“Now the word of the LORD had come to Jeremiah while he was confined in the court of the guardhouse, saying, ‘Go and speak to Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, saying, “Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘Behold, I am about to bring My words on this city for disaster and not for prosperity; and they will take place before you on that day. But I will deliver you on that day,” declares the LORD, “and you will not be given into the hand of the men whom you dread. For I will certainly rescue you, and you will not fall by the sword; but you will have your own life as booty, because you have trusted in Me,” declares the LORD'”‘” (Jer 39:15-18).
On the eve of Jerusalem’s downfall and Babylonian captivity, God’s favor rested upon one man named Ebedmelech, which means “a servant of the king.” The reason for this special favor appears in the previous chapter. When Jeremiah’s own countrymen sought to kill him, this God fearing Ethiopian rescued him from their hands (Jer 38:7-8, 10-12).
Why is this story in the book of Jeremiah? Its purpose is to highlight one person’s refusal to follow the crowd, and the moral clarity not to confuse mass opinion with truth. While those around him refused to listen to God’s prophets (Jer 7:25; 25:4; 26:5; 29:19; 35:15; 44:4), especially Jeremiah (Jer 11:18-19), Ebedmelech trusted God by honoring His prophet.
And if this principle is true with respect to the prophets of the Hebrew Bible, how much more is it true when it comes to faith in the One who is the promised prophet like Moses.
In this story, we discover a foundational principle in the Hebrew Bible often overlooked by popular religious opinion. As surprising as it may sound, one’s standing with God is not determined by faith in God alone. Had Israel not believed that Moses was a prophet sent by God, they would still have remained in Egypt (Exod 4:1, 5, 8-9, 31; 14:31). In the words of Jehoshaphat, God-pleasing faith is measured by our willingness to listen to the prophets: “They rose early in the morning and went out to the wilderness of Tekoa; and when they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, ‘Listen to me, O Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, put your trust in the LORD your God and you will be established. Put your trust in His prophets and succeed'” (2 Chron 20:20).
And if this principle is true with respect to the prophets of the Hebrew Bible, how much more is it true when it comes to faith in the One who is the promised prophet like Moses (see Deut 18:18-19). This, dear friends, is one of the key reasons why being right with God requires us to put our faith in Yeshua the Messiah, who is far more than a prophet! “For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me, for he wrote about Me” (John 5:46).
