Reading: Jeremiah 41-44
Now it came to pass in the seventh month, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah the son of Elishama, of the seed royal, and the princes of the king, even ten men with him, came unto Gedaliah the son of Ahikam to Mizpah; and there they did eat bread together in Mizpah. Then arose Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and the ten men that were with him, and smote Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan with the sword, and slew him, whom the king of Babylon had made governor over the land. Ishmael also slew all the Jews that were with him, even with Gedaliah, at Mizpah, and the Chaldeans that were found there, and the men of war (Jer. 41:1-3).
With the fall of Jerusalem, the Babylonian conquest of Judah was complete. Many of her citizens had been captured or killed, but some had been left behind in a Babylonian-controlled Judah. And as for the people that remained in the land of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had left, even over them he made Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, ruler (II Kings 25:22).
Gedaliah, a prominent Judean who had previously taken charge of Jeremiah upon his release from prison, had been appointed governor over the remnant left behind. And Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan sware unto them and to their men, saying, Fear not to serve the Chaldeans: dwell in the land, and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you (Jer. 40:9). Gedaliah’s words echoed the warning God had issued through Jeremiah, But the nations that bring their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him, those will I let remain still in their own land, saith the Lord; and they shall till it, and dwell therein (27:11). Under his brief leadership, many of those who had fled before the Babylonian invasion returned home and began picking up the pieces of the lives they had left behind (40:12).
Ishmael, a descendant of the royal house of David (II Sam. 5:13-16), took exception to Gedaliah’s appointment as governor and plotted against him with the Ammonites. Perhaps he was jealous that the other man held a position he felt rightly belonged to the house of David, or maybe he was upset that Gedaliah was acquiescing to Babylonian rule. But whatever the reason, Ishmael came to Gedaliah in good faith, ate at his table, and then killed him, along with all his household and other guests. The slaughter did not stop there. Before his crime was discovered, Ishmael intercepted a group of eighty pilgrim worshipers. He killed all but ten, carelessly throwing their bodies into a pit, before ultimately escaping back to Ammon with eight of his men (41:15).
If Ishmael’s brutal attack had been motivated by a desire to reclaim Judah from the Babylonians, it failed horribly. Driven by fear of a Babylonian reprisal over the massacre, the remaining Jews ignored God’s repeated command to stay put (42:9-11) and fled to Egypt. As God had foretold, the land of promise was left devoid of the people of God.
And the Lord shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other; and there thou shalt serve other gods, which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, even wood and stone. And among these nations shalt thou find no ease, neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest: but the Lord shall give thee there a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind(Deut. 28:64-65).
Thought For TodayWhen we put our pride above His Word, we harm not only ourselves but also those around us.
Christ Revealed: By My servants the prophets (Jer. 44:4).
Word Studies: 41:1 seed royal = royal family; 41:9 pit = cistern; 41:14 cast about = turned around; 42:18 execration = curse, object of disgust and shame; 42:20 dissembled = were deceitful; 43:3 setteth thee on = incites or influences you.
Pray For Country: Australia (22,507,617) Between the Indian and Pacific Oceans • Major Language: English • Religious Freedom • 28.8% Protestant; 25.3% Roman Catholic; 2.6% Eastern Orthodox; 4.4% Other Christian; 2.5% Buddhist; 2.2% Muslim; 1.3% Hindu; 8.5% Other; 2.2% Unspecified; 22.2% None • Prayer Suggestion: Pray for a greater desire to serve the Lord (Ps. 42:1-2).
Optional Reading: Jude 1