One of the nice things of trying to do things chronologically in this blog is that it gives me a better perspective of Biblical events and where everyone fits in history. It also causes me to speculate a bit more than I have in the past.
For example, it’s very interesting to me that Nebuchadnezzar ordered that Jeremiah be treated well.
From chapter 40, it’s made clear that he did so because he knew of Jeremiah’s prophesies that God was handing Judah over to Nebuchadnezzar because of Judah’s sins. The question that pops up then is, “How did Nebuchadnezzar know?”
The easy answer is that with all the exiles that had been taken to Babylon earlier when Jehoiachin was dethroned, Nebuchadnezzar had gained access to these prophesies.
But the question still remains, “Who told Nebuchadnezzar, and why did he believe the prophesies?”
This is pure speculation, but I have to wonder if it wasn’t Daniel.
He certainly had the respect of Nebuchadnezzar. He was considered the chief of the magicians and served in Nebuchadnezzar’s court. (Daniel 4:9)
And from Daniel chapter 9, we know that Daniel knew about the prophesies of Jeremiah.
I wonder if Daniel, when hearing that Jerusalem was about to fall, didn’t tell Nebuchadnezzar, “Hey there’s a guy named Jeremiah living there. He’s a prophet of the God I serve. He has even predicted Jerusalem’s fall to you because of their sin. Please make sure no harm comes to him.”
Like I said, this is pure speculation, but thinking about it now, it’s also purely possible.
At any rate, however Nebuchadnezzar heard about Jeremiah, he ordered his men to look after Jeremiah. And so they did.
Jeremiah had suffered through a lot through the reigns of the kings following Josiah. But because he had trusted in God, when Judah fell and all of its leaders were killed or exiled, his life was spared.
The same can be said of a man named Ebed-Melech.
When Jeremiah had been thrust into a cistern to die, Ebed-Melech was the man who had had the courage to approach Zedekiah to plead on Jeremiah’s behalf. As a result, Jeremiah was set free.
And so God told Ebed-Melech,
This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: I am about to fulfill my words against this city through disaster, not prosperity. At that time they will be fulfilled before your eyes.
But I will rescue you on that day, declares the Lord; you will not be handed over to those you fear. I will save you; you will not fall by the sword but will escape with your life, because you trust in me, declares the Lord.’ (Jeremiah 39:16-18)
God was as good as his word and spared Ebed-Melech when the walls were broken through and Jerusalem was captured.
“Because you trust in me.”
Those words resonate with me. God promises that if we will trust in him, while others will suffer his judgment, we will escape with our lives. We will receive his mercy and grace.
This is not to say that we won’t ever suffer for trusting and following God. Jeremiah certainly didn’t escape it for much of his life. Many others throughout history have not only suffered, but died for their faith.
But in death, they found rest and reward.
That’s what faith is about. We don’t always see deliverance in our lifetime. We may go through many struggles because we follow Jesus.
But ultimately, faith says, “Even though I can’t see it now, I believe that in the end, all will be made right.”
That’s the faith Jeremiah had. That’s the faith that Ebed-Melech had.
That’s the kind of faith we need too.
As the writer of Hebrews said,
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. (Hebrews 11:6)
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