June 13, 2024

Passage Read: Jeremiah 25-28
Meditation Verses: 28:13-17

Thought

It is interesting that God put Hananiah to death within three months of challenging Jeremiah's prophecy. There were other false prophets who didn't die, but did they take warning, at least for a short time? Worse than that, Hananiah in breaking Jeremiah's wooden yoke, made the yokes promised by the Lord into iron yokes. When we prophesy truth, even if the people don't repent, it is less hard for them than if someone preaches against the counsel of the Lord. If the Lord says repent and His supposed messengers say everyone is doing fine and things will get better, then things will get much worse than God originally intended. False prophets and false messengers do not have the best interest of the people at heart, nor do they have their own best interest at heart. Instead, they are making things worse for everyone.

Application

My job is to warn believers and unbelievers of the consequences of sin and rebellion and disobedience. To tell everyone that things will be just fine, that they'll get better, without warning them to repent is a lie and only makes things worse for everyone. That is not love, but hatred. True love wants to see repentance and growing obedience so that the Lord is free to pour out blessings rather then curses. To tell a man that because he "believed" in Jesus despite no change of heart or life, that he will be saved and enjoy eternity with Jesus is to harden his heart all the more and make more certain his damnation. I need to believe and obey the Scriptures more and more, and I need to warn everyone around me to do likewise.