Vv. 7-13 God saves the prophet, who was rejected by his own people and in danger of dying, through a gentile (Cushite) official in the royal palace. Jesus was also misunderstood, rejected, and killed by the religious leaders, disciples, and even family who should have welcomed him the most. But God saved Jesus out of the cistern of death. When we stand and live on God’s side, we cannot avoid persecution. But the Lord will not ignore those who are persecuted for the sake of his name.
What lesson is God teaching me?
Vv. 1-6 The officials try to kill Jeremiah because they feel the prophecy about the destruction of Jerusalem is discouraging the people and the soldiers and bringing them to ruin. Zedekiah does not ask for prayer, rather he accepts the situation with silence. They put the prophet in a cistern that no longer held water but only mud so that he would die a slow and painful death. Am I someone who traps those who are trying to share the word of God because it puts me in a sticky situation? Do I bow to the unrighteous for my survival?
Vv. 7-13 When Ebed-Melech sees the wrong imprisonment and dire situation of Jeremiah, he goes to the king and saves him from death in the cistern. As the redemptive process by a gentile is described in detail, it shows that the way for Judah to survive is to go over to the Babylonian gentiles. Do I need to act as an advocate on someone else’s behalf so they can escape hardship?
Please, help me not to be unstable and afraid in my thoughts.
