Eat This Book
Read Proverbs Chapter 14
Jeremiah 41
1 Now it came to pass in the seventh month, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah the son of Elishama, of the seed royal, and the princes of the king, even ten men with him, came unto Gedaliah the son of Ahikam to Mizpah; and there they did eat bread together in Mizpah.
2 Then arose Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and the ten men that were with him, and smote Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan with the sword, and slew him, whom the king of Babylon had made governor over the land.
3 Ishmael also slew all the Jews that were with him, even with Gedaliah, at Mizpah, and the Chaldeans that were found there, and the men of war.
4 And it came to pass the second day after he had slain Gedaliah, and no man knew it,
5 That there came certain from Shechem, from Shiloh, and from Samaria, even fourscore men, having their beards shaven, and their clothes rent, and having cut themselves, with offerings and incense in their hand, to bring them to the house of the Lord.
6 And Ishmael the son of Nethaniah went forth from Mizpah to meet them, weeping all along as he went: and it came to pass, as he met them, he said unto them, Come to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam.
7 And it was so, when they came into the midst of the city, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah slew them, and cast them into the midst of the pit, he, and the men that were with him.
8 But ten men were found among them that said unto Ishmael, Slay us not: for we have treasures in the field, of wheat, and of barley, and of oil, and of honey. So he forbare, and slew them not among their brethren.
9 Now the pit wherein Ishmael had cast all the dead bodies of the men, whom he had slain because of Gedaliah, was it which Asa the king had made for fear of Baasha king of Israel: and Ishmael the son of Nethaniah filled it with them that were slain.
10 Then Ishmael carried away captive all the residue of the people that were in Mizpah, even the king’s daughters, and all the people that remained in Mizpah, whom Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had committed to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam: and Ishmael the son of Nethaniah carried them away captive, and departed to go over to the Ammonites.
11 But when Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces that were with him, heard of all the evil that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had done,
12 Then they took all the men, and went to fight with Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and found him by the great waters that are in Gibeon.
13 Now it came to pass, that when all the people which were with Ishmael saw Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces that were with him, then they were glad.
14 So all the people that Ishmael had carried away captive from Mizpah cast about and returned, and went unto Johanan the son of Kareah.
15 But Ishmael the son of Nethaniah escaped from Johanan with eight men, and went to the Ammonites.
16 Then took Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces that were with him, all the remnant of the people whom he had recovered from Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, from Mizpah, after that he had slain Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, even mighty men of war, and the women, and the children, and the eunuchs, whom he had brought again from Gibeon:
17 And they departed, and dwelt in the habitation of Chimham, which is by Bethlehem, to go to enter into Egypt,
18 Because of the Chaldeans: for they were afraid of them, because Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had slain Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, whom the king of Babylon made governor in the land.
The POFW Daily Bible Reading 
Verses 13-14 MSG “When all the prisoners from Mizpah who had been taken by Ishmael saw Johanan son of Kareah and the army officers with him, they couldn’t believe their eyes. They were so happy! They all rallied around Johanan son of Kareah and headed back home.”
Proverbs 14:32 MSG “The evil of bad people leaves them out in the cold; the integrity of good people creates a safe place for living.” In this chapter, we see how the evil of Ishmael has left him out in the cold running for his life, while the people of Mizpah are headed back home. I pray that every person that has been bound and mislead away from the house of God is on their way back home. And when, yes.. “when” they do, we must rally around them and welcome them home.
He took them all…
16 Then took Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces that were with him, all the remnant of the people whom he had recovered from Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, from Mizpah, after that he had slain Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, even mighty men of war, and the women, and the children, and the eunuchs, whom he had brought again from Gibeon:
17 And they departed, and dwelt in the habitation of Chimham, which is by Bethlehem, to go to enter into Egypt,
When Johanan came to rescue he took them all, no difference of who you were, or what you did, he rescue them all. In the same way, Our Lord Jesus Christ came to rescue us all, no difference of who we were, or what we have done, He shed His Precious Blood for every single one of us. Thank You Jesus, You Reign!!!!!
