I will look after you

 

 

Jeremiah 40

Jeremiah Remains in Judah

40 The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord after Nebuzaradan captain of the bodyguard had released him from Ramah, when he had taken him bound in chains among all the exiles of Jerusalem and Judah who were being exiled to Babylon. 2 Now the captain of the bodyguard had taken Jeremiah and said to him, “The Lord your God promised this calamity against this place; 3 and the Lord has brought it on and done just as He promised. Because you people sinned against the Lord and did not listen to His voice, therefore this thing has happened to you. 4 But now, behold, I am freeing you today from the chains which are on your hands. If you would prefer to come with me to Babylon, come along, and I will look after you; but if you would prefer not to come with me to Babylon, never mind. Look, the whole land is before you; go wherever it seems good and right for you to go.” 5 As Jeremiah was still not going back, he said, “Go on back then to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon has appointed over the cities of Judah, and stay with him among the people; or else go anywhere it seems right for you to go.” So the captain of the bodyguard gave him a ration and a gift and let him go. 6 Then Jeremiah went to Mizpah to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam and stayed with him among the people who were left in the land.

7  Now all the commanders of the forces that were in the field, they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah the son of Ahikam over the land and that he had put him in charge of the men, women and children, those of the poorest of the land who had not been exiled to Babylon. 8 So they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah, along with Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan and Jonathan the sons of Kareah, and Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth, and the sons of Ephai the Netophathite, and Jezaniah the son of the Maacathite, both they and their men. 9 Then Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, swore to them and to their men, saying, “ Do not be afraid of serving the Chaldeans; stay in the land and serve the king of Babylon, that it may go well with you. 10 Now as for me, behold, I am going to stay at Mizpah to stand for you before the Chaldeans who come to us; but as for you, gather in wine and summer fruit and oil and put them in your storage vessels, and live in your cities that you have taken over.” 11 Likewise, also all the Jews who were in Moab and among the sons of Ammon and in Edom and who were in all the other countries, heard that the king of Babylon had left a remnant for Judah, and that he had appointed over them Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan. 12 Then all the Jews returned from all the places to which they had been driven away and came to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah at Mizpah, and gathered in wine and summer fruit in great abundance.

13 Now Johanan the son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces that were in the field came to Gedaliah at Mizpah 14 and said to him, “Are you well aware that Baalis the king of the sons of Ammon has sent Ishmael the son of Nethaniah to take your life?” But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam did not believe them. 15 Then Johanan the son of Kareah spoke secretly to Gedaliah in Mizpah, saying, “ Let me go and kill Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and not a man will know! Why should he take your life, so that all the Jews who are gathered to you would be scattered and the remnant of Judah would perish?” 16 But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam said to Johanan the son of Kareah, “ Do not do this thing, for you are telling a lie about Ishmael.”

 

 

Commentary:

 

 

Initially, Jeremiah was released and entrusted into the care of Gedaliah, and he stayed among the people.

 

 

Jeremiah 39

14 they even sent and took Jeremiah out of the court of the guardhouse and entrusted him to Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, to take him home. So he stayed among the people.

 

 

Afterwards, Jeremiah is taken by Nebuzaradan captain of the bodyguard bound in chains among all the exiles of Jerusalem and Judah.

 

 

Jeremiah 40

1 The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord after Nebuzaradan captain of the bodyguard had released him from Ramah, when he had taken him bound in chains among all the exiles of Jerusalem and Judah who were being exiled to Babylon.

 

 

Why would Jeremiah be bound in chains, well after his release to Gedaliah? And why would he be treated this way after Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon gave orders about Jeremiah saying, “Take him and look after him, and do nothing harmful to him, but rather deal with him just as he tells you.”

 

Why then would Nebuzaradan bind Jeremiah in chains, unless Jeremiah told him to do this to him.

 

Why would Jeremiah be taken among all the exiles of Jerusalem and Judah, in chains? He would have been able to be taken to the temple to secure the Ark of the Covenant without arousing any suspicion among the people. They could have then traveled to a place where the ark could be hidden.

 

And what about Nebuzaradan captain of the bodyguard?

 

 

1 The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord after Nebuzaradan captain of the bodyguard had released him from Ramah, when he had taken him bound in chains among all the exiles of Jerusalem and Judah who were being exiled to Babylon. 2 Now the captain of the bodyguard had taken Jeremiah and said to him, “The Lord your God promised this calamity against this place; 3 and the Lord has brought it on and done just as He promised. Because you people sinned against the Lord and did not listen to His voice, therefore this thing has happened to you.

 

 

Nebuzaradan, the commander of the conquering empire, does not claim the victory for himself or his king, but instead proclaims that the outcome was pre-determined by the God of the conquered people. He proclaims this with surety and confidence. The same message that Jeremiah had been proclaiming to his own people for years, but in vain.

 

Where did he learn this? Not from Jeremiah. Why would he reiterate his own words back to him this way? No, he must of learned this from someone else.

 

Being the captain of the bodyguard in Babylon, he would have surely known Daniel. And would have learned about how Daniel’s God had given him knowledge of what Nebuchadnezzar had dreamt, as well as the interpretation of his dream.

 

Nebuzaradan would have also learned how the God of Israel had delivered His servants, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego from the wrath of Nebuchadnezzar. He would have also learned the decree that the king made, that “any people, nation or tongue that speaks anything offensive against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego shall be torn limb from limb and their houses reduced to a rubbish heap, inasmuch as there is no other god who is able to deliver in this way.”

 

Nebuzaradan must have heard these accounts, and possibly witnessed them as well. He would also have been in discussion with Daniel, a highly respected advisor to the king, regarding the campaign for Jerusalem. He may well have also shared in the communications sent by Jeremiah. Nebuzaradan truly believed that the Lord was indeed responsible for “this thing that has happened”.

 

As Nebuzaradan releases the chains from Jeremiah’s hands, he offers to take him to Babylon and promised to look after him, himself. He also provides Jeremiah the option to go wherever he chose to go.

 

 

4 But now, behold, I am freeing you today from the chains which are on your hands. If you would prefer to come with me to Babylon, come along, and I will look after you; but if you would prefer not to come with me to Babylon, never mind. Look, the whole land is before you; go wherever it seems good and right for you to go.” 5 As Jeremiah was still not going back, he said, “Go on back then to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon has appointed over the cities of Judah, and stay with him among the people; or else go anywhere it seems right for you to go.” So the captain of the bodyguard gave him a ration and a gift and let him go. 6 Then Jeremiah went to Mizpah to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam and stayed with him among the people who were left in the land.

 

 

Does this sound like a man who would have destroyed the ark of the covenant? I think not.

 

I believe Nebuchadnezzar entrusted Nebuzaradan to assist Jeremiah with the responsibility for taking the appropriate, safe care of the Ark of the Covenant, the Ark of God.