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Scripture Reading: Jer. 27; Jer. 28; Jer. 29
In this message we will cover chapters twenty-seven through twenty-nine. These chapters are on Jeremiah's genuine prophecies versus the others' false prophecies.
Jeremiah 27:1-15 concerns Nebuchadnezzar as bonds and yokes on Israel and the nations around her.
Jeremiah prophesied that Jehovah had given Israel and all the nations around her into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar. They should all be under his yoke (as demonstrated by the prophet Jeremiah with the bond and yoke put on him) and serve him and his son and his son's son until the time of revenge upon his own land comes (vv. 2-7, 11-12).
Any nation or kingdom not serving Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and not putting its neck under his yoke would be punished by Jehovah unto death with sword, famine, and pestilence (v. 8). In verse 13 Jeremiah went on to say, "Why will you die, you and your people, by sword, by famine, and by pestilence, as Jehovah has spoken concerning the nation which will not serve the king of Babylon?"
In this chapter we also have the false prophecy of Israel's prophets, diviners, dreamers, soothsayers, and sorcerers (vv. 9-10). The diviners, the soothsayers, and the sorcerers practiced witchcraft, contacting demons. They were demonic persons, not in the sense of being demon possessed but in the sense of having regular contact with demons. Instead of contacting God, they continually contacted an evil, demonic source. This was the way they lived.
The false prophecy given by these prophets, diviners, dreamers, soothsayers, and sorcerers was that Israel would not serve the king of Babylon (vv. 9, 14).
They prophesied falsely with the result that Israel would be removed far from their land. Jehovah would drive them out, and they would perish (v. 10). "For I have not sent them, declares Jehovah; but they prophesy falsely in My name, with the result that I will drive you out and you will perish, you and the prophets who prophesy to you" (v. 15).
Jeremiah 27:16-22 is concerned with the bringing back of the vessels of the house of Jehovah.
Nebuchadnezzar had taken some of the vessels of the house of Jehovah and had brought them to Babylon and put them in the house of his god (Dan. 1:1-2). In their false prophecy, the false prophets told Israel that in a short time these vessels would be brought back from Babylon (Jer. 27:16).
In verses 17 through 22 we have Jeremiah's genuine prophecy concerning the bringing back of the vessels of the house of Jehovah.
In his genuine prophecy, Jeremiah told the people to serve the king of Babylon and live, and the city of Jerusalem would not become a desolation (v. 17).
The vessels which were left in the house of Jehovah, in the house of the king of Judah, and in Jerusalem would be carried to Babylon and remain there until the day when Jehovah visited Israel. Then Jehovah would bring the vessels up and restore them to the holy land (vv. 18-22).
Concerning the vessels of the house of Jehovah, there were two different kinds of prophecies. These different prophecies confused the people, and it was hard for them to discern which were genuine and which were false.
The prophecies in chapter twenty-eight concern the breaking of the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and the bringing back of the vessels of the house of Jehovah and all the exiles from Judah to Babylon.
Verses 1 through 11 deal with the false prophecy of Hananiah, the son of Azzur.
Hananiah, the son of Azzur, prophesied falsely that within two years Jehovah would break the yoke of the king of Babylon from all the nations, as demonstrated by Hananiah's taking the yoke from the neck of the prophet Jeremiah and breaking it (vv. 2, 10-11). This false prophecy involved not only speaking but also a demonstration. Jeremiah had put on a yoke to indicate that the people of Israel would be put under the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar. In demonstrating his false prophecy, Hananiah took the yoke from Jeremiah and broke it.
In his false prophecy, Hananiah also said that within two years Jehovah would bring back to the holy land all the vessels of the house of Jehovah and all the exiles from Judah who went to Babylon (vv. 3-4).
Jeremiah's genuine prophecy is in verses 12 through 17.
After Hananiah had broken the yoke bar from the neck of Jeremiah, the word of Jehovah came to Jeremiah, telling him to go and speak to Hananiah (v. 12). Jeremiah was to say to him, "Thus says Jehovah, You have broken the wooden yoke bars, but you have made in their place iron yoke bars" (v. 13).
Jeremiah went on to say that Jehovah, the God of Israel, had put an iron yoke upon the neck of all these nations that they may serve Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, and they would serve him (v. 14).
Finally, Jeremiah said to Hananiah that Jehovah had not sent him and that he had made this people trust in falsehood (v. 15). He also told him that he would die that very year because he had spoken rebellion against Jehovah. This prophecy was soon fulfilled, for the prophet Hananiah did die in that very year in the seventh month (vv. 16-17). This should have helped all the people to discern who was genuine and who was false.
