Jeremiah 40-41
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Jerusalem and its temple are in ruins. Zedekiah has been carried off to Babylon. Many others are about to be carried off to Babylon as well.
But some are left behind, a remnant, and they have hope.
Is it a hope that will be realized or disappointed?
Major Ideas
Major Ideas
Jeremiah stays in Judah (Jer. 40:1-6)
Jeremiah stays in Judah (Jer. 40:1-6)
1 The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord after Nebuzaradan captain of the bodyguard had released him from Ramah, when he had taken him bound in chains among all the exiles of Jerusalem and Judah who were being exiled to Babylon. 2 Now the captain of the bodyguard had taken Jeremiah and said to him, “The Lord your God promised this calamity against this place; 3 and the Lord has brought it on and done just as He promised. Because you people sinned against the Lord and did not listen to His voice, therefore this thing has happened to you. 4 “But now, behold, I am freeing you today from the chains which are on your hands. If you would prefer to come with me to Babylon, come along, and I will look after you; but if you would prefer not to come with me to Babylon, never mind. Look, the whole land is before you; go wherever it seems good and right for you to go.” 5 As Jeremiah was still not going back, he said, “Go on back then to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon has appointed over the cities of Judah, and stay with him among the people; or else go anywhere it seems right for you to go.” So the captain of the bodyguard gave him a ration and a gift and let him go. 6 Then Jeremiah went to Mizpah to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam and stayed with him among the people who were left in the land.
Jeremiah is in chains. Why is he in Babylonian chains when he had been saying, “We must surrender to the Babylonians”? Maybe it was Babylonian confusion. Or maybe it was Jeremiah proving his solidarity with his people.
The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 6: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel Notes (Jeremiah 40:1–6)
An emotional account of the rabbis relates that when the prophet saw the file of chained prisoners, he voluntarily had himself bound to show his complete identification with the lot of his people. It could well be, for he had been thoroughly bound to their cause for a lifetime (so Freedman).
Nebuzaradan is likely summarizing Jeremiah in vv. 2-3. He gives a clear definition of sin in v. 3, “sinned against the Lord and did not listen to His voice.”
Sinning against the Lord is not listening (i.e., obeying, so ESV, CSB, KJV) His voice.
Q: The beginning of v. 5 is difficult to understand in ancient Hebrew, but Jeremiah seems to hesitate. Why do you think he might hesitate in making his choice between Judah and Babylon?
Judah had persecuted him; Babylon respected him
Judah (i.e., Jerusalem and the Temple) was destroyed; Babylon wasn’t
Kings of Judah sought to take Jeremiah’s life; King of Babylon said, “Look out for Jeremiah”
Nebuzaradan said, “I’ll look out for you.”
Q: Why then do you think Jeremiah stayed in Jerusalem?
Nebuzaradan may have told Jeremiah to stay when he saw Jeremiah having difficulty leaving.
Jeremiah may have been told by God to stay.
The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 6: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel Notes (Jeremiah 40:1–6)
Rashi, quoting a Midrash, stated that while Jeremiah was undecided, God told him to return to Gedaliah, thus their comment on “the word … to Jeremiah from the LORD” (v.1) (cited in Freedman).
[App] Doesn’t Jeremiah reminds us of Jesus here?
Just as Jeremiah identified with his people by putting on chains, Jesus identified with His people by putting on flesh and then by putting on the cross.
Just as Jeremiah choosing to stay and suffer with his people, so Jesus chose to stay and suffer for His people.
Jeremiah tried to save his people from God’s wrath by warning them, but Jesus actually saved His people from God’s wrath by dying for them.
Gedaliah is appointed governor (Jer. 40:7-12)
Gedaliah is appointed governor (Jer. 40:7-12)
7 Now all the commanders of the forces that were in the field, they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah the son of Ahikam over the land and that he had put him in charge of the men, women and children, those of the poorest of the land who had not been exiled to Babylon. 8 So they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah, along with Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan and Jonathan the sons of Kareah, and Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth, and the sons of Ephai the Netophathite, and Jezaniah the son of the Maacathite, both they and their men. 9 Then Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, swore to them and to their men, saying, “Do not be afraid of serving the Chaldeans; stay in the land and serve the king of Babylon, that it may go well with you. 10 “Now as for me, behold, I am going to stay at Mizpah to stand for you before the Chaldeans who come to us; but as for you, gather in wine and summer fruit and oil and put them in your storage vessels, and live in your cities that you have taken over.” 11 Likewise, also all the Jews who were in Moab and among the sons of Ammon and in Edom and who were in all the other countries, heard that the king of Babylon had left a remnant for Judah, and that he had appointed over them Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan. 12 Then all the Jews returned from all the places to which they had been driven away and came to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah at Mizpah, and gathered in wine and summer fruit in great abundance.
