Turn up for that check and yeah I get it out the streets
Hustle like I’m starving going hard, I gotta eat
Kevin Gates, “Out of the Mud”
Someone is going to question why reference rapper Kevin Gates when speaking about Jeremiah. I’ve got an answer for that. Kevin Gates might be viewed as outspoken and challenging. That’s just like Jeremiah.
Download this week’s Bible study guide and see what I mean.
Why Would They Both be Considered Outspoken?
Gate spews raps of realism from the streets through his underground channels of distribution whether through album or mixtape, a realistic perspective that many try to downplay and keep hidden. He keeps it real, even when he speaks openly about society and stereotypes via YouTube interviews.
That’s what Jeremiah did. He spoke truth to power and was considered outspoken. He spoke the words of God and was looked upon as a problem by the court of princes in Judah (Jeremiah 38: 1-4). He was tossed in a cistern filled with mud that some deem as a “dungeon,” according to Jeremiah 38:6.
Why Would They Both be Considered Challenging?
Kevin Gates isn’t the atypical rap image. Yes, “Out of the Mud” and other songs like “Really Really” speak of hustling and violent ways of life. But Gates is a different type of rap persona than most seeking to portray an image for their brand. He spoke openly an interview with Mike Tyson about being molested as a child and his violent upbringing.
Truthfully, if we look at it honestly, Kevin Gates is the product of his upbringing and a reflection of society leaving its children in harm’s way. That’s not what the labels tend to portray as a gangsta image to boost sales. That’s challenging for some to fathom. That’s challenging for some to understand and accept. That’s just too real for some folks.
In Jeremiah’s case, things got so bad to the point where he saw that others viewed him as challenging. He previously questioned King Zedekiah what wrong he had committed against him or others for his imprisonment (Jeremiah 37:18). Even in this chapter, Jeremiah questions if his life is in danger by answering the king of Judah according to the words of God in verse 15.
This chapter has some other discoveries, too. Jeremiah gets help from an odd place in the person of Ebed-Melech (Ebed-Melek), an Ethiopian eunuch whose name means “Servant of the King.” The eunuch sought out the king on Jeremiah’s nehalf and eventually got Jeremiah out of the muddy cistern and into more acceptable surroundings in the courtyard of the prison but still imprisoned.
That’s what comes to mind when you know you’ve developed a reputation for being challenging in the eyes of the powerful. And this chapter of Jeremiah openly depicts Jeremiah’s plight for being both outspoken and challenging in the eyes of others, especially those like King Zedekiah and the court of princes.
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