John Calvin Commentary Jeremiah 28:15

"Then said the prophet Jeremiah unto Hananiah the prophet, Hear now, Hananiah: Jehovah hath not sent thee; but thou makest this people to trust in a lie." — Jeremiah 28:15 (ASV)

There would not have been enough weight in the plain teaching of Jeremiah if he had not confronted his adversary, as is the case with us today. When insolent and unprincipled men rise up and dare to vomit forth their blasphemies, by which they darken and degrade the doctrines of true religion, we must contend with them; otherwise, what we teach would be ineffective.

For the minds of many—I mean the simple—are in suspense and fluctuate when they see a great conflict between two contrary parties. It was therefore necessary for the holy man to expose the lies of Hananiah, for he always vaunted himself and boasted of his own predictions.

But what did Jeremiah say? Jehovah hath not sent thee. This refutation should be noted whenever we contend with Satan’s ministers and false teachers. For whatever they may pretend, and with whatever masks they may cover their lies, this one thing should be more than sufficient to put an end to their boastings—that they have not been sent by the Lord.

Jeremiah might have contended in a long speech with Hananiah, for he could have been made sufficiently eloquent through the Holy Spirit suggesting and dictating whatever was necessary on the subject. But this concise brevity produced a much greater effect than if he had made a great display and used many words.

Let this, then, be kept in mind: wherever there is a controversy about religion, we should always ask whether he who speaks has been sent by God. For whatever he may babble, even if he is most astute, and though he may say things that fill the minds of the simple with wonder, all this is nothing but smoke if his doctrine is not from God.

So also, we should today deal briefly with those mercenary dogs of the Pope who bark against the pure truth of the Gospel. We should be satisfied with this concise answer—that God is not their master and teacher.

But as our state now is different from that of the ancient people, we must observe that he only is sent by the Lord whose doctrine is according to the rule of the Law, and of the Prophets, and of the Gospel.

If, then, we desire to know whom the Lord has sent, and whom He approves as His servants, let us come to the Scripture, and let there be a thorough examination.

He who speaks according to the Law, the Prophets, and the Gospel has a sure and indubitable evidence of his divine call. But he who cannot prove that he draws what he advances from these fountains, whatever his pretenses may be, should be repudiated as a false prophet.

Thus, we see what an important instruction this passage contains.

He then adds, Thou hast made this people to rely on falsehood. They pervert the meaning of the Prophet who render the words this way: “You have falsely made this people secure,” or at least they lessen by half what the Prophet intended to express.

For not only is Hananiah condemned because he vainly and falsely used God’s name, but the word שקר, shicor, is introduced—the very word employed. It is as though he had said, “You feed this people with a vain hope which you have formed in your own mind; therefore, your fictions make this people go astray.”

Hence, Jeremiah not only accused this impostor of deceiving the people with his fictions but also of bringing forward his prophecies in God’s name. These prophecies removed their fear and gave them some hope, so that the people became torpid in their security.

Let us learn from this passage that we should especially take heed, when the basis of our trust is the subject, lest we rely on any empty or perishable thing, like wretched hypocrites who devour shadows only and afterward find nothing solid in their own fictions. But when we refer to trust, let there be something solid on which we can safely rely. And we know that we cannot possibly be disappointed if we look to God for all things, if we rest on His mercy alone; for there is no rest nor peace for us anywhere else but in Christ. Let us then retain this object of trust, and let it be our only support.