We
have attended Jerusalem's funeral pile, and have taken our leave of the
captives that were carried to Babylon, not expecting to hear any more of
them in this book: perhaps we may in Ezekiel; and we must in this and the
four following chapters observe the story of those few Jews that were left
to remain in the land after their brethren were carried away, and it is a
very melancholy story; for, though at first there were some hopeful
prospects of their well-doing, they soon appeared as obstinate in sin as
ever, unhumbled and unreformed, till, all the rest of the judgments
threatened in Deut. xxviii. being brought upon them, that which in the last
verse of that dreadful chapter completes the threatenings was accomplished,
"The Lord shall bring thee into Egypt
again." In this chapter we have, I. A
more particular account of Jeremiah's discharge and his settlement with
Gedaliah, ver. 1-6. II. The great resort of the Jews that remained scattered
in the neighbouring countries to Gedaliah, who was made their governor under
the king of
Babylon; and the good posture they were in for a
while under him, ver. 7-12. III. A treacherous design formed against
Gedaliah, by Ishmael, which we shall find executed in the next chapter, ver.
13-16.
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The
Preservation of Jeremiah; Jeremiah's Adherence to Gedaliah.
B. C. 588.
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1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD,
after that Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard had let him go from Ramah,
when he had taken him being bound in chains among all that were carried away
captive of Jerusalem and Judah, which were carried away captive unto
Babylon. 2 And the captain of the guard took Jeremiah, and said
unto him, The LORD
thy God hath pronounced this evil upon this place. 3 Now the LORD
hath brought it, and done according as he hath said: because ye have
sinned against the LORD, and have not obeyed his
voice, therefore this thing is come upon you. 4 And now, behold,
I loose thee this day from the chains which were upon thine hand. If
it seem good unto thee to come with me into
Babylon
, come; and I will look well unto thee: but
if it seem ill unto thee to come with me into
Babylon
, forbear: behold, all the land is
before thee: whither it seemeth good and convenient for thee to go, thither
go. 5 Now while he was not yet gone back, he said, Go
back also to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan, whom the king of
Babylon hath made governor over the cities of Judah, and dwell with him
among the people: or go wheresoever it seemeth convenient unto thee to go.
So the captain of the guard gave him victuals and a reward, and let him
go. 6 Then went Jeremiah unto Gedaliah the son of Ahikam to
Mizpah; and dwelt with him among the people that were left in the land.
The title of this part of the book, which begins the chapter, seems
misapplied (The word which came to Jeremiah), for here is nothing of
prophecy in this chapter, but it is to be referred to ch. xlii. 7,
where we have a message that God sent by Jeremiah to the captains and the
people that remained. The story between is only to introduce that prophecy
and show the occasion of it, that it may be the better understood, and
Jeremiah, being himself concerned in the story, was the better able to give
an account of it.
In these verses we have Jeremiah's adhering, by the advice of Nebuzar-adan,
to Gedaliah. It should seem that Jeremiah was very honourably fetched out of
the court of the prison by the king of Babylon's princes (ch. xxxix.
13, 14), but afterwards, being found among the people in the city, when
orders were given to the inferior officers to bind all they found that were
of any fashion, in order to their being carried captives to Babylon, he,
through ignorance and mistake, was bound among the rest and hurried away.
