11 Now Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon gave orders about Jeremiah through Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard, saying, 12 “Take him and [h]look after him, and do nothing harmful to him, but rather deal with him just as he tells you.” 13 So Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard sent word, along with Nebushazban the [i]Rab-saris, and Nergal-sar-ezer the [j]Rab-mag, and all the leading officers of the king of Babylon; 14 they even sent and took Jeremiah out of the court of the guardhouse and entrusted him to Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, to take him home. So he stayed among the people.
15 Now the word of the Lord had come to Jeremiah while he was confined in the court of the guardhouse, saying, 16 “Go and speak to Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, “Behold, I am about to bring My words on this city for disaster and not for [k]prosperity; and they will take place before you on that day. 17 But I will deliver you on that day,” declares the Lord, “and you will not be given into the hand of the men whom you dread. 18 For I will certainly rescue you, and you will not fall by the sword; but you will have your own life as booty, because you have trusted in Me,” declares the Lord.’”
For both Jeremiah and Ebed-melech, these final words certainly rang true. Despite all odds, God declared, “For I will certainly rescue you… because you have trusted in Me.” The war was over, the battle won, but not by Israel, not this time. Yet for those who trusted in God, the outcome was quite different that one might have expected.
All the kings officials and nobles had been put to death, but somehow Ebed-melech remained. We saw earlier how he trusted God and rescued Jeremiah, despite being a foreigner and in spite of those who wanted to see Jeremiah dead. Ebed-melech received his own life in reward, but there’s an even bigger promise that echoes those same words.
Though we are not beset by Chaldeans, we are indeed engaged in a war. It is spiritual, and the stakes are even higher. The war is over, and yet battle is still waged. God promised a rescue, and He has fulfilled that promise in His Son. The rescue boat is here, and it is only for us to grab the life preserver to be brought aboard.
If God has taken such care for our future, then we know we can trust in Him for every day here on earth also. Like Ebed-melech, we can trust in God’s plan, which is higher and better than ours. The reward is more than just extra days in this life, but eternal life with our Creator. I’m reminded of the song that says, “too marvelous for comprehension, like nothing ever seen or heard”. That’s the reward God has in mind for us, and He will certainly rescue you when you put your trust and hope in Him.