Ebed-Melech, Man of Faith

Ebed-Melech the Ethiopian may not be a household name, but he stands along with Abraham, Moses, David and Jeremiah as people of faith in God He called by name.  Ebed-Melech was a eunuch who was in king Zedekiah's house in Jerusalem.  We are introduced to him in Jeremiah 38 when he went to the king out of concern for the prophet Jeremiah who had been thrown into a dungeon.  After he appraised the king of the inhumane and woeful conditions Jeremiah faced, the king commanded Ebed-Melech to take 30 men to haul Jeremiah out of the pit to be kept in the court of the prison.

It was not long thereafter Nebuchadnezzar came against Jerusalem and besieged it.  With no hope of overcoming his adversary, king Zedekiah attempted to flee by night and was captured.  The king of Babylon killed the sons of Zedekiah, put out his eyes, burned the king's house and broke down the walls of Jerusalem.  Jeremiah 39:15-18 reads, "Meanwhile the word of the LORD had come to Jeremiah while he was shut up in the court of the prison, saying, ¹⁶ "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 adversity and not for good, and they shall be performed in that day before you. ¹⁷ 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. ¹⁸ For I will surely deliver you, and you shall not fall by the sword; but your life shall be as a prize to you, because you have put your trust in Me," says the LORD.'"

The words God said concerning the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians came to pass, and the promise God gave to the Gentile eunuch Ebed-Melech would come to pass as well.  God did not just have a word for the King of Judah but for this man who trusted in Him.  Though the city would fall, Ebed-Melech would be delivered and would not be given into the hand of those of whom he was afraid.  He would not fall by the sword and his life would be spared because he trusted in God.  And these words spoken by the prophet Jeremiah would have been most comforting to a person who did indeed trust God.  God had outlined the means of deliverance to the king previously, yet he refused to heed them.  He was unwilling to meet the demands of faith, which is obedience to God.

It is important to see God delivered Ebed-Melech, not because he delivered the prophet Jeremiah from the dungeon, but due to his trust in God.  He did not put his trust in the savvy of Zedekiah or the promises of Nebuchadnezzar.  God looked upon Ebed-Melech with lovingkindness and was prompted to speak to assuage his fears and build his faith in the LORD Most High.  God does the same for all people who put their trust in Him today:  will you receive God's words as spoken to you?  In a world full of adversity and we need not be troubled when we believe in Jesus because He says so.  Even when we have failed to walk in faith like Peter, we can have confidence in God's goodness and faithfulness.

Ebed-Melech was afraid of sword-wielding men yet God delivered him; Peter denied knowing Jesus but God would restore Him.  John 13:38-14:1 records the words of Jesus to Peter, "Jesus answered him, "Will you lay down your life for My sake? Most assuredly, I say to you, the rooster shall not crow till you have denied Me three times. ¹ Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me."  Our faith in God does not make us without flaws, and those who believe in Jesus ought to receive His words to walk accordingly.  Praise the LORD He is God over Jew and Gentile, free and slave, apostle or eunuch, and He speaks to us words that comfort and guide us to trust Him more.

Responsible for Reckoning

It may be from a movie, old TV show or personal experience but I recall a time on the playground when a classmate took offence at what was said.  "Take it back!" he shouted, doubling up his fists to show he was going to take action against the offender.  If he took back the unfounded, snide comments made about a family member all would be forgiven, but if he refused to back down from the offending statements there would be hell to pay.  Even if the offended person lost the fight, at least he demanded a reckoning for the rude and inflammatory words.

While physical violence is in no way a godly response to offensive statements, there is a simple principle demonstrated we in recent times can neglect.  When a lie is told publicly, it ought to be refuted publicly face-to-face--not out of personal offence but of love of the truth and others who can be misled by it.  In a conversation I shared with a friend recently he spoke of the desire I share to see those who make false claims to face a reckoning so they would stand corrected, take back the things said and be more careful in the future.  We have all said things we have regretted immediately but were too proud to confess our error, and other times it was not until someone reacted that we took the time to examine ourselves in truth, were convicted and repented.