Poor man! he seems to have been born to hardship and abuse--man of
sorrows indeed! But when the captives were brought manacled to Ramah,
not far off, where a council of war, or court-martial, was held for giving
orders concerning them, Jeremiah was soon distinguished from the rest, and,
by special order of the court, was discharged. 1. The captain of the guard
solemnly owns him to be a true prophet (v. 2, 3): "The Lord
thy God, whose messenger thou has been and in whose name thou hast
spoken, has by thee pronounced this evil upon this place; they
had fair warning given them of it, but they would not take the warning, and now
the Lord hath brought it, and, as by thy mouth he said it, so by my hand
he hath done what he said." He seems thus to justify what he had
done, and to glory in it, that he had been God's instrument to fulfil that
which Jeremiah had been his messenger to foretell; and upon that account it
was indeed the most glorious action he had ever done. He tells all the
people that were now in chains before him It is because you have sinned
against the Lord that this thing has come upon you. The princes of
Israel would never be brought to acknowledge this, though it was as evident
as if it had been written with a sun-beam; but this heathen prince plainly
sees it, that a people that had been so favoured as they had been by the
divine goodness would never have been abandoned thus had they not been very
provoking. The people of Israel had been often told this from the pulpit by
their prophets, and they would not regard it; now they are told it from the
bench by the conqueror, whom they dare not contradict and who will make them
regard it. Note, Sooner or later men shall be made sensible that their sin
is the cause of all their miseries. 2. He gives him free leave to dispose of
himself as he thought fit. He loosed him from his chains a second
time (v. 4), invited him to come along with him to Babylon, not as a
captive, but as a friend, as a companion; and I will set my eye upon thee
(so the word is), not only, "I will look well to thee," but
"I will show thee respect, will countenance thee, and will see that
thou be safe and well provided for." If he was not disposed to go to
Babylon, he might dwell where he pleased in his own country, for it was all
now at the disposal of the conquerors. He may go to Anathoth if he please,
and enjoy the field he has purchased there. A great change with this good
man! He that but lately was tossed from one prison to another may now walk
at liberty from one possession to another. 3. He advised him to go to
Gedaliah and settle with him. This Gedaliah, made governor of the
land under the king of Babylon, was an honest Jew, who (it is
probably) betimes went over with his friends to the Chaldeans, and approved
himself so well that he had this great trust put into his hands, v.
5. While Jeremiah had not yet gone back, but stood considering
what he should do, Nebuzar-adan, perceiving him neither inclined to go to
Babylon nor determined whither to go, turned the scale for him, and bade him
by all means go to Gedaliah. Sudden thoughts sometimes prove wise
ones. But when he gave this counsel he did not design to bind him by it, nor
will he take ill if he do not follow it: Go wheresoever it seemeth
convenient unto thee. It is friendly in such cases to give advice, but
unfriendly to prescribe and to be angry if our advice be not take. Let
Jeremiah steer what course he pleases, Nebuzar-adan will agree to it, and
believe he does for the best. Nor does he only give him his liberty, and an
approbation of the measures he shall take, but provides for his support: He gave
him victuals and a present, either in clothes or money, and so let
him go. See how considerate the captain of the guard was in his
kindness to Jeremiah. He set him at liberty, but it was in a country that
was laid waste, and in which, as the posture of it now was, he might have
perished, though it was his own country, if he had not been thus kindly
furnished with necessaries. Jeremiah not only accepted his kindness, but
took his advice, and went to Gedaliah, to Mizpah, and dwelt with him,
v. 6. Whether we may herein commend his prudence I know not; the
event does not commend it, for it did not prove at all to his comfort.
However, we may commend his pious affection to the land of Israel, that
unless he were forced out of it, as Ezekiel, and Daniel, and other good men
were, he would not forsake it, but chose rather to dwell with the poor in
the holy land than with princes in an unholy one.
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Gedaliah's
Address to the People.
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B.
C. 588.
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7 Now when all the captains of the forces
which were in the fields, even they and their men, heard that
the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah the son of Ahikam governor in the
land, and had committed unto him men, and women, and children, and of the
poor of the land, of them that were not carried away captive to
Babylon; 8 Then they came to Gedaliah to Mizpah, even Ishmael
the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan and Jonathan the sons of Kareah, and
Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth, and the sons of Ephai the Netophathite, and
Jezaniah the son of a Maachathite, they and their men. 9 And
Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan sware unto them and to their
men, saying, Fear not to serve the Chaldeans: dwell in the land, and serve
the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you. 10 As for
me, behold, I will dwell at Mizpah to serve the Chaldeans, which will come
unto us: but ye, gather ye wine, and summer fruits, and oil, and put them
in your vessels, and dwell in your cities that ye have taken. 11
Likewise when all the Jews that were in Moab, and among the
Ammonites, and in Edom, and that were in all the countries, heard
that the king of Babylon had left a remnant of Judah, and that he had set
over them Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan; 12 Even
all the Jews returned out of all places whither they were driven, and came
to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah, unto Mizpah, and gathered wine and summer
fruits very much. 13 Moreover Johanan the son of Kareah, and all
the captains of the forces that were in the fields, came to Gedaliah
to Mizpah, 14 And said unto him, Dost thou certainly know that
Baalis the king of the Ammonites hath sent Ishmael the son of Nethaniah to
slay thee? But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam believed them not. 15
Then Johanan the son of Kareah spake to Gedaliah in Mizpah secretly, saying,
Let me go, I pray thee, and I will slay Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and no
man shall know it: wherefore should he slay thee, that all the Jews
which are gathered unto thee should be scattered, and the remnant in Judah
perish? 16 But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam said unto Johanan the
son of Kareah, Thou shalt not do this thing: for thou speakest falsely of
Ishmael.
