Wednesday: The Yoke of Iron
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.
Image © Jim Work from GoodSalt.com
Imagine, for example, that after Jesus cursed the fig tree (Mark 11:13, Mark 11:19-21), 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?
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We need the fearless Jeremiahs today then the double-standard players of Hananiahs in the church first. Outside the church, the Sunday worshippers are the false prophet Hananiahs preaching to favor every one prosperity when there is adversity facing the end of time. Hardly you hear them preaching end time prophecies of Daniel and revelation.Sabbath truth is as bitter as any thing.During easter period they choose their words to avoid the controversial issue about which day is the seventh day, in exodus 20 they are careful to read the fourth commandment.
Jeremiah's message certainly helps us to better understand the concept of false prophets. We are prone to think that false prophets are on the outside. Here we see that Hananiah was a prophet of the Jehovah God, yet he misrepresented him (FALSE PROPHET). What can we extrapolate from this incident? A false prophet is anyone who preaches or live contrary to the Word that he accepts as truth (Isaiah 8:20). So many false prophets are in the church!! Many LEADERS in the church may be false prophets!!! Lord, help us to see if we are standing, less we fall (1Corinthians 10:12).
A relatively light burden was represented by the wooden yoke. By restraining Nebuchadnezzar, His servant (Jeremiah 27:6) Jehovah would ensure that the people on probation not suffer the most serious oppression. Those under a kind of ‘house arrest’ could have an opportunity to quietly reflect on their deeds and develop patience until the time of liberation.
More importantly their submission to Babylon’s king was to help them with their submission to the Creator. However the false prophet Hananiah led the people to believe they were better than submission, and had every right to protest and rebel. Thinking they deserved better than what God set up they failed the test, and suffered for it (Jeremiah 28:12-14).
The replacement yoke of iron symbolized severe oppression which did not allow much opportunity for resistance (Jeremiah 38:17-23; 2 Kings 25:1-11). This yoke could not be easily broken (Jeremiah 28:10-11); not by a false prophet, nor king, nor anyone.
When Jehovah sets up an arrangement it is always advisable to comply and submit; for the alternative is sure to be attended by serious consequences (1 Samuel 10:19). God’s systems are meant to instruct His people and to provide appropriate circumstances for the restoration of His image in the fallen human race. Imperfect though they seem it is better to work with them than against them (Isaiah 55:8).
I'm reminded of Mathew 11:30 which says, "For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light." For me, the light wooden yoke represents Christ's, and the heavy iron one represents Satan's. If we refuse to carry Christ's yoke, we automatically make ourselves available for carrying the heavier one. Refusal of God's mercy and grace means acceptance of satan's bondage. God is able, and that's the good news, to free us from the bondage of sin. I also think the lighter yoke of Christ can be easily broken or set aside because we have the free will to leave his service, while Satan's Iron yoke cannot be easily discarded by our own strength, only with the help of God can we find salvation.
I don't believe we need to be confrontational on the Sabbath issue to be a witness. We give the 3 Angels message, gospel good news, which by the way is part of the 3 Angels message. We have the testimony of Jesus, we do better with our testimony of, "Yes, I go to church on Saturday", rather than a confrontational debating sermon on the Sabbath. The mission of the Seventh-day Adventist Church is to proclaim to ALL PEOPLES THE EVERLASTING GOSPEL OF GOD'S LOVE in the context of the three angels' messages of Revelation 14:6–12, and as revealed in the life, death, resurrection, and high priestly ministry of Jesus Christ, leading them to accept Jesus as personal Saviour and Lord and to unite with His remnant church; and to nurture believers as disciples in preparation for His soon return.
I appreciate your comment John.
I believe a question on the Sabbath provide us with a golden opportunity to share the Good News. We keep the Sabbath as a memorial of God creating this world. And we keep it as a celebration of our rest in Jesus Chrust who died that we might have freedom and eternal life.
The joy and enthusiasm in our manner of sharing should demonstrate the beauty of the Sabbath. On the other hand, if we don't find joy in the Sabbath, we have nothing to share.
Yes Inge, I agree, we can only genuinely witness if we live what we preach. By total commitment to the Lord; By maintaining in the Spirit an attitude of complete repentence, and by submitting to the Spirit leading us into of a life of holiness and righteousmess, do we become Jeremiah's, instead of Hananiah's. The good news is God accepts us where are, if on the 1st step, or the 7th step of coming to Him, if we don't resist the Holy Spirit working in us. Prayer is vital in keeping us in an attitue of non-resistance, if we humble ourselves before the Lord.
May the Lord give us courage to stand for him in any circumstance.
