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BIBLE STUDY LESSON 06

SERIES P --- YHVH’S PROPHETS

THE BROKEN YOKE

WARNINGS FROM JEREMIAH

From Jeremiah 27-28

Early in the reign of King Zedekiah of Judah, Adonai gave Jeremiah another message. [Fasten a yoke to your neck with leather straps,] Adonai said. [Then give My message to the kings of Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre, and Sidon through their representatives here in Jerusalem. This is the message you must send to them: With great power I have made the earth by My outstretched arm. I have made all men and animals of the earth; I give what is Mine to anyone I choose. Now, at this time, I choose to give your lands and peoples to Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, My servant. I will give him even the cattle of your fields. All nations shall serve him and his son, as well as his grandson, until I choose to end their reign. Then other nations and kings shall make him their slave. Whoever refuses to become Nebuchadnezzar’s slave now, putting their necks under his yoke, will be punished. I will bring war, famine, and disease upon that nation until the king destroys it with his hand. Your false prophets, diviners, dreamers, soothsayers, and sorcerers will advise you not to serve the king of Babylon, telling you falsely that he will not conquer you. These are all lies, and if you listen to them, I will drive you out of your land to a place far away, and there you will die. But whoever submits to the king of Babylon will remain in the land to farm it in peace.] I, Jeremiah, told these prophecies to King Zedekiah of Judah. [Surrender to the king of Babylon and serve him if you want to live,] I told him. [Adonai has warned you that you and your people will die by the sword, by famine, and by plague if you do not, so why won’t you listen to Him? Ignore those false prophets who tell you not to serve the king of Babylon, for they prophesy lies to you. Adonai says that they are not His prophets, even though they speak in His name. If you listen to them, Adonai will drive you and your false prophets from this land.] I also warned the priests and the people often. [Adonai tells you not to listen to those false prophets who say the golden vessels from the temple will soon be returned from Babylon. Ignore them! They are lying. Submit to the king of Babylon, and you will live. Rebel against him, and the city of Jerusalem will be completely destroyed. If they are true prophets, let them pray to Adonai that the golden vessels which are still in the temple and those in the king’s palace will not be taken away to Babylon. Adonai says that more treasures will be taken away to Babylon -- the great bronze pillars at the entrance to the temple, the bronze basin in the temple courtyard, the pedestals, and all the other temple vessels which were left behind when Nebuchadnezzar invaded Judah and took Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim and all the other nobles of Judah to Babylon. Those vessels will remain in Babylon until Adonai permits them to return to Jerusalem.] During the fifth month of that same year, the month of July, Hananiah the son of Azzur spoke to me in the temple while all the priests and people listened. It was the fourth year of King Zedekiah’s reign. Hananiah was a false prophet from Gibeon. [Here is a message from Adonai of hosts, the YHVH of Israel,] Hananiah said. [Adonai says He has broken the yoke of the king of Babylon. Within two years He will bring back to Jerusalem all the temple vessels which Nebuchadnezzar took with him to Babylon. He will also bring back Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and all the nobles from Judah who were exiled to Babylon. Adonai assures us that He will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.] Then Jeremiah answered Hananiah the prophet in the presence of the priests and people standing there in the temple. [Amen! We certainly hope your prophecies all come true,] said Jeremiah. [May Adonai bring back all the exiles from Babylon and all the temple vessels. But listen to me. The prophets who preceded us spoke of war, famine, and plagues. But when a prophet arises, such as you, who foretells nothing but peace, he must prove that he is a prophet by showing that his prophecies come true.] Then Hananiah removed the yoke from Jeremiah’s neck and broke it. [Adonai says that within two years He will break the yoke of bondage of King Nebuchadnezzar and release those nations which he has captured,] he said. When Hananiah said that, Jeremiah walked away. Not long after that Adonai gave another message to Jeremiah. [Tell Hananiah that he has broken a wooden yoke, but I will place yokes of iron on the necks of the people, making them slaves of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon. The people will become his servants, and even the beasts of the field will be his. Jeremiah also said to Hananiah, [Listen to me, Hananiah; Adonai has never made you, His prophet. You are causing the people to trust in a lie, so Adonai says that He will remove you from the face of the earth. Because you have rebelled against Adonai and deceived the people into believing your lies, you will die this very year. That same year, about two months later, in the seventh month, Hananiah died.

COMMENTARY

PROPHETS AND KINGS

A man became king in ancient Israel because his father was one before him. But people became prophets only when YHVH called them to speak for Him. Because the kings believed in this divine power in the prophets’ lives, they turned to prophets for advice in times of crisis. They wanted help, hope and consolation; they welcomed messages that held promise and comfort. But even when their visions seemed foolish or harsh, the prophets reported them. They did not hesitate to rebuke kings and to offer YHVH and His reasons as explanations for both disasters and victories. David was the first king to bring prophets into the royal court of Israel. He relied for support on Samuel, Nathan and Gad. His predecessor, Saul, had refused to listen to the words of the prophet Samuel, and died as a result. Through prophets like Samuel, YHVH often determined who would rule and who would lose his throne. When the kingdom of Israel split in two, the northern kings despised the prophets who preached the judgment to come. In the south, prophets were somewhat more welcome. But false prophets had their influence on both kingdoms. Out of greed, the desire for power, or fear, these men predicted whatever the king and his people wanted to hear.

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