Hananiah The False Prophet

[Jeremiah 28]

Last week we left Jeremiah with a yoke hanging around his neck. God told him to wear it as a reminder that Israel must submit to God and the authorities He sets over them. And if this is true for the people of Israel how much more true is it for God’s church today?

Christians have even more reasons to joyfully submit themselves under God’s yoke. And being under the yoke of God is the best place to be because even if it is God’s will for us to suffer under His yoke temporarily, we know that it is for our ultimate good.

But not everybody agreed with Jeremiah.

Hananiah’s Contradiction of Jeremiah

Jeremiah’s message had an impact because we’re told it didn’t take too long for a counter message to delivered. “In the same year” that Jeremiah was told to wear the yoke and instructed to deliver the message of God’s sovereignty to the Ambassadors, priests and people, Hananiah delivered an alternative point of view.

We don’t know that much about Hananiah other than he had an obvious love for his country, and that he seems sincere, but he was also sincerely wrong about what God’s will was.

In verses 2-3 Hananiah’s prediction is that within two years all the national treasures that belonged in the temple would be returned to Jerusalem. He sounds so convincing when he uses the same kind of language Jeremiah did. He says, “This is what the Lord of Armies says…this is the Lord’s declaration...” and then gives an exact date for the return of all the national treasures.

Hananiah’s message is a comforting message but it’s wrong. In verse 4 he put’s words in God’s mouth saying...

Jeremiah 28:4 CSB

And I will restore to this place Jeconiah son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and all the exiles from Judah who went to Babylon’—this is the Lord’s declaration—‘for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.’ ”

Sounds good but this directly contradicted what Jeremiah had said previously and it directly contradicted God’s declaration that they would serve the king of Babylon for 70 years not two (Jer 25:11).

Now, let me ask you a question. Would you rather go to Jeremiah’s church or Hananiah’s? Would you rather go to the doom and gloom church that promised to preach repentance or else for the next 70 years or the one with a popular, uplifting patriotic message that promised everyone it wouldn’t be long and before all their troubles would be over?

If that was the choice put before God’s people, I think most would choose Hananiah’s church. Hananiah’s message would have been much more popular but it was also completely wrong.

Jeremiah could likely see people being swayed. So how should Jeremiah respond to Hananiah’s challenge?

Jeremiah’s Response

Jeremiah doesn’t waste much time replying to Hananiah. In verse 6 he says “Amen!” There doesn’t seem to be a sarcastic response because “Amen” is a very special word that means “so be it” or “may it be done as you say”. Jeremiah loved his country as much as Hananiah did and he hoped Hananiah was right even though he knew he probably wasn’t.

Christians don’t talk about the judgment of God because they enjoy it. We do so be Jesus, himself, teaches it in the Bible. The parables of Jesus aren’t just entertaining stories. The parable of the rich fool, the wise and foolish builders, the wheat and the tares— and all the other parables— contain serious warnings of coming judgment for those who won’t listen. So we preach what Jesus preached.

But when a universalists speaks about everyone being saved, there is a part of me that hopes they’re right even though I know the Bible teaches differently. Of course, we want as 1 Tim 2:4 says, “everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” even though we know that won’t happen.

So Jeremiah replies firstly not with “thus says the Lord” but with an expression from his heart. Of course, he hopes all of the captives to to return to Judah—the sooner the better— it’s just that that’s not what God said would happen.

Secondly, Jeremiah responds with an appeal to the past.

Jeremiah 28:8 CSB

The prophets who preceded you and me from ancient times prophesied war, disaster, and plague against many lands and great kingdoms.

Peace is great, but what did all the prophets who preceded you say? They prophesied war, disaster, and plague. We all want peace but if the past is any indication it’s not going to come about the way we think.

Many people seem to think that if we all do our part and vote the bad guys out of office, reverse all of the bad laws, that then we will have peace in our land. Really? Is that what history teaches us?

I don’t think so. Even if we only had one political party that controlled the Congress, the Senate, the presidency, and could do whatever they wanted do you think all the decisions they make are going to result in some kind of utopia? How long to you think it will take before "the good guys” start to argue amongst themselves about what’s right and wrong and then lead our country into more turmoil than we already have?

