- This passage sets the stage for the final years of Jeremiah and the aftermath of the destruction of Jerusalem
- What is Jeremiah's situation at the time he is discovered?
- He is bound with other captives
- He is heading to Babylon
- Why does the commander seem so in tune with God's truth?
- Daniel! By this time, Daniel has made quite an impact in Babylon
- Jeremiah is given a choice on where to live. Why does he choose to stay in Jerusalem?
- Unclear from the text
- It is possible that Jeremiah takes Nebuzaradan's advice
- So what is happening in this passage?
- The first group of returnees are guerilla fighters
- In the second group, refugees are returning
- These are the same people who left the country when times were bad
- Who is Gedaliah? Or, how might guerilla leaders see him?
- A traitor
- A symbol of the county that just conquered Judah
- Why would some of the guerillas be working together with the Ammonites?
- Common foe
- Possibly Ammon has plans for taking over Judah
- Why doesn't Gedaliah listen to Johanan?
- Doesn't mention God (therefore probably not a trusting God issue)
- Ishmael was a fellow country man
- Jeremiah had prophesied many times the need to submit to Babylon
- Gedaliah fails to take prudent action or take the issue to God
- So, what is happing here? Is this a personal thing against Gedaliah?
- This is political because all the Jews are killed as well as the Babylonian soldiers
- Also, Elishama is a potential heir (his ancestor, Elishama was one of David's sons)
- So, what could have Gedaliah done differently?
- He could have listened to Johanan
- He could have taken some prudent actions short of Johanan's suggestions to kill him
- Application: Trusting God without specific instruction from God is foolishness. We need to take actions but then pray as if everything depended upon God
- What do we conclude about these 80 men from the northern cities?
- Probably trying to keep a Jewish festival or some other religious rite (bringing grain and incense to offer)
- They had mixed pagan religious ideas with worship of God (cutting of the body is specifically condemned by Mosaic law)
- Why does Ishmael kill them?
- No reason given in the text which suggests that Ishmael was a brutal murderer, further strengthening Johanan's original warning
- Seems to be on a vendetta against anyone who cooperated with the Babylonians
- He saves a few people in order to raid their food stores. He disgraces the body by their burial. He also captures fellow Jews to transport to Ammon
- So Johanan hears of Ishmael's crime and responds. What does he accomplish and what does he fail to accomplish?
- He rescues the captives
- He fails to capture the guerillas, especially Ishmael
- What does Johanan and his party do and why?
- They decide to run to Egypt
- They fear for their life
- They had nothing to do with Gedaliah's death, why should they fear? What are their prudent arguments?
- Ishmael was a Jew (so are they)
- Ishmael was not captured (will suggest complicity to the Babylonians)
- Gedaliah was appointed Governor by Babylon
- Babylon will have to make an example to establish their authority in the region, and they do not want to be the example
- Additionally, Babylonian soldiers were killed as well
- They knew Ishmael was a threat (former guerilla fighter) and did nothing to prevent his actions
- They stop to discuss the situation with Jeremiah, why?
- They wanted God's wisdom
- Why wait ten days for an answer?
- They believed that God's word is waiting for an answer
- They promise to obey God's word (favorable or unfavorable)
- God's answer to the people is what?
- They are to stay in Jerusalem (opposite of the their decision of prudence)
- If they go to Egypt, they will die by the sword, famine, and plague (opposite of what the current environment seem to show true)
- God's answer is the opposite of the best judgment the leaders could develop on their own. Why is this situation different from the previous situation when Gedaliah did not act on good prudent argument?
- In this case, God's word was clearly known
- In the previous case, there was no clear direction from God and so prudent action was the best choice
- Unfortunately, the people disobeyed the revealed word of God. Why?
- One, Jeremiah is lying
- Two, Jeremiah no longer speaks for God
- Three, it goes against what they really wanted to do
- Be careful of saying you will obey a decision if you do not mean it in your heart
- Be careful of not obeying the revealed will of God for your life
- Note that the decision contrasted with their feelings of what is right
- Feelings are poor indicators of God's truth
- Most cults start with someone who has a feeling of what God's "word to them" is
Jer
40:1-5 (NIV) The word came to Jeremiah from the Lord after Nebuzaradan
commander of the imperial guard had released him at Ramah. He had found
Jeremiah bound in chains among all the captives from Jerusalem and Judah who
were being carried into exile to Babylon. 2 When the commander of the guard
found Jeremiah, he said to him, "The Lord your God decreed this disaster
for this place. 3 And now the Lord has brought it about; he has done just as
he said he would. All this happened because you people sinned against the Lord
and did not obey him. 4 But today I am freeing you from the chains on your
wrists. Come with me to Babylon, if you like, and I will look after you; but
if you do not want to, then don't come. Look, the whole country lies before you;
go wherever you please." 5 However, before Jeremiah turned to go,
Nebuzaradan added, "Go back to Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of
Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon has appointed over the towns of Judah, and
live with him among the people, or go anywhere else you please."
