TOTAL OBEDIENCE!

Jeremiah 35:1-19 NASB

The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, saying, [2] “Go to the house of the Rechabites and speak to them, and bring them into the house of the Lord, into one of the chambers, and give them wine to drink.” [3] So I took Jaazaniah the son of Jeremiah, son of Habazziniah, and his brothers and all his sons, and all the household of the Rechabites, [4] and I brought them into the house of the Lord, into the chamber of the sons of Hanan the son of Igdaliah, the man of God, which was next to the chamber of the officials, which was above the chamber of Maaseiah the son of Shallum, the doorkeeper. [5] Then I set before the men of the house of the Rechabites pitchers full of wine, and cups; and I said to them, “Drink wine!” [6] But they said, “We will not drink wine, for Jonadab the son of Rechab, our father, commanded us, saying, ‘You shall not drink wine, you or your sons, forever. [7] You shall not build a house, and you shall not sow seed nor plant a vineyard, nor own one; but you shall live in tents all your days, so that you may live many days in the land where you live as strangers.’ [8] And we have obeyed the voice of Jonadab the son of Rechab, our father, in all that he commanded us, not to drink wine all our days, we, our wives, our sons, or our daughters, [9] nor to build ourselves houses to live in; and we do not have a vineyard, a field, or seed. [10] But we have lived only in tents, and have obeyed and have done according to all that our father Jonadab commanded us. [11] However, when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against the land, we said, ‘Come, and let’s go to Jerusalem away from the army of the Chaldeans and the army of the Arameans.’ So we have lived in Jerusalem.” [12] Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying, [13] “This is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says: ‘Go and say to the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, “Will you not accept instruction by listening to My words?” declares the Lord. [14] “The words of Jonadab the son of Rechab have been followed, which he commanded his sons: not to drink wine. And 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. [15] Also I have sent to you all My servants the prophets, sending them again and again, saying: ‘Turn now every person from his evil way and amend your deeds, and do not follow other gods to worship them. Then you will live in the land which I have given to you and to your forefathers; but you have not inclined your ear or listened to Me. [16] Indeed, the sons of Jonadab the son of Rechab have followed the command of their father which he commanded them, but this people has not listened to Me.’”’ [17] Therefore this is what the Lord says, the God of armies, the God of Israel: ‘Behold, I am bringing on Judah and on all the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the disaster that I have pronounced against them; because I spoke to them but they did not listen, and I have called them but they did not answer.’” [18] Then Jeremiah said to the house of the Rechabites, “This is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says: ‘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 this is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says: “Jonadab the son of Rechab will not lack a man to stand before Me always.”’”

 

Total obedience means complete and unwavering compliance or submission to a command, authority, or set of instructions—without hesitation, resistance, or partiality. Do you totally obey the Lord? Would God commend you for obeying His word, following instructions, or anything spiritual? He commended the Rechabites for this very reason and holds them up as an example to emulate. These were a nomadic tribe recorded in 1 Chronicles 2:55 as part of the Kenites of Hemath.

Jonadab was the son of Rechab, a Kenite who descended from Hobab and was the head of the Rechabites in the time of Jehu. He commanded his tribe to abstain from wine, as well as instructing them to dwell in tents (this was to help them see life as transient, to keep a low profile, and to possibly continue long in the land where they were strangers).

God used the Rechabites' faithfulness to teach the Israelites an important lesson. The Lord told Jeremiah to invite the Rechabites’ family to meet with him in verse 2 and offer them wine, which they firmly declined, explaining their forefather's command in verse 6. They remained faithful to their family tradition passed down so long ago.

God then uses their obedience as a contrast to the disobedience of the people of Judah. While the Rechabites faithfully obeyed the command of a human ancestor, the people of Judah ignored the commands of God Himself.

By their obedience and faithfulness to their father, Jeremiah condemns the disobedience of the Jews to God their Father. We are taught how much God loves and rewards obedience and hates and punishes disobedience.

Do we abide by God’s word, His laws, His instructions, and principles? Would God commend you to someone as an example of obedience and faithfulness? How long will you hold on to God’s instructions? Is your obedience to God only for a season?

The Rechabites faithfully lived by the set rules through the generations, from Jehu’s time in 2 Kings 10:15 to Jeremiah’s time, well over 200 years.

The story of the Rechabites highlights the importance of covenant obedience and disobedience in our lives. The implication is that if the Rechabites observed the instructions of their human ancestors, stayed faithful to a long-standing family covenant not to drink wine, and held themselves accountable for their obedience to this instruction, we should not be careless with and disobedient to God’s covenant. This family could have updated and modified Jonadab's rule at any time in any generation, but they decided to hold fast to the generational long command.

God sent Jeremiah to remind Judah to learn a lesson from the Rechabites’ obedient faithfulness to Jonadab. God contrasted the obedience of the Rechabites to the disobedience of His people.

Again and again God sent His prophets to tell the Israelites to turn from their wicked ways, but the people wouldn’t heed God’s word, just as again and again we hear God’s word but refuse to obey it. God is saying to us here that as the Rechabites obeyed and lived a good life based on their forefather’s instructions then, we too must hold firm to the new covenant in obedience and live by His word.

The consideration that we are strangers and pilgrims in this world, as drawn in verses 9-10, should oblige us to abstain from all fleshly lusts and materialism. Jonadab's descendants observed these strict rules, only using proper means for their safety in a time of general suffering. Now we have a greater means of remaining safe, prospering, and overcoming sufferings and shortcomings—the name of Jesus, which is better and stronger than what not drinking wine will do for us.

We have a covenant obligation to obey the instructions of our “Father” and live the way His word prescribes for us to live. There is much to learn from this family. They stood firm against assimilating into the culture of the time. But is it possible for us to be like the Rechabites in the world we live in today?

REFLECTION QUESTIONS 

- What does total obedience to God look like in your daily life? 

- How can you cultivate faithfulness in the small commands God gives you? 

- What are the challenges of holding firm to God’s instructions in today’s society? 

- How does the example of the Rechabites encourage you in your walk with God?

PRAYER: Oh Lord, help me to be fully and faithfully committed to obeying all your instructions in Jesus’s name. Amen.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/6mkGj26ekfKstFArvwIIp7?si=crLi7gFbSIK_D9VoX6woVw

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