Gedaliah’s father had protected Jeremiah in the past (Jer. 26:24; 2 Kgs. 22:12, 14). Perhaps Gedaliah also favored Jeremiah, and that’s why Jeremiah joined him in Mizpah. The commanders of the guerilla forces that had yet to surrender to Babylon also cam to Gedaliah.
Q: How do you think these commanders and warriors might have responded to Gedaliah’s words in v. 9-10?
Some might have responded favorably.
If they wanted peace…
If they were tired of fighting…
If they believed in Gedaliah…
Some might have responded negatively.
If they were angry with Babylon…
If they loved to fight…
If they didn’t believe in Gedaliah…
It appears that all responded favorably, but appearances can be deceiving.
Other Jews left in Judah came to Gedaliah as well. They gathered in wine and summer fruit in great abundance.
They did that so they would have something to live on during the winter ahead. (There would’ve been no grain harvest because of the 2-year siege by the Babylonians.)
They did that so they would have something to give Babylon in tribute.
Q. What do you think Gedaliah was trying to do when he told the people to “gather in wine and summer fruit and oil”?
He was trying to get back to some sense of normalcy, but just as things were looking up…
Ishmael murders Gedaliah (Jer. 40:13-41:10)
Ishmael murders Gedaliah (Jer. 40:13-41:10)
13 Now Johanan the son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces that were in the field came to Gedaliah at Mizpah 14 and said to him, “Are you well aware that Baalis the king of the sons of Ammon has sent Ishmael the son of Nethaniah to take your life?” But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam did not believe them. 15 Then Johanan the son of Kareah spoke secretly to Gedaliah in Mizpah, saying, “Let me go and kill Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and not a man will know! Why should he take your life, so that all the Jews who are gathered to you would be scattered and the remnant of Judah would perish?” 16 But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam said to Johanan the son of Kareah, “Do not do this thing, for you are telling a lie about Ishmael.” 1 In the seventh month Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the royal family and one of the chief officers of the king, along with ten men, came to Mizpah to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam. While they were eating bread together there in Mizpah, 2 Ishmael the son of Nethaniah and the ten men who were with him arose and struck down Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, with the sword and put to death the one whom the king of Babylon had appointed 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. 4 Now it happened on the next day after the killing of Gedaliah, when no one knew about it, 5 that eighty men came from Shechem, from Shiloh, and from Samaria with their beards shaved off and their clothes torn and their bodies gashed, having grain offerings and incense in their hands to bring to the house of the Lord. 6 Then Ishmael the son of Nethaniah went out from Mizpah to meet them, weeping as he went; and as he met them, he said to them, “Come to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam!” 7 Yet it turned out that as soon as they came inside the city, Ishmael the son of Nethaniah and the men that were with him slaughtered them and cast them into the cistern. 8 But ten men who were found among them said to Ishmael, “Do not put us to death; for we have stores of wheat, barley, oil and honey hidden in the field.” So he refrained and did not put them to death along with their companions. 9 Now as for the cistern where Ishmael had cast all the corpses of the men whom he had struck down because of Gedaliah, it was the one that King Asa had made on account of Baasha, king of Israel; Ishmael the son of Nethaniah filled it with the slain. 10 Then Ishmael took captive all the remnant of the people who were in Mizpah, the king’s daughters and all the people who were left in Mizpah, whom Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard had put under the charge of Gedaliah the son of Ahikam; thus Ishmael the son of Nethaniah took them captive and proceeded to cross over to the sons of Ammon.
Johanan was loyal to Gedaliah. He warned him that Baalis, the king of the Ammonites, wanted him dead and had hired to Ishmael to make it happen. Gedaliah, however, didn’t believe him.
Johanan offered to go kill Ishmael secretly to protect Gedaliah. Johanan believed that the well-being of the remnant in the land depended on the well-being of Gedaliah, but Gedaliah refused the offer. He even said that Johanan was lying about Ishmael.
It turned out that Johanan wasn’t lying, and Gedaliah should’ve listened.
