And Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon had given charge concerning Jeremiah by Nebuzar-adan the captain of the body-guard, saying,
Jerusalem lies burned and its king is blinded and in chains, yet the first order the conquering emperor gives about Jeremiah is an order of protection. Why does the most powerful king of the day single out a Hebrew prisoner for kindness, and who stands behind that order?
The order comes from Babylon, not from Judah. One writer marks the surprise of it:
Sometimes there is respect for God where some would least expect it.
At home, his own leaders had shown him nothing like it:
Nebuchadnezzar and his servants shone in honouring Jeremiah. They stand in the sharpest contrast with the priests, the false prophets, and even kings Jehoiakim and Zedekiah.
The verse names the king as the one who gives the command. One writer traces it higher than the throne room:
Nebuzaradan found the great man of God in the prison. The princes had to come and take him from the prison house of humiliation. What an exaltation! We have no doubt Nebuchadnezzar knew much of the history we have followed, what happened in Jerusalem during the siege. Perhaps he even knew the great messages about himself. But it was the Lord who made him act as he did. His loving eye was open above His servant, who had served so faithfully.
God's care for Jeremiah does not pause the judgment. It runs right through the middle of it:
In Jeremiah 39 the enemy comes in like a flood. The rebels flee, but death, bondage and blindness overtake them (Jer. 39:1-9) — an awful picture of what disobedience brings. God shows special favour to Jeremiah; He knows how to deliver His faithful servants in the worst of times (Jer. 39:11-14).
Read that way, the chapter becomes a small model of a much larger day:
It is when judgment comes that the faithful are rewarded. This is the lesson. While the ungodly fell and were carried away, the poor remained and were spared; Jeremiah is well treated, and Ebed-melech receives his reward. So will it be when the Lord comes.
The verse sends the order through Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard. Even so, the order on paper did not stop a blunder on the ground:
The captain of the bodyguard takes him out of the court of the guard. Yet, through an unaccountable error, he is bound with chains and found among the captives being taken to Babylon.
The same captain finds him again and puts it right. Then he gives him a free choice:
The captain of the bodyguard discovers him and sets him free from his chains. He invites him to go along to Babylon, where he would keep his eye on him, and adds, "But if it seems wrong for you to come with me to Babylon, remain here. See, all the land is before you; wherever it seems good and convenient for you to go, go there."
Babylon offered comfort and status. He turned it down:
Yet he was a true lover of God's people in their lowest condition, and even in their base ingratitude to him. Instead of going to Babylon, where ease and honour awaited him, he chose to suffer affliction with the most despised in the land.
Jeremiah is not the only one cared for here. The man who had spoken up for him receives a promise of his own:
While Jeremiah was shut up in prison, a message came from the Lord for the man who had spoken up for him when he was thrown into the dungeon and left to die of hunger in the mud where he had sunk. God does not forget mercy for the righteous who showed mercy. His judgments still had to fall on the proud city where the evil counsellors lived, the men who urged the weak and faulty son of David to his ruin... Trust in the Lord is never in vain, though only He could see Ebed-melech's trust, small as it was.
- Unexpected respect. The honour Jeremiah never got from his own priests and kings came from a pagan king. Respect for God can appear where you least expect it.
- Unseen hand. Nebuchadnezzar issued the order, but the Lord moved him to do it; His eye was on His servant the whole time.
- Unbroken care. The protection held even through a mistaken spell in chains, and ended in freedom to go where he chose.
- Undivided love. Babylon offered ease and honour. Jeremiah chose hardship with the poorest of his own people.
- Unforgotten mercy. Ebed-melech, who had spoken up for Jeremiah, received his own reward — a preview of the day when the Lord comes and rewards the faithful.
Take him, and keep an eye upon him, and do him no harm; but do unto him even as he shall say unto thee.
Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its survivors are on the road to Babylon. Why does the conqueror stop in that wreckage to protect one prisoner — the prophet Judah's own leaders had thrown into a pit?
The order came from Nebuchadnezzar himself. That is not where you would expect to find any regard for God.
But there is respect for God sometimes where it might be least expected by some.
Babylon's captain of the guard, Nebuzaradan, carried out the order. One commentator looks past him and his king to the hand that moved them both.
The poor were remembered, and the prophet was treated with great kindness too. Nebuzaradan found the great man of God in the prison. The princes had to come and take him from the prison house of humiliation. What an exaltation! He dwelt among the people. He cast his lot with the poor, who had nothing. We do not doubt that Nebuchadnezzar knew much of what happened in Jerusalem during the siege. Perhaps he even knew the great messages about himself. But it was the Lord who made him act as he did. His loving eye was open above His servant, who had served so faithfully.
Jeremiah had spent the siege in custody because Judah refused his message. The release comes from the invader, not from the nation he had warned.
King Zedekiah, his servants, and the people of the land all refused to listen to the words of the Lord, which He spoke through the prophet Jeremiah (Jer. 37:2). Instead, they put him in prison. He got his freedom only when the city fell. The king of Babylon treated him better than the king of his own people, whom he served so faithfully. This is often the case with true servants of the Lord.
