The final chapter of Lamentations describes the sad state of the Promised Land after Nebuchadnezzar defeated it. The land belonged to the Babylonians now and the Israelite people still living there had to work for them to get wages. Everything they needed to sustain life had to be purchased, from water to firewood.

Bandits roamed the countryside, stealing from people and assaulting them. Society was upended; elders received no respect, princes were tortured, and children staggered under loads they were forced to carry. Strong, young men who should have been singing mourned instead. Mount Zion, the seat of Israel’s glory was the home of jackals.

Jeremiah finished his laments with a prayer for recovery from all that the Lord had done to Judah.

“You, Lord, reign forever; your throne endures from generation to generation. Why do you always forget us? Why do you forsake us so long? Restore us to yourself, Lord, that we may return; renew our days as of old unless you have utterly rejected us and are angry with us beyond measure.” Lamentations 5:19-22

Israel and Judah fell into ruin, but God was still on his throne. He brought severe punishment on his people, but Jeremiah knew that there was still no one else for Israel to turn to.

Obadiah Prophesies

The Edomite and Israelite people were both descended from Abraham through his son Isaac. Isaac’s son Jacob fathered the Israelites and Jacob’s twin brother Esau was the father of the Edomites. Jacob and Esau were enemies and the Israelites and Edomites replayed the family conflict down through the centuries.

Edom responded to Israel’s defeat by rushing in to plunder what Babylon left behind in the devastated land. Edom caught Israelites fleeing from Babylonian violence and killed many. Others they sent back to the custody of Nebuchadnezzar’s army.

“Because of the violence against your brother Jacob , you will be covered with shame; you will be destroyed forever . . . You should not gloat over your brother in the day of his misfortune, nor rejoice over the people of Judah in the day of their destruction . . . nor seize their wealth in the day of their disaster. You should not wait at the crossroads to cut down their fugitives, nor hand over their survivors in the day of their trouble.” Obadiah 1:12-14

Edom should have recognized that Israel’s downfall was an act of God against sin; they should have taken warning not to sin themselves. Instead they saw Israel’s defeat as an opportunity to taunt their long-time enemies and steal from them.

God Holds the Nations to Account

Obadiah prophesied that God would eventually hold all of the nations to account for their deeds.

“The day of the Lord is near for all nations. As you have done, it will be done to you; your deeds will return upon your own head.” Obadiah 1:15

“All nations” means every nation from the beginning of time through the end of time. Nations that want to prosper should pay heed to the things Obadiah prophesied. It’s wrong to take advantage of other nations, rejoice over their misfortunes and be merciless toward their people when they flee from trouble. God remembers deeds of injustice and cruelty and will return them upon the heads of the nations who practice them.

Gedaliah Governs Judah

Gedaliah was an Israelite official in Zedekiah’s government before Jerusalem fell. His father Ahikam helped the Cushite Ebed-Melek free Jeremiah from the muddy cistern he was dropped into in Jerusalem. Gedaliah’s grandfather was Shaphan, King Josiah’s scribe.

When Jeremiah told the people of Jerusalem to surrender to Nebuchadnezzar for their safety, Gedaliah agreed. He began to cooperate with the Babylonians and King Nebuchadnezzar appointed him governor over Judah. When Nebuchadnezzar freed Jeremiah after the fall of Jerusalem he went to live under Gedaliah’s protection in Mizpah. Gedaliah was a confident and benevolent governor. He believed the people remaining in Judah could live at peace and even prosper under Babylonian rule if they cooperated with it.

When the war with Babylon ended there were scattered Judean army officers and soldiers left out in the open country. They came to Gedaliah and he swore with an oath that they would be safe.

“‘Do not be afraid to serve the Babylonians,’ he said. ‘Settle down in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it will go well with you. I myself will stay in Mizpah to represent you before the Babylonians who come to us, but you are to harvest the wine, summer fruit and olive oil, and put them in storage jars, and live in the towns you have taken over.’” Jeremiah 40:9-10

Jews who had fled to Moab, Ammon, Edom and the other countries also heard it was safe to come home so they returned to Judah. “And they harvested an abundance of wine and summer fruit.” Jeremiah 40:12

Name Changes

When we first read about the descendants of Jacob, they were called the Hebrews. The name came from Hebron, the place they lived in before they migrated to Egypt.

By the time Moses appeared on the scene in Egypt the descendants of Jacob were called Israelites. God changed Jacob’s name to Israel the night he wrestled with him in Canaan and after that his clan were known as the Israelites.

In our reading today we saw that the Israelites were called Jews after the Babylonian occupation. The name Jew was derived from their home in the land of Judah.

The name Jew stuck with Jacob’s descendants from that time on. We will see it used throughout the New Testament when we begin reading it September 24 in our One Year Chronological Bibles.

The Plot Against Gedaliah

Gedaliah was a man of such good will that he couldn’t imagine anyone wanting to kill him, but someone did want him dead. Baalis king of the Ammonites arranged for an assassin named Ishmael to kill Gedaliah.

Johanan and some other Judean army officers heard about the plot and tried to warn Gedaliah. Johanan offered to find Ishmael and kill him before he got to Gedaliah.

“Let me go and kill Ishmael son of Nethaniah, and no on will know it. Why should he take your life and cause all the Jews who are gathered around you to be scattered and the remnant of Judah to perish?” Jeremiah 40:15

Gedaliah probably knew Ishmael was a Judean military officer who had disappeared into Ammon during the war. He refused to think badly about this man and he didn’t agree with Johanan’s suggestion.

“But Gedaliah son of Ahikam said to Johanan son of Kareah, ‘Don’t do such a thing! What you are saying about Ishmael is not true.’” Jeremiah 40:16

Ishmael Carries Out the Plot

Ishmael and ten of his men came to Gedaliah in Mizpah and they sat down to a meal. While they were eating Ismael and his men got up and struck down Gedaliah and all of the men of Judah, along with all of the Babylonian soldiers in Mizpah.

The next day, before word of the massacre got out, eighty Jewish pilgrims from Shechem, Shiloh and Samaria came to Mizpah to make offerings to God. They were mourning for Judah and Ishmael went out to meet them, pretending he also was in mourning. He invited them to come into Mizpah and meet with Governor Gedaliah, but when they went through the city gates, they were ambushed, killed and thrown into an empty cistern. Ten of the visitors escaped death by promising to take Ishmael to a trove of wheat, honey, and olive oil they had hidden in a field.

Johanan heard about Ishmael’s terrible crimes in Mizpah and went after him. Ishmael had taken the people of Mizpah captive and was on his way to deliver them to the king of Ammon when Johanan and his men caught up with them. The captives joined Johanan’s forces and overthrew Ishmael’s small army, but Ishmael and eight of his men escaped into Ammon.

Johanan turned south with his men and their band of recovered Jewish captives. They had to try to get to safety in Egypt before the Babylonians swept back into Judah and took revenge for the deaths of Governor Gedaliah and the Babylonian soldiers. They expected Nebuchadnezzar to put down the insurrection before it spread, even though the perpetrators had already fled to Ammon.

Jeremiah

Jeremiah had probably looked forward to a peaceful retirement in Mizpah, being cared for by Gedaliah, before all of this happened. But he was taken captive by Ishmael and then rescued by Johanan just like everyone else from Mizpah. Now he was a refugee on the move to Egypt.

Tomorrow we will see that Jeremiah’s days as a prophet were not over yet.