“Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon. Within two years, I will 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. I will also bring back to this place Jeconiah, the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and all the exiles from Judah who went to Babylon, declares the Lord, for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.” (2-4)

“The prophets who preceded you and me from ancient times prophesied war, famine, and pestilence against many countries and great kingdoms. As for the prophet who prophesies peace, when the word of that prophet comes to pass, then it will be known that the Lord has truly sent the prophet.” (8-9)

This is something of a contest of the prophets. Hananiah surely must have gained a following because he was prophesying the almost immediate end of Babylonian captivity and the restoration of the temple and the throne. Peace and prosperity are highly desired.

In fact, Jeremiah’s initial response was, “Amen. May the Lord bring your words to pass.” Jeremiah is clearly not against the restoration of Israel. However, he also realizes that a prophet’s word must be tested. Just because a prophet says, “Thus says the Lord,” doesn’t automatically make it a word from the Lord.

In this case, Hananiah’s word was so contrary to what the prophets of old had said regarding war and famine that Jeremiah said, when his words come to pass, we will know that he was truly from the Lord. In other words, we have to take a wait-and-see approach. In the end, the Lord told Jeremiah to declare Hananiah a false prophet.

I appreciate Jeremiah’s desire for peace and restoration and willingness to see if Hananiah was a true prophet. I also appreciate his heart to stay true to the Lord and speak once God spoke to him.

Father, help me to be more like Jeremiah in my commitment to you and your word. Amen.