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JEREMIAH: STAYING UPRIGHT AMIDST EVIL PRESSURES
Part VIII: Jeremiah's Personal Conflicts With Apostate Judah
B. Overcoming When Publicly Countered For Doing God's Will
(Jeremiah 27-28)
  1. Introduction
    1. A special challenge a believer can face is that of being PUBLICLY OPPOSED by one who RESISTS his doing God's will in God's ordained assignment for him! The brashness of such resistance can catch one off guard and tempt him to shy away from continuing to function in God's will!
    2. Well, Jeremiah 27-28 instructs us re: a proper response to such a challenge (as follows):
  2. Overcoming When Publicly Countered For Doing God's Will, Jeremiah chapters 27-28.
    1. God told Jeremiah to give the nations a special message with a special object lesson in Jeremiah 27:1-22:
      1. God had Jeremiah make yokes worn by oxen to put on his neck as object lessons for the nations, 27:1f.
      2. He was to give out a yoke to each official from Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre and Sidon who visited Judah with the news that Judah's God, Creator of Heaven and earth, was sovereignly giving the king of Babylon dominion over man and beast for a period of time, so they were to submit to him, Jer. 27:3-7.
      3. Jeremiah was to add that failure for these nations to submit to Babylon would thus bring them harm, so they were not to heed their false prophets and sorcerers that urged them to resist Babylon, Jer. 27:8-11.
      4. Jeremiah also gave this message to Judah's king and people, adding that, contrary to the predictions by Judah's false prophets [that the temple vessels Babylon had taken would soon be returned] that Babylon would take the vessels that remained plus every other piece of metal of value! (Jer. 27:12-22)
    2. Well, the false prophet, Hananiah publicly countered Jeremiah re: his message in the temple, Jer. 28:1-4:
      1. In the temple in the presence of the priests and people, Hananiah countered Jeremiah for his message, teaching that within 2 years the "yoke" of Babylon's rule over other nations would be broken, 28:1-3a.
      2. Accordingly, he claimed Judah's captives and temple vessels that Babylon had captured would be returned, implying Judah was not to submit to Babylon as Jeremiah had taught, Jer. 28:3b-4; 27:3-11.
    3. The events that followed reveal to us the proper way to handle such public opposition to doing God's will:
      1. Jeremiah publicly but sensibly and calmly COUNTERED Hananiah's words against his ministry:
        1. Jeremiah publicly said an "Amen" to Hananiah's message to reveal Jeremiah was not traitorously delighting in Babylon's dominion about which he predicted, Jeremiah 28:5-6.
        2. Yet, he publicly revealed that Hananiah's message of Judah's liberty from Babylon in the near future countered not only his message, but the words of other previous credible prophets, 28:7-8.
        3. Accordingly, Jeremiah publicly responded that, in accord with Deut. 18:20-22, only if Hananiah's message of peace for Judah came to pass would it be known that he was a true prophet, Jer. 28:9.
      2. When Hananiah CONTINUED RESISTING Jeremiah's ministry in proceeding to break the wooden yoke off Jeremiah's neck that GOD had ORDERED him to wear and REPEATING his false words, Jeremiah merely walked away, leaving the outcome for God to handle, 28:10-11. [cf. 2 Tim. 2:24-26.]
      3. At this point, God SEVERELY JUDGED Hananiah for teaching rebellion against Him, Jer. 28:12-17:
        1. God had Jeremiah tell Hananiah that though he had broken a wooden yoke on Jeremiah's neck, God would place iron yokes on the nations in superior contradiction to Hananiah's effort, 28:12-14!
        2. Jeremiah then explained to Hananiah that since God had not sent him to give his message that countered Jeremiah's word of judgment from God, and Hananiah had thus led others to trust in a lie and thus rebel against God, the Lord would cause Hananiah to die that very year, Jeremiah 28:15-16.
        3. The TIMING of the fulfillment of this divine prediction DIRECTLY countered Hananiah's prophecy and revealed the credibility of Jeremiah's word: though Hananiah had predicted Babylon's dominion over the nations would be broken within TWO YEARS, within ONLY TWO MONTHS had Hananiah HIMSELF been slain by the Lord in DEATH for his opposition to God's Word!
Lesson: If God has led us to do a certain work and we are publicly countered for it, like Jeremiah, (1) we should (a) stay composed, (b) but publicly critique our opponent's act [for the sake of onlookers], (c) showing our intentions are upright and (d) citing credible, authoritative and Biblical sources or precedents that support of our work (e) while all the time refusing to argue. (2) God will do the rest!