#1085 Jeremiah 28 Those Are People Who Died

 

In that same year, at the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the fifth month of the fourth year, Hananiah the son of Azzur, the prophet from Gibeon, spoke to me in the house of the Lord, in the presence of the priests and all the people, saying, 2 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon. 3 Within two years I will bring back to this place all the vessels of the Lord's house, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took away from this place and carried to Babylon. 4 I will also bring back to this place Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and all the exiles from Judah who went to Babylon, declares the Lord, for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.”

5 Then the prophet Jeremiah spoke to Hananiah the prophet in the presence of the priests and all the people who were standing in the house of the Lord, 6 and the prophet Jeremiah said, “Amen! May the Lord do so; may the Lord make the words that you have prophesied come true, and bring back to this place from Babylon the vessels of the house of the Lord, and all the exiles. 7 Yet hear now this word that I speak in your hearing and in the hearing of all the people. 8 The prophets who preceded you and me from ancient times prophesied war, famine, and pestilence against many countries and great kingdoms. 9 As for the prophet who prophesies peace, when the word of that prophet comes to pass, then it will be known that the Lord has truly sent the prophet.”

10 Then the prophet Hananiah took the yoke-bars from the neck of Jeremiah the prophet and broke them. 11 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 the nations within two years.” But Jeremiah the prophet went his way.

12 Sometime after the prophet Hananiah had broken the yoke-bars from off the neck of Jeremiah the prophet, the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 13 “Go, tell Hananiah, ‘Thus says the Lord: You have broken wooden bars, but you have made in their place bars of iron. 14 For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: I have put upon the neck of all these nations an iron yoke to serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and they shall serve him, for I have given to him even the beasts of the field.’” 15 And Jeremiah the prophet said to the prophet Hananiah, “Listen, Hananiah, the Lord has not sent you, and you have made this people trust in a lie. 16 Therefore thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, I will remove you from the face of the earth. This year you shall die, because you have uttered rebellion against the Lord.’”

17 In that same year, in the seventh month, the prophet Hananiah died. Jeremiah 28 ESV

Jeremiah 28 Hananiah the False Prophet

What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us...Worship is pure or base as the worshiper entertains high or low thoughts of God. For this reason the gravest question before the Church is always God Himself, and the most portentous fact about any man is not what he at a given time may say or do, but what he in his deep heart conceives God to be like. We tend by a secret law of the soul to move toward our mental image of God. This is true not only of the individual Christian, but of the company of Christians that composes the Church. Always the most revealing thing about the Church is her idea of God. - A. W. Tozer

1-4. At the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah - So Zedekiah's brother had been removed by Nebuchadnezzar, and Babylon put up Zedekiah in his place, as a puppet king. Jeremiah has now warned them not to rebel, but they really prefer the words of the false prophets, even though they have proven unprofitable. 

Zedekiah

Hananiah the son of Azzur... spoke to me in the house of the Lord - Remember, Jeremiah is wearing the yoke of the previous chapter, he has spoken and still has on this visual reminder for emphasis. 

Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel - He is making his announcement by way of a name that the people are familiar with, the God of Israel, Yahweh. This happens often, you think you are talking with a fellow Christian, they say God, Christ, and even say they believe the Bible, but when they say what God is like, or try to speak on behalf of God, you realize that you have some of the same vocabulary, but it is a different God, another Christ, a different Spirit than the Holy Spirit, and another gospel. 

Within two years - Apparently he did not like Jeremiah's prophecy, so he prophecies the exact opposite. Jeremiah had already condemned this very message, but maybe it was cutting into Hananiah's profits or his ego. Come on Hananiah, get up, go confront Jeremiah, show him who the real man of God is, comfort us, tickle our ears. Jeremiah is making us feel bad about ourselves, like God is demanding repentance, like he hates sin and won't except our empty platitudes. Restore your street cred, we don't like Jeremiah's definition of God, give us another one. The God we will believe in would never send us to Babylon. Hananiah delivered the message they wanted, too bad people bounce checks like that all the time.

5-9. May the Lord do so - Jeremiah thinks what Hananiah is saying would be great also. He doesn't hate Jerusalem, doesn't hate his country or it's people, remember, he wanted to keep his mouth shut. The message that Jeremiah brings is not one that anybody would pick. Crazy though, it is a matter of life and death, like the gospel, so it is the better message to bring because it is the truth.

The prophets who preceded you and me from ancient times - Uh oh, you thought you were going to get off easy, a show down with Jeremiah turned into a commendation, agreement, but no, Jeremiah reminds him of the prophetic legacy. People rebelled against Moses, hated Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah etc...

5 Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the Lord of hosts: 6 Behold, the days are coming, when all that is in your house, and that which your fathers have stored up till this day, shall be carried to Babylon. Nothing shall be left, says the Lord. 7 And some of your own sons, who will come from you, whom you will father, shall be taken away, and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.” 8 Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of the Lord that you have spoken is good.” For he thought, “There will be peace and security in my days.” Isaiah 39 ESV

…15Then the LORD appeared at the tent in a pillar of cloud, and the cloud stood over the entrance to the tent. 16And the LORD said to Moses, “You will soon rest with your fathers, and these people will rise up and prostitute themselves with the foreign gods of the land they are entering. They will forsake Me and break the covenant I have made with them. 17On that day My anger will burn against them, and I will abandon them and hide My face from them, so that they will be consumed, and many troubles and afflictions will befall them. On that day they will say, ‘Have not these disasters come upon us because our God is no longer with us?’… Deuteronomy 31: 15-17

10-17. From the neck of Jeremiah - As if the symbol had any power in itself, so Hananiah removes it from Jeremiah's neck, thus effectively breaking the curse, but not really.

You have broken wooden bars - So Jeremiah literally had on this yoke as a sign, and Hananiah has prophesied, plus broken the wooden yoke from Jeremiah's back.

But you have made in their place bars of iron - OOps! He refused the yoke of wood that God had originally sent, and led the people to do the same, stubbornly lifting up their horns against the Lord's original judgment, now they will receive a stronger, heavier yoke. The way, the truth and the life are always the better option in the end, but pride hates the idea of repenting, and thinks it can make a better way.

…28Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”… Matthew 11: 28-30

This year you shall die - God had not sent him, and as sweet as his message was, it was anything but kind, compassionate or loving. Tell me again how my sin doesn't matter, tell me again how I have nothing to worry about. God said repent, and Hananiah said, no need. God foretold the coming of Babylon, even before Jeremiah's time, but you didn't like that message, and so you invented another god, yet used the name of Yahweh. 

…18For as I have often told you before, and now say again even with tears: Many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and their glory is in their shame. Their minds are set on earthly things. 20But our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,… Philippians 3: 18-20

In that same year, in the seventh month, the prophet Hananiah died - I know, the god you believe in would never do that, even if someone claimed to speak in His name. Your god would just worry about whether the people liked the message, it was fun, went over well, suited the time they lived in and their ideals. 

…26For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes. 27Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. 28Each one must examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup.…

…29For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. 31Now if we judged ourselves properly, we would not come under judgment.… 1 Corinthians 11: 26-31

1Now Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu took their censers, put fire in them and added incense, and offered unauthorized fire before the LORD, contrary to His command. 2So fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them, and they died in the presence of the LORD. 3Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the LORD meant when He said: ‘To those who come near Me I will show My holiness, and in the sight of all the people I will reveal My glory.’ ” But Aaron remained silent.… Leviticus 10: 1-3