Two workers at a chocolate factory fell into a large vat of chocolate. This might sound like the beginning of a joke—and perhaps a lovely predicament to chocolate lovers! But the men—though unhurt—were waist-deep in the confection and couldn’t get out on their own. Firefighters ultimately had to cut a hole in the side of the vat to deliver them to safety.
When the prophet Jeremiah found himself at the bottom of a mud-filled cistern, the story was anything but sweet. As a messenger to God’s people in Jerusalem, he’d proclaimed the urgency for them to leave the city because it would soon “be given into the hands of the army of the king of Babylon” (Jeremiah 38:3). Some of King Zedekiah’s officials demanded Jeremiah be “put to death” because they claimed his words were “discouraging the soldiers” (v. 4). The king consented and they “lowered Jeremiah by ropes into the cistern” where he “sank down into the mud” ( v. 6).
When another of the king’s officials—a foreigner, no less—advocated for Jeremiah’s wellbeing, saying the others had “acted wickedly”, Zedekiah realised he’d made a mistake and ordered Ebed-Melek to lift Jeremiah “out of the cistern” (vv. 9-10).
Even when we’re doing the right thing—as Jeremiah was—we might sometimes feel like we’re stuck in the mud. Let’s ask God to lift our spirits as we wait for His help in the troubles we face.
By Kirsten Holmberg
REFLECT & PRAY
When have you been wronged for doing what’s right? How has God sustained you?
Father God, please sustain me as I seek to obey You.
SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
Today’s account from the life and prophesies of Jeremiah reveals, perhaps in part, why he’s often referred to as “the weeping prophet.” He’s also widely accepted as the author of the book of Lamentations. While much of his lament is over the fate of Israel because of her disobedience and unfaithfulness to God, it’s easy to see why the treatment he himself endured as His servant may have led to personal lament (see Jeremiah 38).
J.R. Hudberg
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