Jeremiah 41:1-8: a reflection

1Now in the seventh month, Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the royal offspring and one of the chief officers of the king, and ten men with him, came to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam to Mizpah; and there they ate bread together in Mizpah. 2Then Ishmael the son of Nethaniah arose, and the ten men who were with him, and struck Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan with the sword and killed him, whom the king of Babylon had made governor over the land. 3Ishmael also killed all the Jews who were with Gedaliah at Mizpah, and the Chaldean men of war who were found there. 4The second day after he had killed Gedaliah, and no man knew it, 5men came from Shechem, from Shiloh, and from Samaria, even eighty men, having their beards shaved and their clothes torn, and having cut themselves, with meal offerings and frankincense in their hand, to bring them to the LORD’s house. 6Ishmael the son of Nethaniah went out from Mizpah to meet them, weeping all along as he went, and as he met them, he said to them, “Come to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam.” 7It was so, when they came into the middle of the city, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah killed them, and cast them into the middle of the pit, he, and the men who were with him. 8But ten men were found among those who said to Ishmael, “Don’t kill us; for we have stores hidden in the field, of wheat, and of barley, and of oil, and of honey.” So he stopped, and didn’t kill them among their brothers.

This is a dark account of treachery. Ishmael comes to Gedaliah, the governor, and they eat bread together, a sign of hospitality and trust; and then, in that very setting of shared table and welcome, Ishmael rises and murders Gedaliah and those with him. He betrayed the trust of the one who had received him as a guest, turning hospitality into the occasion of murder. It is treachery of the worst kind: to betray one who has welcomed and trusted you.

Notice the evil of the treachery: betraying the trust of one who welcomed him. Gedaliah had received Ishmael, shared his table with him, trusted him as a guest; and Ishmael used that very trust and hospitality as the cover for murder. The bond of shared bread, which should have meant safety and friendship, was betrayed. There is a special evil in treachery, in betraying the trust of those who have welcomed and trusted us; it violates the most basic bonds of trust between people. Ishmael's treachery turned welcome into murder, the worst of betrayals.

That evil of treachery is worth taking to heart, for we are called to be trustworthy, not treacherous, to those who trust us. While we may never do anything so terrible as Ishmael, the principle stands: that to betray the trust of those who have welcomed and relied on us is a grave evil, a violation of the bonds that hold people together. Do not betray the trust of those who have welcomed and relied on you; be trustworthy, honoring the trust others place in you rather than betraying it, as Ishmael betrayed the trust of the one who shared his table. Guard the bonds of trust, being faithful to those who have welcomed and relied on you, rather than betraying them; for treachery, the betrayal of trust, is a grave evil, as Ishmael's murder of the one who had welcomed him at his table shows, while faithfulness to those who trust us honors the bonds that hold us together.

Lord, this is a dark account of treachery. Ishmael comes to Gedaliah, the governor, and they eat bread together, a sign of hospitality and trust; and then, in that very setting of shared table and welcome, Ishmael rises and murders Gedaliah and those with him. He betrayed the trust of the one who had received him as a guest, turning hospitality into the occasion of murder. It is treachery of the worst kind. Show me the evil of the treachery: betraying the trust of one who welcomed him. Gedaliah had received Ishmael, shared his table with him, trusted him; and Ishmael used that very trust as the cover for murder. The bond of shared bread was betrayed. There is a special evil in treachery, in betraying the trust of those who have welcomed and trusted us; it violates the most basic bonds between people. Take that to my heart, for I am called to be trustworthy, not treacherous, to those who trust me. While I may never do anything so terrible as Ishmael, the principle stands: that to betray the trust of those who have welcomed and relied on me is a grave evil. Keep me from betraying the trust of those who have welcomed and relied on me; help me be trustworthy, Lord, honoring the trust others place in me rather than betraying it. Help me guard the bonds of trust, being faithful to those who have welcomed and relied on me.