“However, before Jeremiah turned to go, Nebuzaradan added, “‘Go back to Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon has appointed over the towns of Judah, and live with him among the people, or go anywhere else you please.”’ Then the commander gave him provisions and a present and let him go.”
~ Jeremiah 40:5
Hi James and Ellen,
Do you explicitly trust your kid friends? Do you unquestionably trust your teachers? Do you unconditionally trust your dad and ma? Do your kid friends explicitly trust you? Do your teachers unquestionably trust you? Does your dad and ma unconditionally trust you? What does it mean to you to trust in your kid friends, in your teachers and in your dad and ma? What does it mean to you to be trusted by your kid friends, by your teachers and by your dad and ma? Trust means having faith, hope and belief in another kid, guy or gal to do what is right to do. To be trusted means that another kid, guy or gal has faith, hope and belief in you to do what is right to do. Do you find it easy or hard to trust other kids, your teachers and your dad and ma? Do you think that it is easy or hard for other kids, your teachers and your dad and ma to trust you? Nebuzaradan and the Babylonian people group’s army – in August of 586 B.C., overran the country of Judah and captured and razed the city of Jerusalem. Instead of taking every guy, gal and kid who Nebuzaradan and the Babylonian people group’s army found still alive in and near the city of Jerusalem to the country of Babylonia as exiles, Nebuzaradan had the poorer guys, gals and kids remain in the land of Judah to harvest the various crops – such as grapes, figs and olives, that were ready to be harvested. Nebuzaradan trusted a guy by the name of Gedaliah to keep watch over the poorer guys, gals and kids who the Babylonian people group’s army left in the country of Judah and the city of Jerusalem. Nebuzaradan was a good guy. Nebuzaradan was the commander of Nebuchadnezzar’s imperial guard. When Nebuzaradan spotted Jeremiah bound and chained among the guys, gals and kids who had been taken by the Babylonian people group’s army from the country of Judah and the city of Jerusalem to the country of Babylonia as exiles, Nebuzaradan had Jeremiah set free to go wherever he wanted to go. Jeremiah recounts in Jeremiah 40 this moment when Nebuzaradan – without any reservations and conditions, made him again a free guy. Verse 5 says, “However, before Jeremiah turned to go, Nebuzaradan added, “‘Go back to Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon has appointed over the towns of Judah, and live with him among the people, or go anywhere else you please.”’ Then the commander gave him provisions and a present and let him go.”
Even though there are still more chapters after the next four chapters after this Jeremiah Book chapter, these five chapters actually conclude the Jeremiah Book. Jeremiah would return to the country of Judah. Gedaliah would stay in the town of Mizpah – which apparently was his home town, where he would dutifully fulfill his appointment that Nebuchadnezzar made through Nebuzaradan to oversee or to be in charge of the guys, gals and kids who had not been taken away by the Babylonian people group’s army from the country of Judah and the city of Jerusalem to the country of Babylonia as exiles. It seems to your grandpaa that Gedaliah took his responsibility very seriously being Nebuchadnezzar’s appointed leader over God’s specially chosen guys and gals – who are the Israelite people group guys and gals, who had been left in the country of Judah and in the city of Jerusalem by Nebuzaradan and the Babylonian people group’s army. When the news reached God’s specially chosen guys and gals who had relocated in other countries – including the countries of Ammon, Moab and Edom – probably to escape the Babylonian people group’s advancing army, they began to return to their country of Judah or to their city of Jerusalem. Gedaliah trusted the guys and gals who were returning to the country of Judah and to the city of Jerusalem – even after Gedaliah was told by a guy – whose name was Johanan, that Baalis – who was the king over the guys and gals who lived in the county of Ammon, had sent a guy – whose name was Ishmael, to murder him. Gedaliah was naïve in his trust. Even though Johanan was willing to kill Ishmael before Ishmael killed Gedaliah, Gedaliah told Johanan not to do it – that he could not believe that another guy would be so dastardly as to want to actually kill him.
Are you willing to trust a kid friend, a teacher and/or your dad and/or ma with your life? Gedaliah could be trusted. Even though the Babylonian people group’s army had overrun the country of Judah and had ransacked the city of Jerusalem. Gedaliah trusted Nebuzaradan because Nebuzaradan trusted him. Because he could be trusted, Gedaliah became an advocate for the country of Babylonia. Because there was plenty to eat and because peace had returned to the country of Judah and to the city of Jerusalem, Gedaliah could not believe that a guy would want to mess with what the guys and gals – who were God’s specially chosen guys and gals, who he was overseeing were contently experiencing. Your grandpaa likes to believe that he can be trusted – that he is not known for undermining other guys or gals through what he says and/or does. When an OC International mission leader told your grandpaa about six months ago that the OC International leadership could no longer trust your grandpaa to go along with them and the direction that OC International wanted to go – and even though it was a true observation, your grandpaa did not like what he heard. Even though it was a really hard experience, your grandpaa was reminded that unequivocal trust will be rewarded with explicit trust and that ambivalent mistrust will be rewarded with implicit mistrust. Even though doing so may lead to a kid – or a guy or gal, really hurting you emotionally and/or physically – in one way or another, cultivating a trust spirit is essential to living a life that pleases God. In what ways is God trusting you to live your lives just for Him? God wants you to unreservedly trust in Him. Trust is the catalyst for faith, hope and belief.
Jeremiah 40 (809)