Jeremiah Rescued from the Pit

Text: Jeremiah 38:1-13

Reflection and Question: Jeremiah has preached a startling message of surrender that is utterly contrary to the victorious strength expected of God. So perhaps it is not strange that the conventional leaders in Jerusalem sought to put the prophet to death, burying him alive in the cistern of Malchiah. It is strange that the unclean outsider, an Ethiopian eunuch in service to the Judean king, is the one who steps up to speak for Jeremiah, gaining permission to rescue him from the pit. What prompted Ebedmelech to make the effort to save Jeremiah, do you think?

Prayer: Holy Jesus, when those who oppose us seek to cast us into the pit, so to speak, send a rescuer to us, we pray, as You did to Jeremiah in a day gone by. Save us, as well, so that we also may serve You another day. Amen.

This meditation is based on the Daily Lectionary Year 1 from the Book of Common Worship for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) (1993).