Saturday, August 17, 2013

Jeremiah 39 - I Will Rescue You!

"But I will rescue you on that day, declares the Lord; you will not be given into the hands of those you fear. I will save you; you will not fall by the sword but will escape with your life, because you trust in me, declares the Lord." (Jer 39:17-18 NIV)

You will escape, because you put your trust in me. That was the LORD's message to  Ebed-Melek as Jerusalem was being seized by the Babylonians. King Zedekiah did not escape; even though he tried to run. His sons were caught and killed as well as all the nobles of Egypt. But, this man, Ebed-Melek, was to be saved because of his faithfulness, in that when Jeremiah was put into the cistern by the nobles, Ebed-Melek helped to effect his release from that prospective death. Ebed-Melek would be saved because he trusted in the LORD and was willing to stick his own neck out to do God's will.

We are reminded, in today's reading, that we are saved by faith. We are saved because we trust that God has saved us through Jesus Christ, our LORD.

Jerusalem has been seized. It was surely a dark hour. But, even in this darkness, the light of God's grace shines. "But Nebuzaradan the commander of the guard left behind in the land of Judah some of the poor people, who owned nothing; and at that time he gave them vineyards and fields." (vs 10)

The poor people, Ebed-Melek were granted grace in these very dark times. These unknown people, out there somewhere on the fringe, that no one paid much attention to, and had no one to truly trust, but God, were saved and even blessed.

"I will rescue you, declares the Lord; because you trust in me, declares the Lord"

God's Peace - Pr. J

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