Jeremiah 29:1

 Jeremiah 29:1 says, Now these are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem unto the residue of the elders which were carried away captives, and to the priests, and to the prophets, and to all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon;  Jeremiah sent a letter to all the remaining elders, priests, and prophets and all the people who were carried away as captives by Nebuchadnezzar.  Verse two adds, (After that Jeconiah the king, and the queen, and the eunuchs, the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, and the carpenters, and the smiths, were departed from Jerusalem;)  The king, queen and the craftsmen had also been carried away.  This would be after Jeremiah's prophesy had come to pass.  Verse three states, By the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan, and Gemariah the son of Hilkiah, (whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent unto Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon) saying,  Jeremiah sent the message by the same messenger that Zedekiah had sent a message to Nebuchadnezzar by.  This was a more important message than a message from an earthly king, though, because it was a message from God.  Verse four declares, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, unto all that are carried away captives, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem unto Babylon;  God said that the message was for all who had been taken away captive into Babylon, just as the gospel is for all who have been taken away captive by sin today.  Of course, this was written to those who were supposed to be God's people already.  God said that He had caused them to be carried away and that He was still with them.  Verse five adds, Build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them;  Jeremiah said that God told them to go ahead and build houses and plant gardens and live there.  Their captivity was not going to be a short one.  After we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, though this world is not our permanent dwelling place, we are still to live here under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  Wherever we are or whatever our status, God will be with us.  Verse six continues, Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; that ye may be increased there, and not diminished.  God told the people of Judah to continue to marry and have children, so that their numbers might increase even in captivity.  Life goes on after we accept Jesus as our Savior and Lord, and God expects us to continue to live our lives.  Verse seven states, And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the LORD for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace.  God said that they were to seek peace in the land where they were and that they were to pray for it.  We may not like everything that goes on in the world today, but as followers of Christ we are to seek peace in the world and pray for it.  Verse eight warns, For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Let not your prophets and your diviners, that be in the midst of you, deceive you, neither hearken to your dreams which ye cause to be dreamed.  God through Jeremiah warned them not to be deceived by false prophets and those who claimed to have a dream sent by God.  We today need to be just as careful about who we listen to that claim to speak for God.  Verse nine adds, For they prophesy falsely unto you in my name: I have not sent them, saith the LORD.  Just as many false prophets said that the people of Judah would not be carried away captive, there were still those false prophets who would claim to speak for God while the people were in captivity.  We need to make sure that those who claim to speak for God today speak a message that is consistent with God's word and also rely on the Holy Spirit to enable us to know what is truly God's word.

Jeremiah 28:10

Jeremiah 28:10 says, Then Hananiah the prophet took the yoke from off the prophet Jeremiah’s neck, and brake it.  Hananiah broke the yoke that Jeremiah was wearing at God's command.  Hananiah called himself a prophet, but he was not acting under God's command or authority.   This was supposed to be a sign that he had defeated Jeremiah's prophesy.  No matter what someone does to attempt to change God's prophesy or any of His word, it may look like it did, but it never will.  Verse eleven adds, And Hananiah spake in the presence of all the people, saying, Thus saith the LORD; Even so will I break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon from the neck of all nations within the space of two full years. And the prophet Jeremiah went his way.  Hananiah said that he spoke for God when he said that the yoke of King Nebuchadnezzar would likewise be broken within two years.  Jeremiah did not argue with Hananiah, but simply went on his way.  There is little profit in arguing with those who claim to speak for God when what they say does not agree with what we say.  All we can do is make sure that what we say is indeed God's word, and continue to proclaim it to those who will hear it.  Verse twelve declares, Then the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah the prophet, after that Hananiah the prophet had broken the yoke from off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah, saying,  After Hananiah broke the yoke that Jeremiah was wearing, God's word came to Jeremiah again.  Verse thirteen adds, Go and tell Hananiah, saying, Thus saith the LORD; Thou hast broken the yokes of wood; but thou shalt make for them yokes of iron.  God sent Jeremiah to Hananiah with a massage from God.  If there is a dispute with someone over what God says, we should not argue with them on our own, but if God sends us a message to share with them, then we must go.  God told Jeremiah to tell Hananiah that he had broken the wooden yoke, but that an iron yoke would be placed on the people of Judah.  Verse fourteen states,  For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; I have put a yoke of iron upon the neck of all these nations, that they may serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and they shall serve him: and I have given him the beasts of the field also.  Jeremiah was to tell Hananiah that God had placed the yoke of iron on the people and that they would serve Nebuchadnezzar and that he would also own all the beasts of the field.  Verse fifteen declares, Then said the prophet Jeremiah unto Hananiah the prophet, Hear now, Hananiah; The LORD hath not sent thee; but thou makest this people to trust in a lie.  Jeremiah told Hananiah that God had not sent Hananiah, but that he caused the people to trust a lie.  Jeremiah still was not getting into a big argument with Hananiah, but was simply telling him God's word.  Verse sixteen adds, Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will cast thee from off the face of the earth: this year thou shalt die, because thou hast taught rebellion against the LORD.  Jeremiah said the proof of what he was saying was that Hananiah would die that year for proclaiming lies in the name of God.  It may not be within a year, but eventually everyone will be held accountable for their actions and will suffer a spiritual death if they do not accept God's word.  Verse seventeen concludes, So Hananiah the prophet died the same year in the seventh month.  Jeremiah's prophesy came true, and Hananiah died the seventh month of that year.  We can be certain that God's prophesies either have or will come true.  The question is whether or not we will believe them.

