QT 21 Jul 11, Our success is not how well the message is received by the masses, but it is how faithful it is to God

Jer 28:10-11, 15-17 (NIV) Then the prophet Hananiah took the yoke off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah and broke it, 11 and he said before all the people, "This is what the Lord says: 'In the same way will I break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon off the neck of all the nations within two years.'" At this, the prophet Jeremiah went on his way.

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15 Then the prophet Jeremiah said to Hananiah the prophet, "Listen, Hananiah! The Lord has not sent you, yet you have persuaded this nation to trust in lies. 16 Therefore, this is what the Lord says: 'I am about to remove you from the face of the earth. This very year you are going to die, because you have preached rebellion against the Lord.'"

17 In the seventh month of that same year, Hananiah the prophet died.

NOTE: In Jer 20, God lets Pashhur live but pronounces a judgment against him that includes exile to Babylon and seeing all the things that he prophesied, not come true.  Besides his false prophecies, Pashhur had thrown Jeremiah in the stocks.  But in this passage, God deals very differently with Hananiah, instead of watching his prophecies not come true, Hananiah dies in two months (comparing 28:1 to 28:17).  I still wonder if Pashhur was redeemable for the work of the Lord, but Hananiah is too stubborn to believe the truth.  Hananiah really does not have much of an excuse.  At this point, many of Jeremiah's prophecies have come true (two deportations to Babylon and the loss of much wealth).  I wonder if Hananiah's prophecy was especially popular -- something the people wanted to hear.  No one wants to remain under another nation's control.  The people probably like Hananiah, spoke well of Hananiah, and loved to listen to Hananiah, but Hananiah did not listened to God.  It is not the popularity of the message as measured by attendance (people in the pews) that is our measure of success, but it is the preaching the word of God faithfully that should be our measure of success.  And that requires prayer and communion with God.  God is the one who will provide us with our "well done" compliment.