Q. Why did you think Baalis and Ishmael want Gedaliah dead?
Ishmael…
…was of the house of David (2 Kgs. 25:23) and may have viewed himself as a rightful ruler in Judah while viewing Gedaliah as a Babylonian puppet.
Baalis…
…may have thought that getting rid of Gedaliah would’ve made it easier for him to conquer Judah.
…may have thought that getting rid of Gedaliah by way of Ishmael would’ve made Babylon smash Judah once again.
…may have been upset that Gedaliah’s father opposed a league of nations during the reign of Zedekiah that would’ve included the Ammonites (Jer. 27:3); a league that would’ve opposed Babylon
Jeremiah, Lamentations (3) The Assassination of Gedaliah (41:1–3)
Gedaliah’s death was so devastating to Judah that postexilic Judaism observed the third of Tishri (the seventh month) as a solemn fast day to mark the occasion (Zech 7:5; 8:19).
Q: What do we learn about Ishmael in his murdering of the 70 men from Shechem (41:4-9)?
He seems unstable and bloodthirsty.
Although wrong, we can imagine why Ishmael wanted Gedaliah dead, but we cannot imagine why Gedaliah wanted to kill these 70 men from Shechem.
Ishmael let ten live because they promised him supplies; supplies which would be needed when he was on the run with his captives.
Perhaps he intended to sell them into slavery once he was back in Ammon.
A cistern that was meant to preserve like in Judah had been filled with death.
The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 6: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel b. The Massacre of the Pilgrims (41:4–10)
King Asa of Judah (913–873 B.C.) had ordered this cistern to be made to insure ample water for Mizpah when he fortified it against King Baasha of Israel (910–887 B.C.) (cf. 1 Kings 15:22; 2 Chronicles 16:6).
The 70 corpses of the men from Shechem were stuffed in along with those killed with Gedaliah.
This spoiled Mizpah’s water supply.
The whole place was unclean before the Lord.
Q: One commentator said…
Jeremiah, Lamentations (2) A Warning to Gedaliah of an Assassination Plot (40:13–16)
Gedaliah’s trust in Ishmael has been interpreted as a sign of weakness, i.e., the inability to make objective evaluations about people’s character. It has also been seen as a sign of strength, i.e., not wanting to believe the worst about others (cf. John 2:24).
How do you interpret Gedaliah’s trust in Ishmael, as weakness or strength?
Johanan fights Ishmael (Jer. 41:11-18)
Johanan fights Ishmael (Jer. 41:11-18)
11 But Johanan the son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces that were with him heard of all the evil that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had done. 12 So 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 Now as soon as all the people who were with Ishmael saw Johanan the son of Kareah and the commanders of the forces that were with him, they were glad. 14 So all the people whom Ishmael had taken 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 sons of Ammon. 16 Then Johanan the son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces that were with him took from Mizpah all the remnant of the people whom he had recovered from Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, after he had struck down Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, that is, the men who were soldiers, the women, the children, and the eunuchs, whom he had brought back from Gibeon. 17 And they went and stayed in Geruth Chimham, which is beside Bethlehem, in order to proceed into Egypt 18 because of the Chaldeans; for they were afraid of them, since Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had struck down Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, whom the king of Babylon had appointed over the land.
Johanan was wrong to think that Egypt was the only solution now that Gedaliah was dead, but we understand his thinking:
Gedaliah had been appointed as governor of Judah by Babylon.
When Babylon learns that Gedaliah has been murdered by a Judahite, Babylon is probably going to respond with more death, destruction, and deportation.
The remnant, therefore, must flee to Egypt for safety unless…
…the Lord says don’t run to Egypt.
12 There is a way which seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.
At the end of Jeremiah 41, it seems that some in Judah still haven’t learned this lesson.
Conclusion
Conclusion
The temple is destroyed. Jerusalem is burnt. Many have been exiled to Babylon. Now the remnant is about to leave for Egypt.
If they were not in the God’s temple, not in God’s city, and not in God’s land; how would God’s people be His people?
By receiving the promise of a new heart through the New Covenant.
31 “Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, 32 not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them,” declares the Lord. 33 “But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the Lord, “I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 34 “They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,” declares the Lord, “for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”
These new covenant promises were brought to pass in Jesus Christ.
His shed blood to pay the price for our sins on the cross secured new hearts for God’s people, new hearts that…
…love God’s word…
…know God...
…have experienced His forgiveness…
…have experienced His grace.
It’s not God’s temple, God’s city, or even God’s land that unites God and His people.
It’s God’s Son.
Hope in Him cannot be disappointed.