“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, Ishmael the son of Nethaniah and the ten men who were with him arose and struck down 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. Ishmael also struck down all the Jews who were with him, that is with Gedaliah at Mizpah, and the Chaldeans who were found there, the men of war.”
Thus begins Jeremiah Chapter 41, thus the respite of peace is shattered for the Jews who remained in Judah with Gedaliah, thus the rebellion of Judah’s royal family is perpetuated, and thus more misery descends upon a people already racked with anguish and despair. Gedaliah, a man of peace, a trustworthy man, is killed while providing hospitality to a man he was warned about. As noted in the previous post, it is likely Gedaliah and Ishmael knew each other, which helps us understand why Gedaliah could not take Johanan’s warning about Ishmael seriously. A trusting Gedaliah entertains Ishmael with hospitality and food, no doubt bread and wine were included, and Ishmael delivers a gift of betrayal, a gift of death.
What were Gedaliah’s thoughts as the sword pierced his flesh? What would Shakespeare have put into his mouth? What were Jesus’ thoughts as He shared a meal with Judas Iscariot on the night of His betrayal? What was Jesus thinking as Judas approached Him in the garden and kissed Him? Jesus’ followers abandoned Him in the garden, Gedaliah’s associates died with him.
Love thinks no evil - O Gedaliah!
Love bears all things - O Gedaliah!
Love hopes all things - O Gedaliah!
Love believes all things - O Gedaliah!
Gedaliah’s father, Ahikam, had saved the life of Jeremiah, who will save Gedaliah’s life?
Was it necessary for Gedaliah to die by the hand of a friend to punctuate the tragedy of Jerusalem’s destruction? Need an innocent man, a faithful man, a trustworthy man die?
Did Gedaliah begin to think at some point during the meal, “...the hand of my betrayer is with me on the table”? (Luke 22:21).
Did he call to mind Psalms 41:9 and think the words that Jesus would one day utter (John 13:18), “Even my close friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.”
Or perhaps the words of David from Psalms 55:12 - 14 were on his lips as Ishmael’s nefarious plan unfolded, moments before the sword was plunged into the heart of noble and trustworthy Gedaliah, “For it is not an enemy who reproaches me, then I could bear it; nor is it one who hates me who has exalted himself against me, then I could hide myself from him. But it is you, a man my equal, my companion and my familiar friend; we who had sweet fellowship together walked in the house of God in the throng.”
Which is the better, which is the godly and righteous way? The way of peace or the way of violence? The way of obedience or the way of rebellion? Who shall we follow, who shall we emulate? Gedaliah? Ishmael? Johanan?
God has not said that we are to choose the lesser of two or more evils, He has commanded that we should be holy as He is holy. When we choose evil rather than the Way of holy peace, the Way of the Prince of Peace, we align ourselves with the present evil age. When we rationalize evil in order to preserve ourselves we reject the Cross of Christ. We also become identified, in the eyes of the world, with the evil we have associated with and thus marr our witness for Jesus Christ.
Gedaliah’s heart may well have echoed the sentiments of Psalms 120: “Woe is me, for I sojourn in Meshech, for I dwell among the tents of Kedar! Too long has my soul had its dwelling with those who hate peace. I am for peace, but when I speak, they are for war.”
Our society hates peace, we are a people thriving on turmoil, feeding on destruction, gorging ourselves on violence. The more polarized we become the more we justify hatred and violence; violent words, violent economics, violent entertainment, violent “sports”, and...not the least...violent politics. Driving on a highway now requires that we be conscious that any moment may turn violent. We violently destroy morals and ethics by crushing those who maintain the innate standards of right and wrong, good and evil, with which our Creator endowed us. Much of the professing church is drawn into the so-called political “culture war” identifying with this side or that side regardless of the fact that all sides “spin”, lie, are for cultural war, and only desire to use professing Christians as pawns and dupe them by the seduction of power. Shall it be Ishmael or Johanan or Gedaliah?
Jerusalem is falling and we cannot see it. We persist in our narcissistic ways and if we encounter someone like Gedaliah we consider him impractical and someone to be disposed of. While Rome and the Jewish leadership of Jerusalem had little love for each other, they could both agree that Jesus and His followers had no place in their world. Yet others in the ancient world could see a distinction between Christians and the world around them, including the powers around them. Can others see such a distinction today in our land? Can others see a people distinct from the world? Distinct from political parties? Distinct from power economics and power politics and unbridled consumption? Distinct from violence?
Is it better to live and die as Gedaliah or to kill as Ishmael and Johanan?
To be continued...
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