Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Foreign.
[00:00:09] Pastor Chuck Allen here. And it's Friday, so welcome to Friday. You made it. I'm finishing up today in this five part series of unsung heroes from the Old Testament. And today we're going to go to the book of Jeremiah. We're going to talk about rags, ropes and courageous compassion. This is a fellow by the name Abimelech.
[00:00:31] Now, when you think about lesser known heroes, the Old Testament, and we finish with a guy whose kindness has stayed with me for a long time, you're just reminded that God uses everyday people to do extraordinary things.
[00:00:48] Abimelech is an interesting guy. Jeremiah in this book had one of the toughest assignments in scripture.
[00:00:57] God had given him an unpopular message for Jerusalem and the city's leaders were fed up with him. They called him a traitor and they went to the king to demand his death. And the king, who was weak and wanted to keep everybody happy by doing whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted, said, all right, do as you like, I can't stop you. So they took Jeremiah and they lowered him by ropes into an empty cistern. Now, the Bible says there was no water in the cistern, but there was a thick layer of mud at the bottom and Jeremiah sank down in it. Now, can you imagine? It's cold, it's dark, you're stuck in the mud and you're left there to die.
[00:01:39] That's when Abimelech enters the story.
[00:01:42] Jeremiah says, but Abimelech the eth, the Ethiopian, an important court official heard that Jeremiah was in the cistern. Now there's that wonderful word again, but B u t. But everyone else was content to look the other way. But one dude, Abimelech, heard what had happened and decided he couldn't. And he wouldn't ignore it. But Abimelech notice that Abimelech was an Ethiopian. He, he wasn't a native to that country. He was a foreigner in the king's court and he'd been an outsider for years. He had a lot to lose by speaking up. But the Bible says he rushed from the palace to speak with the king. He didn't wait. He didn't form a committee. He didn't say, hey, that's somebody else's job. He went straight to the most powerful guy in the city and said, my Lord the king, these men have done a very evil thing in putting Jeremiah the prophet into the cistern. He will soon die of hunger. And the king listened and he told Abimelech, take 30 of my men with you and pull Jeremiah out of the cistern before he dies.
[00:02:56] One person, he had the courage, and he changed the course of history, and he changed the king's mind. Now, here's the detail that I think is fascinating. Before they pulled Jeremiah out, Abimelech went to a room beneath the treasury and found some old rags and some discarded clothing.
[00:03:17] And he lowered them to Jeremiah on a rope and said, put these rags under your armpits to protect you from the ropes. Now think about that.
[00:03:28] A rescue was in process.
[00:03:30] He could have just thrown down the rope and pulled. But he thought about how those ropes would cut into a weakened man's body, and he carried enough to cushion them. That's not just courage. That's compassion.
[00:03:44] Now, I think there are some people that are courageous, and I think there are people that are compassionate. But when you find a compassionate, courageous person, you've really got something special. And that was Abimelech. Some of you are that kind of person. And I want to thank you. You're the one who notices when somebody's hurting. You're the one who thinks about how the help's going to feel, not just whether the job gets done.
[00:04:09] Old rags seem like a small thing, but to a dude that stuck in the mud, they were super kind. And he could feel it. And God noticed. Later, the Lord sent a message to Abimelech through Jeremiah that says, I will rescue you from those you fear so much. Because you trusted me. I will give your life as a reward. I will rescue you and keep you safe. Did you hear the reason?
[00:04:35] Because you trusted me. Abimelech's compassion grew out of his trust in God.
[00:04:43] He could take a risk for somebody because he believed God would take care of him.
[00:04:49] So as we close this week, think about the heroes. Shamma held his ground in a bean field. Jehoshapha, well, she protected a promise in a hidden room. Obadiah. He served faithfully in a hard palace and obeyed even when he was afraid. And Hulda, she spoke truth and grace when it mattered. And then Abimelech brought rags and ropes to a dude in the mud. And none of them were famous, but each of them were trusting in God. And they did the next faithful thing in front of them. My friend, that's what God's asking of us.
[00:05:22] We don't have to be well known to be used by the Lord.
[00:05:26] Look around today. Is there someone in a pit you can help pull out? Is there a small, thoughtful kindness you can offer?
[00:05:34] Trust God with your safety and your reputation and go be somebody's Abimelech? Heavenly Father, thank you for this week. For the unsung heroes who show us what faith looks like in everyday life. Give us eyes to see folks who are hurting, courage to speak up in compassion that pays attention to the details and help us trust you as they did. In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen. Amen. And amen. Thanks so much for spending this week with me, friends. Have a blessed day. God bless you. Bye now.
