This chapter continues to chronicle the political and spiritual collapse of the Jewish remnant left in the land after the fall of Jerusalem. Seven months into Gedaliah’s governorship, Ishmael returns to meet with Gedaliah. Ishmael, who is almost always referred to as “son of Nethaniah”, had been one of Zedekiah’s (“the king) officers and was “of royal blood” (1). In the previous chapter, Johanan had privately met with Gedaliah, accusing Ishmael of being an assassin working for Baalis, king of the Ammonites (40:14). That accusation, dismissed by Gedaliah, now proves true.
While we aren’t told his motives (envy? revenge? money?), we are told his actions. He comes with ten men to meet with Gedaliah (1). During a meal together, he overpowers and kills Gedaliah and “all the Jews who were with Gedaliah at Mizpah, as well as the Babylonian soldiers who were there” (3).
The following day, before word of the assassination spreads, he continues the slaughter. Eighty men come by Mizpah, headed for the “house of the Lord” (5). Several curious things are reported about these men: they are headed for the Temple with “offerings and incense” (5) but the temple has been recently demolished. Perhaps an altar for sacrifice had been rebuilt in the intervening months. They come from “Shechem, Shiloh and Samaria”—places not associated with faithful worship of YHWH. They had “shaved off their beards, torn their clothes and cut themselves” (5). These were all signs of mourning, though cutting was expressly prohibited by the Mosaic Law (Lev. 19:28).
For some reason (robbery?), Ishmael sets a trap for them. He meets them weeping and invites them to come to Gedaliah (6), perhaps telling them a tragedy has taken place. Once in Mizpah, he kills seventy of the men, sparing ten who claim to know where a stash of goods is hidden (8). He throws the dead bodies into a cistern containing the corpses of the previous night’s crimes (9). Jeremiah adds that King Asa had built this cistern during a time of tension with Baasha, king of Israel (9).
What are we to make of all this? Why the details about the eighty men and King Asa’s cistern? It may be that Jeremiah is revealing details to show the degraded state of the Israelite remnant. A former officer to the king, even one of royal blood, is a murderous traitor. Those in mourning and coming to worship at the Temple ruins are spiritually syncretistic, blending banned religious practices with legitimate offerings to God. Their dead bodies are thrown into a cistern originally constructed under the leadership of a godly king for protection; now it is defiled and turned into a mass grave. Jeremiah’s account is evidence of his earlier prediction that the remnant left in the land of Israel would be “bad figs” (Jer. 24).
When Johanan hears the news about Ishmael’s treachery, he leads a group of military officers and troops to hunt Ishmael down. Ishmael has taken captives from Mizpah and is headed towards Ammon and Johanan catches up to him near Gibeon (a few miles south of Mizpah). The captives break free and run towards Johanan; Ishmael, with eight of his men, escapes and returns to Ammon.
The whole episode is bleak and unsatisfying. Gedaliah is needlessly killed. The Babylonians are provoked. The villainous Ishmael gets away with murder. The remnant is further diminished and decimated. Yet all this is a partial fulfillment of the prophetic word through Jeremiah about the destruction of those remaining in the land—the ones God compares to “bad figs”(Jeremiah 24). The Lord had said He would make them “abhorrent . . . to all the kingdoms of the earth” (24:9) and send the “sword” against them (24:10). Here the sword of Ammon is used against them, cutting down the leader and officials who sought to take care of them. The judgment that came with the destruction of Jerusalem continues to shadow and reduce the remnant in the land.
Johanan and the people he rescued now find themselves in a deeper dilemma. Jeremiah’s account reveals their fear: “They were afraid of them [the Babylonians] because Ishmael son of Nethaniah had killed Gedaliah son of Ahikam, whom the king of Babylon had appointed as governor over the land” (41:17). They are terrified that Nebuchadnezzar, after hearing of the assassination of his appointed governor, will send troops to punish them further. Traumatized and terrified, they decide their best option is to flee. So from Gibeon, they head south to Egypt, stopping to camp near Bethlehem (roughly 10 miles south of Gibeon). So now the whole remnant—military officials led by Johanan, court officials, king’s daughters, men, women and children—head out on a long journey towards Egypt.
It’s hard to imagine the trauma they have experienced and the fear that grips them. They have lived through the carnage of the destruction of Jerusalem and the exile of many of their friends and countrymen. They had barely begun to try and rebuild their lives when Ishmael brought further death and captivity. They want to run away, to get as far from the sound of battle and war as possible. Egypt seems to offer some stability so they decide to head south. While such a trek will be dangerous and difficult, they have concluded that staying put in Israel will mean certain death at the hands of the Babylonians.
As we will see in the following chapter, their faith is at a low ebb at this point as well. Their confidence in God’s protection of them and their temple (7:4) has been rocked or even shattered. They feel orphaned, on their own. Sadly, it soon becomes apparent they have lost their trust in the Lord and will rely on their own understanding to get them through life (contra Proverbs 3:5-6).
It’s been quite a week for us in Cambridge. Like much of the province, we’ve had our share of winter weather; classes at Heritage had to be cancelled on Tuesday due to freezing rain and ice. In the midst of it all, the warmth of God’s love has been shining through. Linda and I hosted an Alpha Bible study in our home on Sunday evening. What a joy to see a number of these friends warm up spiritually and begin a new life with Christ. There is rejoicing in heaven and in our hearts.
