After the destruction of Jerusalem and the final deportation of survivors to Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar installed a governor, Gedaliah, to oversee the small Jewish community that remained in the land. Gedaliah was keen to keep the peace and thought that the turmoil of war had surely ended. When he received news that there was yet another rebellion against Babylonian rule brewing, he dismissed the news. It was not believable that anyone, after all they had been through, would think it possible to succeed in rebelling against Babylon. But it is amazing how fixated people can be on their own agendas and goals. Ishmael, a man of royal blood, probably felt that he should be ruling instead of Gedaliah. Perhaps he even thought he could resurrect the ‘dry bones’ of his fallen nation. The assassination did not end in success for Ishmael who ended up fleeing to the Ammonites. It was a truly delusional moment. It is amazing how blinded we can be by personal ambition. We would do well to reflect on this because selfish ambition always blinds us. If you focus only on what you want out of life rather than what God wants for you then you will be like a blind person charging into heavy traffic.
Ask God to show you which of your ambitions you need to let go of.
Read Jeremiah 40:7-41:15
