“Ishmael son of Nethaniah and the ten men who were with him got up and struck down Gedadiah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, with the sword, killing the one whom the king of Babylon had appointed as governor over the land.”
~ Jeremiah 41:2
Hi James and Ellen,
Why do you think that a guy, gal or kid would want to kill a guy, gal or kid? Do you think that it is okay to kill a guy, gal or kid? It is very wrong to even think about killing a guy, gal or kid let alone killing a guy, gal or kid. As there though will always be wars, you may find yourself one day being asked by your country to kill a guy. You will have to make the decision then whether you think it is alright to fight in a war – where you would need to kill guys who will kill you if they have the chance. Even though your grandpaa never joined the armed forces to fight against guys in another country, your grandpaa wishes today that he had. Many of the United States states have a law which allows for the putting to death of a guy or gal who has murdered a guy, gal or kid. You will have to one day make a decision whether you think it is okay to put to death a guy or gal who has killed a guy or gal. Your grandpaa really does not like to see a guy or gal be put to death for having murdered a guy or gal. Your grandpaa has real concerns with some guys and gals not being put to death for murdering a guy or gal while other guys and gals are put to death. Your grandpaa does believe though that a guy or gal who has killed a guy or gal has to be severely punished. When your grandmaa and grandpaa lived at the rural resident training center in Concepción, Ñuflo de Chávez in Bolivia, your grandpaa enjoyed playing sports with the Centro de Capacitación (C. de C.) students. Your grandpaa would play every afternoon either volleyball or fulbito with the guys who were students at the rural resident training center. Fulbito is played like salon soccer. Fulbito is played with a miniature size soccer ball which does not bounce. Guys who lived in Concepción were always welcome to make up a team to play volleyball against the C. de C. students. Your dad even played volleyball against some of the young guys who lived in Concepción. Two young guys who often played volleyball against the C. de C. guys lived in the house that is located next to the rural resident training center property. Concepción is located on a road that was used by guys who drove contraband vehicles from Brazil into Bolivia – to be sold in Bolivia. It was against the law to drive vehicles from Brazil into Bolivia but . . . there was a checkpoint right outside Concepción where soldiers would check the paperwork on each vehicle to make sure the vehicle had the right papers to be in Bolivia. A guy who was taking a vehicle into Bolivia who did not have the right paperwork to take a vehicle into Bolivia to sell would pay money to the soldiers – as a bride, to let him get past Concepción’s checkpoint. A mechanic lived across the street from the rural resident training center in Concepcion. This mechanic one day worked on a contraband car. Your grandmaa and grandpaa remember seeing the four guys and the one gal who were taking contraband vehicles into Bolivia from Brazil. The guys and gal sat on the grass just outside the rural resident training center’s gate. The two young guys who lived in the house next to the rural resident training center heard that the guys and gal were carrying with them white gold – which is cocaine. These two young guys told the guys and gal that if they did not want to give the soldiers a bride that they would take them around the checkpoint. The two young guys took the four guys and the gal on a back trail where they robbed and killed them.
Guys kill guys and gals here also in Guatemala. Two young guys a couple of days ago were lynched in a town called Chiquistenango. Guys who are lynched in Guatemala are first beaten and then burned to death. These young guys probably stole something or did something to another guy or . . . guys have killed guys since Cain killed Abel. Jeremiah 41 details an atrocious murder. When God’s specially chosen guys and gals just would not be obedient to Him in the land that He had given to them to always to have to live in as their very own land if . . . God had the Babylonian army do a number on God’s specially chosen guys who were living in Jerusalem and in Judah. The leader of the Babylonian army – Nebuzaradan, appointed Gedaliah to rule over the Israelite guys, gals and kids who were not taken back to Babylon. Ishmael was an Israelite guy who was not taken captive or killed by the Babylonian army when it conquered God’s specially chosen guys, gals and kid who were living in Jerusalem and Judah. Ishmael was not happy at all that Gedadiah was asked to be his country’s ruler. Ishmael went to Mizpah one day – which was where Gedadiah lived, to kill Gedadiah. Ishmael took ten guys with him. As Ishmael and the ten guys with him were eating a meal with Gedadiah, Ishmael and the ten guys brutally assassinated Gedadiah. This whole Jeremiah chapter recounts what Ishmael did. Why do you think that God wanted this chapter in the Bible?
Verse 2 says “Ishmael son of Nethaniah and the ten men who were with him got up and struck down Gedadiah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, with the sword, killing the one whom the king of Babylon had appointed as governor over the land.” This incident – when Ishmael killed Gedadiah, took place well over 2500 years ago. The country of Babylon today is the country of Iraq. Why do you think that the guys, gals and kids who are living in Israel dislike the guys, gals and kids who are living in Iraq? Why do you think that the guys, gals and kids who are living in Iraq really detest the guys, gals and kids who are living in Israel? The guys, gals and kids who live in Iraq have since the time of Abraham reason to hate the Israelite guys, gals and kids. This hatred has grown and grown over the centuries. If you have been wondering why guys from the region of Iraq – which includes Iran, have been constantly threatening to kill every single Israelite guy, gal and kid, now you know. Have you ever felt scared that you might be killed? If you believe that your life is in God’s sovereign hand, you do not need to fear being killed.
Jeremiah 41 (108)