In the fifth month of that same year, the fourth year, early in the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, the prophet Hananiah son of Azzur, who was from Gibeon, said to me in the house of the LORD in the presence of the priests and all the people … - Jeremiah 28:1

Today’s Scripture Reading (May 27, 2020): Jeremiah 28

People disagree. It is the reality of life, and to be honest; I often like the disagreement. I don't like fights or feuds, but disputes between intellectually honest people can be enriching, and often both sides can learn. But I want to see the evidence. I want to know why you believe what you do. And often, the reality is that we may discover different ideas within the same evidence. And then, we get a chance to demonstrate that we can disagree and still welcome each other as brothers and sister in Christ. I believe that this is the way disagreements within the church should take place. We aren't going to agree on everything, but if our attitudes are right, we can learn from each other, even amid our disagreements.

Hananiah disagreed with Jeremiah. Jeremiah was prophesying that if Judah tested the resolve of Babylon, Babylon would come and completely defeat and destroy Judah. Jeremiah had heard the voice of God. The end had come for the Northern Kingdom of Israel just over a century earlier because of their disobedience. Shiloh had been destroyed at the end of the time of the Judges because of Israel's disobedience. Judah was currently displaying defiance in the face of their God. There was no reason to believe that God would let the disobedience continue. At some point, God would be faithful to his word and just the sins of the nation.

But Jeremiah also believed that there would be salvation in the defeat of the nation. Yes, a significant defeat was coming, but Judah would rise out of the ashes a better country because of the loss that they would suffer at the hand of the Babylonians.

Hananiah disagreed. The problem was that Hananiah had not heard the voice of God, but he believed God to be a gracious God. His belief in this gracious God was reflected in the prophet's name (Hananiah means ‘God is gracious’). Hananiah’s struggle was that he wanted to believe that good things would always come to the nation. That God would never judge them for their sin. He was someone who thought that the grace of God would always win the day. But more than that, he believed that no harm could come to Jerusalem. Jeremiah was a pessimist and Hananiah was an optimist. And there is nothing wrong with being an optimist. Hananiah’s sin was that he refused to listen to God, and he refused to be moved by Jeremiah’s argument.

Instead, he confronted the prophet with a false message publicly in front of the people. While Jeremiah was attempting to speak truth to power, Hananiah tried to defend power against the truth. And that was a defense for which Hananiah and Jerusalem would pay a high price.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 29