The assassination of Gedaliah began a twenty-six-year period of no rule in Judah. In the absence of an official leader, Johanan does his best to organize the people near Bethlehem. What shall they do? The consensus was to flee to Egypt to avoid Nebuchadnezzar’s wrath. But first, they decided to hear what the Lord through Jeremiah had to say. Jeremiah had described his people as “having eyes but not seeing, having ears but not hearing” (Jeremiah 5:21). The people’s response to his prophecy proves that description to be correct.