Jeremiah 28:1

 Jeremiah 28:1 says, And it came to pass the same year, in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the fourth year, and in the fifth month, that Hananiah the son of Azur the prophet, which was of Gibeon, spake unto me in the house of the LORD, in the presence of the priests and of all the people, saying,  A supposed prophet of God came to Jeremiah in the fourth year of the reign of Zedekiah and said that Jeremiah was wrong as we see in the next verse.  Verse two states, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, saying, I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon.  This priest, Hananiah, told the king that God had spoken to him and that God said He had broken the yoke of the king of Babylon.  He directly contradicted what Jeremiah said God was saying.  Sometimes, people claim to be speaking for God when they say things that are in direct opposition to His word.  We must know enough to recognize God's truth, and the Bible and the Holy Spirit will help us to do so.  Verse three adds, Within two full years will I 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 them to Babylon:  Hananiah said that within two years that all the vessels of the temple that Nebuchadnezzar had taken into Babylon  would be returned to the temple in Jerusalem.  He was prophesying what would make him popular with the king, but it was not God's word.  Today, people may say things that are supposedly God's word to make them popular with people, but often it is not.  Verse four continues, And I will bring again to this place Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, with all the captives of Judah, that went into Babylon, saith the LORD: for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.  Hananiah also said that Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim would be returned to Jerusalem from captivity in Babylon.  This also was in opposition to what Jeremiah had said that God said.  Verse five declares, Then the prophet Jeremiah said unto the prophet Hananiah in the presence of the priests, and in the presence of all the people that stood in the house of the LORD,  Then verse six adds, Even the prophet Jeremiah said, thy words which thou hast prophesied, to bring again the vessels of the LORD’s house, and all that is carried away captive, from Babylon into this place.  Jeremiah did not stop Hananiah from saying what he had to say, but once he finished, in front of all the leaders, he then disputed what Hananiah had said.  We don't need to get in to shouting matches with other people when what they say is not consistent with God's word, but we do need to make sure that God's truth is told, even with the biggest. most powerful audience around us.  Verse seven continues, Nevertheless hear thou now this word that I speak in thine ears, and in the ears of all the people;  Jeremiah called on the priests, the people of Judah, and Hananiah himself to listen to his words.  They had listened to Hananiah, and now it was time to listen to Jeremiah.  We can only call on people to listen to us today when we proclaim the word of God.  Verse eight states, The prophets that have been before me and before thee of old prophesied both against many countries, and against great kingdoms, of war, and of evil, and of pestilence.  Jeremiah said that prophets in the past had prophesied against many countries of coming war, evil and pestilence.  Jeremiah said basically that he was not the first prophet to prophesy of coming doom in God's name, so why should he be viewed differently.  We must proclaim God's word faithfully, no matter how the world may view us.  Verse nine proclaims, The prophet which prophesieth of peace, when the word of the prophet shall come to pass, then shall the prophet be known, that the LORD hath truly sent him. Amen: the LORD do so: the LORD perform.  Jeremiah said that the truth of the prophesy of Hananiah who prophesied that peace would come in two years would be proven by whether peace came at that time or not.  Many people today do not accept the fact of the coming judgment of God, and the only way that it will be proven is when it occurs, but anyone claiming that it is not coming will be proven wrong in that day.  Loud arguments will not win them over to accepting God's word, and there is really no reason for us to be angry with them.  We are to reach out to them with the love of God, not so we can be proven right, but so that they might know the truth of God.

