“In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, 2 “Thus says the Lord to me: ‘Make for yourselves bonds and yokes, and put them on your neck, 3 and send them to the king of Edom, the king of Moab, the king of the Ammonites, the king of Tyre, and the king of Sidon, by the hand of the messengers who come to Jerusalem to Zedekiah king of Judah. 4 And command them to say to their masters, “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel—thus you shall say to your masters: 5 ‘I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are on the ground, by My great power and by My outstretched arm, and have given it to whom it seemed proper to Me. 6 And now I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, My servant; and the beasts of the field I have also given him to serve him.” Jeremiah 27:1-6 NKJV
“Then Hananiah the prophet took the yoke off the prophet Jeremiah’s neck and broke it. 11 And Hananiah spoke in the presence of all the people, saying, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Even so I will 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. 12 Now the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, after Hananiah the prophet had broken the yoke from the neck of the prophet Jeremiah, saying, 13 “Go and tell Hananiah, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord: “You have broken the yokes of wood, but you have made in their place yokes of iron.” 14 For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: “I have put a yoke of iron on the neck of all these nations, that they may serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and they shall serve him. I have given him the beasts of the field also.” Jeremiah 28:10-14 NKJV
God who will not be mocked,
Hananiah fell into the hands of the God he served but did not listen to. He served in his own strength and understanding. He said what the people wanted to hear maybe and what he hoped would happen. He even stood against the truth when he heard it from Jeremiah. I wonder that he perhaps thought You, God would not punish him for saying nice things. A kind of don’t worry it will be alright.
But it can’t be alright if we ignore Your warnings or mock you. It may not happen straight way but Hananiah, we are told, died in the seventh month of that year as Jeremiah said he would. As the writer to the Hebrews says,” Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. And again, “The Lord will judge His people.” It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of You God, the living God.”(Deuteronomy 32:35) (Hebrews 10:30,31) How eternally grateful are we that we are new creations in Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:17). We can repent turn from our sin and be forgiven. Help us to choose Your way, hear Your direction and correction even when it is hard.
In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
Worship Wednesday 27th August 2025
Your will be done, my God and Father
As in Heaven, so on Earth
My heart is drawn to self-exalting
Help me seek Your kingdom first
As Jesus walked, so I shall walk
Held by Your same unchanging love
Be still my soul, O lift your voice and pray
“Father, not my will but Yours be done”
How in that Garden He persisted
I may never fully know
The fearful weight of true obedience
It was held by Him alone
What wondrous faith to bear that cross
To bear my sin, what wondrous love
My hope was sure, when there my Saviour prayed
“Father, not my will but Yours be done”
When I am lost, when I am broken
In the night of fear and doubt
Still, I will trust in my good Father
Yes, to one great King I bow
As Jesus rose, so I shall rise
In ransomed glory at the throne
My heart restored With all Your saints, I sing
“Father, not my will but Yours be done”
As we go forth, our God and Father
Lead us daily in the fight
That all the world might see Your glory
And Your Name be lifted high
And in this Name we overcome
For You shall see us safely home
Now as Your church, we lift our voice and pray
“Father, not my will but Yours be done”
And in this Name we overcome
For You shall see us safely home
Now as Your church, we lift our voice and pray
“Father, not my will but Yours be done”
Father, not my will but Yours be done
Father, not my will but Yours be done
Lyrics: Rich Thompson, Jonny Robinson