Jer. 27:1 ¶ In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah came this word unto Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,
Jer. 27:2 Thus saith the LORD to me; Make thee bonds and yokes, and put them upon thy neck,
Jer. 27:3 And send them to the king of Edom, and to the king of Moab, and to the king of the Ammonites, and to the king of Tyrus, and to the king of Zidon, by the hand of the messengers which come to Jerusalem unto Zedekiah king of Judah;
Jer. 27:4 And command them to say unto their masters, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Thus shall ye say unto your masters;
This message is dated as being received by Jeremiah during the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim, but it was not to be delivered until Zedekiah was on the throne. Jeremiah was told to perform an object lesson concerning the message being given. The KJV is a bit confusing, and I think the CJB gives a clearer understanding of verses 2-3: “ADONAI says this to me: ‘Make yourself a yoke of straps and crossbars, and put it on your neck. Send [similar yokes] to the kings of….”
It is clear that this message was meant not only for Judah, but also for the surrounding nations as identified in verse 3. These messages were to be sent to the rulers of these nations via messengers from those nations to King Zedekiah. Commentators indicate that these messengers were on a mission of establishing an alliance to rebel against Nebuchadnezzar. Jeremiah was to instruct these messengers to deliver the following message to their kings with emphasis on the fact that it was from “the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel.”
The peoples of the nations all descended from a common ancestor, Noah, but the truth about the Creator soon degenerated to the point that God had to birth a nation through whom He could once again establish His identity and declare His authority to the peoples on planet earth. Abraham was the chosen person and Jacob the chosen son to father the nation of Israel through whom God chose to once again reveal Himself to the nations. He has always been LORD over all even though rejected as LORD by almost all.
Jer. 27:5 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.
Jer. 27:6 And now have I given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant; and the beasts of the field have I given him also to serve him.
Jer. 27:7 And all nations shall serve him, and his son, and his son’s son, until the very time of his land come: and then many nations and great kings shall serve themselves of him.
The LORD begins His message with a declaration that He is the Creator of earth, man and beast. He has been sovereign in the determination of the establishment of the nations. He is declaring that it is now His purpose to give these nations and their possessions to Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon. Neb is once again identified as God’s servant in that He is the vessel through whom God’s will was being served at that time. Again, I think it is important to note that Neb was not made to go against his own will in accomplishing God’s purposes. Point is made that Neb’s kingdom would extend until the time of his grandson (Belshazzar). During his grandson’s reign, Babylon would fall prey to other nations and great kings (the Medes and Persians).
Jer. 27:8 And it shall come to pass, that the nation and kingdom which will not serve the same Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and that will not put their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, that nation will I punish, saith the LORD, with the sword, and with the famine, and with the pestilence, until I have consumed them by his hand.
Now the warning—Those nations that refused to submit to Neb (as pictured by the yoke) would be punished by the LORD. He would ensure that they were destroyed by the enemy’s army, with famine or with disease.
Jer. 27:9 Therefore hearken not ye to your prophets, nor to your diviners, nor to your dreamers, nor to your enchanters, nor to your sorcerers, which speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon:
Jer. 27:10 For they prophesy a lie unto you, to remove you far from your land; and that I should drive you out, and ye should perish.
Jer. 27:11 But the nations that bring their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him, those will I let remain still in their own land, saith the LORD; and they shall till it, and dwell therein.
They were warned to ignore their false prophets, diviners, dreamers, enchanters, and sorcerers (all practitioners of the black arts and servants of Satan). God declared that prophecies that assured the people they would not serve the king of Babylon were lies. If they believed these lies, they would be taken captive and die in foreign lands. Those, however, that chose to submit to Neb and serve him would be allowed to remain in their homeland.
I think it is important to note that one’s response to God in no way diminishes God’s authority and power—be it individual or nation. Though the ancestors of the pagan nations chose to reject God’s authority, that rejection only resulted in their suffering God’s hand of judgment according to His plan and purposes.
That truth remains today. One may choose to reject God’s authority or even deny that He exists, but it does not change the truth that He is Sovereign in authority and power over all.
Jer. 27:12 ¶ I spake also to Zedekiah king of Judah according to all these words, saying, Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him and his people, and live.
Jer. 27:13 Why will ye die, thou and thy people, by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, as the LORD hath spoken against the nation that will not serve the king of Babylon?
