The battle between the prophets wasn't just one of words, but of deeds as well. In obedience to the command of God, Jeremiah put the wooden yoke around his neck; this was an overt symbol of the message that he had carried to the people.
What was the prophetic symbolism of Hananiah's act? Jer. 28:1-11.
Imagine, for example, that after Jesus cursed the fig tree (Mark 11:13, 19-21), someone who had heard what Jesus said and knew what had happened had replanted a new fig tree in the same spot, all in an attempt to refute the prophecy of Jesus there. This is what Hananiah did with Jeremiah and the prophecy that the yoke around his neck symbolized. It was an act of open defiance of what Jeremiah said.
Note, too, Jeremiah's reaction. The texts record nothing of what he said right after the yoke was broken. He just turned around and walked away. If the story ended there, it would have seemed that the prophet had retreated in defeat.
Read Jeremiah 28:12-14. What happened next? What was Jeremiah's new message?
Jeremiah's response wasn't a message of revenge: you did this to me, so I will do that to you. Instead, it was another clear message from the Lord, but even stronger than what came before. Hananiah might have been able to break a wooden yoke, but who can break an iron one? In a sense, what the Lord said to them was that by their obstinacy and refusal to obey, they only were making matters worse. If you thought a wooden yoke was bad, try an iron one.
Who hasn't learned the hard way about making things more difficult for ourselves by obstinacy? When dealing with the Lord, why is it always better to submit and surrender right away than to keep on fighting and making things harder on yourself?
What was the prophetic symbolism of Hananiah's act? Jer. 28:1-11.
Imagine, for example, that after Jesus cursed the fig tree (Mark 11:13, 19-21), someone who had heard what Jesus said and knew what had happened had replanted a new fig tree in the same spot, all in an attempt to refute the prophecy of Jesus there. This is what Hananiah did with Jeremiah and the prophecy that the yoke around his neck symbolized. It was an act of open defiance of what Jeremiah said.
Note, too, Jeremiah's reaction. The texts record nothing of what he said right after the yoke was broken. He just turned around and walked away. If the story ended there, it would have seemed that the prophet had retreated in defeat.
Read Jeremiah 28:12-14. What happened next? What was Jeremiah's new message?
Jeremiah's response wasn't a message of revenge: you did this to me, so I will do that to you. Instead, it was another clear message from the Lord, but even stronger than what came before. Hananiah might have been able to break a wooden yoke, but who can break an iron one? In a sense, what the Lord said to them was that by their obstinacy and refusal to obey, they only were making matters worse. If you thought a wooden yoke was bad, try an iron one.
Who hasn't learned the hard way about making things more difficult for ourselves by obstinacy? When dealing with the Lord, why is it always better to submit and surrender right away than to keep on fighting and making things harder on yourself?