©Kris Gerbrandt
Chapter 28:10-17 (ESV) - Then the prophet Hananiah took the yoke-bars from the neck of Jeremiah the prophet and broke them. 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.
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: “Go, tell Hananiah, ‘Thus says the LORD: You have broken wooden bars, but you have made in their place bars of iron. 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.’” 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. 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.’”
In that same year, in the seventh month, the prophet Hananiah died.
Question to consider: What is the significance of the bars of the yoke being iron instead of wood?
While Hananiah may have admitted to the fact that Jeremiah was a prophet of the LORD, he rejected the idea that the city would fall and would lie desolate for seventy years while the people served out their time under the yoke of Babylon. Given the fact that the word given by the LORD through Jeremiah had come to pass, and the words of the false prophets had not, it seems rather absurd for Hananiah to contradict him now. However, Hananiah made a dramatic emphasis on his point by breaking the yoke that Jeremiah had fashioned to make his point to king Zedekiah, and he proclaimed his false prophecy to the people of Jerusalem. To break the yoke that the LORD had commanded Jeremiah to wear and to utter a lie in His name was blasphemous.
Jeremiah didn’t argue with him at that time. While this passage doesn’t give the reason why Jeremiah walked away, the subsequent actions of Zedekiah suggested that calling Hananiah a liar at this time would have not made a difference. Rather than surrendering to Nebuchadnezzar, Zedekiah would go to Egypt and plot against him, prompting the complete destruction of the city and the death of those in the city who stood by him.
Before this took place, Jeremiah went privately to Hananiah and prophesied against him for rebelling against the LORD and lying in His name. Hananiah’s life would be taken from him during the seventh month. The numbered months began with Passover so the seventh month would have been Tishri. This month ended with Yom Kippur (the day of Atonement) and Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish calendar new year). I believe there is significance to the fact that Hananiah’s life ended before the day of Atonement.
Ideas have consequences. Hananiah’s false word to Zedekiah and the people of Jerusalem would make the oppression much worse on the nations. Zedekiah’s treaty with Egypt to attack Babylon meant that he believed this alliance would break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar like Hananiah proclaimed. In making this alliance with Egypt, Zedekiah broke the covenant made by Jeconiah at his surrender. This infuriated Nebuchadnezzar and prompted the final siege that destroyed Jerusalem and brought famine, sword, and death on the nations.
Dear heavenly Father, thank You for giving us Your written word which is unchanging and true. As culture changes, and people profess lies in Your name, we are grateful in knowing that Your word has been fulfilled in Christ and therefore allows us to fix our eyes on Him and look forward to His return. Amen.