And Jeremiah the prophet said to the prophet Hananiah, “Listen, Hananiah. The Lord has not sent you and you have made this people trust in a lie.”
– Jeremiah 28:15
This is Jeremiah confronting Hananiah the false prophet. When you read earlier in this chapter, you see that Hananiah is telling everybody, “This is what the Word of God says. Within a couple of years, I’m going to bring back and restore everything here in Jerusalem from the Babylonians. It’s just going to be a couple of years.” And all the people respond and they’re like, “Amen.” And they start believing this is going to happen. And Jeremiah goes to Hananiah and says, “What you’re doing is wrong. You are prophesying peace. You are promising prosperity that God has not promised. God has not said he’s going to bring everything to restoration within a couple of years in Jerusalem. On the contrary, God is telling his people that they will be exiles and Babylon for a long time.”
Jeremiah 28:15 reminds us God’s ways are not our ways.
And this is one of those places where we see the ever-present temptation among God’s people to say and believe what we want to hear. Instead of saying and believing what God actually said. If we’re not careful, those of us who teach the Word of God can twist it to say what we think is best, what we want to hear, and what we want people to hear.
And even to do so in ways that people will like what we are saying in order that the crowds will be drawn to it and the people will like what they hear and give applause to the person who’s saying it. Meanwhile, Jeremiah is actually hearing from God and he’s speaking what God has actually said and he’s getting imprisoned and beaten for it and threatened with his life. The crowds are not being drawn to what Jeremiah is saying and he’s not receiving applause from the people.
Jeremiah 28:15 reminds us we need God’s Word above all.
And all of this shouts to you and me, one, for any of us who teaches God’s Word in any way, let us make sure that it’s God’s Word we’re teaching and not our thoughts, not our ideas, not our twist on God’s Word. And for all of us, let’s make sure that what we are taught aligns with God’s Word. That it’s actually what God is saying. We need to make sure that just because we read something or hear something about God’s Word, we don’t automatically assume it is God’s Word without going to God’s Word ourselves.
Otherwise, very easily we can do what was happening in Jeremiah 28:15. We can speak and believe in lies that are not Words from God. So God, we pray, keep us from being or listening to Hananiahs and help us to be and listen to Jeremiahs. God, we pray for all the people who are teaching God’s Word in our lives and for any of us who are teaching God’s Word in others’ lives, God, we pray for faithful teaching of your Word.
We pray for faithful instruction in your Word. God, please keep us from twisting your Word and claiming to speak for you when you have not spoken in a particular way. And God help us, give us discerning hearts and minds as we hear your Word taught, to make sure that what we are hearing is truly your Word. God, we need your Word. We don’t need lies in this world. God, we don’t need men’s and women’s thoughts in this world. We need your Word.
This verse encourages us to fill our minds with God’s Word.
So fill our minds with your Word. Give us discernment, we pray, to distinguish between your Word and human thoughts. God, we pray that no matter what your Word says… And no matter how hard it might be to hear… Or how costly it might be to say… God, we pray that you would help us to be faithful to your Word… And to trust your Word, not the lies of this world.
And God, we pray for the spread of your Word through us, through all of us who you’ve called and empowered by your Holy Spirit to make disciples of the nations, teaching others to obey everything you have commanded us. God, help us to pass your Word unto others faithfully in our lives, our families, our workplaces, our schools, wherever we are this week, and all around the world.
Prayer for the Ajuran People
Lord, we pray for the Ajuran people of Kenya… The Somali-speaking people group. 200,000, and maybe a few followers of Jesus among them.
God, we pray, cause the Ajuran people to be reached with the good news of your grace… The serious news about your holy judgment… And the saving news of Jesus’ life and death and resurrection from the grave for their salvation. God, we pray the Ajuran will be reached with that news. And help us in our lives to be faithful to share it however you lead us. And to support the sharing of it around the world however you lead us. Until all the nations have heard your Word and trusted in that which is true instead of the lies of this world. Oh God, we pray all this according to your Word in Jeremiah 28:15. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
