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August 21st
Our Bible reading today is in Jeremiah chapters 41-45.
Most of the citizens of Judah were taken captive by the victorious Babylonians. Only a handful of the defeated Judean military were left in hiding in Judah. Most of the older adults, along with the physically infirmed were left in the countrysides and burning villages and cities.
How long was it going to take for Judah to get back to normal? Or better still, get back to God? Well, it wasn't going to be any time soon.
A Judean named Ishmael convinced 10 other Jews to join him in assassinating the new Governor of Judah. His name was Gedaliah. He was somewhat famous among the faithful. He stood up to Zedekiah and his crooked city councilmen and saved Jeremiah’s life. Gedaliah was leading the survivors to obey Jeremiah’s message of submitting to Babylon’s demands. Ishmael had a different plan...and it included murder.
Self-centered evil was still resident in Judah. After the murderous massacre of the governor and his men in Mizpah, fear and outrage led a man to gather the scattered soldiers of Judah to hunt down Ishmael and his raiders. That leader was Johannon.
He and his men found Ishmael at the waters of Gibeon, just north of Jerusalem. Ishmael and eight of his conspirators escaped with their lives and went down to Amnon. Then a couple of “firsts” happened.
“Then all the commanders of the forces, and Johanan the son of Kareah and Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah, and “all” the people (in Judah) from the least to the greatest, came near and said to Jeremiah the prophet, “Let our plea for mercy come before you, and pray to the Lord “your God” for us, “for all this remnant”— because we are left with but a few, as your eyes see us— that the Lord your God may show us the way we should go, and the thing that we should do.”
