Gedaliah Governs in Judah (Jeremiah 40:1–16)
2 Kings 25:22 – 30 Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, over the people he had left behind in the land of Judah.
When all the commanders of the armies and their men heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah as governor, they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah—Ishmael son of Nethaniah, Johanan son of Kareah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah son of the Maacathite, as well as their men. And Gedaliah took an oath before them and their men, assuring them, “Do not be afraid of the servants of the Chaldeans. Live in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it will be well with you.”
The Murder of Gedaliah (Jeremiah 41:1–10)
In the seventh month, however, Ishmael son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, who was a member of the royal family, came with ten men and struck down and killed Gedaliah, along with the Judeans and Chaldeans who were with him at Mizpah. Then all the people small and great, together with the commanders of the army, arose and fled to Egypt for fear of the Chaldeans.
Jehoiachin Released from Prison (Jeremiah 52:31–34)
On the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth month of the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Judah’s King Jehoiachin, in the year Evil-merodach became king of Babylon, he released King Jehoiachin of Judah from prison. And he spoke kindly to Jehoiachin and set his throne above the thrones of the other kings who were with him in Babylon.
So Jehoiachin changed out of his prison clothes, and he dined regularly at the king’s table for the rest of his life. And the king provided Jehoiachin a daily portion for the rest of his life.”
By all accounts, Gedaliah was a just and righteous man. Appointed by the Babylonians as the interim ruler, Gedaliah had gained the trust of many of the remnant left in Judah. But the king of the Ammonites hated Judah and poisoned the mind of Ishmael son of Nethaniah, one of the royal family, who must have fled to the Ammonite court to escape the Babylonians. Perhaps Ishmael assumed that the Babylonians would crown him as some kind of ruler and was insulted when Gedaliah was chosen instead. The king of the Ammonites rightly assumed that if a remnant was left in Judah, the nation might regenerate and become a threat to him again.
According to Jeremiah 41:1 – 10, Ishmael and ten men came to Gedaliah at Mizpah and ate with Gedaliah. Traditionally, breaking bread with a man prevented you from attacking him; however, Ishmael took this opportunity to kill Gedaliah, all the Jews who were with Gedaliah at Mizpah, and the Babylonian soldiers stationed there. Not content with murdering Gedaliah and his supporters in Jerusalem, Ishmael went on to slaughter seventy men from Shechem, Shiloh, and Samaria who were coming to worship the Lord in Jerusalem. Generations ago, Asa, king of Judah, had created a huge cistern in Jerusalem; now Ishmael filled that cistern with bodies. Scooping up all the rest of the people left in Mizpah, Ishmael attempted to take these people off to the Ammonites. But an army commander named Johanan attacked Ishmael, forcing him to give up his captives and flee back to Ammon.
After these disasters, those left in Judah were terrified of reprisals from the Babylonians and traveled to Egypt, ignoring warnings from the prophet Jeremiah. For centuries God had warned the Israelites not to rely on Egypt or to return to Egypt; however, they refused to listen. Eventually, the Babylonians conquered Egypt, making the disaster of Judah complete. But the memory of righteous Gedaliah lives on, honored by Tzom Gedaliah, the Fast of Gedaliah, which the Jews observe one or two days after Rosh Hashana. According to the site https://chabad.org “ (The confusion resulting from Ishmael’s treachery) also caused the Jews to flee to Egypt, effectively ending the prospects of Jewish settlement in the Holy Land until the return of the Babylonian exiles in the year 3390 (371 BCE).1 Thus, the Babylonian exile was absolute, and Judea was left bereft of her children.”
The Book of 2 Kings ends with a description of the eventual fate of King Jehoiachin. Even in exile, God gave Jehoiachin favor with Evil – merodach (Amel – Marduk), the new king of Babylon. Remember that Jehoiachin was an evil king; however, Amel – Marduk not only released Jehoiachin from prison after 37 years, but elevated his throne above all those of the other kings captive in Babylon. Jehoiachin exchanged his prison clothes for much better garments and dined at the royal table for the rest of his life. What happened? According to the site https://artzabox.com , “When Nebuchadnezzar died, his son Amel-Marduk (evil-Merodach or awel-Marduk) took over. He released Jehoiachin after 37yrs of imprisonment. He may have been influenced by God; sought favor with the Jews; felt compassion or Amel-Marduk may have spent time imprisoned where he befriended Jehoiachin.” Perhaps Nebuchadnezzar had imprisoned his own son, trying to avoid assassination. Perhaps during those long decades in prison, Jehoiachin finally repented and turned to the Lord.
APPLICATION: Good does not always triumph in the short – term! By all accounts, Gedaliah was a great man, and yet out of jealousy, Ishmael slaughtered Gedaliah and all those with him. There were those who tried to warn Gedaliah about Ishmael; however, Gedaliah refused to believe them. Obviously, personal ambition trumped patriotism as far as Ishmael was concerned. Eventually, Ishmael escaped back to the Ammonites, having lost two of his original ten men. Sometimes the righteous do suffer and die.
When trouble comes, whom do we trust? Where do we run? Even after Ishmael created such confusion, the Jews could still have remained in Judea as Jeremiah urged them to do. But for centuries, the Israelites had had a knee jerk reaction to trouble – to depend on Egypt in some fashion rather than trusting in God. Now, nothing had changed, and the remnant of Judah insisted on running to Egypt. Not long after that, the Babylonians invaded Egypt as well. Do we have a go – to plan that ignores God?
God’s mercy is far greater than we can possibly imagine. Jehoiachin only reigned for a few years, but he proved to be just as idolatrous as his predecessors. Certainly, Jehoiachin deserved to be carried off to Babylon and thrown into prison for the rest of his life… and yet… and yet, after Nebuchadnezzar died, Amel – Marduk brought Jehoiachin out of prison and treated him with unusual honor and kindness for the rest of his life. Only the grace of Almighty God could move a Babylonian ruler to treat the king of a small country in such a fashion.
Many times, we ask God to bless us, even though we don’t deserve it. And God graciously helps us and gives us even more than we have asked for. We don’t know if Jehoiachin was grateful to God when he was delivered from prison; however, we owe God everything. Today, while we can, let us praise God and bless Him for His mercy and grace!
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to follow hard after You all the days of our lives. Help us to be grateful, for indeed, we owe You everything. And help us to praise You with every fiber of our beings! In the matchless Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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