12 Later, sometime after Hananiah had smashed the yoke from off his shoulders, Jeremiah received this Message from God: 13 "Go back to Hananiah and tell him, 'This is God's Message: You smashed the wooden yoke-bars; now you've got iron yoke-bars. 14 This is a Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies, Israel's own God: I've put an iron yoke on all these nations. They're harnessed to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. They'll do just what he tells them. Why, I'm even putting him in charge of the wild animals.'" 15 So prophet Jeremiah told prophet Hananiah, "Hold it, Hananiah! God never sent you. You've talked the whole country into believing a pack of lies! 16 And so God says, 'You claim to be sent? I'll send you all right - right off the face of the earth! Before the year is out, you'll be dead because you fomented sedition against God.'" 17 Prophet Hananiah died that very year, in the seventh month.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Jeremiah 28:12-17
Commentary on Jeremiah 28:10-17
(Read Jeremiah 28:10-17)
Hananiah is sentenced to die, and Jeremiah, when he has received direction from God, boldly tells him so; but not before he received that commission. Those have much to answer for, who tell sinners that they shall have peace, though they harden their hearts in contempt of God's word. The servant of God must be gentle to all men. He must give up even his right, and leave the Lord to plead his cause. Every attempt of ungodly men to make vain the purposes of God, will add to their miseries.