Do not mess with God’s people….
People who entrap the people of God’s people will have to be punished. There’s punishment on earth before God comes back and punishment in Judgement Day when God returns. Thank you Lord for having mercy on me. I love you Jesus(God).
Gods Word is true. When a prophet speaks, listen. Many times we think,” that can’t happen to me.” But oh be unto them that think that. For it rains on the just and the unjust.
DEADLY DECEPTIVE
5 That there came certain from Shechem, from Shiloh, and from Samaria, even fourscore men, having their beards shaven, and their clothes rent, and having cut themselves, with offerings and incense in their hand, to bring them to the house of the Lord.
6 And Ishmael the son of Nethaniah went forth from Mizpah to meet them, weeping all along as he went: and it came to pass, as he met them, he said unto them, Come to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam.
7 And it was so, when they came into the midst of the city, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah slew them, and cast them into the midst of the pit, he, and the men that were with him.
The horrific accounts of deception and murder here in chapter 41 could have been prevented “IF” Israel had honored the LORD and obeyed him. Disobedience will always leave you uncovered and unprotected.
The deception that is executed here is that Ishmael took advantage of innocent people that were on there way to worship and were intercepted by a deceiver and were murdered by the hand of the deceiver.
POINT – Stay close to your man of GOD and OBEY the WORD of the LORD and try every spirit.
1John 4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
Thank you JESUS for your WORD. Thank you JESUS for a TRUE man of GOD in my LIFE.
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iPray
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5 That there came certain from Shechem, from Shiloh, and from Samaria, even fourscore men, having their beards shaven, and their clothes rent, and having cut themselves, with offerings and incense in their hand, to bring them to the house of the Lord. 6 And Ishmael the son of Nethaniah went forth from Mizpah to meet them, weeping all along as he went: and it came to pass, as he met them, he said unto them, Come to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam. 7 And it was so, when they came into the midst of the city, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah slew them, and cast them into the midst of the pit, he, and the men that were with him.
Deception led to their demise…
because of lack of obedience these people were deceived into believing a liar. not only where the deceived but their lives were destroyed and they were killed it pays to obey and stay close to the man of God
iLove to eat the Word
The Life Saving Gift
8 But ten men were found among them that said unto Ishmael, Slay us not: for we have treasures in the field, of wheat, and of barley, and of oil, and of honey. So he forbare, and slew them not among their brethren.
These men seemed to be wise in offering an evil man a gift in exchange for their lives.
We at The Pentecostals of Fort Worth prove to be even more wise than this, in that we willingly offer our gifts to the perfect man Jesus Christ.
He will offer us Life and reward us openly! We serve a good God.
1 Now it came to pass in the seventh month, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah the son of Elishama, of the seed royal, and the princes of the king, even ten men with him, came unto Gedaliah the son of Ahikam to Mizpah; and there they did eat bread together in Mizpah.
2 Then arose Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and the ten men that were with him, and smote Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan with the sword, and slew him, whom the king of Babylon had made governor over the land.
Gedaliah wasn’t expecting danger. He believed he was only having a nice, maybe even casual, meal with Ishmael much like we do with Satan.
We think, “Everything is going to be fine, God doesn’t really care about this, I’m only having fun, and everybody else is doing it, too.”
(I’m not perfect so I’m guilty of that) ^
We can’t have that lukewarm mindset; pleasing Jesus must be our #1 priority.
10 Then Ishmael carried away captive all the residue of the people that were in Mizpah, even the king’s daughters, and all the people that remained in Mizpah, whom Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had committed to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam: and Ishmael the son of Nethaniah carried them away captive, and departed to go over to the Ammonites.
1 Now it came to pass in the seventh month, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah the son of Elishama, of the seed royal, and the princes of the king, even ten men with him, came unto Gedaliah the son of Ahikam to Mizpah; and there they did eat bread together in Mizpah
15 But Ishmael the son of Nethaniah escaped from Johanan with eight men, and went to the Ammonites.
6 And Ishmael the son of Nethaniah went forth from Mizpah to meet them, weeping all along as he went: and it came to pass, as he met them, he said unto them, Come to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam.
