““For I will surely deliver you, and you shall not fall by the sword; but your life shall be as a prize to you, because you have put your trust in Me,” says the Lord.” Jeremiah 39:18 (NKJV) This statement made by God to Jeremiah for the Ethiopian eunuch, Ebed-Melech, might be overlooked because it is uttered almost as an afterthought once Jerusalem has fallen. It is however as near perfect a statement of God’s message to humanity as is contained in Scripture. I will deliver you if you put your trust in Me, is the very essence of what God has told the Israelites for thousands of years; and it is the nucleus of the Gospel message of Jesus Christ. It is made all the more powerful in that this word is given to one other than a Jew; God’s grace and mercy is offered to all who trust Him, even an Ethiopian eunuch.
Peter tells us that “all scripture is profitable,” and here, tucked in an out of the way place is one of the great truths of the Bible; those who put their trust in the Lord will be delivered. Even as God was destroying Jerusalem and Judah for their unfaithfulness He was delivering one in their midst who trusted Him, one who might have been considered insignificant to those around him, and yet God sent one of His greatest prophets to bring Ebed-Melech the good news!
This was not only great news for Ebed-Melech, a non Jew, it should be a tremendous encouragement to all of us who are also not Jews. The Gospel has been presented to Jew and Gentile alike; and even though we are Gentiles grafted in to the God’s chosen people, we are offered the same opportunity for salvation as was made available first to the Jews. It is incumbent upon us now to receive this wonderful opportunity, this amazing gift, with integrity and humility. Living out the command to always be obedient to God’s word, and to His will for our lives; for in so doing we become true witnesses for Jesus Christ. No longer merely a parenthetical mention in the midst of the capture of Jerusalem; Ebed-Melech has become the example and standard bearer for believing Gentiles the world over. We too can be set free from our sin; and we too can proudly call ourselves Christians.
