Observation: It's a classic "duel of the prophets." Hananiah, a court prophet, breaks the yoke that Jeremiah is wearing around his neck, to symbolize that within two years, the people of Judah will be free of the oppressive Babylonian empire. Jeremiah replies that Hananiah has broken wooden bars, but iron bars will come in their place. Judah has not repented of its sins; therefore, the "yoke" of Babylon will not be broken. Additionally, Jeremiah predicts the death of Hananiah within the year. Both things happen.
Application: In the marketplace of ideas, comfort is always a best seller. When we hear from one voice saying we need to change, and another saying we were right all along, guess who will more likely get our attention? Our praise? Our effort, time, and money? You guessed it...it's the one telling us what we want to hear.
The problem, of course, is that what we want to hear and the truth are often two different things. Sometimes the "good news" in which we trust, is "no news" at all. It's a comfortable lie.
That's why communities of believers need to listen to prophets, and work on their own prophetic witness to the world. We need trustworthy people like Jeremiah, led by the Holy Spirit, rooted in God's Word, who love us enough to tell us when we're off the track. Prophets are not always purveyors of "doom and gloom." But they are always willing to honestly share their sense of where God is leading us. And they do so in love, because the truth we find in scripture is that, whatever hard truths we need to hear today, at the end of the day NOTHING can separate us from God's love.
Prayer: God, stir up you Spirit in prophets. Bestow your gift of prophecy on people in all communities and walks of life, and open our ears to hear your word through them, even when it challenges us. In Jesus' name, Amen.
