In about 594 B.C. Jeremiah
was challenged publicly at the Temple by a prophet named Hananiah, Just before
this, Jeremiah had performed a prophetic sign (Jeremiah 27) when he walked
around in public with a wooden ox-yoke across his shoulders. This was intended
to signify that Judah would continue to be controlled by Babylonia but that if
Judah agreed to submit the people would be treated with mercy and not killed.
It is clear from what is said in Jeremiah 27 that some of the prophets were
saying that Judah would soon be free from Babylonian control and the people and
treasure taken from Jerusalem in 597 B.C. soon returned. In opposition to this
popular view, Jeremiah continued to proclaim that the Babylonians were being
given power over Judah by God, who was using Babylonia as his instrument of
judgement on his people. Such a message was received with hostility by those
who heard Jeremiah.
28: 1-4 presents the message
of Hananiah to the people assembled at the Temple and the priests. He says that
in two years the exiles and the treasure taken from Jerusalem will be returned
and the power of King Nebuchadnezzar broken.
28: 5-9 is the message of
Jeremiah which refers to what Hananiah has said, and indicates to those
listening that Hananiah may not be a true prophet. Jeremiah refers to the true
prophets who spoke before him and who prophesied disasters. In Jeremiah 23,
criteria for judging whether a prophet spoke the truth or falsehood were set
out; one criterion was that it was only a false prophet who spoke of peace when
there was no peace to declare. Only when the prediction of peace came true,
could that pro¬phet be recognized as one whom the Lord had sent. In this
passage Jeremiah adds this very important criterion to what was said in chapter
23. The true prophet is one whose prophecies are fulfilled (Deuteronomy 18:
22).
28: 10-11 describes how
Hananiah expressed his own words in a symbolic action by taking off the ox-yoke
which Jeremiah still had across his shoulders. He broke the yoke in pieces and
then said that this signified the breaking of the power of Nebuchadnezzar.
28: 12-17 presents
Jeremiah's startling reply to Hananiah some time later when the word of the
Lord had come to him about Hananiah's words and action. The power of Babylonia
would hold down Judah like an iron yoke and Hananiah would die.
In this passage we notice
that Jeremiah did not condemn Hananiah at the time that he spoke and acted, but
waited for conviction to corne to him from God that Hananiah's words were not a
true prophecy. We need not doubt that Hananiah thought that he was giving a
true prophecy because he wanted to believe that the country would be saved; he
failed in his task as a prophet because he followed his own desires and
thoughts and did not seek the will of God with absolute honesty. He not only
failed to do this, but led astray the people who heard him. One who claims to
speak for God has accepted the most serious responsibility to others.
Jeremiah's attitude in 28:8 indicates that he would have rejoiced if God had
given him a message of peace, but such a message was not given and therefore
Jeremiah had to hold faithfully to the message of judge¬ment which he knew he
had been given, however hard this was.