We have in these verses,
I. A bright sky opening upon the remnant of the Jews that were left in their
own land, and a comfortable prospect given them of some peace and quietness
after the many years of trouble and terror with which they had been
afflicted. Jeremiah indeed had never in his prophecies spoken of any such
good days reserved for the Jews immediately after the captivity; but
Providence seemed to raise and encourage such an expectation, and it would
be to that miserable people as life from the dead. Observe the particulars.
1. Gedaliah, one of themselves, is made governor in the land, by the
king of Babylon, v. 7. To show that he designed to make and keep
them easy he did not give this commission to one of the princes of Babylon,
but to one of their brethren, who, they might be sure, would seek their
peace. He was the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, one of the
princes. We read of his father (ch. xxvi. 24) that he took Jeremiah's
part against the people. He seems to have been a man of great wisdom and a
mild temper, and under whose government the few that were left might have
been very happy. The king of Babylon had a good opinion of him and reposed a
confidence in him, for to him he committed all that were left behind.
2. There is great resort to him from all parts, and all those that were now
the Jews of the dispersion came and put themselves under his government and
protection. (1.) The great men that had escaped the Chaldeans by force came
and quietly submitted to Gedaliah, for their own safety and common
preservation. Several are here named, v. 8. They came with their
men, their servants, their soldiers, and so strengthened one another;
and the king of Babylon had such a good opinion of Gedaliah his delegate
that he was not at all jealous of the increase of their numbers, but rather
pleased with it. (2.) The poor men that had escaped by flight into the
neighbouring countries of Moab, Ammon, and Edom, were induced by the love
they bore to their own land to return to it again as soon as they heard that
Gedaliah was in authority there, v. 11, 12. Canaan itself would be an
unsafe unpleasant country if there were no government nor governors there,
and those that loved it dearly would not come back to it till they heard
there were. It would be a great reviving to those that were dispersed to
come together again, to those that were dispersed into foreign countries to
come together in their own country, to those that were under strange kings
to be under a governor of their own nation. See here in wrath God remembered
mercy, and yet admitted some of them upon a further trial of their
obedience.
3. The model of this new government is drawn up and settled by an original
contract, which Gedaliah confirmed with an oath, a solemn oath (v.
9): He swore to them and to their men, it is probably according to
the warrant and instructions he had received from the king of Babylon, who
empowered him to give them these assurances. (1.) They must own the property
of their lands to be in the Chaldeans. "Come" (says Gedaliah),
"fear not to serve the Chaldeans. Fear not the sin of it."
Though the divine law had forbidden them to make leagues with the heathen,
yet the divine sentence had obliged them to yield to the king of Babylon.
