The
Ethiopian Eunuchs
What individual comes to mind when
you hear the words “Ethiopian eunuch”? For most of us, that would be
the man Philip evangelized in the Gaza desert during the eunuch’s
return trip from Jerusalem (Acts 8:26-40). Luke was careful to tell us
that he held a position of great authority under Candace, queen of the
Ethiopians, as the one who had charge of all her treasure; but omits
his name. What seems important to Luke is that the eunuch—a Gentile
foreigner outside the Jewish fold—was on the RECEIVING end of
soulsaving good news delivered by the man of God. The man in whom a
queen had placed her absolute trust in things material is now portrayed
as entrusting his own eternal soul to the King of kings—a fiduciary act
of the highest order!
But there is another Ethiopian eunuch
in scripture that was on the GIVING end of good news where the
man of God was concerned. The man of God was Jeremiah. The eunuch’s
name is Ebedmelech, which means “royal servant” or “servant of a king”
(Jeremiah 38:1-13). The context in which we find this man
involves the unpopular preaching of Jeremiah regarding the capture of
Jerusalem and the destruction of its inhabitants by the king of
Babylon’s army, which had surrounded and besieged Jerusalem. Death was
an inevitable outcome for anyone who resisted the Chaldeans, and the
Lord would bring it to pass.
In a meeting with king Zedekiah, the
princes of Israel argued that the negative preaching of the prophet was
demoralizing the military, weakening the citizenry, and hurting the
country. In their mind, these were crimes worthy of death. King
Zedekiah—a gutless milk toast of a leader—offered no defense for the
prophet, but rather abandoned him to their will. So they cast Jeremiah
into a miry dungeon void of food and water. The Bible tells us “they
let down Jeremiah with cords” and “so Jeremiah sunk in the mire”
(38:6). It was just a matter of time before he starved to
death.
There are two points to be made
before we zero in on Ebedmelech. First, we are facing a similar
situation in America at this hour. It seems that with every passing
week, some element of our judiciary is sanctioning and or legalizing
immorality and wickedness. The day is fast approaching when the man of
God who excoriates homosexual sin (or any sin for that matter) from the
pulpit, and links that sanction to the judgment of God, will be guilty
of a criminal act punishable by fines and imprisonment. Why? Because
his “hate speech” and “homophobic diatribes” are hurting the nation!
The church spiritually virile enough to support the preaching of
biblical purity will face the same punitive fines and forfeit their
favorable tax status. Once that happens, church revenues in the form of
tithes and offerings will be subject to federal taxes. Our government
has already demonstrated that it has no qualms about seizing the
property of churches that refuse to comply.
Secondly, there is a message in the
mire. The fact that Jeremiah sank suggests a 50-50 mix of water and
dirt. In other words, Jeremiah was surrounded by water unfit for human
consumption. Likewise, the water of the Word of God, if mixed with and
diluted by philosophy, humanism, and politically correct content, is
just as unfit for spiritual consumption. It causes in those
churches that embrace it that same “sinking” effect that Jeremiah
experienced.
On Sunday, December 8, 2003 my wife
and I decided to attend the morning worship service of the National
City Christian Church in Washington, D.C. across from the hotel where
we were staying. We are Baptists by conviction, but it seemed innocuous
enough for one Sunday. All was well until we saw the listing for “Gay
& Lesbian Fellowship” in the bulletin. We exited that miry pit
in less than two minutes.
Now Ebedmelech, one of the eunuchs
in the king’s house, heard about Jeremiah, and pled his case before the
king. He was bold enough to accuse the princes of doing “evil” to the
prophet. Jeremiah had been sentenced to death by starvation since the
siege had left “no more
bread in the city” (38:9). Ebedmelech persuaded
the king to flip-flop on his policy of abandonment. The king
commissioned thirty servants to assist Ebedmelech with the successful
rescue effort. Jeremiah was sunk by the cords of malice, but saved by
the cords of mercy (38:13). This time it was the man of God who was on
the receiving end of life-saving good news delivered by an Ethiopian
eunuch! Do you suppose God remembered the courage and kindness of
Ebedmelech when he dispatched Philip to the Gaza
desert?
Ebedmelech’s reward for befriending
the prophet was the preservation of his own life (39:15-18). Although
fearful of the circumstances, he was nonetheless faithful to God. The
Lord said to him: “I
will surely deliver thee…thy life shall be for a
prey unto thee: because thou hast put thy trust in me”
(39:18).
Translation: The Chaldeans will destroy Jerusalem and kill its
inhabitants, Ebedmelech, and I will bring my words to pass. But I will
preserve your life!
My friend, if and when God’s heavy
hand of judgment falls upon America, believers in the Lord Jesus Christ
may well consider themselves blessed indeed to walk in the shoes of
this Ethiopian eunuch!
Top
|