Jer. 27:14 Therefore hearken not unto the words of the prophets that speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon: for they prophesy a lie unto you.
Jer. 27:15 For I have not sent them, saith the LORD, yet they prophesy a lie in my name; that I might drive you out, and that ye might perish, ye, and the prophets that prophesy unto you.
Jeremiah made a personal plea to King Zedekiah of Judah. He urged the king to submit to Neb and so preserve himself and his people. Not to do so would result in unnecessary death and destruction of the people and the land. He urged the king to ignore the lies of the false prophets that were telling him he could free the nation from bondage to the king of Babylon. If he listened to the false prophets, the LORD would drive out him, the false prophets and the people out of Judah and cause them to perish in foreign lands.
It stands out to me that false prophets so often choose to invoke the name of the LORD to attest to their trustworthiness. I can’t help but be reminded of Paul’s words: 2 Corinthians 11:13–15 “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.”
Jer. 27:16 Also I spake to the priests and to all this people, saying, Thus saith the LORD; Hearken not to the words of your prophets that prophesy unto you, saying, Behold, the vessels of the LORD’S house shall now shortly be brought again from Babylon: for they prophesy a lie unto you.
Jer. 27:17 Hearken not unto them; serve the king of Babylon, and live: wherefore should this city be laid waste?
Jeremiah also took his message to the priests and the people; they needed to hear God’s truth just as well as the king. He repeated the warning to ignore the message of the false prophets who were telling them that the temple treasures would soon be returned from Babylon. That was simply not true; it was a lie. Jeremiah also urged them to submit to the king of Babylon and live and save the city from destruction.
I like this quote from Matthew Henry: “Those that encourage sinners to go on in their sinful ways will in the end perish with them.”
Jer. 27:18 But if they be prophets, and if the word of the LORD be with them, let them now make intercession to the LORD of hosts, that the vessels which are left in the house of the LORD, and in the house of the king of Judah, and at Jerusalem, go not to Babylon.
Jer. 27:19 For thus saith the LORD of hosts concerning the pillars, and concerning the sea, and concerning the bases, and concerning the residue of the vessels that remain in this city,
Jer. 27:20 Which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took not, when he carried away captive Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah from Jerusalem to Babylon, and all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem;
Jeremiah is basically saying that if they were true prophets they should begin praying that the LORD would protect what was left of the temple and palace treasures. Neb had taken some of the treasures to Babylon with the first two deportations of Jews that included Jeconiah and others of the nobility (including Daniel and Ezekiel), but he had not taken everything. Jeremiah specifically listed some of the treasures still in place—the bronze pillars (Jachin and Boaz), the sea (a large bronze basin supported by 12 bronze oxen), the bases (smaller bronze basins), and the remaining vessels of service.
Jer. 27:21 Yea, thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning the vessels that remain in the house of the LORD, and in the house of the king of Judah and of Jerusalem;
Jer. 27:22 They shall be carried to Babylon, and there shall they be until the day that I visit them, saith the LORD; then will I bring them up, and restore them to this place.
Jeremiah then goes on to declare the unpopular truth according to God’s revelation to him. All the rest of the temple and palace treasures would be taken to Babylon. They would remain there until the day that the LORD determined to restore them to His people in Jerusalem.
Scripture records the restoration of these treasures as prophesied by Jeremiah in the book of Ezra.
Ezra 1:7–11 “Also Cyrus the king brought forth the vessels of the house of the LORD, which Nebuchadnezzar had brought forth out of Jerusalem, and had put them in the house of his gods; Even those did Cyrus king of Persia bring forth by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer, and numbered them unto Sheshbazzar, the prince of Judah. And this is the number of them: thirty chargers of gold, a thousand chargers of silver, nine and twenty knives, Thirty basons of gold, silver basons of a second sort four hundred and ten, and other vessels a thousand. All the vessels of gold and of silver were five thousand and four hundred. All these did Sheshbazzar bring up with them of the captivity that were brought up from Babylon unto Jerusalem.”
“the day that I visit them” - The day that God brings judgment upon Babylon.
Jer. 28:1 ¶ And it came to pass the same year, in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the fourth year, and in the fifth month, that Hananiah the son of Azur the prophet, which was of Gibeon, spake unto me in the house of the LORD, in the presence of the priests and of all the people, saying,
Jer. 28:2 Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, saying, I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon.
