Jeremiah 28:10 – "Then Hananiah the prophet took the yoke from off the prophet Jeremiah's neck, and brake it."

Jeremiah wearing the yoke of wood. The yoke is made of wood (Jer. 28:13), and the bonds are strings or cords that hole the yokes together.

Started in the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim. Jehoiakim reigned 11 years, II Kings 23:36. (Jehoiakim is sometimes called Eliakim.) It was in the third or fourth year of the reign of Jehoiakim, that Nebuchadnezzar came and took some of Judah captive to Babylon. This is the first captivity.

The next ruler after him was Jehoiachin, who reigned 3 months and 10 days, II Kings 24:8. The second captivity was in the short reign of Jehoiachin.

The next ruler was Zedekiah, who was also called Mattaniah. Zedekiah ruled 11 years. The third Babylon captivity (which is the final and complete one) was in the end of his 11 year reign. There hasn’t been a ruler of the lineage of David sit upon the throne since.

Jeremiah 27:1-3 – God commanded Jeremiah to make bonds and yokes and put upon his own neck, and also to make other bonds and yokes to send to other nations: Edom, Moab, Ammonites, Tyrus, and Zidon. Jeremiah was to do this until Zedekiah the king of Judah.

Jeremiah did this in the first year of Jehoiakim’s reign

Jeremiah did this also in the reign of Zedekiah, Jeremiah 27:12.

Hananiah, a false prophet, was also prophesying his false prophecies in the first year of Zedekiah’s reign.

Being a conspicuous witness:

For the personal witness of Jeremiah.

a. The yoke would be a constant reminder to Jeremiah that he is different from everybody else.

b. When Jeremiah put on the yoke, he was being submissive to God.

c. When Jeremiah put off the yoke (to wash, to rest, so forth) he would be reminded of his duties toward God.

d. Jeremiah would be constantly reminded that he is on this earth as a servant of God.

e. To be a good witness, you must die to self, and be willing to be spent for the cause of Christ. (The Afghanistan’s are willing to blow themselves up for their God (Allah) and their nation. Are we willing to be a daily, visible, physical, living witness for the God of all eternity?)

For the personal witness of everybody else.

f. When Jeremiah was seen with the yoke on his neck, it would be natural to ask why he was wearing such a yoke, and the explanation would be a good opportunity to witness.

g. Jeremiah, wearing the yoke, would be a constant reminder to all who knew why he was wearing it.

There were many other prophets, some false, some true.

Jer. 28:1 – Hananiah was a false prophet. Jeremiah 29 is a letter written by Jeremiah to the Jews carried into Babylonian captivity, urging them to believe God, not the false prophets, and to build houses, marry, seek peace in the city you are now living in, so forth, because you are going to be there 70 years. This letter wasn’t published very much because Daniel didn’t get it. Daniel recorded in Daniel 9:1,2 that when the end of the 70 year of captivity came, it was then that he understood by books that the captivity would be 70 years. Note: Jeremiah told from the very beginning of the captivity that it would last 70 years, but nobody listened to him. God, however, preserved his writings, and this is what Daniel read, or at least a copy of the history of the writings.

Jer. 27:13-15 – False prophets continually said that Judah and Jerusalem would not go into captivity.

Jeremiah 26 – Who will the people listen to?

How do people know who to listen to? Each person must seek the face of God as individuals. Never look at circumstances around you, but always look to God. He will provide, and he will take away. All things are in the hands of God. A consistent, conspicuous witness will put his life on the line for what he believes.

a. Verse 8 – When Jeremiah got finished preaching, the priests, the prophets and the people decided he should die because of what he preached.

b. Verse 10 – The princes of Judah came to act as judge.

c. Verse 13-15 – Jeremiah told them all they ought to mend their ways, that they could do with him as they desired, but they were still facing the judgment of God.

d. Verse 16 – Then the princes and the people told the priests and the prophets that Jeremiah shouldn’t die because he had spoken in the name of the Lord.

e. Verse 17 – Then some elders of the land spoke to all the assembled people.

1) Verse 18-19 – They spoke of Micah, who preached the same message as Jeremiah in the days of Hezekiah, and Hezekiah didn’t kill him.

2) Verse 20-23 – They spoke of Urijah, who also preached the same message as Jeremiah. When Jehoiakim was going to kill him, he ran off, but Jehoiakim chased him down, brought him back to Jerusalem and killed him.

f. Verse 24 – Ahikam, the son of Shaphan was the turning point that allowed Jeremiah to live. (This Ahikam is the same man who served under Josiah, II Kings 22:12, whose son, Gedaliah, was placed over the people (as governor) that remained in the land of Judah after the third captivity, II Kings 25:22, Jeremiah 40:7.)