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. Meditation Paul’s warning to the church in Ephesus to be on guard against false teachers is timeless (Acts 20). People twisting God’s word abound in today’s world as they did in Jeremiah’s day, too. Christians must measure everything we hear according to the revealed word of God in Scripture (Acts 17:11) and stand firm against false teaching. Hananiah’s words offered false hope. Just two years after the first wave of exiles were taken to Babylon (including then king Jehoiachin), Hananiah prophesied that God would break the yoke of Babylon and return the exiles in two years. He used a normal prophetic introduction (2) to introduce words in direct contrast to Jeremiah. Which prophet spoke the truth? Jeremiah continued to wear the yoke illustrating his message of a 70-year exile (10) until Hananiah broke it off to illustrate his own. Then Jeremiah engaged with grace: Amen! Would it be so if your words were true (6). But we will have to wait and see… (As Deuteronomy 18:21-22 offer as a standard for prophets to test). But the people did not need to wait two years to see if the exiles actually returned. Two months later Hananiah died (17) and his death was a signal to all: Twisting God’s word for our own gain or glory leads to total ruin. Guarding against false teachers is as simple as testing what we hear against Scripture. But standing firm is a struggle that is often counter cultural and inconvenient. God’s grace gives Christians ground to stand firm to celebrate God’s Holy Word. Richly Dwelling -What stands out to you about the conflict between Hananiah and Jeremiah? How does this illustrate the conflict between false teachers today and the Church? -What are prominent false teachings today? Why is it difficult to stand firm against the false teaching, speaking truth in love and allowing God’s time for justice? -Jesus is the greatest prophet whose words give life. How can you be more pro-active in knowing His word as you live in this world? Key Verse 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. Comments are closed.
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AuthorPastor Mitchell celebrates twenty-five years of marriage with Lisa & together they have four adventurous children. |