man of the hour Archives – Sonshine's Journal

Jeremiah 38 As often as we read stories like this, we get caught up in the excitement and danger of the storyline, we call it a “cliff hanger” and we wait for the savior to rescue the one in danger. Those are fiction, but this is real and we see that in the midst of danger, God always has a “man of the hour” ready to step in. God may not call us to confront a king or a president regarding the plight of another, but He may call us to serve through intercession. Ebed-Melech had the heart to serve no matter the cost. He was willing to step in and confront the vacillating cowardly king Zedekiah. Over and over through scripture, we see how God orchestrates events and places people in places to serve His chosen ones.

In Genesis, we read about Joseph being placed unjustly in prison, just like Jeremiah. There, an unlikely series of events brought Joseph face to face with Pharaoh’s servant, who had a dream that he interpreted. The cupbearer promised to speak to Pharaoh, but it would be two more years before he remembered. Because God used the cupbearer, Joseph was released and elevated. Because Ebed-Melech was God’s servant, he was willing to be the man of the hour to step in and save Jeremiah from certain death.

Has God placed you in a position to save another? We have the gospel message to save men from sin; are we sharing it? Have you stepped up to the plate, or are you like the cupbearer who failed to remember his promise?

Jeremiah 37 -39 The Hero is the Man of the Hour

Novels and mysteries have cliff hanger episodes to keep us riveted to the plot. Jeremiah’s book is no different and chapter by chapter we are privy to the plans of the villains and the heroes. First is the cowardly vacillating king, Zedekiah. The villains seek to keep the king from making a decision to surrender to the Babylonians. The hero is the man behind the scene yet to be discovered.

King Zedekiah vacillates between keeping the prophet Jeremiah safe but in the next moment lets the villains plot his demise. Jeremiah makes a fateful mistake-or so we would surmise-to leave Jerusalem. The villains catch him and throw him into a muddy cistern and place a cover over it. End of Jeremiah, right?

1500 yr old cistern

While the villains are busy slapping each other on the back for getting rid of Jeremiah, our man of the hour, our hero, Ebed Melech, a court servant, is busy convincing Zedekiah to get Jeremiah out of the cistern. Some time later he and thirty men use with ropes, rags, and towels to raise Jeremiah out of the cistern. Ebed Melech is the man of the hour.

Jeremiah probably thought he made a fateful mistake by trying to leave Jerusalem, but God was looking to demonstrate a lesson of what a faithful servant looks like behind the scenes. Ebed Melech just cared about Jeremiah, he wasn’t looking for any credit but God cared about Ebed Melech. As a reward, God told Jeremiah to tell him that he could be rescued and saved when the Babylonians take Jerusalem.

You never know when God will use you to be the man or woman (think Esther) of the hour but God’s eyes see and He rewards faithfulness.

[picture of a cistern, 1500 yr old, found in Jerusalem courtesy of Pinterest ]

Tag: man of the hour

Heroes and Villains