Reading Jeremiah’s confessions, we might have more than a bit of trouble seeing the prophet as a rock in which anyone of power might have confidence. And yet, that is precisely what Jeremiah was. So great a rock was he that though he was despised by many of his countrymen and mistreated, there was probably no one more respected.
Jeremiah’s notoriety reached the king of Babylon, who considered the prophet an ally. When the city of Jerusalem was overcome, Nebuchadnezzar gave orders that Jeremiah was not to be harmed, but cared for and given his freedom. That did not happen immediately. It took a while to find Jeremiah (who was eventually located bound in chains on the way to Babylon). The prophet was released and allowed to return to Mizpah in the land of Benjamin.
There is value in sticking with the Lord through thick and thin. Ebed-Melek found that out. Jeremiah did as well and their outcomes can serve as examples of the New Testament text in 1 Peter 2:12 – Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.