BLIND TRUST in PEOPLE may have ‘GRAVE’ CONSEQUENCES!
August 20 Bible Reading: Jeremiah Chapters 40-42
BLIND TRUST in PEOPLE may have ‘GRAVE’ CONSEQUENCES!
Moreover Johanan the son of Kareah and
all the captains of the forces that were in the fields came to Gedaliah at
Mizpah, and said to him, "Do you certainly know that Baalis the king of
the Ammonites has sent Ishmael the son of Nethaniah to murder you?" But
Gedaliah the son of Ahikam did not believe them. Then Johanan the son of Kareah
spoke secretly to Gedaliah in Mizpah, saying, "Let me go, please, and I
will kill Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and no one will know it. Why should he
murder you, so that all the Jews who are gathered to you would be scattered,
and the remnant in Judah perish?" But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam said to
Johanan the son of Kareah, "You shall not do this thing, for you speak
falsely concerning Ishmael." (Jer. 40:13-16)
Gedaliah was
the son of the godly Ahikam (26:24; 2 Kings 22:12–14), son of Shaphan who was
Josiah’s scribe (2 Kings 22:8). As the son of a family with a rich history of
faithful participation in governmental service, Gedaliah may have had
considerable experience that qualified him for the important post of being
Babylon’s district governor. He was appointed governor of Judah after the fall
of Jerusalem, until he was assassinated just
after two months in office (25:22–26; 40:7–41:3).
The real tragedy was that Gedaliah’s
assassination could have been avoided!
Johanan had led a group of leaders to Gedaliah to warn him of a plot hatched by
Ishmael and the Ammonite king to assassinate the governor. Johanan had even
asked Gedaliah permission to kill Ishmael secretly as he feared reprisal from
Babylon. Unfortunately, Gedaliah was far too
trusting of Ishmael and so he rejected warnings concerning a plot to kill
him (40:13–16). In the seventh month, just two months after the fall of
Jerusalem, Gedaliah was assassinated. His tragic death, commemorated as a
Jewish day of fasting, led to the flight of Jerusalem’s survivors to Egypt against
the protests of Jeremiah (42:1–43:13).
Was Gedaliah too naïve and trusting? Yes, and we can see from the turn of
events that blind trust in people may
have grave consequences! Gedaliah should at least have taken precautions to
protect his life as Ishmael was loyal to Zedekiah (41:1) and had rejected the
rule of the governor. Our Lord Jesus Christ has exhorted us with these words: "be wise as serpents and harmless as
doves" (Matt. 10:16).
Let us
understand that to be naïve and blindly trust people is a sign of immaturity.
Immature people are usually gullible and easy target of cheats and criminals
(like Ishmael in this incident). However, when a person matures, one of the
ways to recognize maturity is seeing how well the person can distinguish right
from wrong and good from evil. "But
solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason
of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil"
(Heb. 5:14). Let us earnestly attempt to grow in maturity, even up to the
stature of Jesus Christ!
