⁸ Ebedmelech went from the king’s house and said to the king, ⁹ “My lord the king, these men have done evil in all that they did to Jeremiah the prophet by casting him into the cistern, and he will die there of hunger, for there is no bread left in the city.” ¹⁰ Then the king commanded Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, “Take thirty men with you from here, and lift Jeremiah the prophet out of the cistern before he dies.” ¹¹ So Ebedmelech took the men with him and went to the house of the king, to a wardrobe in the storehouse, and took from there old rags and worn-out clothes, which he let down to Jeremiah in the cistern by ropes. ¹² Then Ebedmelech the Ethiopian said to Jeremiah, “Put the rags and clothes between your armpits and the ropes.” Jeremiah did so. ¹³ Then they drew Jeremiah up with ropes and lifted him out of the cistern. And Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard.

Jeremiah 38:8-13

They wanted to starve Jeremiah to death.

At the very last however, there was just one who would stand.  Ebedmelech was an Ethiopian; made a eunuch by the will of the king.  The situation in Jerusalem has gotten very difficult.  In an action of revenge and reprisal, certain men intend to kill the prophet Jeremiah.  They take a certain satisfaction in this, and Jeremiah is thrown into a deep cistern and sinks in the mud. 

The king in these last pathetic days is being manipulated.

The surviving leadership of the city wants Jeremiah dead.  Zedekiah gives tacit approval to murder him. Without food, he will soon starve.  In the minds of this evil mob, they have taken care of the last vestiges of a godly ‘righteousness.’ They will not have to listen to a prophetic voice again.

And yet there is one, a believer who stood for truth.

And no man would have guessed it.  Ebedmelech, an Ethiopian eunuch steps forward and decides to change history.  Not only his ethnicity, but his state as a castrated man are definite issues.  This mob never recognized him as someone who would intervene.  He was a non-entity, a non-factor. He was black, and a eunuch, and a nobody.

But Ebedmelech intervenes, in the face of terrible risk to himself.

He steps out boldly to make an intercession.  He doesn’t appear to be intimidated, and makes a cry for the truth. But he becomes an intense and strong advocate for the release of Jeremiah from the deep mud.

Ebedmelech is given the ‘green-light’ by king Zedekiah. Ebedmelech rounds up thirty men to assist him as he delivers the prophet.  Ropes are brought out, and out comes Ebedmelech with a big armload of rags.  They shout down to Jeremiah. The rags are to be used to pad the ropes.

It’s interesting, but you know, it’s the rags that are the most fascinating. 

They are really an extra touch, not a necessity.  The rags become essentially, a form of grace.  They would pad the ropes, providing a degree of comfort as the prophet is pulled up out of the mud.  Ebedmelech showed the heart of God in what he did.  There was his desire to somehow make the prophet comfortable.  In doing so he communicated a kindness and concern that was saturated with God’s own enveloping presence.

Ebedmelech becomes a carrier of God’s grace. 

Jeremiah could have been lifted up by just the ropes.  It would’ve been more difficult, granted.  But the rags sent down by Ebedmelech provided the prophet an extra gentleness.  And I am certain it did not pass by without notice.  Their mention in this Book of Jeremiah is significant, and shows Jeremiah’s deep appreciation of kindness.

We can gather up much from what has been written.  We will sometimes find ourselves in parallel situations.  But our kindness and concern can make the difference.  Admittedly, they are quite insignificant–quite minor. Call it ‘icing on the cake.’ But when you show the kindness of our Father, you will infuse the situation with love, and grace.

So be an  Ebedmelech,—  an outcast perhaps– but in a position of kindness.

“Ebed-melech called down to Jeremiah, “Put these rags under your armpits to protect you from the ropes.”

Jeremiah 38:12, NLT