JEREMIAH 28A
False prophesy of Hananiah verse 1- 4
And it came to pass the same year
in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah
in the fourth year – and in the fifth month
that Hananiah the son o f Azur the prophet
which was of Gibeon
spake unto me in the house of the LORD
in the presence of the PRIESTS
and of all the PEOPLE – saying
Thus speaks the LORD of hosts – the God of Israel – saying
I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon
Within two full years will I bring again
into this place all the vessels of the LORD’S house
that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon
took away from this place
and carried them to Babylon
And I will bring again to this place
Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah
with all the captives of Judah
that went into Babylon
says the LORD
FOR I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon
Jeremiah wished his prophesy was true verse 5- 6
Then the prophet Jeremiah said unto the prophet Hananiah
in the presence of the PRIESTS
in the presence of all the PEOPLE that stood in the
house of the LORD
Even the prophet Jeremiah said
AMEN – the LORD do so
the LORD perform your words which you have prophesied
to bring again the vessels of the LORD’S house
and all that is carried away captive
from Babylon into this place
Jeremiah gives test of a true prophet verse 7- 9
NEVERTHELESS hear now this word that I speak in your ears
and in the ears of all this PEOPLE
The prophet that have been before me
and before you of old prophesied
both against many countries
and against great kingdoms of
war – evil – pestilence
The prophet which prophesied of peace
when the word of the prophet shall come to pass
THEN shall the prophet be known
that the LORD has truly sent him
Hananiah breaks Jeremiah’s yoke verse 10- 11
THEN Hananiah the prophet took the YOKE
from off the prophet Jeremiah’s neck – and brake it
AND Hananiah spoke in the presence of all the people – saying
Thus says the LORD
Even so will I break the YOKE of Nebuchadnezzar
king of Babylon from the neck of all nations
within the space of TWO FULL YEARS
AND the prophet Jeremiah went his way
LORD gives Jeremiah another prophesy verse 12- 14
THEN the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah the prophet
after that Hananiah the prophet had broken the YOKE
from off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah – saying
Go – and tell Hananiah – saying
Thus says the LORD
You have broken the YOKES of WOOD
BUT you shall make for them YOKES of IRON
For thus says the LORD of hosts – the God of Israel
I have put a YOKE of IRON upon the neck of all these nations
that they may serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon
and they shall serve him
and I have given him the beasts of the field also
Jeremiah confronts Hananiah about his lies verse 15- 16
Then said the prophet Jeremiah unto Hananiah the prophet
Hear now Hananiah
The LORD has not sent you
BUT you make this people to TRUST IN A LIE
THEREFORE thus says the LORD – BEHOLD
I will cast you from off the face of the earth
this year you shalt DIE
BECAUSE you havet taught
REBELLION against the LORD
Hananiah dies according to Jeremiah’s prophesy verse 17
So Hananiah the prophet DIED the SAME YEAR in the seventh month
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 9 The prophet which prophesies of peace, when the word of the prophet shall some to pass, then shall the prophet be known, that the LORD has truly sent him. (7965 “peace” [shalom] means well, prosperity, health, completeness, tranquilly, contentment, or harmonious relations and freedom from disputes.)
DEVOTION: There is a conflict between the prophesy of Jeremiah and Hananiah. Jeremiah told the people that they had to give in to the king of Babylon and that they would be in the land for seventy years.
So one of them was right and the other was wrong. We know that Jeremiah was the true prophet because we read of the death of Hananiah. The children of Israel went into captivity for the seventy years because of their sins against God. They had shed innocent blood. They were worshiping false gods who required the death of their children.
Today we find that many people are giving their children to death because they don’t want to have them interrupt their lifestyle. In America and around the world we find that parents are giving up their children to worship the gods of this world. In some countries the government has ruled that parents can have only one child. If another one is born they are punished and the child is taken from them.
Also today we have many false prophets telling nations that they can have what they want and dishonor the LORD of the Bible without consequences. These are lies that have been the work of the enemy has been spreading from the beginning of time.
We need to realize that the Bible is true and what it gives as commands of the LORD need to be obeyed or there are consequences. Our nation is experiencing some of these consequences. More will be coming until the coming of the LORD Jesus Christ.
