Jeremiah 28:1

The Bible says in Jeremiah 28:1-4, “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 of 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 speaketh 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, saith the LORD: for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.” Zedekiah was king in Judah only because Nebuchanezzar had set up Zedekiah to be king. Jeconiah was the last king of Judah in the normal lineage, and Zedekiah was the last person who had the position of king even though Zedekiah did not come to power in the normal lineage. In some ways Jeconaiah was the last king, especially in regards to the purposes of God for the nation of Israel. Once Zedekiah was king, it simply meant that the independence of Israel was over.

Of course, Israel losing their independence was a result of their sins. Instead of deciding their own future for themselves, another nation was making the decisions for them. We see the same thing happening to nations in the day in which we live, especially from a financial standpoint. When a nation drives itself bankrupt, eventually another nation comes along and dictates to the debtor nation exactly how it must run its affairs. The debtor nation had no wisdom on how to handle its own finances, and wisdom comes from God. Therefore, it is probably true that the lack of wisdom was directly related to the sinfulness of that nation. Sin brings consequences because God is Judge over all and God is holy. There are a couple of great themes to the book of Jeremiah, and we keep coming back to both of them over and over. The first theme is that sin brings consequences, and great sin brings great consequences. The second theme is that no matter how sinful human beings are, God always has His eye on the future with a plan to bring salvation. That is why Jesus came. God’s mercy is greater than our sin. These verses that we just read in the beginning of Jeremiah chapter 28 are about God’s mercy. God said in Jeremiah 28:3-4, “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, saith the LORD: for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.” Perhaps some bad thing that has happened to you is a result of your sins. The thing to do is to just rely upon God’s mercy through faith in Christ. It may surprise you how well things eventually turn out. Jesus is merciful.

The Bible says in Jeremiah 28:5-14, “Then the prophet Jeremiah said unto the prophet Hananiah in the presence of the priests, and 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 thy words which thou hast prophesied, to bring again the vessels of the LORD's house, and all that is carried away captive, from Babylon into this place. Nevertheless 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. Then Hananiah the prophet took the yoke from off the prophet Jeremiah's neck, and brake it. And Hananiah spake in the presence of all the people, saying, 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. And the prophet Jeremiah went his way. 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 saith the LORD; Thou hast broken the yokes of wood; but thou shalt make for them yokes of iron. For thus saith 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.”

We can learn a valuable lesson from the prophet Hananiah. There was little difference between Hananiah and Jeremiah except for one thing. They were both prophets living at the same time in the same country and speaking to the same people. They both claimed to speak in the name of the Lord. But their messages were very different. Of course, their messages were different since Jeremiah got his message from God and Hananiah did not. One of the differences in their messages was that Hananiah’s message was much more positive than Jeremiah’s message. Hananiah’s message would have been more what the people wanted to hear and would have been easier to listen to. Jeremiah’s message was that bad times were ahead, and that Nebuchadnezzar was coming to conquer Israel, kill many of the people, and take many others captive to Babylon. Jeremiah said that everyone must surrender to Nebuchadnezzar’s authority. But Hananiah said that there would not be war, but there would be peace. Hananiah said that Nebuchadnezzar would not gain control of Israel. If you were a citizen in Israel, you would desire that Hananiah’s message was the true message. If you add to that positive message a good speaking ability on Hananiah’s part, then you can see how easily people get led astray. Concerning the excellent speaking ability of false teachers, it says in Romans 16:17-18, “Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.”

Hananiah was so bold in his false message that he even gave a specific time when Nebuchadnezzar would be defeated. Hananiah said in Jeremiah 28:11, “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.” Of course, Hananiah was wrong. All false teachers are wrong. The passage of time proved Hananiah wrong. The same will happen to all those who teach error. They will eventually be proven wrong. Be careful whom you listen to. There are many false prophets. Jeremiah gave a good example of how to treat the false prophets. Notice that it says in Jeremiah 28:11 after Jeremiah heard Hananiah, “And the prophet Jeremiah went his way.” Stay away from false teachers, and find a truth-teller. The truth always has to do with a message that sounds negative: man is sinful and God’s judgment is certain to come against that sin. In the last days there will be many teachers just like Hananiah who tell people what they want to hear instead of telling them what they need to hear. It says in Second Timothy 4:3-4, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.”

The Bible says in Jeremiah 28:15-17, “Then said the prophet Jeremiah unto Hananiah the prophet, Hear now, Hananiah; The LORD hath not sent thee; but thou makest this people to trust in a lie. Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will cast thee from off the face of the earth: this year thou shalt die, because thou hast taught rebellion against the LORD. So Hananiah the prophet died the same year in the seventh month.” The Lord is the Judge of the whole earth. Sometimes He decides to wait for a long, long time before bringing His judgment. But sometimes God brings His judgment right away as was the case with the false teacher named Hananiah. Just remember that truth whenever you think you have suffered unrighteous opposition or persecution at the hands of anyone. God can take them out whenever He wants. Just make sure that you live by faith and trust in the Lord’s decision. Jesus died for them too. Everyone will answer to God for what they do. They do not answer to us, but they do answer to the Lord.

The Bible says in Jeremiah 29:1-6, “Now these are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem unto the residue of the elders which were carried away captives, and to the priests, and to the prophets, and to all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon; (After that Jeconiah the king, and the queen, and the eunuchs, the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, and the carpenters, and the smiths, were departed from Jerusalem;) By the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan, and Gemariah the son of Hilkiah, (whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent unto Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon) saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, unto all that are carried away captives, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem unto Babylon; Build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them; Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; that ye may be increased there, and not diminished.” Let’s look at the information that was given from the Lord through Jeremiah to the Jewish people who had been taken captive to Babylon. Basically, he told them to be practical, and to wait. In many ways Christians are told the same thing. The Jewish people were waiting for God’s time when the Lord would deliver them from Babylon and return them to the promised-land. Christians are waiting for the return of Christ: the time when we will be delivered from the world and taken to be with the Lord.

In Ephesians 4:28 someone who has repented is told what kind of life to live. It says, “Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.” It also says in First Corinthians 4:11, “And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you;” The New Testament also says in First Timothy 2:1-2, “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;[2] For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.” Concerning Christians waiting for Christ, First Corinthians 1:7 says, “So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ,” and Second Thessalonians 1:7 says, “And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ.”

During the time of Jeremiah, the Jewish people were told to live in Babylon among the Babylonians, and to raise their families the best they could until the Lord delivered them. We are told the same thing. We are told to live in this world the best we can among these unbelievers that are all around us, and to raise our families the best we can until the Lord returns to deliver us from the world. No wonder it says in the next to last verse in the Bible in Revelation 22:20, “Even so, come, Lord Jesus.”

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