7 And it was so, when they came into the midst of the city, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah slew them, and cast them into the midst of the pit, he, and the men that were with him.
Be careful of who you listen to, the devil will use people to deceive you into believing a lie then you will have to pay a high price for things you knew wasn’t right to start with. Always make sure you are listening to the man of God and the saints that are obeying the word of God !!
This chapter illustrates deception. Ishmael deceived those that were traveling. One must pray, elsewise one may also be deceived; “But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived”. What a mighty God we serve! May the good Lord Bless you all in Jesus name, Amen
Vs.4-7, “And it came to pass the second day after he had slain Gedaliah, and no man knew it.
That there came certain from Shechem, from Shiloh, and from Samaria, even fourscore men, having their beards shaven, and their clothes rent, and having cut themselves, with offerings and incense in their hand, to bring them to the house of the LORD.
And Ishmeal the son of Nethaniah went forth from Mizpah to meet them, weeping all along as he went: and it came to pass, as he met them, he said unto them, Come to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam.
And it was so, when they came into the midst of the city, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah slew them, and cast them into the midst of the pit, he, and the men that were with him.”
A scripture came to mind as I read this. 1 Peter 5:8, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.”
80 men were on their way to the house of the LORD, but along the way, their adversary, Ishmael, drew them away and slew them. (all but 10 – vs.8)
This made me think of how the devil leads so many astray today. People can be living their lives for the Lord and heading in the right direction, but the devil comes along and distracts them and leads them astray. The next thing you know, they are dead spiritually.
This is why 1 Peter 5:8 tells us to be sober and vigilant. The devil is out to destroy and kill us. God wants us to be serious about our walk with him. He wants us to be calm and quiet and trust in him. He wants us to be watchful, and he wants us to be alert to danger. If we are watching out for our soul, we will know when the enemy is trying to attack us, and all we have to do is call on the name of the Lord JESUS, and he will save us.
Oh what happens when disobedience takes place and deception sneaks in. Obey God and don’t believe or follow everything that comes before you, know what is of God and what is not.
Give it to God and leave it there. He will take care of His children! Our obedience will avenge our disobedience!
If a prophet has spoken into your life take heed with what God told them to tell you. It is not a wise thing to ignore the people that God has placed in your life. I thank God for POFW and a Pastor and Pastor’s wife that leads us the way we need to be going.
1 Now it came to pass in the seventh month, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah the son of Elishama, of the seed royal, and the princes of the king, even ten men with him, came unto Gedaliah the son of Ahikam to Mizpah; and there they did eat bread together in Mizpah.
Why didn’t Gedaliah remember the warning that Ishmael wanted to take his life? Had he taken heed he would have been on guard & taken measures to protect himself. Do we hear the warnings from our Pastor? It will save us a lot of grief & heartache if we will only ‘hear’.
5 That there came certain from Shechem, from Shiloh, and from Samaria, even fourscore men, having their beards shaven, and their clothes rent, and having cut themselves, with offerings and incense in their hand, to bring them to the house of the Lord.
6 And Ishmael the son of Nethaniah went forth from Mizpah to meet them, weeping all along as he went: and it came to pass, as he met them, he said unto them, Come to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam.
7 And it was so, when they came into the midst of the city, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah slew them, and cast them into the midst of the pit, he, and the men that were with him.
A perfect picture of how the “deceiver” satan works. If you pay attention to thr condition of the men, one can se how they were at a very vulnerable stage. Their beards were shaven, their clothes rent, they had cuts. Be careful when you have been humbled and are at your lowest state because of your actions. One may be seeking to come “back” to the house of the Lord but another may be seeking “you” on the way to deceive, and kill steal and destroy. The message continues to be the same. Pay attention to the the man of God in your life that brings you the Word from God. Don’t do this, don’t go there, abstain from this, are not necessarily to harm you but rather keep you. In our lowest, weakest stage is when the wolf puts on the sheeps clothing and goes to you “weeping” pretending to be affectionate to lure one in for the Kill. Try the spirits that’s what the word tells us to do.