Jeremiah 27:12

 Jeremiah 27:12 says, I spake also to Zedekiah king of Judah according to all these words, saying, Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him and his people, and live.  Jeremiah told Zedekiah to bring his neck under the king of Babylon and live.  Sometimes, God may call on us to submit to authorities that we do not agree with.  Verse thirteen asks, Why will ye die, thou and thy people, by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, as the LORD hath spoken against the nation that will not serve the king of Babylon?  Jeremiah asked why Zedekiah would fight against the king of Babylon in defiance of God's word.  Verse fourteen declares, Therefore hearken not unto the words of the prophets that speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon: for they prophesy a lie unto you.  God through Jeremiah then warned Zedekiah to not listen to the prophets who told him that he would not serve the king of Babylon.  We are likewise called on to submit to the yoke of Christ, that we may have everlasting life, and we should never listen to those who declare anything different.  Verse fifteen adds, For I have not sent them, saith the LORD, yet they prophesy a lie in my name; that I might drive you out, and that ye might perish, ye, and the prophets that prophesy unto you.  God said that He had not sent the prophets and that they prophesied lies.  Some people today claim to be preachers or prophets of God, but what they proclaim is not consistent with His written word, the Bible.  Verse sixteen states, Also I spake to the priests and to all this people, saying, Thus saith the LORD; Hearken not to the words of your prophets that prophesy unto you, saying, Behold, the vessels of the LORD’s house shall now shortly be brought again from Babylon: for they prophesy a lie unto you.  Jeremiah said that he warned the priests and all the people to not listen to the prophets that were telling them that their time in Babylon would be short and they would soon return the vessels of the temple from Babylon, where they had already been carried.  Verse seventeen declares, Hearken not unto them; serve the king of Babylon, and live: wherefore should this city be laid waste?  Jeremiah said God called on them to serve the king of Babylon and live and not have the city of Jerusalem laid waste. This was the opposite of what the false prophets were proclaiming and what the people wanted to hear.  People today may claim that there is another way to salvation other than faith in Jesus Christ and taking up His cross daily, but that is not what God's word says.  Verse eighteen adds, But if they be prophets, and if the word of the LORD be with them, let them now make intercession to the LORD of hosts, that the vessels which are left in the house of the LORD, and in the house of the king of Judah, and at Jerusalem, go not to Babylon.  Jeremiah said if they were prophets to make intercession to God that the remaining vessels of the temple might not be carried away.  These prophets needed to actually talk to God instead of just claiming to prophesy in His name.  Verse nineteen states, For thus saith the LORD of hosts concerning the pillars, and concerning the sea, and concerning the bases, and concerning the residue of the vessels that remain in this city,  God said that not all was lost out of the temple and that they should be concerned with preserving what was left.  Verse twenty adds, Which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took not, when he carried away captive Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah from Jerusalem to Babylon, and all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem;  Verse twenty-one continues, Yea, thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning the vessels that remain in the house of the LORD, and in the house of the king of Judah and of Jerusalem;  Verse twenty-two concludes, They shall be carried to Babylon, and there shall they be until the day that I visit them, saith the LORD; then will I bring them up, and restore them to this place.  God said that these remaining vessels would be carried into Babylon and remain there until He returned them.  Had the people, starting with the prophets and priests, truly repented, this might have been avoided, but they refused to.  We, as followers of Christ, may suffer for our faith in Him in this lifetime, but we have His assurance that one day we will be restored to the best life possible.

