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Scripture reading – Jeremiah 28
* Please note that words and phrases in brackets are the author’s amplification.
Jeremiah 28
The False Prophecies of Hananiah (Jeremiah 28:1-4)
Jeremiah 28 falls within Zedekiah’s reign, the last of Judah’s kings before the captivity. The scene was the Temple, where a false prophet named Hananiah dared to rebuke Jeremiah. Jeremiah, wearing the yoke the LORD commanded him to fashion as a symbol of Judah’s bondage to Babylon (Jeremiah 27:2), listened as Hananiah claimed to speak on the LORD’s behalf (Jeremiah 28:2).
Contrary to Jeremiah’s prophecies, Hananiah proclaimed that the LORD had said, “I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon” (Jeremiah 28:3). The false prophet further declared that the LORD would not only break “the yoke of the king of Babylon” but also that Jeconiah, Judah’s former king, would return from exile along with other captives of Judah (Jeremiah 28:4).
Jeremiah’s Exposition of a False Prophet (Jeremiah 28:5-9)
Jeremiah responded to Hananiah’s false prophecy with “Amen: the LORD do so” (Jeremiah 28:6). He expressed his desire that all that Hananiah prophesied would be fulfilled (Jeremiah 28:6). Yet he reminded the people that the test of whether a prophet is of the LORD is whether his prophecies come to pass (Jeremiah 28:7-9).
Hananiah’s Dramatic Response to Jeremiah (Jeremiah 28:10-11)
Angered by Jeremiah’s rebuke, Hananiah rose, broke Jeremiah’s yoke, and mocked the prophet. He repeated his false prophecy, claiming that Babylon’s yoke on Judah would be broken within two years (Jeremiah 28:10-11).
Jeremiah’s Rebuke and Prophecy of Hananiah’s Death (Jeremiah 28:12-17)
Rather than answer the prophet’s lies, Jeremiah left the Temple (Jeremiah 28:11b). However, the LORD then commanded him to return to the Temple and denounce Hananiah for his lies (Jeremiah 28:12). Rather than a yoke of wood, Jeremiah prophesied that the people would bear “yokes of iron” and serve Nebuchadnezzar (Jeremiah 28:13-14). Because Hananiah had led the people astray with his lies, Jeremiah prophesied that Hananiah would die that same year (Jeremiah 28:15-17).
Closing thoughts –
True to his words, all that Jeremiah prophesied came to pass (Jeremiah 27:19-22; 28:17). The remaining Temple vessels were “carried to Babylon” (Jeremiah 27:22) and remained there for seventy years. Then the LORD restored the vessels and His people to their land as He promised (Jeremiah 27:22; Ezra 1:7-11).
Warning: Our world is filled with false prophets and preachers. Some masquerade as politicians, experts, and professors, while many fill pulpits and stand behind lecterns at colleges, universities, and seminaries.
Nevertheless, we have a sure word of prophecy from the LORD (2 Peter 1:19). His Word imparts discernment to faithful believers, known only to those who live by faith (Romans 1:17; Hebrews 10:38) and who walk in His Truth (3 John 4).
Friend, the LORD is no less sovereign today than He was in Jeremiah’s day. No king, president, or dictator is beyond God’s sovereignty. The God of the Scriptures has declared: “I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are upon the ground, by my great power and by my outstretched arm, and have given it unto whom it seemed meet unto me” (Jeremiah 27:5).
Copyright © 2026 – Travis D. Smith
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The post Hananiah, the Prophet of Fake News (Jeremiah 28) appeared first on “From The Heart of A Shepherd” by Pastor Travis D. Smith.
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