Jeremiah 41 - Bible Study, Explanation, and Application

Jeremiah 41 Bible Study

INTRO AND TIMELINE:

• Jeremiah was a priest who lived in Anathoth (3 miles from Jerusalem). His ministry was directed towards the people of Judah, immediately before and during their exile in Babylon. His work as a prophet dates from 627 BC through the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 586 BC.

• Jeremiah is the longest book in the English Bible by word count. The book has 52 chapters.

• Jeremiah prophesied under the following Kings of Judah:

• Manasseh (687-642 BC)

• Amos (642-640 BC)

• Josiah (640-609 BC)

• Jehoiakim (initially known as Eliakim, 609-598 BC)

• Jehoiachin (also known as Jeconiah or Coniah, 598-597 BC)

• Zedekiah (His reign ended when Babylon conquered Judah, (597-586 BC)

MAP OF JEREMIAH 41:

OUTLINE:

• ISHMAEL ASSASSINATES GOVERNOR GEDALIAH (41:1-10):

  • At the end of the last chapter, Governor Gedaliah dismissed a rumor that Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah, had been sent by the Ammonites to assassinate him.

  • Unfortunately for Gedaliah, the rumor was true!

  • In the 7th month, Ishmael came to Mizpah with 10 men and killed Gedeliah with a sword.

  • They also killed the Judeans that were with the king and some Babylonian soldiers.  

  • On the same day, Gedaliah met a group of 80 men who were headed to the Temple of God to offer sacrifices. Either they hadn’t heard of the Temple’s destruction, or they were going to the ruins of the Temple. The latter seems possible because the men showed outward signs of mourning (torn clothes, shaved beards, and cuts on their bodies).

  • Ishmael lured these men into Mizpah and then murdered 70 of them, throwing their bodies into a cistern.

  • The remaining 10 bartered for their lives. They told Ishmael they would hand over their company’s wheat, barley, oil, and honey, which had been hidden in a field. Ishmael accepted their offer and refrained from killing them.

  • Ishmael took all the people of Mizpah captive and set a course for the land of Ammon.

• JOHANAN RESCUES THE CAPTIVES (41:11-15):

  • When Johanan, the man who initially warned the governor about Ishmael, heard all the evil that Ishmael had done, he gathered up the chief men and took his warriors to confront Ishmael.

  • They met him at the great pool near Gibeon.

  • When the captives saw Johanan, they rejoiced and ran from Ishmael’s company to Johanan’s.

  • Ishmael escaped with 8 men and fled into the land of the Ammonites.

• A PLAN TO GO TO EGYPT (41:16-18):

  • In light of the fact that Ishmael had killed Babylonian soldiers and the Babylonian appointed governor, Johanan feared the response of King Nebuchadnezzar.

  • While staying near Bethlehem, Johanan and his men made a plan to flee from Judah and go to Egypt, thinking they might find safety in the south.

APPLICATION:

• If you are a part of any organization for an extended period of time, the Church not excluded, you’ll encounter people with bad motives, snakes in the grass.

• Some people’s minds are tuned to think optimistically and to assume the best about everyone they meet.  

• Some people have more discerning and skeptical minds and are more tuned to catch snakes.

• Both mindsets can be taken to sinful extremes, but when balanced correctly in the Church, both mindsets are essential.

• The New Testament tells us to think well of others, and it also teaches us to be on guard against spiritual threats.Gedaliah dismissed

• the rumors about Ishmael at great cost to himself and the people of Judah.

• When a wise and discerning person raises an alarm about a potential threat, the concern should not be dismissed flippantly.