Jeremiah 38:10
“So the king ordered Ebed-melek the Ethiopian, ’Get three men and pull Jeremiah the prophet out of the cistern before he dies.’”
“So the king told Ebed-melech, ‘Take thirty of my men with you, and pull Jeremiah out of the cistern before he dies.’”
The king caved and the men who accused Jeremiah were given permission to kill him. They threw him into the cistern in the courtyard of the palace guard, though they could have used a quicker means of execution. Perhaps it was a measure of their anger, or they were afraid of Jeremiah’s influence with God whom they had rejected.
God uses the proselyte Ebed-melek to rescue Jeremiah. It took an outsider to recognize the truth of Jeremiah’s preaching. God placed him in the king’s household and he was ready to obey when God called him to act against the political grain.
Lord, give me courage to stand up to the enemy in his many guiles. Make me aware of his presence and able to resist him by your power. Convict me when others seek to wheedle me away from you and your perfect will. Like Ebed-melek, may I be always ready to serve you.