Chapter twenty-nine is concerned with the destiny of the captives in Babylon and of those who remained in Judah. The children of Israel had been divided into two groups: one group in exile, in Babylon, and one group remaining in Judah.
Let us first consider Jeremiah's genuine prophecy concerning the destiny of the captives in Babylon (vv. 1-7, 10-14).
The prophet Jeremiah sent a letter from Jerusalem to the rest of the elders of the exile, to the priests, to the prophets, and to all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon (vv. 1-2).
In his letter Jeremiah indicated to the exiles that they should expect not to return shortly but to stay in Babylon a long time. Thus, he told them to build houses for their dwelling, to plant gardens for producing food, to have marriages that they may multiply, and to pray for the peace of the city where they dwell that they may have peace (vv. 4-7).
Jeremiah prophesied that when the seventy years of exile were fulfilled, Jehovah would visit them and bring them back to the holy land. His thoughts about them were thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give them a latter end and a hope (vv. 10-14).
The false prophecies of the prophets, diviners, and dreamers among the exiles deceived them and said that Jehovah had raised up for them prophets in Babylon (vv. 8-9, 15).
In verses 16 through 18 Jeremiah prophesied concerning the king who sat on the throne of David and concerning all the people who dwelt in Jerusalem and who did not go into exile. He told them that Jehovah was sending upon them sword, famine, and pestilence, with which He would pursue them. He would make them like vile figs, which cannot be eaten because of rottenness. He would also make them a terror to all the kingdoms of the earth to be a curse, an astonishment, a hissing, and a reproach among all the nations where He had driven them.
In verses 21 through 23 we have a word about the false prophecy of Ahab, the son of Kolaiah, and Zedekiah, the son of Maaseiah.
Ahab and Zedekiah prophesied falsehood in the name of Jehovah (vv. 21a, 23b).
The result of their false prophecy was that Jehovah would deliver them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and he would strike them by roasting them in the fire (vv. 21b-22).
Ahab and Zedekiah committed folly in Israel and committed adultery with their neighbors' wives (v. 23a).
Verses 24 through 29 speak of the false prophecy of Shemaiah the Nehelamite.
Shemaiah had sent letters in his own name to all the people who were in Jerusalem, to Zephaniah, the son of Maaseiah, the priest, and to all the priests (v. 25).
Shemaiah said that Jehovah had made Zephaniah a priest instead of Jehoiada the priest, that there should be officers in the house of Jehovah over every madman who prophesies so that he might put that man in stocks and in the iron collar (v. 26). Then Shemaiah asked, "Now why have you not rebuked Jeremiah of Anathoth, who prophesies to you? For he has sent to us in Babylon, saying, It will be long; build houses and dwell in them, and plant gardens and eat their produce" (vv. 27-28). Zephaniah the priest read this letter in the ears of Jeremiah the prophet (v. 29).
Verses 30 through 32 record Jeremiah's genuine prophecy concerning Shemaiah.
Jehovah charged Jeremiah to write to all the captives in Babylon, saying that Shemaiah the Nehelamite had prophesied falsely and had made the exiles trust in falsehood (vv. 30-31).
According to verse 32, Jeremiah prophesied that the result of Shemaiah's false prophecy would be that Jehovah would punish him and his seed so that he would not have anyone living among the exiles and would not see the good that Jehovah was about to do to His people. Shemaiah would be punished by Jehovah in this way because he had spoken rebellion against Jehovah.
In these three chapters we see that false prophets were speaking false prophecies. Jeremiah stood against them to prophesy the genuine word from God. Between Jeremiah's genuine prophecies and the others' false prophecies there was a constant struggle.
We may apply the situation described in these chapters to the situation in Christianity today. At Jeremiah's time there were only two groups, but today in Christianity there are many groups: Catholicism, the Eastern Orthodox churches, the Protestant denominations, the Brethren assemblies, the Pentecostal and charismatic groups, and the independent groups. Because of this shameful situation, it is difficult to help new believers to have a proper realization of the church.
The real church is the Body of Christ as an organism of the living Triune God. According to the Bible we have been born of God by receiving the divine life to become parts of Christ. All these parts of Christ are members of His universal Body, the church, the divine organism of the Triune God to express Him, the living One. Such a church is unique and does not have a name. Christ as a living person can have only one Body, and this one Body is something of life, not organization. The church is not something organized; it is an organism produced by Christ's life. In this organism every member must function. Every member of the Body of Christ must function in life as a minister, an evangelist, a shepherd, and a teacher for the building up of the church.
