Ishmael also killed all the men of Judah who were with Gedaliah at Mizpah, as well as the Babylonian soldiers who were there. - Jeremiah 41:3

Today's Scripture Reading (June 9, 2020): Jeremiah 41

It is amusing, in a depressing sort of way, whenever North Korea struts its power on the world stage by testing a new missile. It is sad because of the genuine danger that North Korea presents to the world, and especially to that corner of the world. It is amusing because North Korea in these moments is like a child putting on a cape and pretending to be a Super Hero. They pretend that they are players on the world stage, existing among the elite of military nations when the reality is that there are several non-nuclear First World Nations who have a better hold on the technology than North Korea does. North Korea overestimates its place in the world, but even worse, it does not seem to understand the steps necessary to mature and increase their stature among the nations. The continuous military tests only underscore their lack and poverty. It is a tragedy of literary proportions.

It is hard to understand Ismael's actions fully following the fall of Jerusalem. Yes, Ishmael was of royal descent, and he believed that he deserved the position as leader over Judah that had been gifted to Gedaliah. And so he pursues Gedaliah and, in what looks like a fit of jealousy, he kills the new Governor. But Ishmael doesn't just stop there. He also kills the men of Judah, who were with Gedaliah, maybe believing that these soldiers might try to gain their revenge and try to kill him. And then he went on to kill the Babylonian soldiers who were also with Gedaliah, potentially angering the King of Babylon in the process. And this was only the beginning of Ishamael's killing spree.

The question that begs to be asked seems to be what was Ishmael's endgame. How did this son of the House of David see all of this playing out? Did he somehow believe that he held the upper hand in the area? Or was this just the rage of a child who found himself with a weapon that was beyond his level of maturity. Maybe he had decided that he was going to run a guerrilla force bent on the destruction of the area, rather than allowing anyone to begin to rebuild the devastated nation.

The reality is that Ishmael's killing spree actually weakened the nation even further. If Ishmael wanted to prove that he was the rightful heir and that he could play with the major powers of the area, especially Babylon, then he failed miserably. He was nothing more than a selfish child strutting an influence on the world stage that he did not possess. His role in the destruction of the newly formed power structure in the land led Jeremiah to believe that Ishmael was really an agent for the King of Ammon, King Ba'alyisa. The latter had possibly tricked Ishmael into the killing spree so that he could extend his own power over the region. If so, then the destruction that was started by the Babylonians was continued by a son of the Royal Family, attempting to be someone that he never was.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 42