ISHMAEL'S PLOT COMES TO FRUITION AND GEDALIAH IS ASSASSINATED
(JEREMIAH 41:1).
Gedaliah was to be proved wrong. Ishmael comes to Gedaliah with an
offer of friendship, something evidenced by his ‘eating bread' with
him. Thereby he was giving a guarantee of loyalty, for ancient custom
saw this as indi... [ Continue Reading ]
ISHMAEL CONTINUES HIS BLOODTHIRSTY SLAUGHTER AND SEEKS TO ESCAPE TO
AMMON (JEREMIAH 41:4).
Having carried out his bloodbath Ishmael now learned of a party of
pilgrims who were approaching Mizpah, coming from the northern former
Israelite towns of Shechem, Shiloh and Samaria, all of which had been
im... [ Continue Reading ]
ISHMAEL IS PURSUED BY THE LOYAL MEN OF JUDAH WHO RECOVER THE CAPTIVES,
ALTHOUGH ISHMAEL HIMSELF ESCAPES RETRIBUTION (JEREMIAH 41:11).
Despite Ishmael's best efforts news of what he had done swiftly and
inevitably reached the ears of the loyal Judean commanders who, when
they heard of it, determined... [ Continue Reading ]
RECOGNISING THAT NEBUCHADREZZAR WOULD WREAK VENGEANCE FOR THE
ASSASSINATION OF HIS APPOINTED REPRESENTATIVE THE JUDEANS DETERMINE TO
SEEK REFUGE IN EGYPT (JEREMIAH 41:16).
In what is a much abbreviated account (Johanan's men would hardly have
left without their wives and children) we learn that all... [ Continue Reading ]