Our responsibility is to tell all those we know the truth of the Bible and that obedience is the only way to spend eternity in heaven with the Author of the Bible. The only way to please the LORD today is to make a genuine commitment to become a follower of Jesus Christ. If our commitment is genuine we will want to obey the commands found in the Bible. Jesus gave us an example to follow and the leader of the church in the first century gave us an example to follow.
CHALLENGE: Do we understand what it means to be a genuine follower of Jesus Christ. Good works will not allow anyone into heaven. Only a proper relationship with Jesus Christ will guaranty our place in heaven.
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
:15 Then said the prophet Jeremiah unto Hananiah the prophet, Hear now , Hananiah; The LORD hath not sent thee; but thou makest this people to trustin a lie. (982 "trust" [batach] means be confident, sure, be bold, hope, or to feel safe.
DEVOTION: Here are two men who say they are prophesying in the name of the LORD. One is false. One is true. The people want to believe the LIE because they don’t want to face judgment. It is easier to believe a lie. Everyone wants hope that judgment will only last a short time. However, Jeremiah was speaking the truth and Hananiah was not.
There are two voices to be heard today in the church of Jesus Christ. There are the false voices. There are those who are speaking according to the Word of the LORD.
Hananiah had no problem using the name of the LORD to add credence to his prophesies. It was easier to lie than tell the people the truth. In fact, he probably thought he was speaking for the LORD.
There are many people who can convince themselves that the Bible is an old book and therefore needs to be updated. And who else should do it but someone who thinks they know the mind of the LORD. They write books explaining their new interpretations of the Bible. After all we have more knowledge today than they did back in the day of Jesus.
In fact we can look at the words of the Bible and make them say anything we want them to say. It is just a matter of a new hermeneutic. If you start reading all the books on interpretation of Scripture you can see your head start spinning.
How do we know whether what some Bible scholar is teaching is the truth? We are told to compare Scripture with Scripture because God never contradicts HIMSELF. We are also told that if the plain sense makes common sense we can believe it. If the Bible informs us that Jesus performed a miracle we can believe it because HE is God.
Jeremiah gave a test which was given back in the book of Deuteronomy regarding a true prophet and a false prophet. The true prophet is 100 % accurate.
It is always a matter of who we put our confidence in regarding the future. We need to look to the LORD for guidance. We are told that we need to “discern the spirits.” The Holy Spirit gives us guidance if we are in the presence of the LORD daily.
Many false prophets are instructing us in things that are not in the Bible. Some are predicting the end of the world with the day and hour. They are false prophets.
More people are denying the Word of God instead of believing the Word of God. It is stated that over 10% less of the people interviewed in 2000 believed in Jesus Christ than in 1990. Those who are believers are becoming less and less here in America. We are substituting false beliefs in place of the Word of God. If we try to tell the future in the name of the LORD and we don’t tell the truth – God’s judgment is upon us. One of the things we have to do today is watch who we listen to regarding the Word of God.
Our hope is only in Christ our LORD. Believe the Word of God and not men with fresh prophecies not found in the Word of God. The Bible is COMPLETE. There is all we need in the 66 books we already have at our disposal. Read it! Believe it! Tell others!!!
CHALLENGE: Don’t trust in a lie. Be a workman that needs not to be ashamed by meditating on the Word of God daily to check out those you are reading and listening to on a regular basis.)
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 16 Therefore thus says the LORD; Behold, I will cast thee from off the face of the earth: this year thou shalt die, because thou hast taughtrebellion against the LORD. (1696 “taught” [debar] means you have counseled, speak, promise, declare, command, or converse.
DEVOTION: Hananiah was a prophet of peace. He taught the people that their captivity would end in a matter of two years. He stated that he got his instructions from the LORD.
There are many individuals on the radio, television and in books who state that they are declaring the Word of the LORD. They have studied the Bible and found the answers to all the questions of the universe. If you only send in a few dollars they will send you the answers you are looking for to help you live a life of peace.
The Bible instructs us in the truth regarding the type of life we are going to live here on this earth. It will not be a life of peace. The LORD has given us a sword to share with the world.
