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Royalty and Ruin
neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him, I will
leave on its own land, says the Lord, to till it and live there.”
Verses
8-11
, NRSV. The lightest punishment a merciful God could inflict
on so rebellious a people was submission to the rule of Babylon, but
if they warred against this they were to feel the full strength of His
punishment. The amazement of the assembled council of nations
knew no limits when Jeremiah made known the will of God.
Jeremiah Opposed by Arrogant False Prophets
Jeremiah stood firmly for the policy of submission. Prominent
among those who opposed the counsel of the Lord was Hananiah,
one of the false prophets. Thinking to gain the favor of the royal
court, he declared that God had given him words of encouragement
for the Jews: “Thus speaks the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, ...
‘Within two full years I will bring back to this place all the vessels of
the Lord’s house, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took away
from this place and carried to Babylon. And I will bring back to
this place Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, with all
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the captives of Judah ..., for I will break the yoke of the king of
Babylon.’”
Jeremiah 28:2-4
.
Jeremiah cited the prophecies of Hosea, Habakkuk, and Zepha-
niah, whose messages had been similar to his own. He referred to
events that had taken place, exactly fulfilling God’s purpose as re-
vealed through His messengers. “As for the prophet who prophesies
of peace,” Jeremiah proposed in conclusion, “when the word of the
prophet comes to pass, the prophet will be known as one whom the
Lord has truly sent.”
Verse 9
.
The words of Jeremiah stirred Hananiah to make a daring chal-
lenge. Taking the symbolic yoke from Jeremiah’s neck, Hananiah
broke it, saying, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Even so I will break the yoke
of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon from the neck of all nations
within the space of two full years.’”
Verse 11
.
Apparently Jeremiah could do nothing more than to withdraw
from the scene of conflict. But God gave him another message: “Go
and tell Hananiah, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord: “You have broken
the yokes of wood, but you have made in their place yokes of iron.
... I have put a yoke of iron on the neck of all these nations, that they