Jeremiah 35:1-19
Q.1. Who were the Rechabites? What made them different in Israel? What was God’s command to Jeremiah? – (Jer.35:1-11)
This incident happened during the reign of Jehoiakim, before the first captivity (2 Chron.36:5-7). God sought to impress on the people the seriousness of Judah’s disobedience. This He was able to do by commanding Jeremiah – Go to the house of the Rechabites … and bring them into the house of the Lord, into one of the chambers, and give them wine to drink (Jer.35:2). The Rechabite families replied – We will not drink wine, for Jonadab, the son of Rechab, our (fore)father, commanded us saying, ‘You shall not drink wine, you, or your sons forever … that you may live many days in the land where you sojourn (Jer.35:6-7). For generations, the Rechabites had applied a family conviction to abstain from drinking wine, and from settling into cities. This had come about as their godly forebear Jonadab, son of Rechab, had seen the degeneration in the life of his close companion, Jehu, who had risen to the throne. (2 Kings 10:15,23, 31). To avoid moral and spiritual ruin, Jonadab advised his sons to stay out of the cities, and away from the vice he had observed. Consequently, their lifestyle kept them from the judgment of the rest of Israel at the hands of the Syrians, and later from the destruction of Judah by the Babylonians. They had stayed true to their convictions, so therefore refused the invitation to drink the wine offered them by the prophet Jeremiah.
Q.2. How did the response of the Rechabites differ from Judah’s? What was God’s promise to the Rechabites? – (Jer.35:12-19)
God was able to use the testimony of the Rechabites in a most powerful way to bring conviction to the leaders and people of Judah – 13 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘Go and say to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, “Will you not receive instruction by listening to My words?” declares the Lord. 14 “The words of Jonadab the son of Rechab, which he commanded his sons not to drink wine, are observed. They do not drink wine to this day, for they have obeyed their father’s command. But I have spoken to you again and again; yet you have not listened to Me (Jer.35:13-14). The commitment and obedience of Rechabites legitimized the predicted destruction of Judah, and their removal from the land. The Rechabites had less accountability to heed the words of Jonadab, than the people of Judah and Jerusalem had to obey God. However, the Rechabites had voluntarily placed a restriction on their lifestyle, in order to preserve a godly heritage. For this, the Lord promised – 18 … Because you have obeyed the command of Jonadab your father, kept all his commands and done according to all that he commanded you; 19 therefore thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘Jonadab the son of Rechab shall not lack a man to stand before Me always’ (Jer.35:18-19). This was in stark contrast to the leaders and other people who had exposed themselves to the ungodly influences of those around. We need to discern the damage done to our commitment and testimony to Christ if we are unwilling to avoid the many ungodly practices and places of our day. We must learn to have the right heroes, and to avoid evil influencers (1 Corinthians 15:32-34).