This Newsletter was originally published as a hard-copy only, back in November, 2006. Some editing has been done for the purpose of this format. I believe Father has put this on my heart to post it online now. This is a “Leadership” word – to present and would-be church leaders. If you have read the previous Kairos, you will understand that this is a “Sword of Grace” Word.
Ebed Melek
“çariyç” to the King
“… Neither let the eunuch say,
– “Behold, I am a dry tree.”
– excrpt frm Isaiah 56:3b (NASB)–
– If one were to ask of the Biblical reference to an Ethiopian eunuch, most assuredly everyone would tell of the one whom Philip met in Acts 8. What makes that story so poignant is that not one person today knows that eunuch’s name, yet the present church in Ethiopia claims her existence, some two thousand years later, back to that unnamed servant of Queen Candace.
– The Holy Spirit had the audacity, it would have seemed then to us, to tell the evangelist Philip to leave the revival in Samaria, which he had been used to start, and go preach the gospel to a single nobody – a eunuch, of all people. But the enduring testimony – to the Holy Spirit and to Philip’s obedience – has born fruit through that unnamed Ethiopian eunuch, not for years or decades, but for two millenniums.
– Though he had no natural children, neither was that eunuch a dry tree. That no-named eunuch has a name indeed that glorifies Jesus, yes, both in heaven and here on earth.
“For thus says the LORD,
– “To the eunuchs who … choose what pleases Me, …
– To them I will give in My house and within My walls
– a memorial,
– and a name better than that of sons and daughters;
– I will give to him an everlasting name
– which will not be cut off.””
– excrpt frm Isaiah 56:4-5 (NASB)
– The story of Esther is familiar to us, …
– While it is the heroine that we quickly remember, along with her fatherly cousin, Mordecai, can you name at least two of the eunuchs mentioned in the Biblical book bearing her name?
– There are a dozen named eunuchs in the book of Esther. Each one has a name that defines his function as a servant to a king named Ahasuerus [‘Ach-ash’-ve-rowsh’ in Hebrew, from the Persian form, meaning “Lion King”]. Most of us cannot name a single eunuch from any of the pages of scripture, let alone from the book of Esther. Yet that is precisely as it should be.
– To be such a servant to a king bore the reproach of knowing you were not called to be great in the eyes of the people; for your duty was wholly to be a dedicated servant — to the king alone!
John answered and said, “A man can receive nothing,
–unless it has been given him from heaven.
–You yourselves bear me witness, that I said,
–‘I am NOT the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent before Him.’
–He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of
– the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices
– greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice.
–And so this joy of mine has been made full.
–He must increase, but I must decrease.”
– John 3:27-30 (NASB)
– John’s divine commission was to be as a eunuch, possessing only a groomsman’s anointing. He was called to bring a nation to repentance, for the sole purpose of getting Israel to be ready to meet a Groom. He was not called to be great, but to stir the people in such a way that they would lift their eyes higher, to the King of the Universe. John clearly and emphatically denied the exaltation of men, though God was using him mightily to draw all of Israel back to holy relationship with Him.
– When the religious leaders of that day sent messengers out to the desert to find out about the crazy prophet who was demanding repentance of the people, John answered their querying “Who are you?” by telling them who he was not; (John 1:19-27).
...”I am not the Christ.”
– John 1:20b (NASB)
– Never one time did he mention his name. Rather, he told them that the heavenly Kinsman Redeemer was coming (see Ruth 3), and that his role was simply to be a voice, a forerunner, to that Redeemer. John was, in effect, telling them that he was merely a servant, a eunuch to a King, if you will (Is. 40:3a; Mal. 3:1a; Mat. 3:3). Thus he did not give them his name.
“For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy;
–for I betrothed you to ONE husband,
– that TO CHRIST I might present you as a pure virgin.”
– II Corinthians 11:2 (NASB)
– Paul wore the same eunuch/groomsman’s mantle as did John (Rom.1:1; et al).
– Paul’s defense of his apostolic authority in the book of Corinthians was not because he was looking for a name of exaltation. Rather, it was a fight to keep the spirit of (spiritual) adultery from being established in the church, because others had come in after him in order to exalt their own names in the eyes and hearts of the saints (i.e. – 2 Cor. 11; ref. also Gal. 4:17). Those who were not walking in anointed, eunuch-type leadership were making themselves – their ministries – to be of such great importance that the believers would become codependent upon them, … instead of growing by faith in their dependency upon Jesus, who is the true husband/head of the bride; (reference Acts 20:28-30; II Corinthians 11:20; Galatians 4:17-19).
– Paul’s jealousy for the church was a pure eunuch’s burning of one who had prepared a bride for Christ Jesus alone! Paul was the Hegai of Esther 2:8-9, 12-15; (Hegai’s name carries a hint to a verb in Hebrew meaning “to kindle, heat”), the one who was making ready an Esther for a heavenly Lion King.
– The bride of Christ is today, however, as the woman at the well.
He said to her, “Go, call your husband,
– and come here.”
–The woman answered and said, ” I have no husband.”
–Jesus said to her, “You have well said, ‘I have no
–husband’; for you have had five husbands,
–and the one whom you now have is not your husband;
– this you have said truly.”