Jer. 28:3 Within two full years will I bring again into this place all the vessels of the LORD’S house, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took away from this place, and carried them to Babylon:
Jer. 28:4 And I will bring again to this place Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, with all the captives of Judah, that went into Babylon, saith the LORD: for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.
This chapter is actually a continuation from the previous one. We are told that one of the false prophets, Hananiah the son of Azur the prophet of Gibeon spoke out in defiance of God and His true prophet Jeremiah. He completely contradicted the words of Jeremiah before the priests and people that were gathered at the temple. He boldly declared that within two years the LORD would restore to them all the temple vessels that had been taken to Babylon. Not only would the temple vessels be restored, King Jeconiah and all the other captives would be returned. He boldly declared that the LORD would break the yoke of the king of Babylon.
The audacity of those who serve the father of lies is astounding to me, and he has servants aplenty today operating within the professing church.
Jer. 28:5 Then the prophet Jeremiah said unto the prophet Hananiah in the presence of the priests, and in the presence of all the people that stood in the house of the LORD,
Jer. 28:6 Even the prophet Jeremiah said, Amen: the LORD do so: the LORD perform thy words which thou hast prophesied, to bring again the vessels of the LORD’S house, and all that is carried away captive, from Babylon into this place.
Jeremiah does not back down. In fact, he declares that he too wishes the LORD would restore the temple vessels and all the captives.
Jer. 28:7 Nevertheless hear thou now this word that I speak in thine ears, and in the ears of all the people;
Jer. 28:8 The prophets that have been before me and before thee of old prophesied both against many countries, and against great kingdoms, of war, and of evil, and of pestilence.
Jer. 28:9 The prophet which prophesieth of peace, when the word of the prophet shall come to pass, then shall the prophet be known, that the LORD hath truly sent him.
“Nevertheless” – To be understood—It doesn’t really matter what I want. Jeremiah urged the people to pay attention to what he had to say. Many prophets before him had prophesied judgments against many countries and great kingdoms. They too had prophesied of God’s judgments of war, evil and disease. Implied—Very few had prophesied of peace. He goes on to emphasize that the true prophet of God would be proven by the fulfillment of his prophecies.
The following quote from Matthew Henry is as applicable to us as it was to Jeremiah.
“If what we have spoken be the truth of God, we must not unsay it because men gainsay it; for great is the truth and will prevail. It will stand, therefore let us stand to it, and not fear that men's unbelief or blasphemy will make it of no effect.”
Jer. 28:10 ¶ Then Hananiah the prophet took the yoke from off the prophet Jeremiah’s neck, and brake it.
Jer. 28:11 And Hananiah spake in the presence of all the people, saying, Thus saith the LORD; Even so will I break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon from the neck of all nations within the space of two full years. And the prophet Jeremiah went his way.
Hananiah then dramatically broke the yoke from off of Jeremiah’s neck. He declared that just as surely as he had broken the yoke off of Jeremiah, the LORD would break the yoke of the nations’ bondage to Babylon within two full years. Jeremiah had nothing more to say. He had declared God’s truth and chose to walk away. In two years they would know the truth.
Jer. 28:12 Then the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah the prophet, after that Hananiah the prophet had broken the yoke from off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah, saying,
Jer. 28:13 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. 28:14 For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; I have put a yoke of iron upon the neck of all these nations, that they may serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and they shall serve him: and I have given him the beasts of the field also.
After this incident, the word of the LORD again came to Jeremiah. He instructed Jeremiah to go to Hananiah and declare that by getting the people to ignore the truth declared by Jeremiah he had in essence ensured that the people would endure an iron yoke of control under Nebuchadnezzar. The LORD had declared that the nations would serve Neb—and they would!
Jer. 28:15 Then said the prophet Jeremiah unto Hananiah the prophet, Hear now, Hananiah; The LORD hath not sent thee; but thou makest this people to trust in a lie.
Jer. 28:16 Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will cast thee from off the face of the earth: this year thou shalt die, because thou hast taught rebellion against the LORD.
Jer. 28:17 So Hananiah the prophet died the same year in the seventh month.
Obedient as always, Jeremiah goes to deliver God’s message to Hananiah. He confronts the false prophet with the fact that he is causing the people to put their faith in a lie. He then tells him that because he has encouraged rebellion against the LORD, the LORD has determined that he will die within the year. Hananiah died the 7th month of that year—two months later according to the time marker of verse one.