I love our country but I can say with authority that politics isn’t the answer to our problems because of what the Bible says about human nature. Sure, we should vote and do all we can to encourage good legislation, but we shouldn’t foolishly put our hope in people or politics. All we have to do is look at history.

So, Jeremiah appeals to the past in response to Hananiah. Time will tell if he’s right.

Jeremiah 28:9 CSB

As for the prophet who prophesies peace—only when the word of the prophet comes true will the prophet be recognized as one the Lord has truly sent.”

Time will tell if peace is in our future. I’d like to think that we can fix things and avoid further disaster in our land but that’s not the way things tend to go.

Hananiah’s Response

Hananiah didn’t care for what Jeremiah had to say very much. So in verses 10-11 we see Hananiah getting more dramatic. He even gets physically violent.

Jeremiah 28:10 CSB

The prophet Hananiah then took the yoke bar from the neck of the prophet Jeremiah and broke it.

This display must’ve been shocking to those that saw it. Some people were impressed and convinced but his outburst didn’t make his words any more true. Hananiah makes a dramatic statement in order to sway those who are easily impressed but Jeremiah didn’t respond in kind. In verse 11 it says he just goes on his way.

Think about it. Jeremiah had just been physically accosted but instead of defending himself, he turned the other cheek and showed brotherly love. He didn’t even say a word.

Proverbs 26:4-5 says “Don’t answer a fool according to his foolishness or you’ll be like him yourself. Answer a fool according to his foolishness or he’ll become wise in his own eyes.” This means there’s a time to speak and there’s a time to be silent and Jeremiah knew this was a time for the latter.

Besides, nothing he could say would convince them anyway and it wouldn’t take that long to see who was right.

So Jeremiah just walked away…for now.

Jeremiah’s Stronger Pronouncement

But after a period of time God came to Jeremiah and told him to give a response. And when God tells you to deliver a message it’s time to speak.

Jeremiah 28:13 CSB

“Go say to Hananiah, ‘This is what the Lord says: You broke a wooden yoke bar, but in its place you will make an iron yoke bar.

When Hananiah broke the wooden yoke he probably felt pretty clever. He probably felt like he’d won when Jeremiah walked away, but now Jeremiah shows up with an iron yoke meaning God’s going to be pretty inflexible when it comes to how long the people will be in captivity. It’s 70 years, not 2.

So in verse 15 God made it perfectly clear that Hananiah didn’t speak for him and in verse 16 he declares his death.

Jeremiah 28:16 CSB

Therefore, this is what the Lord says: ‘I am about to send you off the face of the earth. You will die this year because you have preached rebellion against the Lord.’ ”

False prophecy is deadly and the fact of Hananiah’s sincerity made it even more dangerous. What we might call “positive and hopeful” God calls a lie and rebellion.

So, God’s judgment against Hananiah fits the crime. And two months later Hananiah is dead and two years later Judah is still under Babylon’s yoke just as God had said. They should have listened and repented.

The other day I spoke with someone who doesn’t believe in repentance. They don’t think it is necessary. They think Jesus is a nice guy and a good person but they don’t take his words seriously. So they think every thing is fine with their future but the truth is if they don’t repent of their sins they will have a yoke of iron permanently placed on their necks.

Hananiah predicted peace and you have to give him credit for desiring it but he couldn’t do anything to make peace happen. No matter how persuasive he was or how many impressive political stunts he performed he was powerless to bring it about.

On the other hand, it’s relatively easy to predict doom and gloom. I could stand up here and say “I predict there will be wars, and famine, and false prophets in the next year...” (Matthew 24:6-6) and almost certainly there will be because human nature is easy to predict.

Jesus predicted judgment but he also predicted peace, too, which is much harder to pull off.

John 14:27 ““Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Don’t let your heart be troubled or fearful.”

John 16:33 “I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.”

Phil 4:7 “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

Where Hananiah fails, Jesus succeeds. Hananiah was powerless to bring about peace by his words but Jesus is not.

Jesus is a true prophet because he predicts and brings about true peace. So be at peace with God. Doom and gloom may be in our near future but for those who repent and trust in Christ there is a peace that surpasses all understanding.