An Enemy in the Camp
Jeremiah 40:8
Then they came to Gedaliah to Mizpah, even 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 a Maachathite, they and their men.
Jeremiah 40:15-16
Then Johanan the son of Kareah spake to Gedaliah in Mizpah secretly, saying, Let me go, I pray thee, and I will slay Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and no man shall know it:wherefore should he slay thee, that all the Jews which are gathered unto thee should be scattered, and the remnant in Judah perish? But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam said unto Johanan the son of Kareah, Thou shalt not do this thing:for thou speakest falsely of Ishmael.
Jeremiah 41:2
Then arose Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and the ten men that were with him, and smote Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan with the sword, and slew him, whom the king of Babylon had made governor over the land.
Johanan, and Ishmael were invited to live in Mizpah under the protection of Gedaliah. Yet Johanan knew there was something fishy about Ishmael. Instead of heeding the warning Gedaliah spoke against Johanan and called him a liar. Imagine the thought in Gedaliah’s mind when the cover was blown. As he breathed in the last breaths into his body he surely remembered the warning.
During a time of peace, protection, and prosperity complacency can try, and evade. We must be ever watchful.
1 Peter 5:8
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
Nehemiah gives an excellent example of how we should be so we are not caught off guard.
Nehemiah 4:17
They which builded on the wall, and they that bare burdens, with those that laded, every one with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other hand held a weapon.
In one hand was a tool busy doing the will of God, and the work of the kingdom. The other hand held a sword for which to defend against the enemy.
As we celebrate victory, and move toward the promised land it is incumbent upon everyone of us to be on the lookout for any Ishmael’s that may try to deceive to take us out.
But ten men were found among them that said unto Ishmael, Slay us not: for we have treasures in the field, of wheat, and of barley, and of oil, and of honey. So he forbare, and slew them not among their brethren.
MSG – 9 Ishmael’s reason for dumping the bodies into a cistern was to cover up the earlier murder of Gedaliah. The cistern had been built by king Asa as a defense against Baasha king of Israel. This was the cistern that Ishmael son of Nethaniah filled with the slaughtered men.
Ishmael sinned by killing Gedaliah and hide his body. Then he had to kill others to hide his original sin. If you have to hide or cover it up, you need to stay away from it. Sin when it is finished bringeth forth death.
Trust in the Lord and lean not unto your own understanding because we can become clouded. When we do not have clear vision we have a hard time discerning what the Lord means for us to have/do. We must always be studying the word of the Lord and praying that he would give us his mind, wisdom, and knowledge along with understanding. Then you just need to apply those concepts in your life when they are given unto you.
Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. Proverbs 3:5
No matter what, when it comes to warfare it is never pretty. This is both true in this world and spiritually. So, stay in the race and keep the faith.
“Be blessed”…………..
Of the remnant Ged was appointed to govern, ten of these joined with Ishmael in the conspiracy against Gedaliah, whom they bore an ill will too, for going over to the Chaldeans, and envying the power he was now in possession. These ten men could have been common thugs, besides the princes of the king, hence, ” the princes of the king, and ten men with him”; whom Ishmael and the princes took with them, as fit persons to assassinate the governor; and, besides, it is thought that eleven men were not sufficient to slay the Jews and the Chaldeans, as afterwards related; though it may be observed, that Ishmael, and these ten princes, did not come alone, as it can hardly be imagined they should, but with a number of servants and soldiers with them: these came unto Gedaliah: they had been with him before, to whom he had swore, and given them assurance of security; and they departed from him to their respective cities, seemingly satisfied; and now return, to pay him a friendly visit, as they pretended: and there they did eat bread together at Mizpah; had a feast, and kept holiday together, it being a new moon, the first day of the month, and the beginning of the new year too; so that it was a high festival: and perhaps this season was fixed upon the rather, to cover their design, and to perpetrate it; pretending they came to keep the festival with him, and who, no doubt, liberally provided for them; for bread here is put for all provisions and accommodations.
