Offering a Cup of Cold Water

29 APRIL

For I will surely deliver thee, and thou shalt not fall by the sword, but thy life shall be for a prey unto thee: because thou hast put thy trust in Me, saith the LORD. Jeremiah 39:18

SUGGESTED FURTHER READING: Philemon

God was not unmindful of the Ethiopian who helped save Jeremiah’s life. Though Ebedmelech was an alien and from a barbarous nation, he alone undertook the cause of the prophet when others were either so terrified that they did not exert themselves, or else were sowrn enemies of God’s servant.

Ebedmelech alone dared to proceed in this hopeless situation to defend the holy man. Jeremiah says this service was so incredible that it would not go without a reward. Ebedmelech showed his concern for Jeremiah’s life, but not without danger, for he knew that princes were united against him, and these ungodly men had on their side the greatest part of the court and of the common people. Ebedmelech roused himself against enemies both high and low, but God aided him so that he was not overpowered by his adversaries. In this very great danger, Ebedmelech experiences the favor of God and is protected and delivered from danger. As Jesus later says, “He who gives a cup of cold water to one of the least of my disciples shall not lose his reward” (Matt. 10:42).

No doubt the Spirit of God uses the example of Ebedmelech to rouse us to the duties of humanity to teach us to relieve the suffering of the miserable, to give them as much help as we can, and not to shun the hatred of men or nay dangers that we may thereby encounter. Because we so often neglect doing good, we are told about the reward given to the Ethiopian so that we may know that, even though we should expect nothing from men when we are kind and generous, yet our work will not be in vain, for God in His wealth can render to us more than we can expect from the world.

John Calvin

FOR MEDITATION:

The Lord will honor those who give a cup of cold water to the needy, and He will reject those who give nothing, regardless of how religious they are. Are we, like Ebedmelech, among the first group? In what ways can you reach out to the downtrodden and the rejected?

365 Days With Calvin

Selected and Edited by Joel R. Beeke