The change from a yoke made of wood, to a yoke of iron reminds me of a thought. (This is indirect, I know, but hopefully you will see my point.)
In a sense the burden of the Lord's work increases the longer it is left.
"We have warnings now which we may give, a work now which we may do; but soon it will be more difficult than we can imagine." (Evangelism p.31)
Other similar thoughts exist, and it strikes me that the longer the work tarries, the heavier the burden will be. I think that when the "eleventh hour workers" appear, they will meet almost unimaginable difficulties/challenges. But this should not discourage us. When they engage in the work whole-heartedly, it will move ahead rapidly.
I see the people's problem as - which prophet shall we believe?
How should I decide if there are two different interpretations of the LORD's Word?
That was my concern as well as we get a lot of contradictions from our Pulpit. I love Jeremiah's response to Hananiah from Jer 28: 6 - 8, he points the people to other prophets who came prior to him. In essence Jeremiah is calling the nation to check their words with Gods word as the Bereans.
We live in a time where we need to study the bible for ourselves and ask God to explain it to us rather than put our trust on someone. The word may be shared on our pulpits and we must listen ...But we must go and check if those things as so ... if it's not we can say :
"To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. (Isa 8:20 )"
Sabbath School Lesson- Wednesday 25 November - "The Yoke of Iron".
Jeremiah 28:1-17.
Jeremiah was sent to preach against the sins of the Israelites, that they may repent and turn from their ways. However, God was clear on one thing: if they continued in their ways, they would suffer the consequences. Unfortunately, such a message did not sit well with the Israelites. As such, Jeremiah was not popular among them.
Then comes Hananiah with a different message. He claims that God will brake the yoke of Babylon within the space of two years. What Hananiah suggested here is that the Israelites did not need to turn from their ways as God had already forgiven them anyway. This was false. forgiveness and repentance are not mutually exclusive.
By the way, all this, Hananiah did so that he may gain favour from the masses. But he was playing a dangerous game, one that ultimately led to his death.
In today's context, Jeremiah represents the true church. Hananiah the false one. The true church preaches total repentance, according to the word of God. The false church, however, preaches that there is no need to change. That there is no need for repentance. After all, God has already forgiven us. This is false. Forgiveness and repentance must go hand in hand.
All this, they do that they may gain favour from the masses and have been successful in doing so.
That is food for thought.
The Lord loves us so much to leave us to ourselves, making the iron showed that his will, would be done and even having Hananiah die in the same year as prophecy by Jeremiah. Goes to show that when God the father speaks, as he does in his words, we need to listen. Nothing could be done except to receive the punishment that was to come or repent for the past. We are free will moral being with the same responsibility that was afford to Israel of old. May we all learn from their mistakes
Lorraine Wilson, I do not think that Hananiah was a prophet of God. These are people who were soothesayers. No prophet of God I do know who spoke contrary to the will. No wonder Jeremiah had to remind him that, only the sent of God will be vindicated when their prophecies would come to pass.
There is no way God would contradict Himself, in one breath He says something to one prophet of the same event and in another He says something to another prophet of the same event. God's messages of repentance to Judah has been the same through other prophets, eg, Hosea, Ezekiel, Habakkuk, Zephaniah and many more others.
I have come to believe that the simpler the message, the easier it is to represent God in the best way. I feel that struggling to explain hard to grasp concepts sometimes makes us misrepresent God! In addition, we loose confidence and the people we are trying to get on our side, get lost in the argument. Like Jeremiah, lets tell what we are told to tell for a particular audience and time. That, at that particular time would represent the gospel
Pride is the root of rejecting God's messages, leading to the resistance of conviction and the following actions of unbelief, which proves always to be futile and leads to certain ruin. Unrighteousness strengthens pride until it cannot be resisted or surrendered.
Confession("to agree with") and repentance are the manifestations of humility, which results in obedience, all accomplished by faith.
While we might wonder how someone like Hananiah could be so unbelieving, is it really that difficult to understand? Is it any different today?
that's why you find the problem which we have in this world with most people and Church's preaching the prosperity news I cant call it Gospel because it is not the Gospel. so Jeremiah 28:1-11 was prophetic symbolism of current situation which we find our self in. its time to proclaim the Gospel to the world Rev 14:6-12. Hananiah was not the prophet of God
we always seem to think that the false prophets are outdide but fot real some are amongst us.
Ananias case is just the true representation of modern christianity and christians anytime we see danger and rebuke we tend to evade it by looking for an easy way out e.g changing churches only to end up worsening it.
Wood is light and floats but iron sinks if we break wood then we shall sink with iron lets always remain true to the three angels message and live to the Biblical principles.
who chose Hananiah to be a prophet?