Judas ate, slept, and worked with the 12 disciples and Jesus. He saw, up close and personal, the miracles of God. Yet, he betrayed Jesus. History doesn’t just effect those of ancient times like; the Trojan soldiers couldn’t penetrate the wall of their enemy so they sent a present, a wooden horse, unbeknown to them full of soldiers waiting for them to fall into a drunken sleep after celebrating victory, to attack. It effects us today, the company we keep can too lead to our demise. Their was not much mention of Jeremiah or his impression of this event, what if everyone involved consulted God in prayer? They could have uncovered the enemies in the camp.
Matt 7:15“Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves.16You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?17A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit.18A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit.19So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire.20Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.”
Matt 10:16 “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.
Just as we see here, the enemy only wants to kill us or cast us down into the pit.
SANTO SANTO SANTO!!!
16 Then took Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces that were with him, all the remnant of the people whom he had recovered from Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, from Mizpah, after that he had slain Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, even mighty men of war, and the women, and the children, and the eunuchs, whom he had brought again from Gibeon:
HERE WE SEE THAT DEATH DOESNT RESPECT AGE OR STATUS!!! THE enemy cometh to kill, steal and to destroy, WE CAN EITHER
SIT BY AND WATCH him CONTINUE TO DESTROY THE WORLD OR WE CAN CONTINUE TO IMPACT LIVES WITH THE GOOD NEWS!!! HALELUJAH!!!
What Remains
1 Now it came to pass in the seventh month, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah the son of Elishama, of the seed royal, and the princes of the king, even ten men with him, came unto Gedaliah the son of Ahikam to Mizpah; and there they did eat bread together in Mizpah.
2 Then arose Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and the ten men that were with him, and smote Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan with the sword, and slew him, whom the king of Babylon had made governor over the land.
3 Ishmael also slew all the Jews that were with him, even with Gedaliah, at Mizpah, and the Chaldeans that were found there, and the men of war.
6 And Ishmael the son of Nethaniah went forth from Mizpah to meet them, weeping all along as he went: and it came to pass, as he met them, he said unto them, Come to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam.
7 And it was so, when they came into the midst of the city, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah slew them, and cast them into the midst of the pit, he, and the men that were with him.
8 But ten men were found among them that said unto Ishmael, Slay us not: for we have treasures in the field, of wheat, and of barley, and of oil, and of honey. So he forbare, and slew them not among their brethren.
The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. (John 10:10 KJV)
The killing spree of the enemy is not a small, limited event but is simply the way of his existence. A complete, hostile takeover is his way and he would have us to stay bound up and cowering in fear in poverty living, existing on the scraps of what remains. But God has a different story in mind. He paid the price for our sin so that what remains could be life and life more abundantly for us. Just previously Jesus said:
John 10:7-9
7 Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. 9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.
He shall go in and out… not backed into a corner, not cowering and looking for covering, but prospering, growing, thriving. In Jesus, what remains are not scraps but blessed abundance.
Matthew 6:20-21
20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
We find the reality of that blessing more and more as we cast of weight and sins that would beset us and instead patiently run the race before us. I remember years ago an elder testifying how Jesus grows sweeter every day, and it is true. The more we cast off death, the more of Him remains, and that truly is sweet.
Psalms 17:15 YLT
I– in righteousness, I see Thy face; I am satisfied, in awaking, [with] Thy form!
Psalms 17:15
As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness.
10 Then Ishmael carried away captive all the residue of the people that were in Mizpah, even the king’s daughters, and all the people that remained in Mizpah, whom Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had committed to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam: and Ishmael the son of Nethaniah carried them away captive, and departed to go over to the Ammonites.