Jeremiah 28:1-9: a reflection

1That same year, in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the fourth year, in the fifth month, Hananiah the son of Azzur, the prophet, who was of Gibeon, spoke to me in the LORD’s house, in the presence of the priests and of all the people, saying, 2“The LORD of Armies, the God of Israel, says, ‘I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon. 3Within two full years I will 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 to Babylon. 4I will bring again to this place Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, with all the captives of Judah, who went to Babylon,’ says the LORD; ‘for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.’” 5Then the prophet Jeremiah said to the prophet Hananiah in the presence of the priests, and in the presence of all the people who stood in the LORD’s house, 6even the prophet Jeremiah said, “Amen! May the LORD do so. May the LORD perform your words which you have prophesied, to bring again the vessels of the LORD’s house, and all those who are captives, from Babylon to this place. 7Nevertheless listen now to this word that I speak in your ears, and in the ears of all the people: 8The prophets who have been before me and before you of old prophesied against many countries, and against great kingdoms, of war, of evil, and of pestilence. 9As for the prophet who prophesies of peace, when the word of the prophet happens, then the prophet will be known, that the LORD has truly sent him.”

The false prophet Hananiah stands up and proclaims a comforting message: within two years, God will break the yoke of Babylon and bring back the exiles and the temple vessels. It is what everyone wants to hear. Jeremiah, who has been prophesying the opposite, a long exile, responds with a pointed word: the prophets of old prophesied war and disaster; as for the prophet who prophesies peace, only when his word comes true will it be known that the LORD truly sent him. In other words, a comforting message is not proof of a true prophet; the test is whether it comes true.

Notice Jeremiah's warning about discerning true words from false comfort. Hananiah's message was pleasant, reassuring, what the people longed to hear; but its pleasantness was no proof of its truth. Jeremiah points to the test: not whether a message is comforting, but whether it proves true. A word can be welcome and false; the comfort it offers is no guarantee that God has spoken it. The pleasantness of a message is not the measure of its truth.

That is a caution we need, for we are drawn to comforting messages and quick to believe them. We prefer to hear that our troubles will soon end, that no hard road lies ahead; and we can accept such messages simply because they are pleasant, without asking whether they are true. But Jeremiah reminds us that a comforting word is not necessarily a true one. Do not believe a message simply because it is comforting, or reject a hard word simply because it is unwelcome. Weigh whether it is true, not merely whether it is pleasant. The false prophet offered sweet reassurance; the true prophet spoke a hard word that proved true. Be discerning about the messages you accept, testing them by truth rather than by how comforting they are, lest you be deceived, as Judah was, by welcome words that were false.

Lord, the false prophet Hananiah proclaimed a comforting message, that Babylon's yoke would soon be broken; and Jeremiah warned that the prophet who prophesies peace is known to be sent by you only when his word comes true, for a comforting message is no proof of a true one. Give me the caution I need, for I am drawn to comforting messages and quick to believe them. I prefer to hear that my troubles will soon end, that no hard road lies ahead; and I can accept such messages simply because they are pleasant, without asking whether they are true. But Jeremiah reminds me that a comforting word is not necessarily a true one. Keep me from believing a message simply because it is comforting, or rejecting a hard word simply because it is unwelcome. Help me weigh whether it is true, not merely whether it is pleasant. The false prophet offered sweet reassurance; the true prophet spoke a hard word that proved true. Make me discerning about the messages I accept, testing them by truth rather than by how comforting they are, lest I be deceived by welcome words that are false. Give me a discerning heart, Lord, that loves truth over easy comfort.