1In 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. 3Within 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. 4I 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.”…
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.
REFLECTION:
No one likes to listen to the truths told by Jeremiah, but Hananiah’s lies give people illusory hope and comfort. God has clearly stated that the characteristics of a true prophet are that his prophecies will be fulfilled and will not be inconsistent. Although Hananiah’s death and Babylon’s repeated invasions fulfilled Jeremiah’s prophecy, the people preferred to believe sweet lies rather than listen to truths that caused them pain. Today we often say that God’s will be done. Once God’s will is not in line with our expectations, we are not willing to see God’s will be done. We will not find out the reasons from ourselves, and we don’t want to know why God’s will is inconsistent with our expectation. We should be wise and willing to listen to unpleasant but kind-hearted advices. These advices are usually given to us by God through people around us. They can make us see our own sins more clearly and enable us to confess and repent more humbly. In addition, we should also have integrity, especially as leaders in the church. We should speak directly what God has moved us to say without covering up or embellishing it. It may be unacceptable for a while or even cause trouble for ourselves, but ultimately it can edify people and is acceptable to God.
PRAYER:
Pray for God to enlighten you and make you understand how much of your inner peace and joy is based on false lies. Pray that God will remove these lies and open your spiritual ears and eyes so that you can hear God’s truth and see God’s glory, receive the true peace and joy that God bestows.
1In the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord. 2 Thus the Lord said to me: “Make yourself straps and yoke-bars, and put them on your neck. 3 Send word to the king of Edom, the king of Moab, the king of the sons of Ammon, the king of Tyre, and the king of Sidon by the hand of the envoys who have come to Jerusalem to Zedekiah king of Judah. 4 Give them this charge for their masters: ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: This is what you shall say to your masters: 5 “It is I who by my great power and my outstretched arm have made the earth, with the men and animals that are on the earth, and I give it to whomever it seems right to me. 6 Now I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, my servant, and I have given him also the beasts of the field to serve him. 7 All the nations shall serve him and his son and his grandson, until the time of his own land comes. Then many nations and great kings shall make him their slave.
REFLECTION:
The yoke on the neck (v2) is a sign that King Nebuchadnezzar attacked Judah for the first time in 593 BC and took a large number of Judahites abducted. The yoke is a wooden frame used to put livestock on the rake. Jeremiah’s yoke symbolizes that Judah must obey Babylonian rule or they will be destroyed. God can appoint rulers of other countries who do not worship God to be His “servants” and impose judgments on Judah. This method is really unimaginable. God did not actually ask King Nebuchadnezzar to preach His word, but through Nebuchadnezzar fulfilled the prophecy that God would judge sin. God’s power is in charge of everything. Today, He can still choose anyone at will, including those who do not believe in God, to accomplish His will, and even discipline us through unexpected methods. Therefore, we should be ready to receive God’s discipline at any time, even if it is a way beyond our expectations. At the same time, we should also know that for those who love God all things work together for good. As long as we love the Lord faithfully and obey God’s will in all things, we will be led and edified by God. Not only do we need to be fearless before God, but we must also rejoice and receive His rewards.
PRAYER:
Pray for God to make you more humble and obey God’s sovereignty in all things; for God to enlighten you so that you can see clearly what you have offended God, confess your sins to Him, and repent sincerely. At the same time, pray for God to make you understand that God is loving, and for those who love God all things work together for good. Whether it is smooth or difficult, you are willing to obey God and benefit from God.
1In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came from the Lord: 2 “Thus says the Lord: Stand in the court of the Lord’s house, and speak to all the cities of Judah that come to worship in the house of the Lord all the words that I command you to speak to them; do not hold back a word. 3 It may be they will listen, and every one turn from his evil way, that I may relent of the disaster that I intend to do to them because of their evil deeds. 4 You shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord: If you will not listen to me, to walk in my law that I have set before you, 5 and to listen to the words of my servants the prophets whom I send to you urgently, though you have not listened, 6 then I will make this house like Shiloh, and I will make this city a curse for all the nations of the earth.’”
7 The priests and the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of the Lord. 8 And when Jeremiah had finished speaking all that the Lord had commanded him to speak to all the people, then the priests and the prophets and all the people laid hold of him, saying, “You shall die! 9 Why have you prophesied in the name of the Lord, saying, ‘This house shall be like Shiloh, and this city shall be desolate, without inhabitant’?” And all the people gathered around Jeremiah in the house of the Lord…
24 But the hand of Ahikam the son of Shaphan was with Jeremiah so that he was not given over to the people to be put to death.
REFLECTION:
Shiloh was the place where the tabernacle was set up after the Israelites occupied Canaan, and was destroyed by the Philistines in 1050 BC. “I will make this house like Shiloh” (v6) refers to the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple. God wanted Jeremiah to “not hold back a word” (v2) and speak His words as they were. It is possible that Jeremiah was weak and thought that some words were too harsh and could cause everyone to become enemies and bring him great danger, so he wanted to cut some of the content. However, God ordered Jeremiah not to change His words to suit Jeremiah’s own wishes, the tastes of the audience, and the environment he is in. Sure enough, the priests and false prophets were furious when they heard this, because the temple is the source of their power. People respect the temple, and they are also revered. Jeremiah said that the temple would be destroyed, undoubtedly challenging and shaking their power. Therefore, a mob of rebellious and foolish people was gathered to kill Jeremiah. Of course the almighty and righteous God will protect Jeremiah from harm through human hands. Today, when we preach the truth in the Bible to unbelievers, we may also feel that some messages are too harsh and may offend others. We always want to express or omit some messages euphemistically. We should understand that God is with us and He will add to our courage and strength, and we cannot change the word of God in order to please anyone.
PRAYER:
Pray for God to give you more courage to not be afraid to offend people when preaching the truth of God, not to delete, add, or change any of God’s words, but to clearly preach all the truths that God has entrusted us to communicate. Pray that God will enable you to have more commitment, so that you can live a holy and abundant life, not only in words, but also with your own practical actions to manifest the glory of God.
