SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 7/27/2014
8:56 PM
My Worship Time Focus: Ishmael, a
Deceitful Traitor PT-3
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference:
Jeremiah 41:1-18
Message of the
verses: We are going to look at the
last sub-point from this second main point in Warren Wiersbe’s outline from his
11th chapter of his
commentary on the book of Jeremiah in today’s SD.
The deceitful murderer (Jeremiah 41:1-18): “1 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,
2 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. 3 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. 4 Now it happened on the
next day after the killing of Gedaliah, when no one knew about it, 5 that eighty men came from Shechem, from
Shiloh, and from Samaria with their beards shaved off and their clothes torn
and their bodies gashed, having grain offerings and incense in their hands to
bring to the house of the
LORD. 6 Then Ishmael the son of Nethaniah went out from Mizpah to meet
them, weeping as he went; and as he met them, he said to them, "Come to
Gedaliah the son of Ahikam!" 7 Yet it turned out that as soon as they came
inside the city, Ishmael
the son of Nethaniah and the men that were with him slaughtered them and cast them
into the cistern. 8 But ten men who were found among them said to
Ishmael, "Do not put us to death; for we have stores of wheat, barley, oil
and honey hidden in the field." So he refrained and did not put them to
death along with their companions. 9 Now as for the cistern where Ishmael had
cast all the corpses of the men whom he had struck down because of Gedaliah, it
was the one that King Asa had made on account of Baasha, king of Israel;
Ishmael the son of Nethaniah filled it with the slain. 10 Then Ishmael took
captive all the remnant of the people who were in Mizpah, the king’s daughters
and all the people who were left in Mizpah, whom Nebuzaradan the captain of the
bodyguard had put under the charge of Gedaliah the son of Ahikam; thus Ishmael
the son of Nethaniah took them captive and proceeded to cross over to the sons
of Ammon.
“11 But Johanan the son of Kareah and all
the commanders of the forces that were with him heard of all the evil that
Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had done. 12 So they took all the men and went to
fight with Ishmael the son of Nethaniah and they found him by the great pool
that is in Gibeon. 13 Now as soon as all the people who were with Ishmael saw
Johanan the son of Kareah and the commanders of the forces that were with him,
they were glad. 14 So all the people whom Ishmael had taken 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 sons of Ammon. 16 Then Johanan the son of Kareah and all the commanders of
the forces that were with him took from Mizpah all the remnant of the people
whom he had recovered from Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, after he had struck
down Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, that is, the men who were soldiers, the women,
the children, and the eunuchs, whom he had brought back from Gibeon. 17 And
they went and stayed in Geruth Chimham, which is beside Bethlehem, in order to proceed into Egypt
18 because of the Chaldeans; for they were afraid of them, since Ishmael the
son of Nethaniah had struck down Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, whom the king of
Babylon had appointed over the land.”
We can be pretty sure that none of this tragedy would
have happened if Gedaliah would have listened to the counsel that he was given
about Ishmael going to kill him. However
we can see the kind of man that Ishmael was for he did his killing at the table
where they were breaking bread. This was
something that should not have happened in the Middle East at this time for
eating at a person’s residence was suppose to be a time of fellowship. Dr. Wiersbe writes this about Ishmael: “He was a cunning and ruthless man who would
stop at nothing to get his own way.”
Now in verse five we see something about the 80 men who
came to worship the Lord by offering sacrifices to the Lord “in the house of
the Lord.” The following is part of a
note from John Gill’s commentary on the statement about going to the house of
the Lord: “to bring [them] to the house of the Lord; but the temple was now destroyed;
wherefore either they thought there was a tabernacle or sanctuary erected at
Mizpah for divine service and sacrifice; or they intended to offer these
offerings on the spot where the temple of Jerusalem stood; and where they hoped
to find an altar, if only of earth, and priests to sacrifice; though the Jewish
commentators, Jarchi and Kimchi, observe, that when they first set out, they
had not heard of the destruction of the temple, but heard of it in the way; and
therefore came in a mourning habit; but before knew nothing of it; and
therefore brought offerings with them, according to the former; but, according
to the latter, they had heard before they set out of the destruction of
Jerusalem, and the captivity of the people; but not of the burning of the
temple, until they were on their journey.”
Now we learn more about Ishmael when he comes out weeping
as seen in verse six. Dr. Wiersbe writes
“To his terrible breach of hospitality he added hypocrisy, weeping before the
eight Jewish pilgrims who had come to worship, and then killing seventy of
them.”
Next we see the bravery of Johanan as he had heard about
all the killing and the kidnapping so he gathers men and rescues those who had
been kidnapped, but failed in killing Ishmael in the process. However after
doing this brave thing he fails to trust the Lord and fails to trust the words of
Jeremiah which came from the Lord by wanting to run off to Egypt. We will see more about this in the chapters
ahead, and tradition says that Jeremiah was killed in Egypt by the Jews he went
there with.
Spiritual meaning
for my life today: In life it is
hard to trust the Lord over certain things, things like being afraid of what
could happen to you if you stand up to doing what the Lord teaches us in His
Word. When we look at the words “testing
and temptation” they are the same in the Greek, however we must learn that God
never tempts, but He does test, and Satan always tempts us.
My Steps of Faith for Today: Trust the Lord when He tests me.
Memory verses for the
week: Colossians 3:1-3.
1 Therefore if you have
been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is,
seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set
you mind on things above, not on the things that are on earth. 3 For you have died and your life is hidden
with Christ in God.
Answer to yesterday’s Bible
question: “Rebekah” (Genesis 24:1-67).
Today’s Bible
question: “Who knows when the rapture
will occur?”
Answer in our next SD.
7/27/2014 9:33 PM
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