Jeremiah 40:1-6
Jeremiah was discovered among the captives and released at Nebuchadnezzar's command. It was likely known that Jeremiah was telling the people to surrender to the Babylonians. The commander knows and states the word of instruction Jeremiah had given to Judah by prophecy. It's interesting that he didn't claim the Babylonian god's made this happen, but that the Lord had done it.
Mizpah was the fortress city north of Jerusalem on the border of Benjamite territory. Archeology uncovered 13' thick walls. It had served as a rally point for the tribe's past. All the southern cities had been left inhabitable, so this was where those remaining in the country were gathered with Gedaliah, the appointed governor.
Jeremiah 40:7-12
The officers who had been in the countryside must have been surprised at Gedaliah's word to them as he encouraged them to learn to live under Babylonian rule. The people who had fled to other countries also returned to the land where they had been scattered.
Gedaliah would rule from Mizpah and he directed the people to harvest the land. The harvest would represent some semblance to normal but it would also become a provision for the Babylonian empire.
Jeremiah 40:13-16
Johanan let Gedaliah know of Ishmael's assassination plans but he didn't believe them. Ishmael was a member of the royal family and apparently was making his claim to the throne. Johanan offered a plan to kill Ishmael before he had a chance to kill Gedaliah, but the governor could not believe that Ishmael was a danger.
©2018 Doug Ford
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