How to stand up for the truth (Jer 38:1-13)

A pastor friend was once involved in a gathering with other pastors. One of them spoke up and swore using God’s name. My friend was shocked and confronted the swearer who resisted any correction. My friend felt that this was unacceptable behaviour from a Christian minister even if no one else spoke up about it, so he left the meeting in protest. As standards of conduct even among Christian leaders are deteriorating and the secular world in the West is increasingly suspicious and hostile to Christians, it is becoming harder for believers to stand up for Christian convictions in matters great or small. Yet, being willing to do so may encourage others more timid in confrontations to do the right thing, too.

Malicious officials, weak king

Our reading describes such a confrontation with a courageous servant taking a stand. It is unclear if the officials refer to Jeremiah’s earlier preaching when he was still free (Jer 38:1), or if he was able to speak in the court of the guard still. His confinement is not punishment (like we think of prison), but an interim stage before a verdict. The king is vacillating, but the officials want the death penalty and force the issue. They argue that Jeremiah’s prophecy of a negative outcome for the siege discourage the soldiers from fighting, so his words are effectively treason (Jer 38:3-4). Zedekiah is too weak to resist his officials and bends once again with pressure, allowing his men free rein (Jer 38:5). Cisterns were cavities with a narrow opening on top and widening out below. The one used for Jeremiah’s slow death has no water in it, only slimy mud at the bottom but enough to sink into (Jer 38:6). Without water or food and possibly unable to lie down to sleep, the prophet cannot last long.

A nameless servant

However, there is someone who shows up the weak king and his malicious officials for what they are and confronts the king. The Hebrew Cushite (Jer 38:7) indicates the servant’s origin as south of Egypt, roughly where modern-day Sudan is.[1] He is a black African and a foreigner. His name, Ebed-melech, means ‘servant of the king’ and is probably a descriptor (perhaps he was a personal servant) because his Cushite name was too difficult to say or remember. Whether he was literally a eunuch, or the name simply refers to an official here is uncertain. In any case, when he hears what happened to Jeremiah, he meets the king publicly at the Benjamin Gate, where he is sitting in court – ironically – dispensing justice (v.7).[2] A nameless foreign servant confronts the king, condemns his officials without mincing words, and appeals to the king for Jeremiah’s life (Jer 38:8). What the king did not dare do, this non-Israelite nobody does. Although God’s name is not mentioned, He protects Jeremiah once again as He had promised at the prophet’s commissioning (Jer 1:19).

How to stand up for the truth

How could such a nameless foreigner have the courage to stand up for the truth? Although our passage does not say it, the next chapter tells us that God has given a word for Ebed-melech at the time of Jerusalem’s fall. His intervention in Jeremiah’s case is summed up as ‘you have trusted in Me’ (Jer 39:18). In other words, this man had the courage to confront the powers that be because of his trust in the Lord. This is not a simplistic conviction that all will come out right, but trust in the person of God who spoke His Word of truth, a conviction that His principles matter and are worth standing up for and trust that He is present no matter what the outcome will be. Ebed-melech’s example challenges us to ask what we do in situations where people malign God’s name, when Christian convictions are treated as so much dirt, when decisions are made whether at our work or higher up at government level that are wrong, putting pressure on us to acquiesce in unethical practices. Increasingly, we need courage from God to live in integrity and speak truth despite pressures to keep silent. May we trust Him as we do so.

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[1] Most translations render his nationality as Ethiopian, which is misleading.

[2] Cities were cramped places with a wider square near the gate where kings or judges would sit in court and dispense justice.

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