Then
the commander gave him provisions and a present and let him go.
Jer
40:7-12 (NIV) When all the army officers and their men who were still in the
open country heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah son of
Ahikam as governor over the land and had put him in charge of the men, women
and children who were the poorest in the land and who had not been carried
into exile to Babylon, 8 they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah — Ishmael son of
Nethaniah, Johanan and Jonathan the sons of Kareah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth,
the sons of Ephai the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah the son of the Maacathite,
and their men. 9 Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, took an oath to
reassure them and their men. "Do not be afraid to serve the
Babylonians," he said. "Settle down in the land and serve the king
of Babylon, and it will go well with you. 10 I myself will stay at Mizpah to
represent you before the Babylonians who come to us, but you are to harvest
the wine, summer fruit and oil, and put them in your storage jars, and live in
the towns you have taken over."
11
When all the Jews in Moab, Ammon, Edom and all the other countries heard that
the king of Babylon had left a remnant in Judah and had appointed Gedaliah son
of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, as governor over them, 12 they all came back to
the land of Judah, to Gedaliah at Mizpah, from all the countries where they
had been scattered. And they harvested an abundance of wine and summer fruit.
Jer
40:13-16 (NIV) Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers still in the
open country came to Gedaliah at Mizpah 14 and said to him, "Don't you
know that Baalis king of the Ammonites has sent Ishmael son of Nethaniah to
take your life?" But Gedaliah son of Ahikam did not believe them.
15
Then Johanan son of Kareah said privately to Gedaliah in Mizpah, "Let me
go and kill Ishmael son of Nethaniah, and no one will know it. Why should he
take your life and cause all the Jews who are gathered around you to be
scattered and the remnant of Judah to perish?"
16 But
Gedaliah son of Ahikam said to Johanan son of Kareah, "Don't do such a
thing! What you are saying about Ishmael is not true."
Jer
41:1-3 (NIV) In the seventh month Ishmael son of Nethaniah, the son of
Elishama, who was of royal blood and had been one of the king's officers, came
with ten men to Gedaliah son of Ahikam at Mizpah. While they were eating
together there, 2 Ishmael son of Nethaniah and the ten men who were with him
got up and struck down Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, with the
sword, killing the one whom the king of Babylon had appointed as governor over
the land. 3 Ishmael also killed all the Jews who were with Gedaliah at Mizpah,
as well as the Babylonian soldiers who were there.
Jer
41:4-10 (NIV) The day after Gedaliah's assassination, before anyone knew about
it, 5 eighty men who had shaved off their beards, torn their clothes and cut
themselves came from Shechem, Shiloh and Samaria, bringing grain offerings and
incense with them to the house of the Lord. 6 Ishmael son of Nethaniah went
out from Mizpah to meet them, weeping as he went. When he met them, he said,
"Come to Gedaliah son of Ahikam." 7 When they went into the city,
Ishmael son of Nethaniah and the men who were with him slaughtered them and
threw them into a cistern. 8 But ten of them said to Ishmael, "Don't kill
us! We have wheat and barley, oil and honey, hidden in a field." So he
let them alone and did not kill them with the others. 9 Now the cistern where
he threw all the bodies of the men he had killed along with Gedaliah was the
one King Asa had made as part of his defense against Baasha king of Israel.
Ishmael son of Nethaniah filled it with the dead.
10
Ishmael made captives of all the rest of the people who were in Mizpah — the
king's daughters along with all the others who were left there, over whom
Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard had appointed Gedaliah son of
Ahikam. Ishmael son of Nethaniah took them captive and set out to cross over
to the Ammonites.
Jer
41:11-18 (NIV) When Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers who were
with him heard about all the crimes Ishmael son of Nethaniah had committed, 12
they took all their men and went to fight Ishmael son of Nethaniah. They
caught up with him near the great pool in Gibeon. 13 When all the people
Ishmael had with him saw Johanan son of Kareah and the army officers who were
with him, they were glad. 14 All the people Ishmael had taken captive at
Mizpah turned and went over to Johanan son of Kareah. 15 But Ishmael son of
Nethaniah and eight of his men escaped from Johanan and fled to the Ammonites.
