Jeremiah 28

Part 3

By Debra Isenbletter

Vs 4: The Captives Returned: Hananiah here promises both the return of the previous king (Jeconiah) and the captives that have been taken into captivity. He says God will "bring again" or "restore" or "bring back home again" those who have been taken away. What a wonderful message, prosperity, blessing, no suffering, no adversity, sin doesn't need to be judged! Does this not sound like the day we are living in? Each statement Hananiah makes is another contradiction of what Jeremiah has already said.

Hananiah's first statement is that the King would return. "I will bring again to this place Jeconiah..." Jeremiah has already prophesied that Jeconiah would never return, God said that this king would be cast out into another country and there he would die (Jer 22:24-26). Not once in his promises of restoration does Hananiah ever say God was responsible for this judgment. Through his message their flesh may be satisfied, but their spirit will be deprived. A partial truth (restoration and blessing) is never enough because they have not been convicted of their sins. They haven't been called upon to take responsibility for their sorrows.

Hananiah's message perpetuates the attitude of "It's not our fault!" On the other hand, Jeremiah has told them and will tell them that the reason for their loss and their restoration is because of the Lord. (Jer 29:14) "I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive." Jeremiah tells them that the Lord is responsible as their Judge because they have failed to obey Him. His message is repent and God will restore. The Lord demands an acknowledgment of our sin. One example is David who experienced great suffering for his sin while it was hidden until he acknowledged it (Ps 32:5). At that moment of confession there was a great burden lifted and he said, "Blessed is he who transgression is forgiven." In the day that Jeremiah is ministering, until God's people see they are at fault they will never accept their loss or God's judgment. How many today are in the same position of resisting or denying what the Lord is trying to do in order to bring them to repentance? Jeremiah, like the Apostle Paul, preaches the Word whether the message is popular or not, he is "instant in season and out of season," and he "reproves, rebukes, and exhorts" (2 Tim 4:2)

Hananiah's next statement is that the people would return: Who was it that Nebuchadnezzar had taken into Babylon? (2 Ki 24:12-16): He took the very best of the people. He took all the princes, all the mighty men of valor, 10,000 captives, the craftsmen and smiths, the king and his mother and his wives, the king's officers and all the mighty or wealthy of the land. This was a great loss to their pride and to them as a nation. Here is a man who promises restoration and blessing. Here we see how Hananiah is a type of the False Prophet, whose message will destroy because of its deception.

Compare the characteristics of the False Prophet in Dan 8:23-25 with this false prophet in Jeremiah 28. In Dan 8:23-25 we see the following: (vs 23): His Manner: he has a "fierce countenance," or this can also read "vehement, angry, fierce." His Words: he spoke in "dark sentences" or his words were "twisted, filled with subtlety and fraud." (vs 24): His Mighty Power: this was a deceiving power and a destructive power because he shall be able to destroy with his message and his lies. Finally in (vs 25) is seen His Method: and he uses "deceit," which is seen in his message of a false peace. It is this very message of peace that shall cause the destruction of Jerusalem. In the last days this False Prophet will cause the same destruction through the same message and lies. (Vs 25) goes on to say, "and by peace shall destroy many ...... Sister Bodie writes in the Daniel Book the following about this man who will arise in the last days: "the manner in which he will accomplish his diabolical scheme is by diplomacy, craft, self-exaltation and deception." In all these things we see a similarity in the man Hananiah. His Manner, his Words, and his Method are similar to the False Prophet. Hananiah's Manner was "angry," and he "fiercely" opposed Jeremiah. His Words were a "twisting" of God's promises, they were a "subtle" mockery of Jeremiah, and a fraud and a "lie." His Words also had the "power to deceive" and his message, if believed, would cause their destruction. His Method was "deceit" and a false message of peace, the same deceit and message the False Prophet will use.

Hananiah's final claim is that the yoke will be broken: "for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon." The word "break" means "to break in pieces or to destroy." This is the second "I will" in this verse and the second time Hananiah says the yoke is broken. The yoke for Hananiah means the power of Babylon but the yoke for Jeremiah means the power of God. The difference between the two men is that Hananiah does not believe this is God's yoke, but Jeremiah does. This is where his message begins to deceive and deviate from Truth. He is right in that until the yoke is broken there can be no restoration or blessing, but he is wrong in saying that the yoke should not be there! Hananiah's prophecy says that God will break this yoke but he insinuates it is because it shouldn't be there in the first place. His message is No suffering, No trials, and No judgment, the result is there is No submission. Hananiah doesn't say how this yoke will be broken and he could have taught that an alliance with the five kings in Jer 27:1-3 would break this yoke, or he could be teaching that rebellion or resistance against the yoke would break it. Where Jeremiah says, "serve" and "submit" he says "resist" and "rebel." Jeremiah's solution is to repent and pray. What a difference in the messages of these two men!

Jeremiah's Response to Hananiah is seen in verses 5-9: Here the True Prophet speaks. Jeremiah has an adversary (Hananiah), but Jeremiah is God's witness for the truth. "A true witness delivereth souls but a deceitful witness speaketh lies." (Prov 14:25).