– John 4:16-18 (NASB)
– The names of the five husbands, with whom the woman has been married, are “Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor and Teacher.” Yet they were not and are not to be husbands, but eunuchs preparing a bride for a Lion King.
– They were to have been the groomsmen, not the Groom. They were to have decreased, not increased. They were to have borne the reproach of the label “eunuch”, not gloried in the stolen label “husband”; (reference Matthew 21:33-38). Hence, the spirit of adultery is so prevalent within the church, in this bride who was purchased by One from whom the five are never worthy enough to remove His sandal; (see Revelation 5, esp. vs. 1-3; Lk. 3:16; Ruth 4:7-13).
– Jesus did not chide the woman, however, for her many “failed marriages,” but offered her Living water as a Groom who really loved her, (not one who lusted her).
– The story of John 4, because of His work of mercy and grace upon this unnamed woman, brought about one of the greatest revivals in the entire earthly ministry of Jesus. (See Vs 39-42). I believe the Holy Spirit is indicating, with great sternness in His countenance, that if leaders will get a hold of the impact from this story, they too will see great revivals as it was in Sychar.
– In ancient times, when young men were brought into a king’s court to serve him, they were castrated in order to kill adulterous desire for the king’s wives. In some cultures, servants to the king were blinded.
“And the king spake unto Ashpenaz the master of his
–eunuchs, that he should bring certain of the children of
–Israel, and of the king’s seed …: … nourishing them
–three years, that at the end thereof they might
– stand before the king.”
– Daniel 1:3, 5b (KJV)
– Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah were all made eunuchs to King Nebuchadnezzar; (see Isaiah 39:7 & Daniel 1).
– Biblically, those taken for service as eunuchs also had their names changed to names that reflected their functional service to the king: For example, referencing the book of Esther, Shaashgaz (2:14) means, “keeper of the beautiful”; Hathach (4:5) means “truth”; Harbona (6:14, 7:9) means “donkey driver” (the royal chauffeur).
– The word for “eunuch” in Hebrew is “çariyç” (pronounced “saw-reece'”), from a verb meaning “to castrate.” In Greek, the word is “eunouchos” (pronounced “yoo-noo’-khos”), also meaning a “castrated person”, but is derived from two separate Greek words; “eune” (yoo-nay’), meaning “bed”, and “echo”, meaning “to hold, to keep, to guard.”
– Hence you have the combined definition, “one who keeps or guards the bed,” with the clear denotation that that guard has been castrated and therefore has absolutely zero desire for sexual intimacy. Are you listening, Beloved?
– And are you aware of the religious reproach that goes with being castrated?
“NO ONE who is emasculated, or has his male organ
–cut off, shall enter the assembly of the Lord.”
– Deuteronomy 23:1 (NASB)
– Hence our mortification of such action.
– The reproach is clear. Yet the Holy Spirit is demanding such action in the spirit from leaders.
– A man caught in privacy with any of the king’s wives would loose his head. The seriousness of maintaining fidelity within the king’s bride was immense, beyond our mentality in this present “free society” age. But such gravity comes directly from the Father in heaven. Read the words of the Old Testament prophets; Almighty God addressed the spirit of adultery throughout those books, yet with greatest severity towards leadership who had first led His people into spiritual adultery (which is idolatry) and then into fleshly adultery. I honestly believe many today would loose their heads by command of the King of kings.
– I do not think we have any depth of comprehension as to the seriousness of this Holy and fearful God in heaven whom we serve, as it pertains to the leaders who touch the Bride of Christ with lust in their hearts. We do not see revival for this very reason. For presently we do not have a bride (w)holy in love with her One Husband. Thus we do not have a bride who will come into the Throne room to gain the salvation of peoples from all over His empire who have a death decree waiting to be carried out; (see Esther 4:16b-5:1; John 10:10a; I Peter 5:8b).
– There is more cry in this nation for political truth than there is for spiritual revival. We want Washington DC to hold to a form of “Christianity” more than we desire a true standard of a Holy God’s character of justice within the church. Church leaders are desperately trying to keep the saints committed to their churches. But the attrition and church hopping is divorce from the five who are not supposed to be husbands to begin with; for eunuchs have no seed to reproduce, and the woman wants children.
– Oh, dearly beloved, my heart aches for this nation, for our cities. My heart aches for the revelation to the bride that she is both holy and royal. She presently does not even perceive that her choosing is for something great, something that will affect the society outside the walls of the palace. Like Vashti, the bride is more interested in her own banquet than in coming to her Lord’s banquet. We play “Christianity” in this nation so well, yet we have so little heart for the lost. We are so desperate to make a name for ourselves instead of loosing our names for Christ’s sake. The saints pit their own leaders’ names against others for greatness (see I Corinthians 1:11-13), while they remain unaffected by the cursing of their Savior’s name among pagans, some of whom are in the walls of the church. Our church leaders do not tear their robes anymore, as did Paul and Barnabas in Acts 15:14 when men tried to exalt them.
‘… there are eunuchs who made themselves eunuchs
–for the sake of the kingdom of heaven.
