In the fifth month of that same year, the fourth year, near the beginning of the reign of King Zedekiah of Judah, the prophet Hananiah son of Azzur, who was from Gibeon, said to me in the house of the LORD in the presence of the priests and all the people: Sermons
I. ACCORDING TO HUMAN KNOWLEDGE AND JUDGMENT. 1. With moderation. "Amen: the Lord do so." Under such trying circumstances the behavior of the prophet is praiseworthy in the extreme. The contradiction and indignity to which he had been subjected might have excused a hot rejoinder. He is willing to have the dispute settled in a very effectual way. Meanwhile he is careful to make it clear that he too desired what his opponent had prophesied. This was the disposition of the Master, and should be copied by all his disciples. "A soft answer turneth away wrath;" "The servant of the Lord must not strive, but be gentle unto all men." 2. By an appeal to the great principle that the event will determine the truth of their predictions or the wisdom of their conduct. (Vers. 8, 9.) This was an appeal to the conscience of his opponent. 3. Quiet submission to the will of God. "And the prophet Jeremiah went his way." When there is no sign of reasonableness in our antagonists, or no prospect of immediate success, it is well to submit quietly and to wait God's time. This is the test of spiritual reality. True Christianity will show itself in earnest, unobtrusive actions and patient waiting for Christ. The most eloquent enforcement of the gospel is a quiet, consistent life. II. AS INSPIRED. Whilst he had no direct message he was silent. But God, who will not leave his servants without a witness, and who resents the slightest dishonor to which they are subjected, came to his rescue. The whole attitude of the prophet is now changed. With certainty he recovers also his vivacity, energy, and fearless power of denunciation. He is now the minister of judgment. 1. To the nation. The yoke of wood gives place to one of iron. The complicity of the people in the guilt of the false prophet must be punished. Their resistance to the will of God and disbelief of his servant involves them in a heavier sentence. So it is with all impenitence and rejection of God's Word. The position of the transgressor cannot remain the same. With each step he plunges into deeper guilt and more fearful judgment. 2. To the originator of the offense. In this case the sentence is proportionately heavier and more immediate. Death is pronounced against the offending prophet with terrible brevity and clearness. There is ever a distinction between offenders and those who cause them to often& Primacy in disobedience will ensure a special and unmistakable mark of God's anger. This announcement of doom, simple as it was in itself, must have been appalling to its hearer, whose inner sense of degradation and falseness would enhance its force. It is possible that the time and manner of this communication may have been intended to awaken repentance; failing which it was carded into effect. All around us such judgments are taking place, and it is well for men to examine what manner of spirit they are of ere they presume to occupy sacred offices or to set themselves against the laws of God's kingdom. - M.
I have made the earth. Homilist. I. God is the CREATOR of all earthly things: "The man and the beast that are upon the ground." The earth is not eternal, net the production of chance, not the work of many Gods. It has one Maker. This agrees with all true science.II. God is the SOVEREIGN DISPOSES of all earthly things. "Have given it unto whom it seemed meet unto Me." He might have built it and left it uninhabited, or He might have populated it with other creatures than those who tenant it now. He has given what He thinks fit of it to individuals, tribes, and nations. (Homilist.) (H. W. Beecher.) Have given I. GOD IS THE PROPRIETOR OF ALL.1. Man's forgetfulness of this in daily life. 2. The harmony of man's being requires a sense of dependence. 3. Depression results from stopping short of God. II. WISDOM AND SOVEREIGNITY GO TOGETHER. 1. No comfort to know we live under an absolute sovereign. 2. God gives not according to seeming fitness. He sees deeper than what seems. III. THE UNERRING MIND OF GOD. 1. Cultivate an adoring spirit. 2. Rest on Him in simple belief. 3. Repose in God's law of meetness. (P. B. Power, M. A.) Homilist. I. In it He EXERCISES ABSOLUTE RIGHT. The earth, with all its minerals, fruits, productions, and countless tenants, is His. If He gives a thousand acres to one man and denies a yard to another, it is not for us to complain.II. In it He ACTS ACCORDING TO HIS OWN FREE CHOICE ALONE. He gives it not on the ground of merit to any man, for now He gave it to Nebuchadnezzar, one of the worst of men. The only principle in the distribution is His own sovereignty. What "seemeth meet" to a Being of Infinite wisdom and goodness must be the wisest and the most benevolent. Here let us hush all our murmurings, here let us repose the utmost confidence. Conclusion — The subject teaches us how we should hold that portion of the earth we possess, however small or great it may be. 1. With profound humility. What we possess is a gift, not a right. We are temporary trustees, not proprietors. He who holds the most should be the most humble, for he has the most to account for. 2. With practical thanksgiving. This indeed is all the rent that the Supreme Landlord requires from us, thanksgiving and praise. 3. With a solemn sense of our responsibility. It is given to us not for our own gratification and self-aggrandisement, but for the good of the race and the glory of God. 4. With a conscious dependence on His will. We are all tenants at will. We know not the moment when He shall see fit to eject us from His land. (Homilist.). People Azur, Azzur, Gibeon, Hananiah, Jeconiah, Jehoiachin, Jehoiakim, Jeremiah, Nebuchadnezzar, ZedekiahPlaces Babylon, GibeonTopics Azur, Azzur, Beginning, Early, Fifth, Fourth, Gibeon, Hananiah, Hanani'ah, Jeremiah, Judah, Month, Pass, Presence, Priests, Prophet, Reign, Saying, Spake, Spoke, Spoken, Zedekiah, Zedeki'ahOutline 1. Hananiah prophesies falsely the return of the vessels, and of Jeconiah3. and there continue until the day of visitation. 5. Jeremiah, wishing it to be true, shows that the event will declare the true prophets. 10. Hananiah breaks Jeremiah's yoke. 12. Jeremiah tells of an iron yoke; 15. and foretells Hananiah's death. Dictionary of Bible Themes Jeremiah 27:22Library Yokes of Wood and Iron'Go and tell Hananiah, saying, Thus saith the Lord; Thou hast broken the yokes of wood; but thou shalt make for them yokes of iron.'--JER. xxviii. 13. I suppose that I had better begin by a word of explanation as to the occasion of this saying. One king of Judah had already been carried off to Babylon, and the throne refilled by his brother, a puppet of the conquerors. This shadow of a king, with the bulk of the nation, was eager for revolt. Jeremiah had almost single-handed to stem the tide of … Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture The Two Yokes Meditations of the Misery of a Man not Reconciled to God in Christ. Jeremiah Links Jeremiah 28:1 NIVJeremiah 28:1 NLT Jeremiah 28:1 ESV Jeremiah 28:1 NASB Jeremiah 28:1 KJV Jeremiah 28:1 Bible Apps Jeremiah 28:1 Parallel Jeremiah 28:1 Biblia Paralela Jeremiah 28:1 Chinese Bible Jeremiah 28:1 French Bible Jeremiah 28:1 German Bible Jeremiah 28:1 Commentaries Bible Hub |
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