of doom to his people the Prophet might at last
have achieved before his eyes some positive part in their social and
political reconstruction; for certainly he had already proved his
practical ability as well his power of far vision. But even such sunset
success was denied him, and once more his people crumbled under his hand.
God provided some better thing for him in the spiritual future of Israel,
to which he must now pass through still deeper sacrifice and
humiliation.(661)

Ishmael, against whom the noble Gedaliah would take no warning, was one of
those fanatics with whom the Jewish nation have been cursed at all crises
in their history.(662) The motive for his crime was the same as had
inspired the fatal defence of Jerusalem, a blind passion against the
Chaldean rule. Having slain Gedaliah he attempted to remove the little
remnant at Mispah to the other side of Jordan but was overtaken by a force
under Gedaliah's lieutenant, Johanan-ben-Kareah, and his captives were
recovered. Fearing the wrath of the Chaldeans for the murder of their
deputy, the little flock did not return to Mispah but moved south to
Gidroth(663)-Chimham near Bethlehem, broken, trembling, and uncertain
whether to remain in their land or to flee from it.(664)

The Prophet was the one hope left to them, and like Sedekiah they turned
to him in their perplexity for a word of guidance from the Lord. With his
usual deliberation he took ten days to answer, laying the matter before
the Lord in prayer; studying, we may be sure, the actual facts of the
situation (including what he already knew to be the people's hope of
finding security in Egypt) and carefully sifting out his own thoughts and
impulses from the convictions which his prayers brought him from God. The
result was clear: the people must abide in their land and not fear the
Chaldeans, who under God's hand would let them be; but if they set their
faces for Egypt, the sword which they feared would overtake them. This was
God's Word; if they broke their promise to obey it, they would surely
die.(665)

With shame we read the rest of the story. Jeremiah had well discerned(666)
that those of his countrymen, who had been deported in 597, were the good
figs of his vision and those who remained the bad. The latter were of the
breed that had turned Temple and Sacrifice into fetishes, for as such they
now treated the Prophet, the greatest whom God ever sent to Israel.
Covetous of having him with them th