Jeremiah
Chapter
40
1~~The
word/doctrine came to Jeremiah
from
the Jehovah/God {bible doctrine in time of disparate need},
after
that Nebuzaradan, the Provo Marshall General/G2 Commander
{rabsarbashim - title 2nd Highest in military}
had
'released from slavery' him to go from Ramah,
{Jeremiah}
having been bound in chains
{can northern iron break ordinary iron in his soul? No!
See Jeremiah 15:12}
among
those from Jerusalem and Judea -
where
{in Jerusalem} they {unknown Chaldean soldiers}
had
violently seized him {Jeremiah} -
who
were about to be carried away
captive
unto Babylon {death march crowd of Psalm 119}. . .
{Note: In Chapter 39:14 Jeremiah had been released from Jerusalem. We know now that he had been violently captured again by the Chaldean soldiers and taken to Ramah where Jeremiah is now being released the second time. These are two separate events.}
{Note: Per RBT, Jeremiah knew what was going to happen to the women and children in the southern part of Jerusalem when the Chaldean army was 'released on them'. So Jeremiah went to the rescue of his right woman only to see her die before his eyes. This would be the time he was 'seized violently' and taken to captivity at Ramah.}
{Note: Remember the book of Jeremiah is not chronological. See here Jeremiah 15:7-14.}
{Jeremiah's
Sermon Given Back to Jeremiah}
2~~And
the Provo Marshall General/G2 Commander
{rabsarbashim - title 2nd Highest in military}
released
Jeremiah, and said unto him,
"The
Jehovah/God your Elohiym/Godhead
has
pronounced this evil {5th cycle of discipline}
upon
this place {Judea}."
{Note: This clearly indicates that the G2 officer had read Jeremiah's sermons. He recognizes the place of the Chaldean empire in God's plan, but he himself is NOT anti-Semitic. Anti-Semitism is evil and always wicked!}
{Heathen
Testimony Against Israel (Not Jeremiah Personally)}
3~~"Now
the Jehovah/God has caused it to come to pass,
and
has manufactured {asah - out of their apostasy}
according
as He has pronounced
because
you all {the reversionistic Jews}
have
'missed the mark' against the Jehovah/God
{rejection of doctrine},
and
you all have not 'listened and obeyed' His voice,
therefore
this word
{pertinent doctrines on judgement for rejection of God
and His Word}
is
come upon you all."
4~~"And
now, behold,
I
{Nebuzaradan} release you {Jeremiah}
this
day from these chains
which
were upon your hand.
And
if . . . {it seems} good in your eyes {Jeremiah's free will choice}
to
come with me to Babylon,
I
will set my eyes upon you
{idiom: I will take you under my personal protection and care}.
But
if . . . {it seems} evil in your eyes {free function of soul}
to
come with me into Babylon, decline.
Behold,
all the land is before you {Jeremiah you are truly free}.
Where
is good and right in your eyes, go."
{The
Death March Crowd of the Youth to Babylon - See Lamentations}
5~~While
and because he {Jeremiah} was not yet returned,
{Jeremiah stays here to preach to the needy people about to go
on the death march to Babylon - then he goes to Mizpah}
{Nebuzaradan
said to Jeremiah}
"Return
to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan,
whom
the king of Babylon {Nebuchadnezzar}
has
made governor over the cities of Judah,
and
'dwell in tranquility'{ yashab}
with
him among the people.
Or
{Jeremiah's option} go wherever you desire to go
{ Nebuzaradan can not protect Jeremiah on this death march so he
commands him to go wherever he wants - just not with this
group}.
So
the Provo Marshall General/G2 Commander
kept
on giving him {Jeremiah} rations
and
a 'large sum of money' {no financial problems for a while},
and
was in the process of releasing him
{implies the Provo Marshall did not want to part from Jeremiah - He
appreciated the man and his message}.
{Note: There are three groups now of the captive Jews. The Riblah crowd is described in Psalm 119 - these people are being executed. The death march was described in Jeremiah's book of Lamentations - these people will be brutally treated, but will become the strong remnant who will later return to the land. Jeremiah wants to go to Riblah but he is prohibited from doing so. Instead Jeremiah will stay with the remnant who stay in the land at Mizpah - where God knows he belongs. His greatest ministry is yet to come.}
{Jeremiah's
Short Vacation Period}
6~~Then
went Jeremiah unto Gedaliah the son of Ahikam to Mizpah.
And
dwelt in tranquility with him among the people
who
were left in the land.
{Note: Mizpah is north of Jerusalem and was a city of Benjamin (Joshua 18:26). It has a great history. And, it is famous for the Mizpah benediction (Genesis 31:49): 'The Lord watches between me and thee, when we are apart one from the other."}
7~~Now
when all the generals of the forces
who
were in the fields,
even
they and their men {units},
kept
on hearing {at different times}
that
the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah the son of Ahikam
governor
in the land,
and
had appointed him over them {paqad} {as governor}
'common
men' {nobles were killed},
women
and little children
{mainly honorable widows and dependent children}
and
of the 'dispossessed' {dal} of the land . . .
