Brutality of a Man Seized by His Own Greed
Scripture Passage: Jeremiah 41:1-10 (NASB)
1 Now 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 rose up, and struck and killed 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 and killed all the Jews who were with him, that is with Gedaliah in 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, 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 left 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 who were with him slaughtered them and threw 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 supplies 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 thrown all the bodies of the men whom he had struck and killed because of Gedaliah, it was the one that King Asa had constructed on account of Baasha, king of Israel; Ishmael the son of Nethaniah filled it with the dead. 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 in the custody of Gedaliah the son of Ahikam. Ishmael the son of Nethaniah took them captive and proceeded to cross over to the sons of Ammon.
SUMMARY
Ishmael, one of the king’s chief officers, comes to Mizpah and eats with Gedeliah the son of Ahikam, who the Babylonian king had appointed leader over the land. While they are eating together, Ishmael and his men suddenly kill Gedeliah and all the Jews that were with him, and then take his land. The next day, when no one yet knew about the killings, eighty pilgrims come from surrounding areas to give offerings to the house of the Lord. Ishmael pretends to be a fellow pilgrim but then ambushes and kills all of them except ten men who told him about hidden supplies of food hidden in a field. Ishmael then takes all the remaining people in Mizpah captive.
REFLECTION
Just one day after killing Gedaliah and his men, Ishmael slaughters the pilgrims from Shechem, Shiloh and Samaria. This passage intentionally points out that Ishmael was able to kill the pilgrims on the second day because “no one knew about” Ishmael’s murders the previous day. As I meditate on today’s text, it makes me examine how I am treating my own sins, the sins in my inner heart that no one can see or know except for God. How sensitive am I about my sins in my heart? How often do I justify or excuse my sins as just human nature? How often do I resign myself to my sin, thinking there’s nothing I can do about it, even though my heart is filled with sinful thoughts about people, circumstances and sometimes even about God? Outwardly I may look devout, righteous and “nice” but I KNOW that I carry so many sins within me such as anger, bitterness, jealousy, envy, greed for worldly wealth and success, and so many more. The weight of each person’s sin is the same in God’s eyes. There are no greater sins or lighter sins. The sins that Ishmael committed are not more serious than all the sins that I commit daily. Sins are sins.
APPLICATION
I confess that I have become apathetic and desensitized about my sins. I want to be more alert spiritually to what goes on inside my heart by staying close to His Word. Specifically, I have been struggling lately with the spirit of envy and jealousy by comparing myself to other people. I want to take time in my prayers today to repent and surrender all that is in my heart and remember every blessing that He has shown me.
PRAYER
Lord, although Ishmael seems so outwardly evil and so different from me, inside Lord my heart is as black as Ishmael’s heart. Without Your salvation I would be just as corrupt, just as lost as Ishmael. Help me not to be complacent. Help me to seek You out and to read Your Word so that I will avoid falling into sin. Thank you for reminding me that I must be vigilant and guard my own heart against evil. Keep me holy Lord. In Jesus’s name I pray. Amen.
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