Truth Tested in the Face of False Hope

What, who are you listening to?

Have you ever heard bad news at the doctor and went to another doctor hoping to hear something else? One tells you what you want to hear, one tells you what you need to hear.

Jeremiah 28 records a public confrontation between Jeremiah and a false prophet Hananiah. Jeremiah tells the people what they need to hear. Hananiah tells the people what they want to hear. Peaceful words are not proof of God’s approval. God’s message will be confirmed not by applause, but by faithfulness to God’s word and eventual fulfillment.

Be careful what you are listening to, be sure to test the spirits as it says in 1Jn4:1.

Our confrontational passage

Jeremiah 28:1–2 NASB95

1 Now in the same year, in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the fourth year, in the fifth month, Hananiah the son of Azzur, the prophet, who was 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.

Jeremiah 28:3–4 NASB95

3 ‘Within two years I am going to 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 am also going to bring back to this place Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and all the exiles of Judah who went to Babylon,’ declares the Lord, ‘for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.’ ”

Jeremiah 38:5–6 NASB95

5 So King Zedekiah said, “Behold, he is in your hands; for the king can do nothing against you.” 6 Then they took Jeremiah and cast him into the cistern of Malchijah the king’s son, which was in the court of the guardhouse; and they let Jeremiah down with ropes. Now in the cistern there was no water but only mud, and Jeremiah sank into the mud.

Jeremiah 38:7–8 NASB95

7 But Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, a eunuch, while he was in the king’s palace, heard that they had put Jeremiah into the cistern. Now the king was sitting in the Gate of Benjamin; 8 and Ebed-melech went out from the king’s palace and spoke to the king, saying,

Jeremiah 38:9–10 NASB95

9 “My lord the king, these men have acted wickedly in all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet whom they have cast into the cistern; and he will die right where he is because of the famine, for there is no more bread in the city.” 10 Then the king commanded Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, saying, “Take thirty men from here under your authority and bring up Jeremiah the prophet from the cistern before he dies.”

Jeremiah 38:11–12 NASB95

11 So Ebed-melech took the men under his authority and went into the king’s palace to a place beneath the storeroom and took from there worn-out clothes and worn-out rags and let them down by ropes into the cistern to Jeremiah. 12 Then Ebed-melech the Ethiopian said to Jeremiah, “Now put these worn-out clothes and rags under your armpits under the ropes”; and Jeremiah did so.

Jeremiah 38:13–14 NASB95

13 So they pulled Jeremiah up with the ropes and lifted him out of the cistern, and Jeremiah stayed in the court of the guardhouse. 14 Then King Zedekiah sent and had Jeremiah the prophet brought to him at the third entrance that is in the house of the Lord; and the king said to Jeremiah, “I am going to ask you something; do not hide anything from me.”

Jeremiah 38:15–16 NASB95

15 Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “If I tell you, will you not certainly put me to death? Besides, if I give you advice, you will not listen to me.” 16 But King Zedekiah swore to Jeremiah in secret saying, “As the Lord lives, who made this life for us, surely I will not put you to death nor will I give you over to the hand of these men who are seeking your life.”

Jeremiah 38:17 NASB95

17 Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “Thus says the Lord God of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘If you will indeed go out to the officers of the king of Babylon, then you will live, this city will not be burned with fire, and you and your household will survive.

Is there anything in particular that stands out to you in this passage?

What do you see as the conflict, or confrontation?

A Popular Message Can Still Be a False Message

The Setting (v.1)

We have the the timing of it

We have Hananiah speaking to Jeremiah in House of the Lord

In presence of Priests and all the people

The claim: God will break Babylon quickly (vv.2-4)

Claiming in the name of the Lord of Hosts that God has broken the yoke of the king of Babylon and everything will return within two years.

Everything taken including king Jeconiah will return.

Think about this, where does Hananiah deliver this prophesy, and do you think it matters? - - - in the house of the Lord before the priests of the Lord and the people, yes he it does matter, he is claiming to be a prophet to speak God’s word but the words are not from God.

He makes a false promise, one the people love to hear, everything will be OK within two years, but they will find out that is not true soon.

Application

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Do not measure truth by confidence, location or popularity.

Practice discernment: “Is the message consistent with God’s word?”

Be careful with voices that promise quick fixes without repentance or obedience.

God’s People Should Love Peace

Jeremiah’s surprise response: “Amen!” (v.6)

Jeremiah is not rooting against blessing - - - he is rooting for truth.

Jeremiah reminds them of the pattern of prophets (vv.7-8)

Many prophets warned of judgment against sin; the “easy” message is not the normal one.

The test: Prophecy of peace must come true (v.9)

Fulfillment matters. God’s word proves itself.

Jeremiah would love for what Hananiah says to be true, but he knows it is not true. He says “amen” for he is rooting for the truth to be made known and accepted.

Application

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It is possible to want a message to be true and still submit to God’s truth.

Ask yourself: “Do I love comfort more than faithfulness?”

Teach yourself and others: Hope must be anchored in truth, not wishful thinking.

Dramatic signs don’t Override God’s Word

Hananiah performs a bold act (v.10)

He breaks the wooden yoke from Jeremiah’s neck.

Hananiah repeats the claim, this time even louder (v.11)

He declares Babylon’s yoke will be broken in two years.

Now, hold on, a key truth here: Symbolic actions can be powerful, but they can also be deceptive.

Application:

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Do not confuse emotion with confirmation

Do not accept a message just because it is dramatic, bold, or “inspiring.”

Evaluate teaching by Scripture, not by delivery style.

God will Strengthen His Word

God responds: The wood yoke becomes an iron yoke (vv.12-14)

Resistance does not remove God’s discipline — it often hardens the consequences.

Jeremiah exposes the real danger: false confidence (v.15)

The Lord has not sent you. . . you have made this people trust in a lie.

The judgement: Hananiah will die that year (vv.16-17)

God confirms His word swiftly; Hananiah dies in the seventh Month.

God replaces the broken wooden yoke with an iron yoke, why do you think that is? (vv.13-14)? — man had a plan and put it into action, God placed the yoke on Jeremiah, man (Hananiah) broke the yoke, so God put an iron yoke that could not easily be broken off on Jeremiah showing God is more powerful than mans plan.

What is the worst damage Hananiah causes according to Jeremiah in (v.15)?

He causes the people to believe a lie.

Do people today believe lies today? Why? (pause)

Application

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False teaching is not harmless —it can cause people to trust in a lie and ignore repentance.

When God corrects us, humility is safter than resistance.

Ask: “Am I listening to God’s warnings, or just collecting comforting voices?”

Conclusion: Truth is not determine by popularity, confidence, or comfort, but by God’s word. Hananiah offered fast relief without spiritual change (repentance), and the people wanted to believe it. But God, exposed the lie and confirmed His message. This chapter calls us to be people who love peace, yet are willing to hear hard truth — because real hope is built on what God actually says.

If time permits Thought Provoking Questions

Why do you think people are often more attract to “two-year solutions” than to long obedience?

In what ways can Christians today be tempted to “trust in a lie” — even while using religious language?

Take Away: Do not trust a message because it feels good —trust God’s word because it is true. False hope is still a lie, but God’s truth always proves faithful in the end.