{the dispossessed and now poor believers who stood with Jeremiah} of
them that were not carried away captive to Babylon.
{Note: Dal does mean poverty. But it also means 'dispossessed' into become poor. RBT says we will find out later, that Nebuzaradan knew that these were the only people worthy of being saved. Nebuzaradan will restore the wealth to these people - they stayed loyal to Nebuchadnezzar - and therefore were unjustly persecuted by Zedekiah. These are the mature believers had been positive to God and followed Jeremiah.}
{Conspiracy}
8~~Then
they {list follows} came to Gedaliah {the governor} . . .
to
{the city of} Mizpah -
even
Ishmael the son of Nethaniah,
and
Johanan {the good guy} 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.
{Note: Ishmael and some of these men are negative to the Word and does not have the capacity to be happy. He will lead a conspiracy to kill Gedaliah. They want to share in the prosperity and happiness but do not want doctrine.}
9~~And
Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan
himself
made a solemn promise unto them
and
to their men, saying,
"Fear
not to serve the Chaldeans {policy of the establishment}.
Dwell
in happiness/tranquility {yashab} in the land,
and
serve the king of Babylon,
and
it shall be good with you {as it is good with us}."
{Note: Gedaliah is living in a false utopia. He thinks all will be happy if he is nice to these returning people. He does not realize that you can not mix positive people with negative people without having controversies. As Jesus said, 'I came with a sword to divide family'. Bible doctrine clearly divides those positive to Him from those negative.}
{Gedaliah
Advises Military Types to Turn to Farming Now}
10~~As
for me {Gedaliah}, behold,
I
will keep on dwelling in tranquility/prosperity {yashab} at Mizpah
to
serve the Chaldeans,
who
will come unto us {for a tribute payment}.
But
you {the returning Jews who had fled},
gather
your wine {in storage vats},
and
summer fruits {a fruit harvested in summer},
and
{olive} oil,
and
put them in your vessels,
and
dwell in tranquility/prosperity {yashab}
in
your cities that you will occupy.
{How
the Civil War Came to Pass}
11~~Likewise
when all the Jews
{we become the 'revolutionary party'}
who
were in Moab,
and
among the Ammonites,
and
in Edom,
and
that were in all the countries,
heard
{at different times} that the king of Babylon
had
given the remnant of Judah
{the mature and honorable believers},
and
that he had appointed as governor over them
Gedaliah
the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan.
{Note: These people are cousins to the Jews, but are Arabs and traditionally Anti-Semitic. These people are NOT positive toward doctrine and Nebuchadnezzar did not give the rule of the land to them. Gedaliah is letting them infiltrate in - he is a weak leader.}
12~~Even
all the Jews returned out of all places
whither
they were driven,
and
came to the land of Judah,
to
{governor} Gedaliah, unto {the city of} Mizpah,
and
gathered {'acaph} wine and summer fruits very much
{adding needed labor for Jewish industry}.
{Verses
13-16: Gedaliah is Warned of the Conspiracy}
13-14~~Moreover
Johanan the son of Kareah,
and
all the generals of the forces that were in the fields,
came
with a purpose to {governor} Gedaliah
to
{the city of} Mizpah, 14~~
and
said unto him,
"Knowing
. . . do you not keep on realizing {really understand}
that
Baalis the king of the Ammonites
{who wants to plunder Judea - brains of the conspiracy}
has
sent Ishmael the son of Nethaniah
to
violently strike {nakah} your soul {nephesh}?"
But
Gedaliah the son of Ahikam believed them not
and
would not change his mind {'aman -Hiphil perfect}.
{Note: 'Nakah nephesh' is very unusual Hebrew phrase to use in saying his life is in danger. It means that Ishmael has reported back that Gedaliah's weakness is in his soul! He is not a strong leader. He is full of reconciliation for all people and wants everyone just to get along, but this is a time of danger and strife. Baalis will exploit this weakness of soul. Gedaliah assumed that everyone was like himself - open and above board - and this will cost him his life.}
15~~Then
Johanan the son of Kareah
spoke
to {governor} Gedaliah to {the city of} Mizpah
secretly,
saying, "Let me go, I beg you,
and
I will thoroughly and violently slay
{nakah - Hiphil imperfect - it takes violence to stop violence}
Ishmael
the son of Nethaniah,
and
no man shall know it.
Why
should he violently strike {nakah} your soul {nephesh}
with
the result that
all
the Jews who are gathered unto you
should
be scattered under violent conditions {puwts - civil war},
and
the remnant in Judah perish?"
16~~
But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam
said
unto Johanan the son of Kareah,
"You
shall not 'manufacture his death'
{ `asah - something out of something}
out
of your word.
For
you keep on speaking a 'vicious dirty lie'
{sheqer - an insult word}
of
Ishmael {Gedaliah was incensed at the accusation}."
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