"Fear not the reproach of it, and the disparagement it will be to your
nation; it is what God has brought you to, has bound you to, and it is no
disgrace to any to comply with him. Fear not the consequences of it, as if
it would certainly make you and yours miserable; no, you will find the king
of Babylon not so hard a landlord as you apprehend him to be; if you will
but live peaceably, peaceably you shall live; disturb not the government,
and it will not disturb you. Serve the king of Babylon and it shall be
well with you." If they should make any difficulty of doing
personal homage, or should be apprehensive of danger when the Chaldeans
should come among them, Gedaliah, probably by instruction from the king of
Babylon, undertakes upon all occasions to act for them, and make their
application acceptable to the king (v. 10): "As for me,
behold, I will dwell at Mizpah, to serve the Chaldeans, to do homage to
them in the name of the whole body if there be occasion, to receive orders,
and to pay them their tribute when the come to us." All that
passes between them and the Chaldeans shall pass through his hand; and, if
the Chaldeans put such a confidence in him, surely his own countrymen may
venture to do it. Gedaliah is willing thus to give them the assurance of an
oath that he will do his part in protecting them, but, being apt to err (as
many good men are) on the charitable side, he did not require an oath from
them that they would be faithful to him, else the following mischief might
have been prevented. However, protection draws allegiance though it be not
sworn, and by joining in with Gedaliah they did, in effect, consent to the
terms of government, that they should serve the king of Babylon. But,
(2.) Though they own the property of their lands to be in the Chaldeans,
yet, upon that condition, they shall have the free enjoyment of them and all
the profits of them (v. 10): "Gather you wine and summer
fruits, and take them for your own use; put them in your vessels,
to be laid up for winter-store, as those do that live in a land of peace and
hope to eat the labour of your hand, nay, the labour of other
people's hands, for you reap what they sowed." Or perhaps they were the
spontaneous products of that fertile soil, for which none had laboured. And
accordingly we find (v. 12) that they gathered wine and summer
fruits very much, such as were at present upon the ground, for their
corn-harvest was over some time before Jerusalem was taken. While Gedaliah
was in care for the public safety he left them to enjoy the advantages of
the public plenty, and, for aught that appears, demanded no tribute from
them; for he sought not his own profit, but the profit of many.
II. Here is a dark cloud gathering over this infant state, and threatening a
dreadful storm. How soon is this hopeful prospect blasted! For when God
begins in judgment he will make an end. It is here intimated to us, 1. That Baalis
the king of the Ammonites had a particular spite at Gedaliah, and was
contriving to take him off, either out of malice to the nation of the Jews,
whose welfare he hated the thought of, or a personal pique against Gedaliah,
v. 14. Some make Baalis to signify the queen-mother of the king of
the Ammonites, or queen-dowager, as if she were the first mover of the
bloody and treacherous design. One would have thought this little remnant
might be safe when the great king of
Babylon
protected it; and ye it is ruined by the artifices of this petty prince or
princess. happy are those that have the King of kings of their side, who can
take the wise in their own craftiness; for the greatest earthly king
cannot with all his power secure us against fraud and treachery. 2. That he
employed Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah, as the instrument of his
malice, instigated him to murder Gedaliah, and, that he might have a fair
opportunity to do it, directed him to go and enrol himself among his
subjects and promise him fealty. Nothing could be more barbarous than the
design itself, nor more base than the method of compassing it. How
wretchedly is human nature corrupted and degenerated (even in those that
pretend to the best blood) when it is capable of admitting the thought of
such abominable wickedness! Ishmael was of the seed royal, and would
therefore be easily tempted to envy and hate one that set up for a governor
in Judah, who was not, as he was, of David's line, though he had ever so
much of David's spirit. 3. That Johanan, a brisk and active man, having got
scent of this plot, informed Gedaliah of it, yet taking it for granted he
could not but know of it before, the proofs of the matter being so very
plain: Dost thou certainly know? surely thou dost, v. 14. He
gave him private intelligence of it (v. 15), hoping he would then
take the more notice of it. He proffered his service to prevent it, by
taking off Ishmael, whose very name was ominous to all the seed of Isaac: I
will slay him. Wherefore should he slay thee? Herein he showed
more courage and zeal than sense of justice; for, if it be lawful to kill
for prevention, who then can be safe, since malice always suspects the
worst? 4. That Gedaliah, being a man of sincerity himself, would by no means
give credit to the information given him of Ishmael's treachery. He said, Thou
speakest falsely of Ishmael. Herein he discovered more good humour than
discretion, more of the innocency of the dove than the wisdom of the
serpent. Princes become uneasy to themselves and all about them when they
are jealous. Queen Elizabeth said that she would believe no more evil of her
people than a mother would believe of her own children; yet many have been
ruined by being over-confident of the fidelity of those about them.
