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Jeremiah 38 Commentary
by Brad Boyles
The brutality against Jeremiah is taken a step further. Led by officials, they inquired with the king for permission to do what they had planned. Zedekiah gave the approval to cast him into a cistern where there was no water. His body sunk deep into the mud.
It reminds me that sometimes things go from bad to worse. We’ve all been in a place where something went wrong and catastrophe continues to pile up. With each situation, we sink deeper into the mud. It feels as though there’s nothing to get our footing secure. Where is the rescue? Where is the chance for this to turn around? Where in the world is God in all this mess?
For Jeremiah, it would come from an unlikely individual. An Ethiopian who observed everything and was concerned for the prophet steps up. Particularly ironic is that he was not a Jew or even someone remotely connected to the ways of God. Seeking permission, he took 30 men and tied old clothing together to secure the rescue. Jeremiah would live in the court of the guardhouse until Jerusalem was captured.
The rescues of God come in so many different ways. Sometimes He will stir the heart of the most unlikely individual to be part of our rescue. It’s hard to fathom why God would allow this to take place to Jeremiah. No one likes to suffer. But God in His faithfulness brought him back to freedom in His timing.
We can speculate as to why this Ethiopian man was so motivated to rescue Jeremiah. We know nothing about him but it seems likely that he knew something about the prophet. Maybe he had watched and listened while observing his faithful word? Maybe he saw how unbelievably committed Jeremiah was to his God? What are others gathering of you in your pit of despair?
Much like this Ethiopian man, Jesus came into the pit with us in order to rescue our souls from sin. He not only rescued us but died in our place, choosing to stay in the pit and face the punishment we deserved while we walked free. How does His sacrifice change your perspective today?