A message to Jeremiah from the Lord during the days of Jehoiakim concerning the Rechabites.
By way of a refresher, and because we've jumped back in the timeline from Hezekiah to Jehoiakim, here's the list of the final kings of Judah:
- Josiah (640-609 BC): Reigned for 31 years and was one of the only and the last good king.
- Jehoahaz (Shallum) (609 BC): Reigned for only 3 months before being deposed by Pharaoh Necho.
- Jehoiakim (Eliakim) (608-597 BC): Reigned for 11 years and initially served as a vassal to Babylon.
- Jehoiachin (Joiachin/Coniah) (597 BC): Reigned for 3 months and was exiled to Babylon.
- Zedekiah (Mattaniah) (597-586 BC): The last king of Judah before the destruction of Jerusalem and the Babylonian exile.
So, with the exception of the 3 month reign of Jehoiachin, Jehoiakim was the king just prior to Zedekiah. He was also one of the kings who was a son of Josiah. A fact that always makes me sad. Josiah deserved better, from my distant vantage point.
Back to the passage. Here's the message the Lord had for Jeremiah this time:
“Go to the house of the Rechabites and speak with them and bring them to the house of the Lord, into one of the chambers; then offer them wine to drink.” Jeremiah 35:2
According to my Ryrie Study Bible, this was a surprising request from the Lord. The Lord was known for asking Jeremiah to do odd things, like where a yoke in court; but this time the Lord was telling Jeremiah to bring these people into the Temple and offer them a drink. The Rechabites were a puritan protest group and so they did not drink.
Starting in verse 3, Jeremiah complies. He brings the whole house of the Rechabites into a chamber in the Temple. He gave them pitchers of wine and cups an emphatically told them to drink. There is an actual exclamation mark at the end of Jeremiah's command to drink.
In verse 6 they decline and inform him that their patriarch prohibited drinking by the sons of the family forever. They go on to describe the rest of their culture, based on what grandaddy Rechab's son taught them: Don't build houses; don't sow seeds; don't plant or own a vineyard; dwell in texts and sojourn. So they are nomads.
In verses 10 they confirm that they obey the no drinking rule as do all of the makes and females of the family, as well as obeying the other rules they outlined.
In verse 11 they explain that they are usually nomads, but had to come to Jerusalem when the Babylonian army came tearing through the land.
Verses 12-17 form a paragraph in which the Lord shapes Jeremiah's next message to Judah using the Rechabites as an object lesson. Jonadab is name of Rechab's son who founded the Rechabite sect. God points out that this family obeys the word of their father. yet the children of God refuse to obey Him. They don't listen to God despite the fact that He continually sends them prophets.
Even at this late hour, He offers them to opportunity to repent and avoid the coming disaster. But points out that, unlike the children of Jonadab, His children do not listen.
Therefore, thus says the Lord, the God of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I am bringing upon Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the disaster that I have pronounced against them, because I have spoken to them and they have not listened, I have called to them and they have not answered.” Jeremiah 35:17
This chapter closes with God's message to the Rechabites. He commends their obedience to their father's word and promises that Jonadab will never lack a man to stand before God. Always.
This is another example of God's unique way with Jeremiah and the unique voices He gives us in the various authors of the Bible. Unique, but also aligned. Just amazing. I love a good object lesson, when it is not I being taught the lesson. 🙂
Also, this is a really good illustration of how God values structure. And specifically family structure. He did not commend them for obeying HIM, which is the lesson He wanted his own children of Judah to learn; He commended them for following the command of their fathers even across generations. And the men were the ones to receive the commands, but they enforced that with the women and children of their family. So goes the man...so goes the family.
It's a very interesting illustration given to us by the Lord.
Additional Info:
Just for context and background, the MacArthur Bible Commentary added some interesting tidbits:
- The Rechabites were descendants of Moses' father-in-law. (See I Chronicles 2:55)
- These were not Jacob's seed, but strangers in the land.
- God wasn't praising the abstinence from alcohol or the nomadic lifestyle; but the obedience to the father.
- The commentary points out that they weren't offered spiritual salvation (probably because they were exhibiting faith in God); but permanent posterity. It sounds like they are mentioned in Nehemiah 3.
Additionally, Warren Wiersbe points out that this group had kept these commands for two centuries. This wasn't passing clan with some strange rules, but a long-held system of belief, sustained through the family structure and commitment.
We see these kind of groups within and outside Christianity and we see this kind of sacrifice and commitment in purely secular pursuits- not just Olympic athletes but men all over the country trying to improve their golf game. As Lou Giglio always says, we are made to worship. It's in our basic DNA. We are going to be committed to something. Let it be God and His plan for our lives.
Amen.