Jeremiah 40: Conspiracy Theory?

We live in a day and age when some people see dark conspiracies connecting every event.  Usually we can dismiss such theories as wild fantasies.  But what about when the conspiracy is real?  Jeremiah 40 relates an episode in Judah's history when just such a thing happened.

After Nebuchadnezzar deposes Judean King Zedekiah and leads him away, blinded, to captivity in Babylon, he appoints Gedaliah to serve as governor.  Gedaliah has the unenviable job of keeping the nation of Judah together, bridging the patriotism of the people with obedience to the foreign rule of a despotic emperor.  If you were Gedaliah, some would say that you are an immoral collaborator with an enemy government.  Plus you are also the local authority figure attracting all the animosity directed toward the Babylonian empire.

One of the local warlords, Baalis, the king of the Ammonites, wants to bring Governor Gedaliah down.  He gives the task of assassinating Gedaliah to a man named Ishmael son of Nethaniah.  As Gedaliah strives to be accessible and open to his subjects, he regularly meets with many characters, some of whom may be unsavory.  Others catch wind of the plot and try to warn Gedaliah, but he waves them off, refusing to believe in the conspiracy and calling it an unfounded theory.

We read in Jeremiah 40, verses 13 through 16: Now Johanan son of Kareah and all the leaders of the forces in the open country came to Gedaliah at Mizpah and said to him, “Are you at all aware that Baalis king of the Ammonites has sent Ishmael son of Nethaniah to take your life?” But Gedaliah son of Ahikam would not believe them. Then Johanan son of Kareah spoke secretly to Gedaliah at Mizpah, “Please let me go and kill Ishmael son of Nethaniah, and no one else will know. Why should he take your life, so that all the Judeans who are gathered around you would be scattered, and the remnant of Judah would perish?”  But Gedaliah son of Ahikam said to Johanan son of Kareah, “Do not do such a thing, for you are telling a lie about Ishmael.”

We'll see how this denial of a conspiracy theory turns out for Gedaliah in chapter 41.