He is singled out from the general deportation. He now has a decisive voice in his future. Verses 15-18 abruptly shift to an important drama to be played out. One the one hand, God is relentless in the resolve against Jerusalem. On the other hand, Ebed-melech is singled out for exceptional treatment.
Acts of faith are always salvific.
Jeremiah got his groove back by a reminder that those who align themselves with God are never forgotten. Jeremiah got his groove back because he took the time to understand how God operates. Jeremiah got his groove back because he understood that the Symbol is not the Source. In chapter 7, Jeremiah got in trouble by telling the truth about Jerusalem's reliance on the temple. It was a symbol but not the source of God's abiding presence.