Jeremiah’s Confinement in a Pit (Jeremiah 38:1–28)
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Story about the sink holes on Shady Bend Drive growing up.
I. The Demand for Jeremiah’s Punishment (38:1–6)
1 Now Shephatiah the son of Mattan, Gedaliah the son of Pashhur, Jucal the son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur the son of Malchiah heard the words that Jeremiah had spoken to all the people, saying, 2 “Thus says the LORD: ‘He who remains in this city shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence; but he who goes over to the Chaldeans shall live; his life shall be as a prize to him, and he shall live.’ 3 Thus says the LORD: ‘This city shall surely be given into the hand of the king of Babylon’s army, which shall take it.’ ”4 Therefore the princes said to the king, “Please, let this man be put to death, for thus he weakens the hands of the men of war who remain in this city, and the hands of all the people, by speaking such words to them. For this man does not seek the welfare of this people, but their harm.”5 Then Zedekiah the king said, “Look, he is in your hand. For the king can do nothing against you.” 6 So they took Jeremiah and cast him into the dungeon of Malchiah the king’s son, which was in the court of the prison, and they let Jeremiah down with ropes. And in the dungeon there was no water, but mire. So Jeremiah sank in the mire.
A. The message of surrender was hard to accept.
The four men wanted Jeremiah put to death because he continued to warn that anyone who remained in Jerusalem would die by sword, famine, or plague. However, any who would surrender to the Babylonians would “escape with his life”. Jeremiah stated unequivocally that “the city will certainly be handed over to the king of Babylon.”
Jeremiah’s message was not conducive to building military morale or self-respect . These court officials wanted to be allied with Egypt rather than with God.
B. When these patriots sought the death of the messenger Jeremiah, they had their reasons.
The basis for argument was supposedly their self-interest, but they were in error precisely on this point. If Jeremiah’s message were true, their self-interest in securing their safety would be met precisely by heeding the divine message.
King Zedekiah showed his weak character in a Pilate-like attempt to relieve himself of any responsibility for Jeremiah’s blood by telling the accusers that Jeremiah was in their hands. They “put” Jeremiah in the cistern, lowering him “by ropes.” The water had already evaporated; only mud remained. Jeremiah sank into it, left by his tormentors to die.No reason is given for putting Jeremiah in the cistern to die rather than killing him outright.
II. Jeremiah’s Rescue from the Cistern (38:7–13)
7 Now Ebed-Melech the Ethiopian, one of the eunuchs, who was in the king’s house, heard that they had put Jeremiah in the dungeon. When the king was sitting at the Gate of Benjamin, 8 Ebed-Melech went out of the king’s house and spoke to the king, saying: 9 “My lord the king, these men have done evil in all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet, whom they have cast into the dungeon, and he is likely to die from hunger in the place where he is. For there is no more bread in the city.” 10 Then the king commanded Ebed-Melech the Ethiopian, saying, “Take from here thirty men with you, and lift Jeremiah the prophet out of the dungeon before he dies.” 11 So Ebed-Melech took the men with him and went into the house of the king under the treasury, and took from there old clothes and old rags, and let them down by ropes into the dungeon to Jeremiah. 12 Then Ebed-Melech the Ethiopian said to Jeremiah, “Please put these old clothes and rags under your armpits, under the ropes.” And Jeremiah did so. 13 So they pulled Jeremiah up with ropes and lifted him out of the dungeon. And Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison.
A. Jeremiah’s rescue came from an unexpected source.
Upon learning that Jeremiah had been placed in a cistern, Ebed-Melech immediately went out of the palace to the king, who at that time was sitting in the Benjamin Gate on the north side of the city. He was there to hear complaints, settle disputes, and administer justice among the people.
Ebed-Melech is introduced with no mention of a prior relation with Jeremiah or why he sympathized with the prophet. He is identified as a Cushite, i.e., a person of color from the upper Nile region. He is also identified as an “official” in the royal palace. It is ironic that none of Jeremiah’s own people cared enough to try to rescue him. That effort was left to a foreigner.
B. Jeremiah’s message, while largely unheeded, was nevertheless heard and accepted by a few, such as Ebed-melech.
Ebed-melech took a large risk in interceding for the prophet before the king. The care and tenderness with which he drew the prophet from the cistern is its own commentary on his embrace of the prophet and his message. Because he trusted God, God brought him to safety.