I’ve also been greatly encouraged by our Heritage Board members. You may recall that Heritage has been carrying institutional debt for decades. Over the past few years, we’ve seen God’s amazing provision help us lower the debt. Where the debt was once over 3.5 million dollars, it has come down to $250,000. At our January Board meeting, the men and women on the Heritage Board of Directors made a faith commitment to completely demolish the remaining debt over the coming months. Through the generous gifts of these Board members and their contacts, we are moving closer to being debt free as a school. This will be a year of Jubilee!
Chapter 40 focuses on the release of Jeremiah by the Babylonian officials (summarized briefly in 39:13-14), providing significant details that validate Jeremiah’s ministry and “reward” him for his service—something the Jewish leaders had not done. The second half of the chapter begins the account of the “rest of the story”—what happened to the remnant left behind in Judah after the destruction of Jerusalem and the deportation of most of the survivors (7-16).
Nebuzaradan not only grants Jeremiah freedom to go to Babylon or stay in Judah, he also gives Jeremiah “provisions and a present.” Again, this action is an ironic rebuke to the Jewish leaders—a pagan official honours the prophet who had been mistreated by his own people. Behind Nebuzaradan’s action is the faithfulness of God who was keeping His promise to care for Jeremiah.
This is the first of two recounting of the fall of Jerusalem; the final chapter in the book (52) gives a more detailed version of the same events. Chapter 39 tells the grim news in chronological sequence with the surrounding chapters. Chapter 52 concludes the book with a rehearsal of God’s promise through Jeremiah to bring judgment on his stubbornly rebellious people. Both chapters end with a reminder that God is not finished with His people: chapter 39 ends with the promise of rescue to Ebed-Melech; chapter 52 ends with the kindness shown to Jehoiachin. In this way, the book ends with hope. Amidst the devastation, God’s mercies are still new every morning; great is His faithfulness (Lamentations 3:23).
By contrast, this chapter highlights the protection God afforded Jeremiah. Amidst the carnage and chaos, God keeps his promise to preserve Jeremiah’s life (15:20-21). Zedekiah runs from the captured city, but can’t get away. Jeremiah is confined in a burning city but is kept safe. While the rest of the people are put into chains (“bronze shackles”—7), Jeremiah has his removed (11-14). Where Zedekiah and the Jewish captives were forced into exile, Jeremiah is free to choose where he will live. Where others have no say in their future, Jeremiah is given “whatever he asks” (12). Where Nebuchadnezzar pronounces harsh judgment on Zedekiah (5), he commands that Jeremiah be treated well (“Take him and look after him; don’t harm him but do for him whatever he asks”—12). The chapter is emphasizing, through contrast, God’s judgment on a faithless king and His protection of a faithful servant.
It’s weather outside has been frigid this week; but inside Heritage, the spiritual climate inside has been warm and inviting. Over the past week, I’ve (Rick) enjoyed teaching a pastoral leadership course as well as a preaching course to sharp young seminary students. Linda and I also had the joy of speaking on marriage and ministry to a gathering of pastors and ministry leaders.
Missions Conference: Next Monday through Wednesday is our annual Missions Conference—one of the highlights of the year at Heritage. We cancel classes for several days to focus on God’s heart for the world and our part in sharing gospel locally and globally. Please ask God to work through the Conference to send out workers into His harvest field (Luke 10:2).
ESL Outreach: Linda works with Heritage students to offer several ESL (English as a Second Language) classes each week. One class meets in the local library and the other on our campus. It’s been a joy to meet the new Canadians who come to the classes. Pray for the friendship outreach that takes place through these classes.
Chapter 38 continues the narrative begun in the previous chapter by telling us what transpired after Jeremiah was accused of desertion and imprisoned in the courtyard of the guard. Things go from bad to worse for Jeremiah and for king Zedekiah. Yet in the midst of the mire, there are glimmers of God’s grace in the way God preserves the life of his faithful, suffering prophet. There are also glimpses of the inner workings of Zedekiah’s heart, especially the dynamics that keep him from trusting and obeying God.
God’s grace and fidelity to His promise to protect Jeremiah’s life (1:18-19) are seen in what happens next. First, the officials do not kill Jeremiah (though evidently given tacit permission to do so); instead, they lower him, Joseph-like, into a pit. Second, another court official, Ebed-Melech, takes it on himself to approach the king, accuse the other officials of acting “wickedly” (9), and plead for Jeremiah’s removal from the cistern. A third evidence of God’s preserving grace is seen in Zedekiah’s response: he uses his rediscovered royal authority to have Jeremiah extricated from the cistern and held (once again) in the courtyard of the guard (10-13). Fourth, he grants Jeremiah favour with the vacillating king so that Zedekiah uses his power to protect Jeremiah from the officials who are still seeking his life (16).
One touching aspect of this episode is the courageous action taken by Ebed-Melech to rescue Jeremiah from death in the cistern (7-13). Ebed-Melech (“servant of the king”) is one of the king’s officials (perhaps a eunuch) and was a foreigner (a Cushite—person of colour from the Upper Nile region). He approaches the king as he is “sitting in the Benjamin Gate” (7). Authorities often administered justice in the city gates, so perhaps Zedekiah was judging internal matters that day. Ebed-Melech publically accuses his fellow officials of “acting wickedly in all they have done to Jeremiah the prophet” (8). The king orders Ebed-Melech to take thirty men (perhaps expecting resistance) and pull Jeremiah out of the pit (in spite of his earlier decision to allow the officials to punish Jeremiah—5).