The Deceitful Murderer (41:1–18)

I. The Assassination of Gedaliah (41:1–3)

1 Now it came to pass in the seventh month that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the royal family and of the officers of the king, came with ten men to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, at Mizpah. And there they ate bread together in Mizpah. 2 Then Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and the ten men who were with him, arose and struck Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, with the sword, and killed him whom the king of Babylon had made governor over the land. 3 Ishmael also struck down all the Jews who were with him, that is, with Gedaliah at Mizpah, and the Chaldeans who were found there, the men of war.

A. Sadly, Johanan’s words come true: Gedaliah is murdered by Ishmael

In the Near East, when people eat together, they’re pledging their friendship and loyalty to one another. Ishmael, however, used the meal as a trap to catch Gedaliah and his men so he could kill them. We don’t know how many men were with the governor, but ten of Ishmael’s men were able to dispatch them quickly.

They murder the one appointed by the king of Babylon, as verse 2 explicitly states, thereby causing the breakdown of law and order. Babylonian soldiers, who were meant to keep an eye on the government, were also killed.

B. Why did Ishmael kill Gedaliah?

The most obvious reason seems to be that, being of royal descent, he wanted to reign instead of Gedaliah. Furthermore, Gedaliah’s acceptance of Babylonian rule may have also been a motive.

Gedaliah ignored the warning and trusted Ishmael. Ishmael murdered all the Jews at Mizpah with Gedaliah, as well as the Babylonian soldiers there.

II. Other Violent Acts by Ishmael (41:4–10)

4 And it happened, on the second day after he had killed Gedaliah, when as yet no one knew it, 5 that certain men came from Shechem, from Shiloh, and from Samaria, eighty men with their beards shaved and their clothes torn, having cut themselves, with offerings and incense in their hand, to bring them to the house of the LORD. 6 Now Ishmael the son of Nethaniah went out from Mizpah to meet them, weeping as he went along; and it happened as he met them that he said to them, “Come to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam!” 7 So it was, when they came into the midst of the city, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah killed them and cast them into the midst of a pit, he and the men who were with him. 8 But ten men were found among them who said to Ishmael, “Do not kill us, for we have treasures of wheat, barley, oil, and honey in the field.” So he desisted and did not kill them among their brethren. 9 Now the pit into which Ishmael had cast all the dead bodies of the men whom he had slain, because of Gedaliah, was the same one Asa the king had made for fear of Baasha king of Israel. Ishmael the son of Nethaniah filled it with the slain. 10 Then Ishmael carried away captive all the rest of the people who were in Mizpah, the king’s daughters and all the people who remained in Mizpah, whom Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had committed to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam. And Ishmael the son of Nethaniah carried them away captive and departed to go over to the Ammonites.

A. To his terrible breach of hospitality he added hypocrisy.

This is not the end of Ishmael’s criminal record. It is unclear why he goes on to kill so many men after murdering Gedaliah. Whether or not Ishmael killed so many men in order to cover up his first crime, the murder of Gedaliah, is not known.

By their appearance they were in mourning. They had shaved their beards, torn their clothes, and gashed themselves. These were all common mourning practices. They probably were mourning the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem or the disappearance of Judah as an independent nation.

B. Ishmael went out of the city weeping to meet the pilgrims.

The hypocrisy of Ishmael to lure the unsuspecting pilgrims inside to kill them is beyond evil. No explanation is given for his invitation to the pilgrims to come to Gedaliah. He could have made an excuse for the governor’s absence, and they would have continued their journey. However, as soon as they entered the city, Ishmael and his men slaughtered seventy of the eighty and threw them into a cistern.

Ten of the pilgrims saved their lives by offering Ishmael wheat, barley, oil, and honey hidden in a field in exchange for their lives. If his motive for killing the seventy pilgrims was to keep them from spreading news of the murder of Gedaliah and the Babylonian soldiers, it seems he would also have killed the remaining pilgrims and all the people remaining in Mizpah. Perhaps he intended to sell the people he took with him as slaves or use them as hostages if the Israelites attacked him. It is likely that Jeremiah was among the captives, since he probably was still in Mizpah when the assassination occurred.

III. Rescue of Ishmael’s Captives (41:11-18)

11 But when Johanan the son of Kareah and all the captains of the forces that were with him heard of all the evil that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had done, 12 they took all the men and went to fight with Ishmael the son of Nethaniah; and they found him by the great pool that is in Gibeon. 13 So it was, when all the people who were with Ishmael saw Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces who were with him, that they were glad. 14 Then all the people whom Ishmael had carried away captive from Mizpah turned around and came back, and went to Johanan the son of Kareah. 15 But Ishmael the son of Nethaniah escaped from Johanan with eight men and went to the Ammonites. 16 Then Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces that were with him, took from Mizpah all the rest of the people whom he had recovered from Ishmael the son of Nethaniah after he had murdered Gedaliah the son of Ahikam—the mighty men of war and the women and the children and the eunuchs, whom he had brought back from Gibeon. 17 And they departed and dwelt in the habitation of Chimham, which is near Bethlehem, as they went on their way to Egypt, 18 because of the Chaldeans; for they were afraid of them, because Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had murdered Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, whom the king of Babylon had made governor in the land.

A. Ishmael is captured near the great pool in Gibeon.

Johanan was the deliverer (41:11–18) who would not let evil prevail. He mustered the forces, pursued the villain, and reclaimed those captured. Like Abraham pursuing the kings who had captured Lot (Gen 14), Johanan succeeded. One interpretation might be that God uses good-hearted people to stop evil persons in their tracks.

Johanan’s whereabouts at the time of the assassination are unknown. He seems to have been negligent in protecting Gedaliah, knowing the plot on his life. But when he heard about Ishmael’s crimes, he ordered his men to pursue him.

B. The outcome of Ishmael’s adventure is miserable and humiliating.

When Ishmael’s captives saw Johanan and the others approaching, they were glad. In order to save themselves, Ishmael and eight of his men fled across the Jordan River to Ammon, leaving their hostages free to join Johanan. Johanan and his men, along with those he freed from Ishmael, journeyed southward toward Egypt to escape the fierce retribution they anticipated from Nebuchadnezzar for Gedaliah’s murder. They did not return to Mizpah. The group included soldiers, women, children, and “court officials”.

There is no suggestion that they sought God’s guidance in their decision to flee to Egypt, though for them it seemed to be a wise course of action. However, chap. 42 confirms that what they were doing was not God’s will, nor did they want to obey him. Humanly speaking, going to Egypt was the right thing to do, but God’s ways are not always our ways.

Conclusion

Johanan showed courage in rescuing the Jews, but when he was finally in charge, he revealed his own lack of faith by wanting to take the remnant to Egypt! He didn’t remember the counsel of Gedaliah (Jer. 40:9) or the messages of Jeremiah, both of whom warned the Jews to stay in the land and not go to Egypt. How easy it is for a good man to go astray simply by turning away from the Word of God!