Jeremiah, the harassed prophet and messenger, found deliverance from unexpected quarters (cf. 26:10–19). God had his agents for punishment, such as the Babylonians. He also had his agents of salvation, such as Ebed-melech. God’s intervention may be direct, as at the Exodus, but more often his work of deliverance comes through other persons. In this instance, it came through highly-placed government officials.
III. Another Secret Interview with Zedekiah (38:14–28)
14 Then Zedekiah the king sent and had Jeremiah the prophet brought to him at the third entrance of the house of the LORD. And the king said to Jeremiah, “I will ask you something. Hide nothing from me.” 15 Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “If I declare it to you, will you not surely put me to death? And if I give you advice, you will not listen to me.” 16 So Zedekiah the king swore secretly to Jeremiah, saying, “As the LORD lives, who made our very souls, I will not put you to death, nor will I give you into the hand of these men who seek your life.” 17 Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “Thus says the LORD, the God of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘If you surely surrender to the king of Babylon’s princes, then your soul shall live; this city shall not be burned with fire, and you and your house shall live. 18 But if you do not surrender to the king of Babylon’s princes, then this city shall be given into the hand of the Chaldeans; they shall burn it with fire, and you shall not escape from their hand.’ ” 19 And Zedekiah the king said to Jeremiah, “I am afraid of the Jews who have defected to the Chaldeans, lest they deliver me into their hand, and they abuse me.” 20 But Jeremiah said, “They shall not deliver you. Please, obey the voice of the LORD which I speak to you. So it shall be well with you, and your soul shall live. 21 But if you refuse to surrender, this is the word that the LORD has shown me: 22 ‘Now behold, all the women who are left in the king of Judah’s house shall be surrendered to the king of Babylon’s princes, and those women shall say:“Your close friends have set upon you And prevailed against you; Your feet have sunk in the mire,And they have turned away again.” 23 ‘So they shall surrender all your wives and children to the Chaldeans. You shall not escape from their hand, but shall be taken by the hand of the king of Babylon. And you shall cause this city to be burned with fire.’ ” 24 Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “Let no one know of these words, and you shall not die. 25 But if the princes hear that I have talked with you, and they come to you and say to you, ‘Declare to us now what you have said to the king, and also what the king said to you; do not hide it from us, and we will not put you to death,’ 26 then you shall say to them, ‘I presented my request before the king, that he would not make me return to Jonathan’s house to die there.’ ” 27 Then all the princes came to Jeremiah and asked him. And he told them according to all these words that the king had commanded. So they stopped speaking with him, for the conversation had not been heard. 28 Now Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison until the day that Jerusalem was taken. And he was there when Jerusalem was taken.
A. The Waffling Option.
The most striking—and tragic—figure in the narrative is King Zedekiah. Though a king, he was weak-willed and indecisive. He gave in to the requests of his officials regarding Jeremiah. Rather than ruling, he was being ruled. The king also lacked the resolve to obey the divine word. Sometimes God judges a sinful nation by sending them weak leaders who are hesitant and wavering and whose leadership (or lack of it) plunges the nation only deeper into trouble.
The ultimatum surrender and live, or refuse and suffer the negative consequences for himself and the city could not have been clearer. Jeremiah’s message moved against any notion of human self-sufficiency. The message called for a humble acceptance of the divine terms, but Zedekiah feared the pro-Egyptian faction in his government. He also feared that surrender to the Babylonians might mean his countrymen would give him a beating.
Failure to heed Jeremiah meant death by war, famine, and disease for his people (38:2, 18, 21–23). Zedekiah’s behavior raises the perplexing question—why do people disobey God when so many good reasons exist for them to obey? Zedekiah was not totally disinclined to go God’s way, but his failure to decide ultimately defined his decision: he remained a committed waffler.
B. A Non-compromising Prophet.
The pressure for Jeremiah to compromise his message in the one-on-one meeting with the king was no doubt intensified by the prospect that a reassuring message would put him in the good graces of the king and likely issue in his freedom. Nevertheless, the prophet gave no other message than the one God had given him from the beginning: “The city will be handed over to the Babylonians”
The king intended to spare Jeremiah’s life and give him a way out should the officials ask him about the interview. Jeremiah’s answer to those inquiring was to repeat the king’s instruction. He was under no obligation to report everything to the officers, and he didn’t have to lie in order to keep the conversation confidential.