The Lesson
[Thematic Reading Option]
Jeremiah 28:5-9
The prophet Jeremiah spoke to the prophet Hananiah in the
presence of the priests and all the people who were standing in the house of
the Lord; and the prophet Jeremiah said,
“Amen! May the Lord do so; may the Lord fulfill the words that you have prophesied, and
bring back to this place from Babylon the vessels of the house of the Lord, and all the exiles. But listen now to this
word that I speak in your hearing and in the hearing of all the people. The
prophets who preceded you and me from ancient times prophesied war, famine, and
pestilence against many countries and great kingdoms. As for the prophet who
prophesies peace, when the word of that prophet comes true, then it will be
known that the Lord has truly sent the
prophet.”
_
---———---———---———---———---———--- _
This lesson needs some help from the context in which it is found. Here we find Jeremiah and Hananiah, both prophesying in the name of God. But there is a major difference between the former and the later. Jeremiah is speaking a hard word, but it is from God. Hananiah is speaking a comforting word, but without the command of God so to speak. Jeremiah is aware of this. He is also aware of the fact that this word not of God sounds wonderful, and how he wishes that it were indeed so. And yet he knows that it is not. This begs of us the question: which shall we heed, the easy word not from God, or the challenging word that is of God.
Father Tim+
No comments:
Post a Comment