Reflections On Living Prophetically – Part Twelve: ‘The Sentry, The King and The Eunuch’
By Jeremiah, Eugene and Me
“When he reached the Benjamin Gate, the captain of the guard, whose name was Irijah son of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah, arrested him and said, “You are deserting to the Babylonians!”
Jeremiah was put into a vaulted cell in a dungeon, where he remained a long time. Then King Zedekiah sent for him and had him brought to the palace, where he asked him privately, “Is there any word from the LORD?”
But Ebed-Melech, a Cushite, an official in the royal palace, heard that they had put Jeremiah into the cistern. While the king was sitting in the Benjamin Gate, Ebed-Melech went out of the palace and said to him, “My lord the king, these men have acted wickedly in all they have done to Jeremiah the prophet. They have thrown him into a cistern, where he will starve to death when there is no longer any bread in the city.”
Then the king commanded Ebed-Melech the Cushite, “Take thirty men from here with you and lift Jeremiah the prophet out of the cistern before he dies.”
So Ebed-Melech took the men with him and went to a room under the treasury in the palace. He took some old rags and worn-out clothes from there and let them down with ropes to Jeremiah in the cistern. Ebed-Melech the Cushite said to Jeremiah, “Put these old rags and worn-out clothes under your arms to pad the ropes.” Jeremiah did so, and they pulled him up with the ropes and lifted him out of the cistern. And Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard
37.13,16-7;38.7-13
Eugene Peterson says that Irjah, the sentry, used patriotism as a reason to attack any criticism of the king in a time of crisis. Its ‘far easier to shout patriotic slogans than to work patriotically for justice’. 324 So in the name of his ‘duty, Irjah unjustly arrests Jeremiah.325
Zedekiah, the king (actually the regent, appointed by the Babylonians to rule in the king’s place), respected Jeremiah, but resented his critique of his regime.326 So he vacillated when he heard the princes threw Jeremiah into the cistern. 327
Ebed-Melech, the eunuch, was a foreigner, a black man from Ethiopia. He was an official in the administration, but as a foreigner he had no legal rights. How-ever Ebed-Melech was prepared to risk his life to save Jeremiah because the princes had ‘acted wickedly in all they had done to Jeremiah the prophet.’38.8
Jeremiah needed a friend like Ebed-Melech. Without our friends we die. Our friends may not turn out to be whom we expect them to be. To the contrary. They may be the last person we might expect to be our friend – ‘a foreigner’, ‘a black man’ ‘a eunuch in the palace ruled by our enemies’ – but they can save our lives.
We need to give help to others – but we also need to receive help from others.
I have often found help where I most expected it. From close family and friends. But as often as not, like Jeremiah, I have found help where I least expected it. Many times I have gone to ask for help from people I thought I could count on, only to have the door closed in my face. Then, totally unexpectedly, I would get a visit from a person, whom I didn’t count as a friend, with a wonderful offer of help.
We don’t need many friends. Only one will do. But we need one who will help us. Often we won’t know who they are, till we are in trouble, and we cry out for help.
My experience is that God will always hear our cry for help and send someone to help us. But when our ‘angel’ appears, he or she may not be whom we expected.
Dave Andrews
Numbers refer to pages in The Quest by Eugene Peterson Zondervan Grand Rapids 2000
In the beginning of this piece,the author writes-’that it is much easier shouting patriotism,rather than patriotically working for justice’.The issue these lines raise is a complex one.Is the desire to defend one’s country simply fake patriotism-or quite legitimate.Is patriotism only to be understood in the context of fighting for justice?And nothing else.When I,as an Indian,feel worked up when foreign actors invade my country,is that simply fake patriotism?Is my patriotism genuine only when I stand in the slums and raise my voice against the govt?Most Indians,from whichever section of society,have a central identity of being Indian-and when that is seen to be violated by a non-Indian,all Indians feel outraged.It’s quite like the outrage one feels when one’s father’s or mother’s honour is seen to be violated.Whether one’s father or mother is a proponent for justice in the public arena,becomes immaterial at such a time.One of the central features of a covenant relationship is it is quite independant of performance.You defend your father,simply because he’s your father-not primarily because of what he does or has failed to do.Similarly, a normal mother has an instinctive desire to protect her offspring,irrespective of the offspring’s performance.For most people,patriotism is seen and experienced as a covenant duty.That is why,when your country is attacked,your immediate reaction is to salvage her honor.I know that for human rights activists,only human honor matters.But for most people,family honour or country’s honor matters a lot.Yes,notions of honor are susceptible to abuse.I’m fairly aware of that fact.But let’s not dispense with family honor in our quest for human justice.I read a Christian writer once who wrote that that only that person is qualified to progress to the rank of a human rights activist,who first has learnt to defend his family and nation.I am suspiscious of those who claim to be human rights activists and feel little for their families or nations.