JEREMIAH 39A

Two year siege of Jerusalem ends verse 1- 3

In the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah – in the tenth month
            came Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon and his army against Jerusalem
and they besieged it
In the eleventh year of Zedekiah – in the fourth month – the ninth day of the month
the city was broken up
All the princes of the king of Babylon came in – and sat in the middle gate
EVEN Nergal-sharezer – Samgar-nebo – Sarsechim – Rabsaris
Nergal-sharezer – Rabmag
with all the residue of the princes of the king of Babylon

King Zedekiah and soldiers run from city verse 4

And it came to pass – that when Zedekiah the king of Judah saw them
and all the men of war – THEN they fled
and went forth out of the city by night
by the way of the king’s garden
by the gate betwixt the two walls
and he went out the way of the plain

Babylonian troops capture Zedekiah and soldiers     verse 5- 7

BUT the Chaldeans’ army pursued after them
and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho
and when they had taken him
they brought him up to Nebuchadnezzar
king of Babylon to Riblan in the land of Hamath
                                    where he gave judgment upon him
THEN the king of Babylon slew the sons of Zedekiah in Riblah
before his eyes
ALSO the king of Babylon slew all the nobles of Judah
MOREOVER he put out Zedekiah’s eyes – and bound him with chains
to carry him to Babylon

Jerusalem buried verse 8- 10

And the Chaldeans burned the king’s house
and the houses of the people – with fire
and brake down the walls of Jerusalem
THEN Nebuzar-adan – the captain of the guard carried away captive
into Babylon the remnant of the people that remained in the city
                        and those that fell away – that fell to him
                                    with the rest of the people that remained
BUT Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard left of the poor of the people
which had nothing – in the land of Judah
                        and gave them vineyards and fields at the same time

Jeremiah treated well by Babylonians                         verse 11- 14

NOW Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon gave charge concerning
Jeremiah to Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard – saying
Take him and look well to him – and do him no harm
BUT do unto him even as he shall say unto you
SO Nebuzar-adan – the captain of the guard sent
Nebushasban – Rabsaris – Nergal-sharezer – Rabmag
and all the king of Babylon’s princes
EVEN they sent – and took Jeremiah out of the court of the prison
and committed him unto Gedaliah the son of Ahikam
the son of Shaphan
that he should carry him home
SO he dwelt among the people

LORD gives message regarding Ebed-melech verse 15- 18

Now the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah
while he was shut up in the court of the prison – saying
Go and speak to Ebed- melech the Ethiopian – saying
THUS says the LORD of hosts – the God of Israel
BEHOLD – I will bring MY words upon this city for evil
and not for good and they shall be accomplished
in that day before you
BUT I will deliver you in 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 deliver you and you shall not fall by the sword
BUT your life shall be for a prey unto you
BECAUSE you have put your TRUST in ME
says the LORD

COMMENTARY:

DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers

:4 – So it was, when Zedekiah the king of Judah and all the men of war saw them, that they fled and went out of the city by night, by way of the king’s garden, by the gate between the two walls. And he went out by way of the plain. The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982.
Devotion: There is an old saying that goes, “You can run but you cannot hide!” That was certainly true here in this passage as Zedekiah and all the men of war saw the Babylonians in the Middle gate of Jerusalem! As the city was falling the men tried to escape but God had other plans for Zedekiah. When God has plans for an individual no matter how they may try to run He knows their location and is at work. The Babylonians taking seats indicated that they were victorious and judgment was to be administered. In trying to escape the leaders actually brought greater judgment upon themselves. In humiliation and shame the king was shackled and led in to captivity because he ignored the warnings of God’s prophet (38:17-23). Like Jonah the king found that he was unable to run from God and His will.
Challenge: Perhaps today you are trying to run from the clear direction of the Lord for your life. He is patient and longsuffering but eventually it ends and He calls for obedience. Trust that He knows what is best for your life even though it appears that it is contrary to be designs or interests. It is better to live in peace with God in a dungeon then to live in a penthouse of luxury running from Him. Zedekiah found out the hard way, learn from him and submit to the Lord today! (Dr. Brian Miller – board member)

DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers

: 11 Now Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon gave chargeconcerning Jeremiah to nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard, saying, :12 Take him and look well to him, and do him no harm; but do unto him even as he shall say unto you. (6680 “charge” [tsavah] means command, commandment, give orders, appoint, constitute, instruct, give direction, or decree.)
DEVOTION: Jeremiah was faithful to the LORD throughout his ministry. He had to endure a lot from the people of Jerusalem. He told them the truth but they didn’t want to hear it. He gave them hope if they would repent.
Now the city of Jerusalem was under the control of Nebuchadrezzar. He had put king Zedekiah’s sons to death before his eyes. Then he took out the eyes of king Zedekiah and took him to Babylon.
Zedekiah had a choice to make but he feared the reaction of the people rather than the LORD. His choice was wrong and he paid the consequences of his actions.
Now we see that this foreign king giving honor to Jeremiah. He told his captain of the guard that he was responsible for the care of Jeremiah. He was to treat Jeremiah well. He was to give Jeremiah want ever he wanted. It was an open commitment to honor Jeremiah.
The king of Babylon knew what Jeremiah said regarding the captivity. He knew about the LORD through the ministry of other Hebrews. Daniel was influence later.
God honors HIS servants who are faithful. They will suffer for their faithfulness but never forgotten. Each of God’s faithful servants had to go through a hard time. If we read through Hebrews 11 we see this as fact.
The Christian life is one that includes suffering because this is the way that the LORD chastens for sin or prunes us for more fruit. It is because of HIS love that we suffer.
Christ demonstrated this on the cross and throughout HIS life here on earth. People don’t like the message of commitment. Each of us has to take up our cross and follow HIM. The cross is heavy at times. We are not to be lazy or selfish with our carrying of the cross.
CHALLENGE: Faithfulness as a steward of God while on this earth is necessary to show our genuine commitment to the LORD.)

DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers

: 18 For I will surely deliver you, and you shall not fall by the sword, but your life shall be for a preyunto you: because you have put your trust in ME, says the LORD. (7998 “prey” [shalal] means gain, spoil, booty, become safe from danger of death, escape with life or plunder.) Jerusalem is fallen.
DEVOTION: The king tried to run away in the night. The king was caught. He stood before the king of Babylon and watched his children being killed. The king put out his eyes, so that, his last visual memory was of his children dying.
It is sad because Jeremiah told him it would happen if he did not surrender to the Babylonians. He did not and it happened. Jerusalem was burned.
Jeremiah was taken out of prison and given a place of honor by the king of Babylon.
Jeremiah had a message from the LORD before the city was destroyed. It was a message regarding Ebed-melech, the one who had saved him from the dungeon of mud. Ebed-melech the Ethiopian had asked the king to take Jeremiah out of the cistern. He had received the king’s permission to take Jeremiah out of the cistern. He went and took Jeremiah out of the cistern.
The LORD made a promise to him for his help of Jeremiah. He was the only one who was willing to defend Jeremiah against the princes and the king. The LORD’S promise was that he would not go into captivity. He would have his own life as plunder against the enemy army. He had gained his life because he trusted in the LORD.
We have to stand up against great odds at times to do the LORD’S work but we can rely on the LORD to be with us. The promise to this man can be a promise to us if we trust in the LORD against all odds. Do we trust the LORD to take care of us when it seems like everyone is fighting against us? There have been times in my life when it seemed like all were against me but the LORD has carried me through. Does that mean that there will not be hard times ahead still? NO! But we need to trust the LORD in every circumstance.
CHALLENGE: Servants are rewarded for doing what they think is right even when it might cause them heartache. Here we have a man from a different culture helping a servant of the LORD. He was rewarded by the LORD.)

DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:

BODY

Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)

SOUL

Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)

SPIRIT

Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)

DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:

Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)

Word of the LORD verse 15

God the Father (First person of the Godhead)

LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal) verse 15- 18
LORD of hosts verse 16
God – Elohim (Creator, Sovereign, Plural name) verse 16
God of Israel verse 16
Judgment of God (evil) verse 16

God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)

Nebuchadrezzar – king of Babylon                         verse 1, 3, 5, 6, 11
Nergalsharezer verse 3
Samgarnebo verse 3
Sarsechim verse 3
Rabsaris verse 3, 13
Nergalsharezer verse 3, 13
Rabmag verse 3, 13
Chaldeans verse 5, 8
Nebuzaradan verse 9- 13
Nebushasban verse 13
Ebedmelech the Ethiopian verse 16- 18

Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)

Evil verse 16
Afraid verse 17

Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)

Good verse 16
Deliverance verse 17, 18
Trust verse 18

Israel (Old Testament people of God)

Zedekiah- king of Judah verse 1, 2, 4- 7
Jerusalem verse 1, 8, 16
Nobles of Judah killed verse 6
Jeremiah verse 11, 12, 14, 15
Gedaliah verse 14
Israel verse 16

Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)

QUOTES

39:15–18 Chronologically, these verses belong in the narrative of events before Jerusalem’s fall. They may have been placed at the end of chap. 39 to avoid an interruption in the account of events leading up to the fall of Jerusalem. More likely, they conclude the account to highlight the veracity of God’s word of punishment (i.e., Jerusalem) and salvation for the individual who trusts (e.g., Ebed-Melech). While Jeremiah was still confined in the courtyard of the guard, the Lord’s word came to him to go and deliver a message to Ebed-Melech. The literalness of “go” need not be pressed since Jeremiah was still confined in the courtyard of the guard. He was to inform Ebed-Melech that God was about to fulfill his threats against Jerusalem through “disaster” and not “prosperity.” At that time they would be fulfilled “before your eyes.”
For Ebed-Melech’s courage in confronting the king with the injustice of putting Jeremiah in the cistern, God promised to reward him. He promised that Ebed-Melech would not be handed over “to those you fear.” The ambiguity of “those you fear” has led some scholars to interpret them as the officials of 38:1. Ebed-Melech did have reason to fear them because it was risky for a palace servant to accuse officials of wicked deeds. Jeremiah 39:18 supports the interpretation that those he feared were the Babylonians. Ebed-Melech’s reward was a promise that “I will save you.” The Lord promised that Ebed-Melech would escape with his life (lit. “your life will be to you for plunder”; cf. 38:2; 45:5 for the same expression). Ebed-Melech’s trust in the Lord saved him from the fate of the rest of the city. God did not commend Ebed-Melech for his compassion or courage but only for his trust in God. His life was saved because he risked it to save Jeremiah’s life (cf. “whoever loses his life for me … will save it,” Mark 8:35).
The passage serves as encouragement that the person who trusts the Lord will experience the Lord’s protection. It also serves as a subtle warning against self-centeredness, only doing what will benefit oneself. (Huey, F. B. (1993). Jeremiah, Lamentations (Vol. 16, pp. 345–346). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)