–He who is able to accept this, let him accept it.”
– Matthew 19:12b (NASB)
– There is a call by the Holy Spirit upon leaders to be brandished with one name; it is a name that will bear reproach, a name that will declare to the world that you have been, as it were, castrated. Thus, you will bear a name that will not become great in this world, for no one ever goes to the King’s palace to speak with His eunuch. No one ever goes to a wedding to admire the groomsmen. No one ever visits the head of state to speak with his underlings.
– You will bear the reproach of the cross of the Christ Who calls you to get a bride.
– Your only job will be to get her ready for HIM ALONE, whereby you have wholly not one iota of desire for her; whereby you know your Lion King so intricately that you will be able to teach her His likes and dislikes, His favorite smells and those which He despises (Eph. 5:2 in the context of vs 1-10; 2 Cor. 2:14-16), how shapely He desires His Bride, how much He loves the look of Royal garments upon her … how much He desires to see her, not just in the bedroom, but also in His Throne room.
– You will teach her the intrinsic nature of your King so well, she will increasingly fall in love with Him alone; Her passions will be Him, so that her positioning as a believer, as a saint, as a bride, will not waiver when you are no longer around.
– You will teach her kingdom protocol. You will install within her a holy fear of Him because He is King of kings, a King who is passionate about righteousness and justice. You will teach her that her Lord rules with ultimate and awful authority.
– And when you have finished all that you are to do in preparing her, you will stand before men who do not comprehend that your great faith was because you were wholly under authority as nothing more than a voice and a forerunner; and your only words to them will be,
“We are unworthy slaves;
–we have done only that which we ought to have done.”
– (See Matthew 8:8-9; Luke 17:5-10)
– You will bear witness to the querying wonderers that you were merely a servant to the King.
…
Oh, yes; the first Ethiopian eunuch mentioned in scripture, who bore the name you are to wear …
– Do you know his name? …
… ? …
– Exactly !
– …
– You don’t !!
– …
“Now the word of the Lord had come to Jeremiah
–while he was confined in the court of the guardhouse,
–saying, “Go and speak to Ebed-melech the Ethiopian,
–saying, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel,
–“Behold, I am about to bring My words on this city for
–disaster and not for prosperity; and they will take
–place before you on that day.
– But I will deliver you on that day,” declares the Lord,
– “and you shall not be given into the hand of the men
– whom you dread. For I will certainly rescue you, and
– you will not fall by the sword; but you will have your
– own life as booty, because you have trusted in Me,”
– declares the Lord.’ “
– Jeremiah 39:15-18 (NASB)
– The first Ethiopian eunuch ever mentioned in scripture was not the one from Acts 8, but from here in Jeremiah; and he was actually mentioned first chapter 38.
– His name, Ebed-melech (pronounced “eh’-bed meh’-lek”) comes from two words; “ebed” meaning, “servant, slave”, rooted in a verb meaning “to labor, to work.” The second word is “melek” meaning “king” rooted in a verb meaning “to ascend the throne.” Hence, the name “Ebed-melech” or “servant of the king” – “servant of the One who has ascended to the throne.” (Ref. Rom. 1:1a; 1 Cor. 8:14-19; 4:9).
– While we do not glory in being called someone’s “slave”, someone’s “eunuch”, we are nevertheless called to wear these exact titles before our Lion King.
– The jealousy He possesses for His bride is, I think, an intensity and ferocity that we have not begun to fathom. Yet if we begin to accept such incomprehensible jealousy by faith, we will find a King of such great power and wealth, willing to pour out gifts through our hands from His abundance for the sole purpose of our wooing a bride from the lost among the nations of the world, from the cities of our own nation.
– The revival for which we have waited decades will be given only to those who will step into this eunuch’s reproach – this Stewardship Entrusment – only to those who will bear names that indicate nothing … but eunuch – çariyç – to the King … (Revelation 14:4)
Ebed-Melech
Mark D.
- This link is to a kairos (released in 2021) having instruction from the LORD which is tied the teaching in the word above.
kairos – (Kahee-ros’) – Strong’s concordance defines this word: “an occasion, I.e. set or proper time.” The Hebrew-Greek Key Study Bible (NASB) defines this word; “season, time, but not merely as a succession of moments, which is chronos,” [from which we derive the English word ‘chronology’]. “Kairos, however, implies not the convenience of the season, but the necessity of the task at hand, whether the time provides a good, convenient opportunity or not.” This must be understood. Strategic times of the Lord do not necessarily imply good or convenient times. We are in Kairos times. Maybe not good or convenient times, but definitely strategic, opportune times because of the season we are in. We must have “ears to hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches,” (Rev. 2:29), so as to respond correctly to the Kairos time.
* Scripture for this letter is taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE, (c) 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. The Hebrew-Greek Key Study Bible, (c) 1984 and 1990, Spiros Zodiates and AMG International, Inc. D/B/A as AMG Publishers.
* Hebrew definitions taken from 1) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, Crusade Bible Publishers, Inc. Box 90011, Nashville, Tenn. 37209 .
2) Gesenius’ Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament, Baker Book House Publishers, Grand Rapids, Michigan.