A new beginning needs a new heart (Jer 40:13-41:18)

Growing up in Communist Hungary as a child, my parents hammered into me never to sign my name on any petition, as the regime used such lists to weed out those it thought of as enemies of the state. To this day, I am reluctant to give my name and address when signatures are collected for worthy causes even though I live in a free country. Similarly, there are Hungarians who lived through those times who hesitate to talk about anything sensitive over the phone in case it is being tapped. Old feelings of mistrust, ingrained ways of thinking about the world and habits that go with them die hard. The instances of how our past shapes our attitudes are endless and even when our circumstances change, the old ways linger.

The tragedy of entrenched attitudes

For Judah after the Babylonian conquest, there was the promise of a new beginning in the land, though it would be under occupying forces (Jer 40:9). Although Gedaliah as governor managed to rally the remnant around him, old loyalties and convictions did not miraculously disappear. Sadly, Gedaliah’s generous spirit that could unite the Jews was also his great defect in that he could not believe ill of someone whom he would have known in court circles (Jer 40:14). Ishmael, a former official and member of the royal family (Jer 41:1),[1] would have been anti-Babylon and he may also have resented a commoner like Gedaliah in a position of authority. Whatever his reason, his killing spree speaks of enormous rage, his ruthlessness is evident in the deception and murder of the pilgrims heading to Jerusalem,[2] and his willingness to take bribes reflects a corrupt attitude (Jer 41:2-8). While there seems no well-thought-out plan behind his actions and the captives are quickly recovered (Jer 41:11-14), the hope of a new start is destroyed. When things went wrong with Babylon in the past, the knee-jerk reaction of the leadership had been to turn south and seek help from Egypt, a move that Jeremiah explicitly warned about (Jer 37:6-10). Johanan, the commander who emerges as new leader of the remnant, instinctively follows that same policy. Fearing repercussions from the Babylonians, he starts moving the group south towards Egypt, stopping on the way near Bethlehem (Jer 41:17-18).

The necessity of exile

While the previous reading raised our hopes that there could be a new beginning for those who remained in the land, the dream evaporated in the aftermath of Gedaliah’s murder. As the exiles read or heard about these events later in Babylon, they would have time to ponder the lessons from it. Did they wonder why the exile had to happen? Couldn’t God just forgive them? This depressing episode highlights how deeply entrenched ways of thinking and attitudes have become. There was a genuine option for a new start but without a new heart, the same mistakes were repeated leading to the same destructive end. Only the upheaval of exile, that terrible tragedy, and the suffering that went with it, could shift something in the heart of those who lived through it.

God’s discipline

In our modern societies today many ask similar questions. Isn’t it cruel of God to let us suffer? Why does He have to punish? While not all suffering is God’s punishment, it can be a training ground and discipline as He shapes us. Although such experiences are never pleasant, the truth is that we do most of our growing through suffering. God then is not mean in allowing challenges and difficulties in our life. While the story of Gedaliah’s murder and what happened to the remnant in the land makes for depressing reading, it underlines the necessity of such suffering as the exile. Change is a painful and slow process, and we often have to be nudged into it through our circumstances. However, those who go through it clinging to God will find that they come out at the other end at peace and living God’s way (Heb 12:11).

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[1] How Ishmael was related to the royal family is unclear.

[2] The pilgrims’ appearance suggests mourning (Jer 41:5), possibly for the fall of Jerusalem. How they could bring grain offerings when the temple would have been destroyed is uncertain. Perhaps the altar was restored even if in a makeshift arrangement.

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