God had other thoughts, however, and would not thus permit His servant’s martyrdom. The suffering and shame were all part of the discipline His love saw to be necessary, and He would not allow him to be spared the humiliation and anguish they entailed; but, like Job, his life was inviolable. In the prophet’s hour of need a friend is raised up of whom otherwise we might never have heard. He is a colored servant in the king’s household, an Ethiopian eunuch, Ebed-melech—perhaps nameless, so far as our narrative is concerned; for Ebed-melech, translated, is simply “servant of the king,” and may not be a proper name at all. In this dark-skinned servant’s heart glowed a pity and a sympathy, as well as a recognition of the divine office of Jeremiah, to which the four accusers were strangers. Like the young man in Acts 23:16 used for Paul’s deliverance, here also God had prepared this His servant for Jeremiah’s deliverance. Hearing that the prophet had been left to perish in the filthy pit of the prison court, this Ethiopian went boldly to entreat the king’s favor, who was “then sitting in the gate of Benjamin”—the professed representative of the law, in the gate to dispense justice, when this inexcusable injustice had been perpetrated with his consent (vers. 7, 8). Earnestly and faithfully the eunuch presents the cause of the man of God: “My lord the king,” he pleads, “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 like to die for hunger in the place where he is: for there is no more bread in the city” (ver. 9).
….
He had already received a message for another man whom God had not forgotten. While still in the prison-court, the word of the Lord had come to him bidding him: “Go and speak to Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, saying, Thus saith the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will bring My words upon this city for evil, and not for good; and they shall be accomplished in that day before thee. But I will deliver thee in that day, saith the Lord … and thou shalt not fall by the sword, but thy life shall be for a prey unto thee; because thou hast put thy trust in Me, saith the Lord” (vers. 15–18). Thus was the service of the faithful Ethiopian rewarded. God will be no man’s debtor. The last clause gives us the secret of Ebed-melech’s devotion: he had put his trust in the Lord. Though a stranger to the commonwealth of Israel, he was a child of God through faith; and faith in his case worked by love.
Various have been the shifting scenes brought to our notice in this section. May grace be given to lay all to heart and find eternal profit from our meditations upon it. (Ironside, H. A. (1906). Notes on the prophecy and Lamentations of Jeremiah (pp. 225–226). Neptune, NJ: Loizeaux Brothers.)

18 For I will surely deliver thee, and thou shalt not fall by the sword, but thy life shall be for a prey unto thee: ^pbecause thou hast put thy trust in me, saith the Lord.
For God would deliver him, so as he should not die by the sword; but how little else soever he saved, he should save his life, because he had put his trust in God, not fearing the wrath of men in the doing of what was his duty. We read no more in holy writ of this man, and so cannot tell how otherwise God dealt with him; only may be assured that he was not slain by the Chaldeans. And from this we may observe, 1. How kind God hath always declared himself to those who have showed the least kindness to those that have been his true and faithful ministers. 2. That the root of such good works as God rewardeth must be faith, a trusting in the Lord. 3. That those who do good works out of a principle of faith may yet be encumbered with slavish fears. (Poole, M. (1853). Annotations upon the Holy Bible (Vol. 2, p. 612). New York: Robert Carter and Brothers.)

Ver. 18. For I will surely deliver thee, &c.] Or, in delivering will deliver thee; this is a repetition and confirmation of what is promised in the preceding verse, and more fully explains it: and thou shalt not fall by the sword: by the sword of the Chaldeans, when the city should be taken, as he feared he should: but thy life shall be for a prey unto thee; shall be safe; be like a prey taken out of the hand of the mighty, and be enjoyed beyond expectation, having been given up for lost; and therefore matter of the greater joy, such as is expressed at the taking of spoils: because thou hast put thy trust in me, saith the Lord. The Targum is, in my word; what he had done in serving the prophet, and other good actions, sprung from a principle of faith and confidence in the Lord; and this the Lord had a respect unto; without which works are not right; and without which it is impossible to please God with them; and which faith may be, and be true, where fears are. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 5, p. 624). London: Mathews and Leigh.)

EBEDMELECH is a singular anticipation of that other Ethiopian eunuch whom Philip met on the desert road to Gaza. It is prophetic that on the eve of the fall of the nation, a heathen man should be entering into union with God. It is a picture in little of the rejection of Israel and the ingathering of the Gentiles. (MacLaren, A. (2009). Expositions of Holy Scripture: Isaiah 49–66, Jeremiah (p. 374). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.)