A man named Jeremiah was in Jerusalem many years to tell the kings and the people what the Lord told him to say. Perhaps you think that would be easy to do, but if people do not care to obey God, they do not like to hear His words, and are angry at the peon who tells them.
These people had idols and were doing very wickedly, and Jeremiah told them that God said they would he sent from their homes to an enemy’s land, unless they turned from the evil ways. They did not like to hear that, and hated Jeremiah, and one king burned his writings (Jer. 36).
Once a priest of the temple, who did not want to hear God’s words, put Jeremiah in stocks outside the temple. The stocks were a heavy frame made to hold a person in a painful position. often placed where others could see and mock at the person. This was surely a sad way to treat a man because he told God’s words (Jer. 20:22Then Pashur smote Jeremiah the prophet, and put him in the stocks that were in the high gate of Benjamin, which was by the house of the Lord. (Jeremiah 20:2)).
Some said Jeremiah was for the enemy, and asked the king to have him killed. The king told them to do as they wished. They seem to have wanted him to die slowly, so they let him down with ropes into a deep hole, called a dungeon; no doubt it was made with smooth rocks for the sides, so no one could climb out, and there was deep, soft, mud in the bottom. Perhaps you have sometime tried to walk in a very muddy place, and know how hard it is to draw your feet out. Poor Jeremiah sank down in the mire.
We do not know how long he was there, but a kind negro servant of the king knew of the cruel act. He believed God, although the men of Israel did not, and had courage to tell the king that it was wrong to put Jeremiah in such a place.
Then the king consented for him to take him out.
Jeremiah must have been thin and weak, for the kind servant first let down old soft clothes for Jeremiah to put under the ropes under his arms, then carefully drew him up (Jer. 38).
But Jeremiah was kept shut up in prison until the enemy came and captured the city, just as God said would happen. These men were good to Jeremiah, and, took off his chains, and told him he corny go with them to Babylon, or he could stay in the land.
Jeremiah chose to stay with the poor people who were left in the land. But they would not obey God’s words either, and took Jeremiah with them to Egypt. We do not know how long he lived after that, but, the words of God which he wrote we still may read in our Bibles, in the Books of Jeremiah and Lamentations.
Why was the negro servant’s life to be saved when the enemy came against the city of Jerusalem? (Jer. 39:15-1815Now the word of the Lord came unto Jeremiah, while he was shut up in the court of the prison, saying, 16Go 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. 17But I will deliver thee in that day, saith the Lord: and thou shalt not be given into the hand of the men of whom thou art afraid. 18For I will surely deliver thee, 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. (Jeremiah 39:15‑18)).
ML 11/05/1939