The sword is the Word of God. HE wants us to spread it to everyone we meet. The Holy Spirit gives us guidance as to want we should say in any given circumstance. HE wants us to be dependent on HIM alone.
We can listen to others but have to check them out with what the Bible tells us is true. If someone teaches something new that has never been declared in the Word of God we need to really check them out.
Here we find Hananiah causing the people to rebel against the LORD and HIS instructions. The LORD had instructed them that they would be in captivity for seventy years. HE is a God who keeps HIS Word.
The LORD gave Jeremiah instruct to go back to Hananiah and confront him with the new prophecy the LORD had given him. This prophecy was that the LORD was going to take the life of Hananiah within the next few months.
The last verse of this chapter informs us that Hananiah did die according to the word of the LORD given by Jeremiah. When God speaks it happens.
God is going to deal with those who speak in HIS name, which is a false prophet. We can warn those around us of these false prophets without becoming someone who is known to be negative all the time. Our occupation should not be one of looking for and confronting false prophets unless the LORD gives us this instruction.
Our message should be to encourage one another in the LORD. This is to be mostly positive. Correction is needs at times but it should not be our only manner of teaching.
CHALLENGE: God wants us to lovingly work with those who are willing to listen correctly to the Word of God. The Holy Spirit will help us with this type of ministry.)
DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
- Chastity (Purity in living)
- Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
- Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
- Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
- Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
- Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
- Frugality (wise use of resources)
- Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
- Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
- Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
- Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
- Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
- Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
- Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
- Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
House of the LORD verse 1, 3, 5, 6
Vessels verse 3, 6
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Word of the LORD verse 12
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal) verse 1- 6, 9, 11- 16
LORD of hosts verse 2, 14
God – Elohim (Creator, Sovereign) verse 2, 14
God of Israel verse 2, 14
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
King of Babylon (Nebuchadnezzar) verse 2- 4, 6, 11, 14
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Being a false prophet verse 2-4, 11
Prophet Hananiah not sent of God verse 15
Trusting in a lie verse 15
Teaching rebellion verse16
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Deliverance promised verse 4
Hear the word of the LORD verse 7
Peace verse 9
Guidelines for a true prophet verse 9
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Zedekiah – king of Judah verse 1
Hananiah – son of Azur (prophet) verse 1, 5, 10- 13,
15 – 17
Israel verse 2, 14
Jehoiakim – king of Judah verse 4
Judah verse 4
Jeremiah (prophet) verse 5, 6- 12, 15
Priests verse 5
People verse 5
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
Hananiah the false prophet dies verse 17
QUOTES
28:7–9Jeremiah reminded Hananiah that other prophets before them had prophesied “war, disaster, and plague.” Such messages were not popular. The people preferred to hear reassuring words and paid those prophets who spoke what they wanted to hear (cf. Mic 3:5). Jeremiah reminded Hananiah that one who preached peace would be vindicated as a prophet only if his predictions came true. Jeremiah must have had in mind the fulfillment test of Deut 18:20–22, the best evidence of the truthfulness of a prophet’s predictions. In the contest between Jeremiah and Hananiah, time would tell which prophet was right. (Huey, F. B. (1993). Jeremiah, Lamentations (Vol. 16, p. 248). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
28:5–11. Two prophets had made conflicting claims, each one attributing his message to God. Though Jeremiah could have wished that the Lord would fulfill the words of Hananiah, nevertheless Hananiah’s prophecy was false. The ultimate test for prophets was whether their prophecies were fulfilled. A prophet was known to be sent by God only if his prediction came true (cf. Deut. 18:20–22). Time would tell whether Jeremiah or Hananiah was the false prophet.
As if to convince the people that he was right, Hananiah took the yoke off Jeremiah’s neck (cf. Jer. 27:2) and broke it apart. This dramatically visualized his prophecy that God would break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar … within two years. Rather than opposing this open insult from Hananiah, Jeremiah went on his way. (Dyer, C. H. (1985). Jeremiah. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 1165). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
The breaking of the yoke (vv. 1–17). While Jeremiah was wearing the yoke and calling the nation to submit to Babylon, Hananiah, one of the false prophets, confronted him in the temple. About this same time, according to historians, Nebuchadnezzar was putting down a revolt in his own land. Hananiah wrongly interpreted the uprising as the end of Nebuchadnezzar’s rule. Hananiah announced that God had broken the yoke of the king of Babylon and that the temple treasures would be returned to Jerusalem within two years. More than that, King Jeconiah and all the exiles would be returned with them.
