Jeremiah 40:7-12

B. The Program of Gedaliah Jeremiah 40:7-12

TRANSLATION

(7) When all the army officers and their men who were in the field heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah the son of Ahikam over the land and had committed to him those men, women, and children of the poor of the land who had not been deported to Babylon, (8) they came unto Gedaliah to MizpahIshmael the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan and Jonathan the sons of Kareah, and Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth, the sons of Ephai the Netophathite, and Jezaniah the son of the Maacathite. These came along with their men. (9) And Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan sware unto them and to their men, saying, Do not fear to serve the Chaldeans. Remain in the land and serve the king of Babylon and it will be well with you. (10) And as for me, Behold, I shall dwell in Mizpah to represent you before the Chaldeans. As for you, gather wine, summer fruit, and oil and put them in vessels and live in the cities which you have taken. (11) When also all the Jews who were in Moab, Ammon, Edom, and in all lands heard that the king of Babylon had left a remnant to Judah, and that he had appointed over them Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, (12) all the Jews returned from all the places to which they had been driven; and they came to the land of Judah to Gedaliah at Mizpah. And they gathered wine and very much summer fruit.

COMMENTS

After the fall of Jerusalem, Judah became a province of the Babylonian empire. The Holy City, of course, had been completely destroyed, reduced to a heap of ashes. Jerusalem had been a thorn in the flesh of Nebuchadnezzar for so many years that he had unleashed his vengeance against her. But it was not the intention of Nebuchadnezzar to leave the whole land desolate. In case of future campaigns against Egypt it would be very advantageous to have cultivated land available in that area which could furnish at least part of the provisions for his huge armies.
Nebuchadnezzar appointed Gedaliah, a member of a prominent Jewish family, as governor. He did not appoint a Babylonian as governor because he did not wish to arouse the hostility of those Jews who remained in the land. Nor would a descendant of the house of David do, lest ambitions of a restored monarchy be aroused. Gedaliah was an ideal choice. He came from a God-fearing and influential family[343] which through the years had supported the contention of Jeremiah that Nebuchadnezzar had been appointed by God the ruler of the world. Some conjectureand they are probably correctthat Gedaliah had followed the advice of Jeremiah and defected to the Chaldeans early in the siege of Jerusalem. Be that as it may, it would have been very difficult for Nebuchadnezzar to have found a man better qualified than Gedaliah to lead the Jews in reorganizing themselves, Under his leadership Nebuchadnezzar intended to create in Palestine a self-governing commonwealth under Babylonian sovereignty. The great king hoped to maintain the loyalty of the new colony by granting to them as much freedom as possible, especially freedom of religion. Thus he hoped to create a state in western Asia upon which he could depend in any future showdown with Egypt.

[343] Gedaliah's father, Ahikam, had once protected Jeremiah when he was on trial for his life (Jeremiah 26:24). His grandfather Shaphan had been secretary of state under the godly king Josiah (2 Kings 22:8).

The wisdom of Nebuchadnezzar's choice of Gedaliah became evident at once. Gedaliah immediately launched into a program of reconstruction. His first goal was to unite the various factions into which the remnant of the people was divided. Scattered throughout the land were small guerrilla bands which had somehow escaped capture and destruction by the Chaldean army. Once the main body of foreign troops withdrew, these guerrilla units either came voluntarily or were summoned to Mizpah. Gedaliah wished to discuss with the leaders of these troops the future of the community in Palestine. Among those named as participating in the discussions are Ishmael who later turned traitor and murdered Gedaliah; Johanan and his brother Jonathan who later would lead the remnant to Egypt; Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth; the sons of Ephai from the town of Netophah which was located near Bethlehem; and Jezaniah, the son of the Maachathite.[344] With the cooperation of these men Gedaliah hoped to form a central government which would be adequate to the needs of the people during these dark days.

[344] The name Jaazaniah was found on a seal discovered at what is thought to be ancient Mizpah in 1932.

Gedaliah honestly and forthrightly presented his program to these captains and urged them to use their influence to secure peace throughout the land. First he assured these former soldiers that they had no reason to fear serving the Chaldeans. It may have been that Gedaliah had used his influence to secure from Nebuchadnezzar amnesty for all those who participated in the war against Babylon. Secondly, Gedaliah calls upon these leaders and their followers to dwell peacefully in the land and render service to the king of Babylon. If they continue to do this he promises them a life of peace and tranquility (Jeremiah 40:9). Gedaliah assures them that he would stay at Mizpah and handle the affairs of government,[345] He would act as liaison between Judeans and the Chaldean officials who might appear from time to time in the land. Finally, he urges the people to get busy and gather the harvest for the coming winter (Jeremiah 40:10).

[345] The verb in 10a translated serve is not the same verb that is used in Jeremiah 40:9. The verb here literally means stand before and means to be the minister of another and look after his interests.

News of Gedaliah's appointment and the progress he had made in reorganizing the remnant spread far and wide. Many homesick Jews, who had fled across the Jordan some months earlier when hostilities had broken out in Palestine, now began to filter back to their native land. From Moab, Ammon and Edom as well as other lands they came. Catching the spirit of the reorganized community they joined in harvesting the land. After reaping an abundant harvest the remnant settled down in their homeland (Jeremiah 40:11-12). How thankful they must have been that God had so abundantly cared for their needs even during those difficult months of devastating warfare. How thankful they must have been to be living in the land of their forefathers.

C The Plot of Ishmael Jeremiah 40:13 to Jeremiah 41:16

The peace and tranquility of the tiny remnant in Palestine was soon shattered. Ishmael, a member of the royal family, began plotting behind the scenes to assassinate Gedaliah. Just what motivated Ishmael in this ruthless plot is not clear. It may be that he resented the fact that Gedaliah had been appointed governor rather than a member of the royal family. On the other hand Ishmael may have despised and hated Gedaliah for collaborating with the Chaldeans. Whatever the explanation for the dastardly deed which he committed, it is clear that Ishmael is being used as political pawn of Baalis, the king of the Ammonites. Baalis must have coveted the territory of Judah for himself and decided that Gedaliah was standing in the way. Envy, jealousy and greed must surely have been the factors which drove Baalis and Ishmael into their unholy alliance.