IN THE old city of Jerusalem, long ago, underneath the king’s palace was a storeroom where all sorts of cast off clothes and rubbish were kept. One day one of the king’s Ethiopian servants, Ebed-Melech, might have been seen rummaging among the rubbish picking out some old soft rags.
It so happened that at this time the prophet Jeremiah was confined in a foul dungeon. He had faithfully delivered God’s message to the King and his people, but they refused His word and some of them persecuted His servant. God, however, was watching over Jeremiah, as He always does those who trust Him. Jeremiah had a friend in Ebed-melech and God was going to use him in Jeremiah’s deliverance.
“The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water: He turneth it whithersoever He will"; so we read in Proverbs 21:11The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will. (Proverbs 21:1). The king told Ebed-melech to take thirty men and to get Jeremiah up out of the dungeon, before he died.
Perhaps one might have asked Ebed-melech, “Why all those old rags? All you need is some rope.” But we can imagine the tender look on the dear black man’s face, as he thought: “My old friend has suffered much and is weak. I hope to make it a little less painful for him when we pull him up.”
So he took the rope and the soft rags to the foul-smelling dungeon where Jeremiah was kept. “Put these old rotten rags under thine armholes under the cords,” he called down to Jeremiah. Jeremiah did so, and was drawn up out of the dungeon, into the light of day. From then on he rained in the prison court.
We love this story. How touching it is! God thought it worthy to record Ebed-melech’s kindness in His Book. He takes notice of any little kindness done to His own. You can read this story for yourself in Jeremiah 38. Then in Jeremiah 39:15-1815Now the word of the Lord came unto Jeremiah, while he was shut up in the court of the prison, saying, 16Go 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. 17But 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. 18For 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 39:15‑18) you can read of God’s promise to care for and bless Ebed-melech. “For I will surely deliver thee, ... because thou hast put thy trust in Me, saith the Lord.” v. 18.
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