These messages contradicted what Jeremiah had spoken in the name of the Lord. The Lord had told Jeremiah that the deported people and the temple vessels wouldn’t be restored to the land until He visited the exiles at the end of their seventy-year captivity (Jer. 27:16–22). Furthermore, King Jeconiah would never return to Judah but would die in Babylon (22:24–27; 52:31–34).
Jeremiah’s response to Hananiah’s message was “Amen, so be it! May the Lord fulfill what you have promised!” How are we to interpret this reply? Certainly not as agreement with what the false prophet had said, because Jeremiah knew better. Perhaps we might paraphrase Jeremiah’s words, “Oh, that the Lord would do what you have said! This would make me very happy!” But Jeremiah knew that Hananiah’s prophecy of peace wouldn’t be fulfilled. If it were fulfilled, this would contradict all that the prophets had predicted who had preceded them, for they prophesied judgment. (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). Be Decisive (p. 120). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
The meek and faithful Jeremiah—how gladly would he, true lover of Judah as he was, have welcomed such an end to the miseries of his people! But he knew it was not to be. “Nevertheless,” he continues, “hear thou now this word that I speak in thine ears, and in the ears of all the people: The prophets that have been before me and before thee of old prophesied both against many countries, and against great kingdoms, of war, and of evil, and of pestilence. The prophet which prophesieth of peace, when the word of the prophet shall come to pass, then shall the prophet be known, that the Lord hath truly sent him” (vers. 7–9). He brings no railing accusation: nor is he drawn into useless argument. With the earlier prophets, whose writings they had, his word agreed; while Hananiah’s was to the contrary. If it be fulfilled, then he would admit that the Lord had sent him. “The servant of the Lord must not strive.”
Hananiah, however, evidently fearing that the composure of the man of God would have some weight with his audience, assumes the dramatic; and taking off the yoke which Jeremiah, in accordance with the Lord’s command (chap. 27:2), was wearing about his neck, he broke it in pieces, saying, as he did so, “Thus saith the Lord: Even so will I break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon from the neck of all nations within the space of two full years” (vers. 10, 11). Error is generally insistent and dogmatic—the more so, often, the farther it is removed from the truth.
The servant of Jehovah makes no reply. He has no reputation to save: he desires not to attach the people to himself by a display of words. He can afford to wait, for he knows he has the mind of the Lord, which will be verified in its own time. We simply read, “And the prophet Jeremiah went his way” (ver. 11) (Ironside, H. A. (1906). Notes on the prophecy and Lamentations of Jeremiah (pp. 135–137). Neptune, NJ: Loizeaux Brothers.)
Ver. 9. The prophet which prophesieth of peace, &c.] Of prosperity, of good things, as Hananiah did, and which are always acceptable to men; and such a prophet is agreeable to them: when the word of the Lord shall come to pass; when the prophecy of good things, which he delivers in the name of the Lord, shall be fulfilled: then shall the prophet be known that the Lord hath truly sent him; and not till then; it is the event that must make it manifest: in the other case it may be in a good measure known before it comes to pass, and, whether it comes to pass or no, that a prophet is a true prophet; because his prophecies are agreeable to the word and the declared will of God; contain evils threatened on account of sin, and in order to bring men to repentance, which must needs be right; and besides, they have no interest of their own to serve, but run contrary to the stream of the people, and are exposed to their rage and censure: whereas, a man that prophesies of peace, he is more to be suspected of flattering the people, and of prophesying out of his own heart; and nothing but the event can shew him a true prophet; which if he delivers with a proviso, that the people do not do that which is evil in the sight of God, to provoke him to deny them the promised good, is always certainly fulfilled; and if it is not, then he appears manifestly a false prophet. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 5, p. 554). London: Mathews and Leigh.)