False prophet say what?
This passage connects closely with chapter 27. In chapter 27, Jeremiah brought the bad news that they were all going to have to submit to Babylon. The false prophets said no and Jeremiah challenged them to prove that they were in the service of the Lord by having them entreat the Lord to keep the remaining vessels in the Temple.
Later that same year (still under King Zedekiah), a prophet named Hananiah approached Jeremiah in the House of the Lord, in front of the priests with a message. (Keep in mind, Jeremiah is still wearing the yoke as a visual aid for his unchanging message.)
I'm just going to post his message. It's too blasphemous to try and summarize, knowing what they heard from Jeremiah- a known prophet of the Lord.
2 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon. 3 Within two years I am going to bring back to this place all the vessels of the Lord’s house, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took away from this place and carried to Babylon. 4 I am also going to bring back to this place Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and all the exiles of Judah who went to Babylon,’ declares the Lord, ‘for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.’” Jeremiah 28: 2-4, NASB95
He actually uses the "Thus says the Lord of hosts" line. I cannot imagine what his eternity is like. It's one thing to look in a crystal ball and make a prediction, claiming special knowledge. And that is bad enough...But This says the Lord of hosts? That's so completely evil. He has to have been atheist. How can you believe in our all powerful God and firmly, boldly predict the opposite that has been prophesied by Jeremiah.
Jeremiah replies with an Amen. He wanted that to be the real prophesy as well. It's better for Judah all day long; but then points out that time will tell who the real prophet is.
Keeping with his theatrics, Hananiah takes the yoke off of Jeremiah and breaks it. I guess trying to bring a visual aid of his own. He adds another Thus says the Lord and specifically predicts God breaking the yoke of Babylon within two years.
Very specific and very wrong.
So Jeremiah goes on his way.
God never takes that kind of blasphemy without response, so he sends Jeremiah to Hanania with a personal message:
“Go and speak to Hananiah, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord, “You have broken the yokes of wood, but you have made instead of them yokes of iron.” 14 For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, “I have put a yoke of iron on the neck of all these nations, that they may serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and they will serve him. And I have also given him the beasts of the field.”’” Jeremiah 28:13-14
If the people had listened, they would have had to face the yoke of Babylon, but it was a wooden yoke meant for driving animals. Now, because the people had been led astray by Hanania and the other leaders, they were going to end up in a yoke of iron, meant for human degradation and punishment. This is why leaders face a harsher judgement.
I'm going to let Jeremiah tell the rest of the story.
15 Then Jeremiah the prophet said to Hananiah the prophet, “Listen now, Hananiah, the Lord has not sent you, and you have made this people trust in a lie. 16 Therefore thus says the Lord, ‘Behold, I am about to remove you from the face of the earth. This year you are going to die, because you have counseled rebellion against the Lord.’”
17 So Hananiah the prophet died in the same year in the seventh month. Jeremiah 28: 15-17
Back to my earlier post- It's never good to feel happiness about the bad things that happen to bad people; but it is reassuring to know that God is sovereign and false prophets will be addressed, especially when they boldly speak for God in His name.
Side note: The passage started in the fifth month and Hananiah died in the seventh month, so it was much shorter than a year.