Sabbath school lesson 9, 4th quarter of 2015

1. Lesson 9 for November 28, 2015

2. “You shall not take a wife, nor shall you have sons or daughters in this place.” (Jeremiah 16:2)
Jeremiah's life would be a living parable, like Hosea's life. He would be an example
of the message he was called to preach.
• Because they would die at war or by
famine.
You shall not take a
wife, nor shall you
have sons…
(Jer. 16:1-4)
• Because unpeaceful days were
coming when the dead couldn't be
neither mourned nor buried.
Do not enter the
house of mourning…
(Jer. 16:5-7)
• I will cause to cease every voice of
joy and happiness.
You shall not go into
the house of
feasting… (Jer. 16:8-9)
Jeremiah's was asked why his message was
so negative. Jeremiah replied by pointing
out the sin of the people (Jer. 16:10-13) and
the divine mercy (Jer. 16:14-15).

3. In chapter 27, Jeremiah was ordered to make
some wooden yokes.
He must use one of them. The others must be
delivered to the nations who joined Zedekiah
to conspire against Babylon.
The message was clear. Don’t listen to your
prophets and sorcerers who say that Babylon
would be defeated. Those submitting to
Babylon shall live; if you don’t, you will be
deported or destroyed.
Disobeying that message
meant to disobey God.
“‘But the nations that bring their necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon
and serve him, I will let them remain in their own land,’ says the Lord, ‘and
they shall till it and dwell in it.’” (Jeremiah 27:11)
God decides the future of
all nations.

4. E.G.W. (Prophets and Kings, cp. 43, pg. 536)

5. “Thus speaks the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, saying: ‘I have broken
the yoke of the king of Babylon. Within two full years I will bring back to
this place all the vessels of the Lord’s house, that Nebuchadnezzar king of
Babylon took away from this place and carried to Babylon.” (Jeremiah 28:2-3)
Hananiah used the same
authority and similar
words to Jeremiah’s
(“Says the Lord”).
Nevertheless, both
messages were
contradictory.
Who should they believe?
How would you solve a
similar dilemma?

6. “Thus speaks the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, saying: ‘I have broken the
yoke of the king of Babylon. Within two full years I will bring back to this place
all the vessels of the Lord’s house, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took
away from this place and carried to Babylon.” (Jeremiah 28:2-3)
Jeremiah defended his message:
1. “Amen! The Lord do so.” (Jer. 28:6):
 Hananiah’s message was what the people and
Jeremiah wanted to happen. But that didn’t
make the message true.
Jeremiah wanted the people to
learn from their history, so they
wouldn’t make the same
mistakes their ancestors made.
2. “The prophets who have been
before me and before you…”
(Jer. 28:8):
 The prophets before
Jeremiah preached
messages in line with his.

7. “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, ‘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.’”’” (Jeremiah 28:12-13)
Hananiah didn’t have arguments to defend his message, so
he just repeated it. He also added a symbolic action,
breaking Jeremiah’s wooden yoke (Jer. 28:10-11).
“And the prophet Jeremiah
went his way.” He had already
defended his message. He is an
example for us, since he left
that “war” in the hands of
God.
God replied by using the
“yokes of iron” metaphor (Jer.
28:12-14). No one would break
God’s message about Babylon.

8. BELIEVING THE LIES
“Then the prophet Jeremiah said to Hananiah the prophet, ‘Hear now, Hananiah,
the Lord has not sent you, but you make this people trust in a lie. Therefore thus
says the Lord: “Behold, I will cast you from the face of the earth. This year you
shall die, because you have taught rebellion against the Lord.”’ So Hananiah the
prophet died the same year in the seventh month.” (Jeremiah 28:15-17)
Hananiah died two months after breaking the
wooden yoke, just like Jeremiah prophesied.
That was a proof of Jeremiah’s message being
true. Nevertheless, the people decided to
continue believing Hananiah’s lies.
Many people prefer to believe any lie—no matter
how absurd—instead of believing Christ’s truth.
That was prophesied, “and they will turn their
ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to
fables.” (2 Timothy 4:4).
When people reject God permanently, He let
them “believe the lie” (2 Thessalonians 2:11).

9. E.G.W. (Prophets and Kings, cp. 36, pg. 442)