Men and Women of God - Part 4

By: Martin Connolly | Date: 2025-12-09

 

Men and Women of God – Part 4

  E'bed-mel'ech is a name from the Bible that very few will recognise, yet he is a figure to be honoured. His name means ‘servant of the king’ and as we wills see he was not only a servant to king Zedekiah, but he was demonstrably also a servant of a greater King. 

The account of what happened in his life is found in Jeremiah chapters 38 and 39. Jeremiah, as you probably know, was a prophet who told it as it was, to the powers who sat on thrones. His prophecies always proved true and they often spoke of the disasters that were to come on Judah because of their unfaithfulness to God. This did not make him very popular and he was the focus of anger and hatred from members of the ruling class. 

On this occasion, Jeremiah had prophesied to the effect that the king should surrender to the princes of the king of Babylon or else disaster would come upon him and the city. A group got together and came to the king and asked that Jeremiah be killed. They were upset that Jeremiah’s prophecy and understanding of God’s purpose were in conflict. God’s will and theirs were not in agreement!  The king in his cowardice told them they could do what they liked with Jeremiah. The result was they used a rope to drop him in to a well that had only mire at its bottom. It was into this mire Jeremiah sank. With no food or water and sinking into the mire, death would surely come. 

This is where E'bed-mel'ech enters the Bible. He is an Ethiopian (Cushite) eunuch. In Jewish terms these were two things against him. A Gentile was totally outside God’s favour and a eunuch could have no part in the worship of God in the Temple or Synagogue. The Jews would certainly not want to do a eunuch’s job. Here he was in the service of the king. When he heard of what they had done to Jeremiah, he went to the king and told him that what was done to Jeremiah was wrong. He pleaded that Jeremiah should be rescued. The king again did not want trouble, so E'bed-mel'ech was permitted to rescue Jeremiah. He was allowed to take thirty men to help him. (Some times the number is rendered by some as three men, but shelo?sh??ym the Hebrew in the Scripture is thirty). 

It is important to note the rescue of Jeremiah and how it was done/ I will explain why later. 

Jeremiah 38:11-12 “So E’be-mel’ech took the men with him, and went into the house of the king under the treasury, and took thence old cast clouts and old rotten rags, and let them down by cords into the dungeon to Jeremiah. And E’be-mel’ech the Ethiopian said unto Jeremiah, Put now these old cast clouts and rotten rags under thine armholes under the cords. And Jeremiah did so.” (JPS) 

Thus, Jeremiah was saved from death and he went and lived in the court of the guard.

 Lessons from this life

 1.    Firstly, this is a servant in the king’s house, yet when he saw a wrong and indeed, an unrighteous act against God’s servant, he was courageous and went and spoke with the king, at great personal risk. An example for all of us, to speak up for righteousness and against evil, from wherever it comes.

2.   Then we have the great God whom we serve. He did not consider the colour, the origin or the social status of the man. The fact that the Ethiopian was a Gentile, did not bother God as much as it did those who should themselves, have known better.

3.    To be courageous in this situation needed faith. E’be-mel’ech, though a Gentile had faith in God. The Scripture records Jeremiah’s prophecy to him. Jeremiah 39:15 -18 The word of the LORD came to Jeremiah while he was shut up in the court of the guard: "Go, and say to E'bed-mel'ech the Ethiopian, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will fulfil my words against this city for evil and not for good, and they shall be accomplished before you on that day. But I will deliver you on that day, says the LORD, and you shall not be given into the hand of the men of whom you are afraid. For I will surely save you, and you shall not fall by the sword; but you shall have your life as a prize of war, because you have put your trust in me, says the LORD.’” Here again, we can be instructed that without faith it is impossible to please God. (Hebrews 11:6) Therefore, we also can be encouraged to act for righteousness’s sake, and have the faith to take action.

4..   The Ethiopian was man of compassion. He could not stand by and do nothing. He was moved by this compassion to the point of having the courage, as we have seen, to put his compassion into action. He was led by the compassionate God, who has shown great compassion to us. It behoves us then to do onto others what God has done for us.

5.     Now we turn to the rescue itself. Note that when the men cast Jeremiah into the well, they used coarse rope that would have torn into his skin. However, E’be-mel’ech was cut from a different cloth than they. He was aware that to use rope to try and pull Jeremiah out a mire would be difficult. Anyone who has witnessed a person sink into mud or sand will know this. As a young child myself, I was with a younger brother who foolishly walked out into the muddy banks of a waterworks pit. He began to sink into the mud. I ran to get help and watched as the rescuers worked very carefully against the suction that was holding my brother. The Ethiopian was obviously aware of this and did want rope to be put around Jeremiah that would cut into his skin and do him harm. He therefore took the trouble and the precaution to get rags and cloths to ensure the care of Jeremiah. This demonstrates that in the assisting of others who are in trouble, we act with care and consideration for them. That means a sensitivity to their needs – spiritual, physical or mental health.  

This great man E’be-mel’ech, virtually unknown or remembered by many, shines as a beacon of courage, faith, compassion and care. This life should stimulate every follower of the Lord Jesus, who displayed these qualities to perfection, to seek to be like Him.