 In the seventh month, Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, son of Elishama, of the royal family, one of the chief officers of the king, came with ten men to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, at Mizpah. As they ate bread together there at Mizpah, 2 Ishmael the son of Nethaniah and the ten men with him rose up and struck down Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, with the sword, and killed him, whom the king of Babylon had appointed governor in the land. 3 Ishmael also struck down all the Judeans who were with Gedaliah at Mizpah, and the Chaldean soldiers who happened to be there.
4 On the day after the murder of Gedaliah, before anyone knew of it, 5 eighty men arrived from Shechem and Shiloh and Samaria, with their beards shaved and their clothes torn, and their bodies gashed, bringing grain offerings and incense to present at the temple of the Lord. 6 And Ishmael the son of Nethaniah came out from Mizpah to meet them, weeping as he came. As he met them, he said to them, “Come in to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam.” 7 When they came into the city, Ishmael the son of Nethaniah and the men with him slaughtered them and cast them into a cistern. 8 But there were ten men among them who said to Ishmael, “Do not put us to death, for we have stores of wheat, barley, oil, and honey hidden in the fields.” So he refrained and did not put them to death with their companions. 9 Now the cistern into which Ishmael had thrown all the bodies of the men whom he had struck down along with Gedaliah was the large cistern that King Asa had made for defense against Baasha king of Israel; Ishmael the son of Nethaniah filled it with the slain. 10 Then Ishmael took captive all the rest of the people who were in Mizpah, the king's daughters and all the people who were left at Mizpah, whom Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, had committed to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam. Ishmael the son of Nethaniah took them captive and set out to cross over to the Ammonites. 11 But when Johanan the son of Kareah and all the leaders of the forces with him heard of all the evil that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had done, 12 they took all their men and went to fight against Ishmael the son of Nethaniah. They came upon him at the great pool that is in Gibeon. 13 And when all the people who were with Ishmael saw Johanan the son of Kareah and all the leaders of the forces with him, they rejoiced. 14 So all the people whom Ishmael had carried away captive from Mizpah turned around and came back, and went to Johanan the son of Kareah. 15 But Ishmael the son of Nethaniah escaped from Johanan with eight men, and went to the Ammonites. 16 Then Johanan the son of Kareah and all the leaders of the forces with him took from Mizpah all the rest of the people whom he had recovered from Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, after he had struck down Gedaliah the son of Ahikam—soldiers, women, children, and eunuchs, whom Johanan brought back from Gibeon. 17 And they went and stayed at Geruth Chimham near Bethlehem, intending to go to Egypt 18 because of the Chaldeans. For they were afraid of them, because Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had struck down Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, whom the king of Babylon had made governor over the land. Meditation Jesus offers the only true hope when we have nowhere to turn and nowhere to hide. Jesus alone is the light we long for and the salvation we need. International Justice Mission rescues modern slaves and brings perpetrators to justice. One girl rescued from a brothel in Mumbai had been held captive for eight months. She prayed every day for rescue. Night after night men abused her, yet she continued to pray. She was mocked, yet she continued to pray. Psalm 27:1 was found by her mattress after her rescue: The Lord is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life. Of whom shall I be afraid? God desires for His children to turn our hope to Him, waiting patiently for the day of His salvation. Today’s difficult passage reveals that God’s people, when facing the darkest of days, turned to Egypt for refuge rather than calling on the name of the Lord (17). The painful reading must point us to Jesus. Ismael was an angry young man who took other angry young men to slaughter his own people. Survivors were taken hostage, threatened with attack from the Ammonites. Johanan rescued the huddled masses but, rather than turning to the Lord, the people turned their hope to Egypt. This dark narrative should cause us to turn to the Light of the World, Jesus Christ. Jesus is our light and salvation during the darkest days. Jesus is our only hope for salvation. Richly Dwelling -Today’s reading is difficult and dark, reminiscent of the days of the judges. What stands out to you about the darkness in the narrative? -Why did the people want to turn to Egypt? Why do we turn to people, places, and powers of the world for light and salvation during our darkest days? -Jesus is the Light of the World, conquering suffering and death through His work. How does God’s victory in Christ give you strength to trust in Him during your suffering and darkness? WHERE do you need to do this? Key Verse 17 And they went and stayed at Geruth Chimham near Bethlehem, intending to go to Egypt Comments are closed.
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