A LIVING FAITH COURAGEOUSLY SEEKS JUSTICE
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We can be in our day what the heroes of faith were in their day – but remember at the time they didn’t know they were heroes. – A.W. Tozer –
Scripture abounds with heroes… great heroes of faith. Some are prominent kings, leaders and prophets, heralded for their mighty works for God. Yet others are ordinary men and women who exhibit a living faith in the one true God… who boldly step out and act on behalf of His kingdom and His people. Their part may seem small, yet they are mentioned in Scripture for a reason. Their minor roles had great impact in turning situations around for God’s glory.
You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you. – Jeremiah 1:7-8
God sets apart Jeremiah to be His spokesman to the people of Judah. He promises to rescue His prophet in times of trouble… if Jeremiah is faithful to His call, The prophet believes Jehovah’s promise and becomes a mighty man of faith. He endures many trials during his time of ministry. During one such time of trouble, when Jeremiah desperately needs to be rescued, God brings a deliverer from an unlikely source.
Judah’s King Zedekiah is in a dilemma. He is wavering between believing Jeremiah’s prophecies and following the wishes of his officials who want the prophet silenced. For the people are not happy with Jeremiah’s prophecies of doom for Judah if they do not repent of their ways. Yet this prophet is not deserving of punishment, and certainly not death. Yet the king at last gives in to the demands of his officials and allows them to do with Jeremiah as they desire…
So they took Jeremiah and put him into the cistern of Malkijah, the king’s son… They lowered Jeremiah by ropes into the cistern; it had no water in it, only mud, and Jeremiah sank down into the mud. – Jeremiah 38:6
In biblical times, cisterns were pits dug deep in the ground to collect and store rainwater. In non-rainy seasons, the water would dry up, leaving the cisterns dark, muddy and cold.
Nobody could see or hear Jeremiah deep at the bottom of the pit. He is essentially left to die. Yet not all is lost. For God is at work in the heart of a Cushite, an official in the royal palace with access to the king.
Unlike King Zedekiah, Ebed-Melek fears God more than man. He knows what is right and seeks to do good. He recognizes that the injustice of this act perpetrated upon Jeremiah is an affront to his Jehovah. The Lord lays on Ebed-Melek’s heart to reach out and rescue this prophet of God in an act of love and kindness.
Following God requires courage and faith. Ebed-Melek steps out with a living faith and approaches the king at the city gate. He reveals the murderous plot to him in order to save Jeremiah’s life. This Cushite understands he is risking his career and perhaps his own life with his boldness. Yet he chooses to do what is just in God’s eyes…
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. – Jeremiah 38:9
The king immediately orders that the prophet be pulled from the depths of the cistern. Ebed-Melek gathers together the necessary gear and manpower. They let down ropes and padding for Jeremiah… then lift him to safety.
Through Ebed-Melek, this humble, obscure hero, God fulfills His promise to rescue Jeremiah. This Cushite lives out his courageous faith for all to see… and is rewarded with a prophecy from the Lord…
I will rescue you on that day… you will not be given into the hands of those you fear. I will save you… because you trust in Me. – Jeremiah 39:17-18
God honors Ebed-Melek for his heroic faith by promising to save and protect him. When the fall and destruction of Jerusalem occur, Jehovah rescues him from the Babylonians. What a reward for this unsung hero for his brave act of justice and kindness.
What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? – Micah 6:8
We all can be heroes of faith like Ebed-Melek. When we see unkindness and injustice, and if there is some way we can help, the Holy Spirit will prompt us to act. For in Scripture, we are reminded that if we know the right thing to do, yet fail to do it, for us it is sin (James 4:17). God may put us in places or situations for a reason… to be an “Ebed-Melek” in someone’s life.
A living faith exhibits a humble obedience to the will of God. It seeks to alleviate the wrongs seen by following the leading of the Spirit. When we step out in courage and faith to do what is just and caring and right, we are showing the compassion of Christ. We become the unsung heroes of faith in our time.
† Eternal Takeaway – God can use mightily those who seek to do what is right and good †
