Jeremiah 38: Stuck In The Mud

In chapter 38, Jeremiah's situation goes from bad to worse.  After being imprisoned, the prophet is now thrown into a cistern and sinks down in the mud.  In a way, his fortunes mirror that of Judah, whose condition is also going from bad to worse.

Because of Jeremiah's inflammatory message that the people of Jerusalem are doomed, some members of the establishment believe him to be a traitor and guilty of harming the morale of the nation.  They tell the king, "This man ought to be put to death, because he is discouraging the soldiers who are left in this city, and all the people, by speaking such words to them.  For this man is not seeking the welfare of this people, but their harm" (vs. 4).  The king shrugs and allows them to do whatever they want with Jeremiah the troublemaker.  With his tacit permission, Jeremiah's enemies lower him into a cistern.  Fortunately, "there was no water in the cistern, but only mud, and Jeremiah sank in the mud" (vs. 6).

Jeremiah remains stuck in the mud for some time, but he is eventually rescued by an Ethiopian eunuch named Ebed-melech (vs. 12).  Going to King Zedekiah, Ebed-melech explains that, with no bread left in the city, Jeremiah will soon die of starvation in the cistern.  With the king's permission, Ebed-melech brings Jeremiah back up out of the cistern.

With Jeremiah freed, the king covertly meets with him to discuss the situation.  Zedekiah wants to know his options, and what will happen if he surrenders.  Jeremiah reassures him that if he offers himself up to Nebuchadnezzar, he will live (vs. 20).  But if he fights against the Babylonians, he will suffer, as will his household.  Jeremiah says, "But if you are determined not to surrender, this is what the Lord has shown me - a vision of all the women remaining in the house of the king of Judah being led out to the officials of the king of Babylon and saying, 'Your trusted friends have seduced you and have overcome you; Now that your feet are stuck in the mud, they desert you'" (vs. 21-22).

Zedekiah faces the same situation that Jeremiah just recently endured: being metaphorically stuck in the mud.  He is trapped between a rock and a hard place, although there will be no deliverance for the stubborn king like there was for Jeremiah.