Ultimately God will bring a reckoning upon everything we have said, typed, emailed, texted or even thought in our hearts as Jesus said in Matthew 12:35-37:  "A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. ³⁶ But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. ³⁷ For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."  It can be an act of love for God and for others to call attention to things people have said so they might recognise the error of their words and ways.  Out of the fear of offending others or because we realise we are not without flaws ourselves we can be slack in this area, and I include myself.  But we see examples of this in the scripture we ought to take to heart and put in practice as led by the Holy Spirit, for sometimes the responsibility for a reckoning lies with us.

God asked pointed questions at times to His faithful followers like when He asked the prophet, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"  He asked Jonah, "Is it right for you to be angry?"  Jeremiah 37:18-19 provides another example:  "Moreover Jeremiah said to King Zedekiah, "What offense have I committed against you, against your servants, or against this people, that you have put me in prison? ¹⁹ Where now are your prophets who prophesied to you, saying, 'The king of Babylon will not come against you or against this land'?"  After Gaal had boasted in his strength Judges 9:38 says, "Then Zebul said to him, "Where indeed is your mouth now, with which you said, 'Who is Abimelech, that we should serve him?' Are not these the people whom you despised? Go out, if you will, and fight with them now."  If God holds people to account for what they say, it is fitting we as children of God would do the same in the fear of God.

What the kid ready retaliate and throw hands on the playground has all wrong is the desire to inflict pain and punish the offender for hurtful comments.  Our modern-day fault can be the opposite, to ignore such comments out of fear as if the words were never said yet stow them away secretly in our hearts.  Like a viper held in our bosom a root of bitterness can grow and poison our attitudes and perspectives of others and foster division and discord.  Should so-called watchmen make predictions that do not come true it is fitting we would question them and not excuse them without a reckoning.  There is no need to enter a debate or argue with one who will not heed God's word or sound reason, but humbly speaking the truth in love ought to mark our conduct with all.  Should our words lead to us being reviled as Jesus was, let us not threaten or revile in response, knowing He is the One who will bring the ultimate reckoning--not only of what was said but how we responded to it.

Longsuffering of Our LORD

Tonight as a family we read through 2 Peter 3 that speaks of coming judgment which will result in the elements of the universe being on fire and dissolving in fervent heat.  It will be part of the God-ordained process of ushering in the new heavens and earth where righteousness dwells.  2 Peter 3:14-15 reads, "Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; ¹⁵ and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation--as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you..."  It is evident faith in God is to completely shape our view of the future as something to be looked forward to rather than dreading.

Nowhere in scripture are believers urged to dread what the future holds when our good God holds us close continually.  When I was a kid people would employ descriptions of a future state to put people in fear of punishment or being "left behind" to prompt them to respond to the Gospel message.  While it may not have been the best way to share the Gospel, it isn't fear of what's coming that should cause us to turn to God.  Peter urged those beloved by God to look forward "to these things" and be diligent to be found by Jesus in peace, being blameless.  Though we desire for the rapture of the church and Jesus to come quickly according to His promise (and we mean soon rather than being an unexpected surprise), consider that every day God demonstrates longsuffering is salvation:  an opportunity for people to be saved from the wrath to come and to be saved for the kingdom of God.

Paul said in 2 Timothy 3:13, "But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived."  The world is corrupted with sin and will grow worse, and there will be deceivers in the church who are deceived themselves.  This ought not cloud our view of Christ, nor should this put us in fear.  God has given us the truth of His word; God is with us and in us by the power of the Holy Spirit.  Jesus Christ intercedes for us and bids us to approach Him to find mercy and grace in time of need.  Every day God allows us to remain on the earth is an opportunity to serve and glorify Him, to bring others to the knowledge of Christ and His love.  God is willing to continue to be longsuffering towards this world that is begging for judgment for sin so people have more opportunity to turn to Him.  There are Christians who, if God were to take them today, would not receive a full reward.  God desires them to turn to Him so they can receive all He has in store for them.

