-Melech. His story takes place during the reign of King Zedekiah.
Jeremiah was prophesying the destruction of Judah by the Babylonians. Government officials went to King Zedekiah and told him this needed to stop and Jeremiah should be put to death. Zedekiah told them to do with him as they pleased so they took Jeremiah and threw him into a cistern.
4 Then the officials said to the king, “This man should be put to death. He is discouraging the soldiers who are left in this city, as well as all the people, by the things he is saying to them. This man is not seeking the good of these people but their ruin.”
5 “He is in your hands,” King Zedekiah answered. “The king can do nothing to oppose you.”
6 So they took Jeremiah and put him into the cistern of Malkijah, the king’s son, which was in the courtyard of the guard. They lowered Jeremiah by ropes into the cistern; it had no water in it, only mud and Jeremiah sank down into the mud.
Jeremiah 38:4-6 NIV
But Ebed-Melech would have none of this.
7 But Ebed-Melech, a Cushite, an official in the royal palace, heard that they had put Jeremiah into the cistern. While the king was sitting in the Benjamin Gate, 8 Ebed-Melech went out of the palace and said to him, 9 “My lord the king, these men have acted wickedly in all they have done to Jeremiah the prophet. They have thrown him into a cistern, where he will starve to death when there is no longer any bread in the city.”
10 Then the king commanded Ebed-Melech the Cushite, “Take thirty men from here with you and lift Jeremiah the prophet out of the cistern before he dies.”
11 So Ebed-Melech took the men with him and went to a room under the treasury in the palace. He took some old rags and worn-out clothes from there and let them down with ropes to Jeremiah in the cistern. 12 Ebed-Melech the Cushite said to Jeremiah, “Put these old rags and worn-out clothes under your arms to pad the ropes.” Jeremiah did so, 13 and they pulled him up with the ropes and lifted him out of the cistern. And Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard.
Jeremiah 38:7-13 NIV
I’ve seen cisterns on old farms around here. They are usually rock or concrete lined. The one Jeremiah was thrown into was just a hole in the ground designed to catch rain water and dew. The bottom of this cistern would have been very muddy. Jeremiah would have drowned if it had rained much. If not, he would have died of starvation and exposure. During this dark moment in Jeremiahs life, god showed his power in providing Ebed-Melech. He was a high ranking African official (Ethiopian) in Zedekiah’s court. He risked his life and career to save Jeremiah from that mud pit and made the most of his position by using it to serve God. He stood up to the crowd and appealed directly to the King who was holding court in a public place. He faced ridicule and persecution for his decision but stood up for justice. Jeremiah later got to tell Ebed-Melech that God would keep him safe during the fall and destruction of Jerusalem.
I recently had the opportunity to stand up for God and I stumbled. It wouldn’t have been so bad except for the fact that I knew the situation might arise that day and I prayed that I would be a good witness for God. I was so ashamed at the end of the day. Luckily I was given the opportunity again and I stepped up the second time. That’s why Ebed-Melech’s story spoke to me and has a couple of messages for all of us. When it’s time to step to the plate for the Lord, it’s better to fear the act than to live with the disappointment that fear prevented you from serving God.
But more importantly, when someone is treated unkindly or unjust, reach out to them with God’s love. You just might be the only one that ever does and you can make a big difference in their life. And if you ever find yourself being treated horribly, be sure to take a moment to thank God when he sends an “Ebed-Melech” to your rescue.
October 19 2009 07:50 pm | Bible Thoughts
Rick Martin on 20 Oct 2009 at 9:18 am #
Thanks ,great message.
Kent on 20 Oct 2009 at 12:32 pm #
For me, my favorite passage and the one I always remember out of all others is about a centurion whose name isn’t even revealed:
Matthew 8:5-13
The Faith of the Centurion
When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed and in terrible suffering.”
Jesus said to him, “I will go and heal him.”
The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those following him, “I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! It will be done just as you believed it would.” And his servant was healed at that very hour.
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Can you believe that? Something a centurion says leaves Jesus ‘astonished’ by his faith. I can almost imagine his jaw dropping and the look on his face. A nameless man has more faith than all in Israel that Jesus met. To me, that is even more comforting. As we may never have our names mentioned in this world as being truly faithful, as long as God and Jesus knows our name and what we have done, that’s all that matters.
kansasvike on 21 Oct 2009 at 6:09 am #
Hello Rick. Good to hear from you again. Looking forward to seeing you again.
kansasvike on 21 Oct 2009 at 6:13 am #
It’s funny you mention that passage Kent. I just finished reading Jonah yesterday and the same thing struck me. Jonah preached to the people of Nineveh and they repented after hearing him and yet the people of Israel had been preached to by several prophets yet they still would not listen. Pretty amazing.
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Mike