NOTES for Jer 28:1-17
The prophet is in no hurry to refute Hananiah’s speech, which contradicts everything he has heard from the Lord. Jeremiah himself would be glad if Hananiah’s words came true; we even hear his prayerful exclamation wishing that the Lord would indeed bring everything about in precisely that way. But whatever Jeremiah’s desires may be, he does not lose his clear judgment, and, surely with pain in his heart, he continues to proclaim the bitter truth.
When difficulties close in around us, we can succumb to the temptation to turn away from tragic reality and make ourselves believe—although in such cases no compulsion is usually needed—in illusions that conceal what we would rather not see. Then false prophets like Hananiah become sought after by “public opinion,” weary of the negative information pressing in from every side. People also stop heeding warnings of danger because another category of false prophets is always active: those who delight in frightening people with horrors that will never come to pass. Such people, however, are believed more often than warnings about real dangers.
But in every age the Lord calls us to the sober ability to distinguish the genuine from the imaginary. And to the faithfulness without which it is impossible to stand firm.