Beloved believer and follower of Jesus Christ, we have a future worth looking forward to because of our glorious Saviour who is good.  Let us heed God's word to be diligent to be found by Him in peace with Him and one another, to be without spot and blameless, and consider the longsuffering of our LORD is salvation.  We are being saved, and one day God we will receive our salvation in full according to His good promise.

Stand Fast in Grace

I enjoy illustrations from real life, and these can be found in the scriptures, our own experiences and those of others.  Recently I read an illustration that reminded me of a past experience and caused me to consider the jarring effect grace can have on our lives--in the best way.  I smiled as I came across this story in Not A Fan by Kyle Idleman:

"During my senior year at the Christian high school I attended, Mr. Hollingsworth was my chemistry teacher.  He did something a little unusual for our last final of the year.  He had been reading an article by Charles Stanley on the grace of God and wanted to show us what grace looked like.  He handed out a test to all of us that we knew would be difficult.  We had been preparing for this test for several months.  Before we began to take the test, he told us, "I want you to read through the entire test before you begin to take it."  As we read through the test most of us realized we were in trouble.  We should have studied more.  But then I got to the end of the multiple-page test and read these words at the bottom:  "You can try and get an A by taking this test or you can just put your name on it and automatically receive an A."  This was not a difficult choice.  I immediately signed my name, walked up to the desk, and headed out, thanking Charles Stanley for saving my chemistry grade.  But there was a girl in our class who was the daughter of the biology teacher.  She was quite intelligent and had studied hard.  Apparently she got quite upset because she had spent so much time studying, and it wasn't fair that everyone else was getting an "A" for nothing.  She stayed and took the test on principle.  If she was going to get an "A" she was going to earn it.  And a fan says, "I'm not taking any handouts--I can do this on my own."  They spend their lives carrying around the heavy burden of religion and making sure others carry that weight as well." (Idleman, Kyle. Not a Fan: Becoming a Completely Committed Follower of Jesus. Zondervan, 2016. pages 80-81)

I had a similar experience with a final exam in university.  I had been doing well in the course, and crammed for hours to ace the final test and secure top marks.  While there were tests I did not look forward to because they were unexpected or challenging I approached with trepidation, I was ready for this one:  bring it on!  As the class commenced my professor started writing a list of names on the board and mine was included among them.  He said, "If your name is on the board, you are free to go.  You have top marks and there is no need to sit the exam."  A bit surprised by this unexpected turn of events, I experienced conflicting feelings.  Like the girl who wanted to take the chemistry exam on principle, I too had spent hours studying and I didn't want to feel like I had wasted my efforts.  But then again I was receiving the grade I had worked for through the term and was free to leave, so I was glad about that.  I even felt a little guilty I was being spared sitting the exam when a hundred others weren't.

I cannot say my experience in university was a life-changing experience, but the grace shown made a lasting impact in my memory.  There are plenty of final exams I do not remember taking at all that I spent hours pouring over them, yet I do remember the exam I never took!  The comparison pastor Idleman made concerning the one who refuses to receive grace rings true in my estimation, for I have sat in that seat many times.  I have identified with the older brother in the parable who was annoyed his father showed more favour to a wayward son than him; I have also seen myself in the vineyard workers who laboured in the heat of the day imagining I deserved more than those who only worked the last hour.  Receiving God's grace changes us and transforms our perspective towards Him and others.  The one who knows they need God's grace is more apt to freely offer it to others, and how great is our need.  Without the grace of God we perish, and by grace through faith we have new life.

When God's wisdom and grace become the principle thing, it exposes how our sense of justice has been distorted by our self-righteousness.  Our frustrations over unfairness reveals our lack of love and compassion towards others.  Jews in the early church struggled with their tendency to justify loading Gentiles with the Law they nor their fathers had been able to bear.  Gentiles received the Gospel by faith in Jesus and then were deluded to imagine the work God begun in the Spirit they could accomplish by efforts of their flesh.  Romans 5:1-2 is good to recall often:  "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ² through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God."  Let us stand fast and continue in the grace of God (Acts 13:43) and rejoice in the hope of God's glory.