The order was clear. What followed it was not tidy.
The captain of the bodyguard takes him out of the court of the guard. Yet, by some mistake no one can explain, he ends up in chains among the captives on their way to Babylon.
Another writer widens the view. Behind the confusion he sees a settled rule, and a strange use for the prison.
Even in the middle of all this misery and wickedness, we find some rare examples of righteous men. However terrible His judgment may be, God remembers them. Ebed-melech, who rescued Jeremiah, is spared. The ways of God are always perfect. To man, His judgments look like an overwhelming flood. Still, His hand directs everything, down to the smallest detail; and the righteous are spared. The prison even becomes a place of safety for Jeremiah.
This favour opened a door to Babylon and an easy life. Jeremiah did not take it.
Nebuchadnezzar and his servants shone in honouring Jeremiah. They stood in marked contrast with the priests, the false prophets, and even kings Jehoiakim and Zedekiah. Still, Jeremiah truly loved God's people, in their lowest condition and in their base ingratitude toward him. Babylon offered him ease and honour, but he chose instead to suffer affliction with the most despised in the land. And they behaved as badly as ever: against his inspired warnings they carried him down into Egypt, rather than stay under Babylonian rule.
- Charged. The order to look after Jeremiah came from the conqueror's own mouth. Respect for God can appear where you least expect it.
- Moved. Nebuchadnezzar had his own reasons. But it was the Lord who made him act as he did, and His eye was on His faithful servant.
- Reversed. The prophet's own king imprisoned him; the foreign king freed him. Commentators note this is often how it goes for true servants of the Lord.
- Kept. The rescue was not tidy. He still ended up in chains among the captives. Yet God's hand directs every detail, and even the prison had served as his place of safety.
- Spent. Babylon offered him ease and honour. He chose hardship with the most despised in the land — the very people who had wronged him.
So Nebuzar-adan the captain of the body-guard sent, and Nebushazban, chief chamberlain, and Nergal-sharezer, chief magian, and all the king of Babylon's princes,
The city has fallen, and Babylon's highest officers now turn to one prisoner in the court of the guard. Their errand is to fetch Jeremiah — the one man in Jerusalem who had told the truth about this day.
These officers had just taken the city. Now they take charge of its prophet:
But there is respect for God sometimes where it might be least expected by some.
The names in this verse are part name, part office. "Rab-saris" and "Rab-mag" are not personal names at all:
This, like Rab-mag, is a title. It means "chief eunuch." A man holding this title went with the Assyrian army that marched against Hezekiah. One of the princes of Nebuchadnezzar at the siege of Jerusalem also bore this title.
Commentators differ on the second title, and the man who held it may not have stayed a prince for long:
This is not a proper name. It is the title of Nergal-sharezer. Some have taken it to mean "chief of the Magi," others "chief priest." On the monuments it appears as ruba emga, which some have read as "the glorious prince." That title would fit well if Nergal-sharezer is the same person who became Neriglissar the king.
Leading them is Nebuzaradan, and what he said to Jeremiah shows he had grasped why the city fell:
He was captain of the guard, or commander in chief of Nebuchadnezzar's army when it captured Jerusalem, and later when it destroyed the city. He released Jeremiah from his chains. He told him that God had brought all this destruction upon Jerusalem, because they had sinned against the LORD and had not obeyed His voice.
Jeremiah spent the siege in prison, put there by his own people. Then the invaders arrived:
The Babylonian armies are God's messengers of judgment, for the city had refused to bear His prophetic messenger. Neither King Zedekiah, nor his servants, nor the people of the land listened to the words of the LORD which He spoke by the prophet Jeremiah. Instead, they put him in prison. Only when the city fell did he get his liberty. The king of Babylon treated him better than the king of his own people, whom he served so faithfully. This is often the case with true servants of the Lord.
Prison was not the worst of it:
While Jeremiah laboured and testified, he had a bitter lot. His worst enemies were among the people he loved and pitied and rebuked so deeply. Their rebellion of will against the LORD Himself caused this unbelief of His word, as it always does, whatever men say or boast. Nebuchadnezzar and his servants shone in honouring Jeremiah. They stood in sharp contrast to the priests, the false prophets, and even kings Jehoiakim and Zedekiah.
The order came from Nebuchadnezzar. One writer traces it further back:
Just as the poor were remembered, the prophet also received great kindness… Nebuzaradan found the great man of God in the prison. The princes had to come and take him from the prison house of humiliation. What an exaltation!… We do not doubt that Nebuchadnezzar knew much of the history we have followed. He knew what happened in Jerusalem during the siege. Perhaps he even knew the great messages about himself. But it was the Lord who made him act as he did. His loving eye was open above His servant, who had served so faithfully.
