Wednesday or Thursday - Jeremiah 28 - Contradicting God

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N continuation from chapter 27, we find Jeremiah still (voluntarily) wearing a yoke on his shoulders.  The yoke illustrated the control that the Babylonians were destined to have over Israel for the next several decades. It was an unpopular message that Jeremiah was preaching. It would be similar to a presidential candidate forecasting today that no matter what we do in the USA, we will be invaded and conquered by China within the next 4 years. Even if he were right, the electorate would not accept him. People just don't want to hear stuff like that.

In Jeremiah 28, the player was a prophet; a false prophet.  His name was Hananiah.  Hananiah broke the wooden yoke from off Jeremiah's neck and shoulders. He claimed that this represented the liberation of Jerusalem. He not only contradicted Jeremiah's somber warnings, he claimed that he was opposing Jeremiah because God told him to do it. "Thus saith the Lord," was Hananiah's cry.  God had no more spoken through him than He had spoken through the movement of the peas in Hananiah's soup. What a sad mockery.

Jeremiah's reaction to Hananiah is classic. "Amen," he said. "I hope you're right..." or better, "I wish you were right" (Jeremiah 28:6). But of course, Jeremiah knew better. He reminded Hananiah and his audience that this was not the first time a lying prognosticator had erroneously forecasted coming peace. The false hope that Hananiah was instigating would only bring further disobedience in Jerusalem, and thereby would only serve to strengthen God's resolve against them (Jeremiah 28:13). So, Jeremiah added a brief word of true prophecy to the mix. "You will die this year," he said to Hananiah. And, he did (Jeremiah 28:17).