Jeremiah 27:1

 Jeremiah 27:1 says, In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah came this word unto Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,  Verse two adds, Thus saith the LORD to me; Make thee bonds and yokes, and put them upon thy neck,  During the reign of Jehoiakim, the word of God came to Jeremiah and told him to make bonds and a yoke and put it on his neck.  This might have many people questioning whether they actually had heard God correctly or not.  Verse three states, And send them to the king of Edom, and to the king of Moab, and to the king of the Ammonites, and to the king of Tyrus, and to the king of Zidon, by the hand of the messengers which come to Jerusalem unto Zedekiah king of Judah;  At some point in time, Jeremiah was to send these yokes and bonds with a message to the kings that Judah evidently had an alliance with.  Verse four adds, And command them to say unto their masters, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Thus shall ye say unto your masters;  Those sent were to be made aware that the message came from God and not just from Jeremiah himself.  When we share God's word today, we need to make sure that people realize that what we say is God's word and not just our own opinion.  Verse five continues, I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are upon the ground, by my great power and by my outstretched arm, and have given it unto whom it seemed meet unto me.  God also made it clear who He was.  He was the God that created everything, and therefore the only God that their is.  Verse six declares,  And now have I given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant; and the beasts of the field have I given him also to serve him.  God said that He had given all these kings over to the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon.  Their alliance was not going to save them, and neither was God, because they, His people, had turned away from Him.  Verse seven adds,  And all nations shall serve him, and his son, and his son’s son, until the very time of his land come: and then many nations and great kings shall serve themselves of him.  God told them that they would serve Nebuchadnezzar and his son, so the servitude would not be a short one.  Verse eight continues, And it shall come to pass, that the nation and kingdom which will not serve the same Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and that will not put their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, that nation will I punish, saith the LORD, with the sword, and with the famine, and with the pestilence, until I have consumed them by his hand.  God said that those who would not serve Nebuchadnezzar would fall under the sword and pestilence.  Their priests and prophets may have been telling them otherwise, but God said that resistance would be futile.  There are people today who claim in the name of some god, if not the God, that everything is going to be okay, no matter what, but God has already given His word that if we do not accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord that we are doomed forever.  Verse nine declares, Therefore hearken not ye to your prophets, nor to your diviners, nor to your dreamers, nor to your enchanters, nor to your sorcerers, which speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon:  God told them to not listen to all those who told them that they would not serve the king of Babylon.  Verse ten adds, For they prophesy a lie unto you, to remove you far from your land; and that I should drive you out, and ye should perish.  God said that these other diviners, dreamers, enchanters and sorcerers were wrong.  It doesn't matter how many people may tell us something that is against the word of God, they will always be wrong.  Verse eleven says, But the nations that bring their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him, those will I let remain still in their own land, saith the LORD; and they shall till it, and dwell therein.  God said that those that willing served Nebuchadnezzar would be allowed to remain in their land.  The only way to remain in the land was to listen to God.  The only way we can find security in the world today is to listen to the word of God and obey His commands.

Jeremiah 26:12

 Jeremiah 26:12 says, Then spake Jeremiah unto all the princes and to all the people, saying, The LORD sent me to prophesy against this house and against this city all the words that ye have heard.  Jeremiah said that God had sent him to prophesy against the house, or temple, and the city.  Jeremiah said that it was God's word that he spoke.  We as follower of Christ should always make sure that it is God's word that we speak, especially when we say that we are speaking for Him.  Verse thirteen adds, Therefore now amend your ways and your doings, and obey the voice of the LORD your God; and the LORD will repent him of the evil that he hath pronounced against you.  Jeremiah called on the people to mend their ways and to return to God.  We must do likewise if we ae out of  the will of God.  Verse fourteen declares, As for me, behold, I am in your hand: do with me as seemeth good and meet unto you.  Jeremiah said that he was in their hand and to do with him as they thought good, but God's word was still God's word.  They were ready to kill Jeremiah, and he told them to do so if the must.  We need that same kind of faith today.  Verse fifteen adds, But know ye for certain, that if ye put me to death, ye shall surely bring innocent blood upon yourselves, and upon this city, and upon the inhabitants thereof: for of a truth the LORD hath sent me unto you to speak all these words in your ears.  Jeremiah also warned them that if the killed him that they would have innocent blood on their hands, because he had only spoken the truth of God as God had commanded him to.  Verse sixteen states, Then said the princes and all the people unto the priests and to the prophets; This man is not worthy to die: for he hath spoken to us in the name of the LORD our God.  The princes and the people told the priests and prophets who claimed to represent God that Jeremiah had done nothing to deserve to be put to death.  They said that he had only spoken to them in the name of God.  We are not called on to put anyone to death who speaks in God's name if we do not agree with what they are saying.  We instead need to point out why we disagree with them under the leadership of the Holy Spirit.  Verse seventeen declares, Then rose up certain of the elders of the land, and spake to all the assembly of the people, saying, Then verse eighteen adds, Micah the Morasthite prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, and spake to all the people of Judah, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Zion shall be plowed like a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of a forest.  Certain of the elders reminded the people of another man, Micah, who had spoken against the people in God's name during the reign of Hezekiah, saying that Jerusalem would be destroyed.  Verse nineteen asks, Did Hezekiah king of Judah and all Judah put him at all to death? did he not fear the LORD, and besought the LORD, and the LORD repented him of the evil which he had pronounced against them? Thus might we procure great evil against our souls.  They asked if Hezekiah put this Micah to death or listened to him and repented, and asked God's forgiveness.  If a man of God speaks out against something we are doing today and calls on us to repent, when he is truly speaking the word of God, we do not need to be angry with him.  We simply need to repent of our sins and ask God to forgive us.  Verse twenty adds, And there was also a man that prophesied in the name of the LORD, Urijah the son of Shemaiah of Kirjathjearim, who prophesied against this city and against this land according to all the words of Jeremiah:  These elders reminded the priests and prophets of another man, Urijah, who did the same thing.  Jeremiah was not the first prophet to prophesy that Jerusalem was going to be destroyed if the people did not repent.  Verse twenty-one says, And when Jehoiakim the king, with all his mighty men, and all the princes, heard his words, the king sought to put him to death: but when Urijah heard it, he was afraid, and fled, and went into Egypt;  These elders said that when Jehoiakim and the elders heard the words of Urijah that they sought to kill him, but that he fled to Egypt.  Urijah failed to stand by his faith in God.  Even if we are put to death for our faith, we cannot afford to falter in it.  Verse twenty-two adds, And Jehoiakim the king sent men into Egypt, namely, Elnathan the son of Achbor, and certain men with him into Egypt.  Verse twenty-three continues, And they fetched forth Urijah out of Egypt, and brought him unto Jehoiakim the king; who slew him with the sword, and cast his dead body into the graves of the common people.  Jehoiakim sent men to Egypt to bring Urijah back and killed him. Jehoiakim may have silenced God's prophet, but he did not alter God's word.  Verse twenty-four concludes, Nevertheless the hand of Ahikam the son of Shaphan was with Jeremiah, that they should not give him into the hand of the people to put him to death.  Jeremiah stood firm in his commitment to God, and he was delivered from being put to death.  If we stand firm in our fait to God, we are already delivered from spiritual death and into everlasting life with God. no matter what happens to us in this life.