God did not lift Jeremiah out of the disaster. He kept him safe inside it, then left him free to choose where to live:
In Jeremiah 39 the enemy comes in like a flood. The rebels flee, but death, bondage and blindness overtake them. It is an awful picture of the result of disobedience. God shows special favour to Jeremiah; He knows how to deliver His faithful servants in the worst of times. Jeremiah gets perfect liberty to go where he pleases, "but, gracious and faithful man that he was, he chooses to remain with the poor few who were in the right place." For, despite all that had happened, this feeble remnant were in their right place in the LORD's land.
- Named. The verse lists offices, not just men. Rab-saris means "chief eunuch." Some read Rab-mag as "chief of the Magi," some as "chief priest," some as "the glorious prince."
- Sent. Babylon's whole top command turned out for one prisoner — respect for God showing up where few would expect it.
- Reversed. The king of Babylon treated Jeremiah better than the king of his own people did. His worst enemies were the people he loved and warned.
- Moved. Nebuchadnezzar gave the order, but the Lord made him act as he did — His eye was open above His servant.
- Kept. God knows how to deliver His faithful servants in the worst of times. Jeremiah used his freedom to stay with the poor few who were in the right place.
even they sent, and took Jeremiah out of the court of the guard and committed him to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan, that he should conduct him away home. And he dwelt among the people.
Jerusalem has fallen, and officers of the conquering army pull Jeremiah out of the prison yard where his own people had locked him up. They hand him to Gedaliah, and he settles among the poor left behind — so why does a foreign empire protect the prophet his own nation jailed, and why does he stay?
Jeremiah's release did not come from the people he served. It came when everything around him collapsed.
King Zedekiah did not listen to the words of the Lord which He spoke through the prophet Jeremiah (Jer. 37:2). Neither did his servants or the people of the land. On the contrary, they put him in prison. He only got his freedom when the city fell. The king of Babylon treated him better than the king of his own people, whom he served so faithfully. This is often the case with true servants of the Lord.
The fall of the city settled the fate of both the king and the prophet — in opposite directions.
Zedekiah fled when he saw the princes of Babylon sitting in the middle gate, but they caught him. They killed his sons "before his eyes." Then they put those "eyes" out, bound him with chains and carried him to Babylon. They burned Jerusalem, but left Jeremiah free to live with the remnant of his people (vv. 11-14). So the word of the Lord was fulfilled.
Nebuchadnezzar told his officers to look after Jeremiah and do him no harm. That looks like a king's own kindness. One writer traces it higher.
And if the poor were remembered, the prophet was likewise treated with great kindness. The Babylonian king commanded: "Take him, look after him well, and do him no harm; but do to him as he tells you." Nebuzaradan found the great man of God in the prison. The princes had to come and take him from the prison house of humiliation. What an exaltation! He lived among the people... But it was the Lord who made him act as he did. His loving eye was open above His servant, who had served so faithfully.
Elsewhere it is put more plainly still: respect for God turns up in quarters nobody would have picked.
But there is respect for God sometimes where it might be least expected by some.
The man Jeremiah is handed to is not a stranger. Years earlier, his father had saved Jeremiah's life.
Nebuchadnezzar puts Gedaliah the son of Ahikam in charge of the people left in the land. They were to work as vineyard keepers and labourers. This Ahikam had saved Jeremiah in the days of Jehoiakim. Jeremiah had prophesied against Jerusalem, just as Urijah the prophet had done (Jer. 26:24). No doubt this act had its influence on the king of Babylon, who respected and protected Jeremiah.
Babylon was open to him, with its attractions. He chose the ruined land instead.
But Jeremiah had no heart for Chaldea, whatever attractions might seem to be there. He preferred to suffer in the land with the lowliest people left behind... It was love to remain in the scene of their humiliation; it was a pledge of restoration.
Another writer turns that choice on the reader:
He prefers to stay with the poor of God's people, who have nothing, instead of enjoying the favours of the king of Babylon. Perhaps there is not much to attract you in your own meeting — few spiritual gifts, little warm fellowship. But the Lord has promised to be among two or three gathered to His name. If He is there, fulfilling that promise by His presence, is that not the place to stay — depending on Him and trying to add some spiritual blessing?
The people he stayed with brought him grief, not comfort.
Jeremiah becomes their helper and brings them the word of the Lord. But he finds among them the greatest unbelief. This hardness of heart was deeply sorrowful and heart-breaking to the prophet... even the little remnant — the poor left in the land, among whom Jeremiah stayed — were full of jealousy. They were full of their own plans, full of treason, full of deceit and violence. God was not really in their thoughts.
- Word kept. What Jeremiah preached came true to the letter. Zedekiah lost his eyes and went to Babylon in chains, Jerusalem burned, and the prophet walked free.
- Hand hidden. The order to guard him came from Nebuchadnezzar. But the Lord moved him to give it, and His eye was on the servant who had served faithfully.
- Kindness returned. They placed him with Gedaliah, whose father Ahikam had once saved his life. An old mercy became his shelter.
- Company chosen. He was offered Babylon and chose the poor and the ruins instead. Love kept him in the place of their humiliation, and that choice was a pledge of restoration.
- Cost counted. The remnant he stayed with proved full of unbelief and scheming. That is what the choice cost him.