Ebed Melech - a servant of the King

"And Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, a eunuch who was in the king's house, heard that they had put Jeremiah in the dungeon - now the king was sitting in the gate of Benjamin, and Ebed-melech went forth out of the king's house, and spoke to the king, saying, My lord, O king, these men have done evil in all that they have done to the prophet Jeremiah, whom they have cast into the dungeon; and he will die by reason of the famine in the place where he is; for there is no more bread in the city.

And the king commanded Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, saying, Take from hence thirty men with thee, and take up Jeremiah the prophet out of the dungeon, before he die. And Ebed-melech took the men under his order, and went into the house of the king under the treasury, and took thence old shreds and worn-out clothes, and let them down by cords into the dungeon to Jeremiah. And Ebed-melech the Ethiopian said to Jeremiah, Put, I pray, these old shreds and rags under thine armholes under the cords. And Jeremiah did so. And they drew up Jeremiah with cords, and brought him up out of the dungeon; and Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard." (Jer. 38:7-13)

In the Bible, Ebed Melech comes and departs very abruptly in a span of two chapters in the book of Jeremiah. Very little is known of him, except to note that he is a gentile official in the court of King Zedekiah at a time when the fall of the Southern Kingdom (Judah) is imminent. The Nation as a whole (including Israel, the Northern Kingdom - which had already been carried away under the Assyrian captivity) had dealt wickedly against YHWEH, and as a result, YHWEH sent HIS prophet Jeremiah to warn Judah of the impending disaster. As is typical of the reaction of a sinful heart, Judah resisted YHWEH's message, and instead, put Jeremiah away in a dungeon. Only Ebed Melech had the spiritual intelligence to trust in the LORD and to seek the welfare of the man of God. In return - YHWEH's word to him was that in the ensuing defeat and captivity of Judah, his own life would be spared and he would not be taken captive to Babylon - "for thou hast put thy confidence in me, saith Jehovah." (Jer. 39:18)

EbedMelech.org is a humble effort to reach out to my Jewish friends and brethren with the Good News of Yeshua, the Mashiach. I desire nothing in return, and do this out of sincere love for you ("For the love of the Christ constrains us..."). Apostle Paul - a "Hebrew of Hebrews" says, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.". Its my heartfelt desire that all of Israel would recognize that Yeshua is the Mashiach she has ever hoped for - "A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel" (Lu 2:32).

Ebed Melech - a servant of the King

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