Jeremiah 26:1

Jeremiah 26:1 says, In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah came this word from the LORD, saying,  Verse two adds, Thus saith the LORD; Stand in the court of the LORD’s house, and speak unto all the cities of Judah, which come to worship in the LORD’s house, all the words that I command thee to speak unto them; diminish not a word:  During the reign of Jehoiakim, God's word came once more to Jeremiah.  He was told to stand in the temple and declare God's word to all that came to worship, and to not diminish His word.  We today as followers if Christ need to stand and proclaim His word wherever He directs us to, and we certainly should never diminish His word.  Verse three declares, If so be they will hearken, and turn every man from his evil way, that I may repent me of the evil, which I purpose to do unto them because of the evil of their doings.  God said that if they repented of their evil that He might not do the things that He had proposed to do to them.  The only hope that sinners have is to listen to God's call to salvation and repent of their evil ways and accept Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord.  Verse four states,  And thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the LORD; If ye will not hearken to me, to walk in my law, which I have set before you,  Verse five adds, To hearken to the words of my servants the prophets, whom I sent unto you, both rising up early, and sending them, but ye have not hearkened;  God said that He had sent prophets to them, who rose up early to speak to them, and was about to give them a warning if they did not listen to them.  God will send us plenty of people to call us to Him, and it is up to us if we listen or not.  Verse six continues, Then will I make this house like Shiloh, and will make this city a curse to all the nations of the earth.  This would be the result of not listen to God's prophets and obeying His word.  The temple would be destroyed.  If we do not listen to God's word today and do not accept His salvation, then our fate will be even worse.  We will go away to everlasting punishment.  Verse seven states, So the priests and the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of the LORD.  All the priests and the people heard Jeremiah speak these words.  Jeremiah did what God told him to do, then it was up to the people to do what God called on them to do, beginning with the priests.  Today, we who are followers of Christ need to listen to God's word and do what He calls us to do, especially the preachers who are to proclaim His word.  Not that any Christian is less responsible, but the preachers are called for the specific purpose of proclaiming God's word to the congregation of believers and those that need to come to Christ as well.  Verse eight says, Now it came to pass, when Jeremiah had made an end of speaking all that the LORD had commanded him to speak unto all the people, that the priests and the prophets and all the people took him, saying, Thou shalt surely die.  After speaking God's word, Jeremiah had the people declare that he should die.  No matter what people may threaten to do to us today, we must faithfully declare God's word.  Verse nine asks, Why hast thou prophesied in the name of the LORD, saying, This house shall be like Shiloh, and this city shall be desolate without an inhabitant? And all the people were gathered against Jeremiah in the house of the LORD.  These priests and those gathered together in God's house in His name asked Jeremiah why he prophesied the things that he did.  They should have known if they were truly listening to God.  They then gathered at Jeremiah's house.  Verse ten adds, When the princes of Judah heard these things, then they came up from the king’s house unto the house of the LORD, and sat down in the entry of the new gate of the LORD’s house.  Then verse eleven concludes, Then spake the priests and the prophets unto the princes and to all the people, saying, This man is worthy to die; for he hath prophesied against this city, as ye have heard with your ears.  All the priests and prophets said that Jeremiah was worthy of death.  They claimed to represent God, but they didn't.  We need to make sure that what we proclaim to the people today in the name of God is indeed His word.