16
Then Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers who were with him led
away all the survivors from Mizpah whom he had recovered from Ishmael son of
Nethaniah after he had assassinated Gedaliah son of Ahikam: the soldiers,
women, children and court officials he had brought from Gibeon. 17 And they
went on, stopping at Geruth Kimham near Bethlehem on their way to Egypt 18 to
escape the Babylonians. They were afraid of them because Ishmael son of
Nethaniah had killed Gedaliah son of Ahikam, whom the king of Babylon had
appointed as governor over the land.
Jer
42:1-7 (NIV) Then all the army officers, including Johanan son of Kareah and
Jezaniah son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least to the greatest
approached 2 Jeremiah the prophet and said to him, "Please hear our
petition and pray to the Lord your God for this entire remnant. For as you now
see, though we were once many, now only a few are left. 3 Pray that the Lord
your God will tell us where we should go and what we should do."
4
"I have heard you," replied Jeremiah the prophet. "I will
certainly pray to the Lord your God as you have requested; I will tell you
everything the Lord says and will keep nothing back from you."
5 Then
they said to Jeremiah, "May the Lord be a true and faithful witness
against us if we do not act in accordance with everything the Lord your God
sends you to tell us. 6 Whether it is favorable or unfavorable, we will obey
the Lord our God, to whom we are sending you, so that it will go well with us,
for we will obey the Lord our God."
7 Ten
days later the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah.
Jer
42:8-22 (NlV) So he called together Johanan son of Kareah and all the army
officers who were with him and all the people from the least to the greatest.
9 He said to them, "This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, to whom you
sent me to present your petition, says: 10 'If you stay in this land, I will
build you up and not tear you down; I will plant you and not uproot you, for I
am grieved over the disaster I have inflicted on you. 11 Do not be afraid of
the king of Babylon, whom you now fear. Do not be afraid of him, declares the
Lord, for I am with you and will save you and deliver you from his hands. 12 I
will show you compassion so that he will have compassion on you and restore
you to your land.'
13
"However, if you say, 'We will not stay in this land,' and so disobey the
Lord your God, 14 and if you say, 'No, we will go and live in Egypt, where we
will not see war or hear the trumpet or be hungry for bread,' 15 then hear the
word of the Lord, O remnant of Judah. This is what the Lord Almighty, the God
of Israel, says: 'If you are determined to go to Egypt and you do go to settle
there, 16 then the sword you fear will overtake you there, and the famine you
dread will follow you into Egypt, and there you will die. 17 Indeed, all who
are determined to go to Egypt to settle there will die by the sword, famine
and plague; not one of them will survive or escape the disaster I will bring
on them.' 18 This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: 'As my
anger and wrath have been poured out on those who lived in Jerusalem, so will
my wrath be poured out on you when you go to Egypt. You will be an object of
cursing and horror, of condemnation and reproach; you will never see this
place again.'
19
"O remnant of Judah, the Lord has told you, 'Do not go to Egypt.' Be sure
of this: I warn you today 20 that you made a fatal mistake when you sent me to
the Lord your God and said, 'Pray to the Lord our God for us; tell us
everything he says and we will do it.' 21 I have told you today, but you still
have not obeyed the Lord your God in all he sent me to tell you. 22 So now, be
sure of this: You will die by the sword, famine and plague in the place where
you want to go to settle."
Jer
43:1-7 (NIV) When Jeremiah finished telling the people all the words of the
Lord their God — everything the Lord had sent him to tell them — 2 Azariah son of Hoshaiah and Johanan son of
Kareah and all the arrogant men said to Jeremiah, "You are lying! The
Lord our God has not sent you to say, 'You must not go to Egypt to settle
there.' 3 But Baruch son of Neriah is inciting you against us to hand us over
to the Babylonians, so they may kill us or carry us into exile to
Babylon."
4 So
Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers and all the people disobeyed
the Lord's command to stay in the land of Judah. 5 Instead, Johanan son of
Kareah and all the army officers led away all the remnant of Judah who had
come back to live in the land of Judah from all the nations where they had
been scattered. 6 They also led away all the men, women and children and the
king's daughters whom Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard had left
with Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, and Jeremiah the prophet and
Baruch son of Neriah. 7 So they entered Egypt in disobedience to the Lord and
went as far as Tahpanhes.
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