Jeremiah 41:13
And when all the people who were with Ishmael saw Johanan the son of Kareah and all the leaders of the forces with him, they rejoiced.
Tag: When the Righteous Rule Men Rejoice
In order to understand the significance of the above verse we have to know the story of Ishmael. After Babylon capture all the “significant” people in Israel the leadership of Babylon left the City of Jerusalem and the rest of the surrounding country of Judah under the leadership of Gedaliah:
Jeremiah 40:7
When all the captains of the forces in the open country and their men heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah the son of Ahikam governor in the land and had committed to him men, women, and children, those of the poorest of the land who had not been taken into exile to Babylon,
However, another “royal” family member (Ishmael) had different ideas. Although warned by those around him that Ishmael was going to kill him, Gedaliah ignored the warnings and was slathered during a dinner meeting. Ishmael did not stop. With the killing of Gedaliah, He was a very wicked leader and the people feared him. This is context of our verse for this lesson. Johanna came to the rescue. When he did the above verse says the people “rejoiced.” Wicked leaders make people groan. Godly leaders make people rejoice. Leadership in a home, a school, a church, a business and/or in government can give hope and joy to those that are being led when that leadership practices Godly principles. Note what the great leader Solomon has to say about this same subject:
Proverbs 29:2
When the righteous increase, the people rejoice,
but when the wicked rule, the people groan.
Proverbs 11:10
When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices,
and when the wicked perish there are shouts of gladness.
Proverbs 28:12
When the righteous triumph, there is great glory,
but when the wicked rise, people hide themselves.
When choose to follow Godly principles and see follower-ship and Family members rejoice. Or, we can ignore God’s Word and be an Ishmael ... a wicked leader. The people rejoice when Godly people lead.
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