What does Jeremiah's response in Jeremiah 28:6 teach about humility in leadership? Jeremiah’s gracious reply “ ‘Amen! May the LORD do so! May the LORD fulfill the words you have prophesied and bring back to this place from Babylon the vessels of the house of the LORD and all the exiles.’ ” (Jeremiah 28:6) Setting the scene • Babylon’s yoke lay heavy on Judah. • Hananiah announced a swift, rosy deliverance. • Jeremiah had already delivered God’s darker forecast of seventy years’ exile (27:6–11). • In the temple courts, the true prophet responds to the popular but false prophet. What Jeremiah models for every leader 1. Open-handed hope • “Amen! May the LORD do so!”—he delights in the possibility of mercy even if it would make his own earlier message appear obsolete. • Philippians 2:3–4—“in humility value others above yourselves.” 2. Confidence anchored in God, not ego • He does not protect personal reputation; he protects God’s reputation. • Proverbs 3:5—trust is placed “in the LORD,” not in one’s own understanding or image. 3. Willingness to be proven wrong—if God so wills • True humility leaves room for God to overrule personal expectations (cf. James 4:15). • Moses showed the same posture—Numbers 12:3 calls him “very humble.” 4. Commitment to objective revelation • Jeremiah will soon remind listeners to test prophecy against the long line of earlier prophets (28:8–9). • 1 John 4:1—“test the spirits.” 5. Restraint in conflict • He answers with blessing, not backlash (Romans 12:17). • He allows time for God to expose error; Hananiah’s death within the year (28:17) vindicates truth without Jeremiah’s self-exaltation. Key take-aways for today’s servant-leaders • Rejoice when God’s grace might eclipse your plans. • Seek God’s honor above your own track record. • Hold convictions firmly yet with a spirit open to correction from Scripture. • Let God, not defensiveness, settle disputes. • Lead with gentleness that mirrors Christ, “who humbled Himself” (Philippians 2:8). |
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