First, the account as it happened:

Jeremiah 38:1-13

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 was saying to all the people, “Thus says the LORD: He who stays in this city shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence, but he who goes out to the Chaldeans shall live. He shall have his life as a prize of war, and live. Thus says the LORD: This city shall surely be given into the hand of the army of the king of Babylon and be taken.” Then the officials said to the king, “Let this man be put to death, for he is weakening the hands of the soldiers who are left in this city, and the hands of all the people, by speaking such words to them. For this man is not seeking the welfare of this people, but their harm.” King Zedekiah said, “Behold, he is in your hands, for the king can do nothing against you.” So they took Jeremiah and cast him into the cistern of Malchiah, the king’s son, which was in the court of the guard, letting Jeremiah down by ropes. And there was no water in the cistern, but only mud, and Jeremiah sank in the mud.

When Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, a eunuch who was in the king’s house, heard that they had put Jeremiah into the cistern—the king was sitting in the Benjamin Gate—Ebed-melech went from the king’s house and said to the king, “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.” Then the king commanded Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, “Take thirty men with you from here, and lift Jeremiah the prophet out of the cistern before he dies.” So Ebed-melech 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. Then Ebed-melech the Ethiopian said to Jeremiah, “Put the rags and clothes between your armpits and the ropes.” Jeremiah did so. Then they drew Jeremiah up with ropes and lifted him out of the cistern. And Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard. 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 was saying to all the people, “Thus says the LORD: He who stays in this city shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence, but he who goes out to the Chaldeans shall live. He shall have his life as a prize of war, and live. Thus says the LORD: This city shall surely be given into the hand of the army of the king of Babylon and be taken.” Then the officials said to the king, “Let this man be put to death, for he is weakening the hands of the soldiers who are left in this city, and the hands of all the people, by speaking such words to them. For this man is not seeking the welfare of this people, but their harm.” King Zedekiah said, “Behold, he is in your hands, for the king can do nothing against you.” So they took Jeremiah and cast him into the cistern of Malchiah, the king’s son, which was in the court of the guard, letting Jeremiah down by ropes. And there was no water in the cistern, but only mud, and Jeremiah sank in the mud. When Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, a eunuch who was in the king’s house, heard that they had put Jeremiah into the cistern—the king was sitting in the Benjamin Gate— Ebed-melech went from the king’s house and said to the king, “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.” Then the king commanded Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, “Take thirty men with you from here, and lift Jeremiah the prophet out of the cistern before he dies.” So Ebed-melech 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. Then Ebed-melech the Ethiopian said to Jeremiah, “Put the rags and clothes between your armpits and the ropes.” Jeremiah did so. Then they drew Jeremiah up with ropes and lifted him out of the cistern. And Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard.

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 Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will fulfill my words against this city for harm and not for good, and they shall be accomplished before you on that day. But I will deliver you on that day, declares 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, declares the LORD.’”  (ESV Bible)

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Eight Life Lessons:

• Heroes get over it. Ebed-melech had a rough past, being enslaved and castrated. Life isn’t fair–heroes move on. Ebed-melech’s name is a combination of the word “slave” and “king,” indicating that not only was he likely just one of the king’s slaves, but that he was referred to as just that.
• Heroes are content with being known as a hero to God, and God alone. They do not seek fame from those around them.
• Heroes have to have a grasp of reality on two levels: earth and heaven.
• Heroes take action. Notice where the king was when Ebed-melech chose to approach him: The Gate of Benjamin, a public place where discussions take place.
• Heroes have a passion for justice.
• Heroes never underestimate the value of practicality. Ebed-melech stopped to pick up old rags that would ease Jeremiah’s pain when lifted by ropes around his arms, weak from poor treatment.
• Heroes demonstrate the mercy of Christ. Ebed-melech was a model for social responsibility here.
• Heroes act with a prudent courage.  Isaiah 51:7-13 “…who are you that you are afraid of man…?” It was said of John Knox (1505-1572) at his funeral, “Here lies one who feared God so much that he never feared the face of any man.”

Additional points to ponder:

• The doctrine of Sola Fide, that people are put into a right standing with God only through their faith, not by what they do (Latin for “By Faith Alone”). Ebed-melech put his trust in God, and this is what saved him. His response flowed out of what he already believed. The same goes for other great men of the Bible, such as Abraham (clearly explained in Romans 4:3 and Galatians 3:6, both quoting Genesis 15:6).
• The salvation of this African shows that the Gospel was international in focus from the beginning. The nation of Israel was the means to bringing the news to the rest of the world.
• Ebed-melech’s act is an early demonstration of two things that Jesus Christ later did: Become an advocate for someone else, and rescue the helpless.

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Photo credit: ComfortBetrays.com

In the Old Testament passage about Daniel’s friends getting thrown into a fiery furnace by King Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel chapter 3, check it out in context), I’d like to point out an important detail that we can’t miss, because of how relevant it is to the brand of Christianity that’s popular here in comfortable Southern California. Nebuchadnezzar had set up an image of gold 90 feet tall for all of the officials and leaders to come worship, and he commanded that whoever didn’t worship his image would be immediately tossed into a burning fire. Daniel’s friends from Babylon–Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah (renamed to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego which erased from their original names the references to Israel’s true God)–were accused of refusing to serve the king’s gods and the image he set up. That’s the key–that they refused to serve and worship what they were expected to, though everyone else had gone along. These guys knew that it was not possible to simultaneously serve both their God and the current object of worship in their day and time. Notice that the king didn’t stop them from worshiping their own God. That wasn’t the reason they were looked down upon, that wasn’t the reason they stood out. No harm done to them if they merely paid tribute to what was expected of them by their culture…