NOTES for Jer 28:1-17

In principle, the speech of a person such as the ill-fated Hananiah is a normal cultural phenomenon. He encourages despairing Judeans and inspires them with hope that God has not abandoned them, and therefore not everything is lost yet. He says what they want to hear, and there is nothing wrong with people wanting to hear good news rather than bad. Jeremiah himself is the first to cry "Amen," because he too very much wants there to be no war, no people dying, and the great temple still standing.

But the whole point is that besides the desire to listen to pleasant and joyful news, a person has another calling, far more important than Judah's victory or defeat, than the fate of the temple and everything connected with it. This calling is not to shut oneself up in one's own culture, but to listen and hear not only one another's words, however good they may be. A person is born to listen to God: God wants to speak with people, and people can hear His word. In relation to this calling Hananiah proves to be a liar, and Jeremiah a true prophet.