Jeremiah 41:1

 Jeremiah 41:1 says, 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.  Ishmael and ten princes of the king came to Mizpah and ate together there with Gedaliah.  They should have been celebrating the fact that one of their own people was in a position of power, but that wasn't why they were there.  We should not be surprised when some people who claim to be friends with us as followers of Christ today are really just looking for ways to harm or destroy us, or at least our witness for Christ.  Verse two declares, 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.  While eating with Gedaliah, Ishmael and the ten with him killed him with the sword, which was was actually an act of rebellion against the king of Babylon as well, since he had appointed Gedaliah governor.  Verse three adds, 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. Ishmael not only killed Gedaliah,  but he killed all the Jews and the Chaldeans that were with Gedaliah.  Verse four states,  And it came to pass the second day after he had slain Gedaliah, and no man knew it. Two days passed without anyone knowing what Ishmael and his friends had done.  That is hard to imagine in our world of instant communication, but there are still atrocities that are committed in the world today that are not immediately known and probably some that are never known.  Matthew Henry says that some might question why God allowed this to happen, but the it was just another example of how far away from God many of the peope of Judah had gotten.  Verse five says, 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.  A band of devout men came in mourning to worship God.  Not all the people of Judah had turned away from God, just as all the people today have not,   Verse six declares, 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.  Ishmael met them with false mourning and invited them to come to Gedaliah.  Verse seven adds, 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.  When these men got to the city, Ishmael and those with him killed them and threw them into the pit as well.  Verse eight states, 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.  There were ten men in the group who bargained with Ishmael by asking him not to slay them because they had treasures in the field, so he spared them.  Verse nine concludes, 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.  Ishmael filled the pit which had been made by Asa because fear of Baasha the king of Israel with the bodies of those he and his friends had slain.