The Strand Study Bible

JEREMIAH 35:1

JEREMIAH 35:15

1203

that ye may live many days in the land where ye be strangers. 8 Thus have we obeyed the voice of Jona- dab the son of Rechab our father in all that he hath charged us, to drink no wine allour days, we, our wives, our sons, nor our daughters; 9 Nor to build houses for us to dwell in: neither have we vineyard, nor field, nor seed: 10 But we have dwelt in tents, and have obeyed, and done according to all that Jonadab our father commanded us. 11 But it came to pass, 3 when Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon came up into the land, that we said, Come, and let us go to Jerusalem for fear of the army of the Chaldeans, and for fear of the army of the Syrians: so we dwell at Jerusalem. 12 Then came the word of the LORD unto Jeremiah, saying, 13 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Go and tell the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, Will ye not receive instruction to hearken to my words? saith the LORD. 14 The words of Jonadab the son of Rechab, that he commanded his sons not to drink wine, are performed; for unto this day they drink none, but obey their father’s commandment: notwithstanding I have spoken unto you, rising early and speaking; but ye hearkened not unto me. 15 I have sent also unto you all my servants the 4 prophets, rising up early and sending them, saying, Return ye now every

1. II Ki 10:15-23 2. II Ki 10:15 3. II Ki 24:1

Jeremiah 35 The Rechabite’s obedience (An illustration to backslidden Judah)

4. that is, “Jeremiah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, and Urijah”

(Note - This portion of Jeremiah’s prophecy took place in the 4th year of King Jehoiakim’s reign) Date Written - 605 BC/AM 3395

1 The word which came unto Jeremiah from the LORD in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, saying, 2 Go unto the house of the 1 Rechabites, and speak unto them, and bring them into the house of the LORD, into one of the chambers, and give them wine to drink. 3 Then I took Jaazaniah the son of Jeremiah, the son of Habaziniah, and his brethren, and all his sons, and the whole house 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, a man of God, which was by the chamber of the princes, which was above the chamber of Maaseiah the son of Shallum, the keeper of the door: 5 And I set before the sons of the house of the Rechabites pots full of wine, and cups, and I said unto them, Drink ye wine. 6 But they said, We will drink no wine: for 2 Jonadab the son of Rechab our father commanded us, saying, Ye shall drink no wine, neither ye, nor your sons for ever: 7 Neither shall ye build house, nor sow seed, nor plant vineyard, nor have any: but all your days ye shall dwell in tents;

35:2 Founded by Jonadab, the son of Rechab (II Ki 10:15-25), the Rechabites were descendants of the Kenites (I Chro 2:55), which were descendants of Moses’ father-in-law from Midian (Judges 1:16 and Num 10:29-32). Choosing rather to live outside the corrupting influences of city life, the Rechabites lived for God as semi-nomads in tents. During the reign of Jehu (c. 879 – 850 BC) it was the Rechabites that assisted in the eradication of Baalim worship from Israel. The reason the Rechabites had taken refuge in Jerusalem at this time was because Nebuchadnezzar was ravaging the countryside where they lived (vs 11). Their temporary living situation gave the Lord an opportunity to impart “common sense” object lessons from their lives to those who would listen (vs 13): Lesson #1 – J ust because you can, doesn’t mean you should ( and give them wine to drink – vs 2-6) Some would argue, “Why would anyone want to live life… devoid of pleasure?” Jesus didn’t (Jn 2:1-10). Neither did Solomon (Eccl 2). Common sense says: Just because everyone else is doing it doesn’t mean you should do it. Just because Jesus turned the water into wine doesn’t mean you should drink it. Some people have TV’s, some shouldn’t. Nothing wrong with TV’s, however, not everyone can control what they watch. What’s your Achilles heel? Lesson #2 – Just because something doesn’t make sense to you, doesn’t mean it doesn’t make sense (vs 7-9) Some would argue, “Why would anyone want to live life… inconveniently?” Common sense says: Don’t get too attached to the convenient, i.e., temporal Why? Because it doesn’t last (Lk 12:13-20). Lesson #3 – Just because it’s a command doesn’t mean it’s a burden ( The words of Jonadab … are performed – vs 10-14) Some would argue, “Why would anyone want to live life… subject to rules?” Common sense says: Yielding to the laws of God makes life easier, not harder ( Mt 11:28-30 ). The Creator’s laws whether physical or spirituals are always for the benefit of the creature. Lesson #4 – Just because you believe in God doesn’t mean you believe God ( but ye have not inclined your ear – vs 15-19) Some would argue, “Why would anyone want to live life… believing in something he cannot see?” Common sense says: You can invest in the eternal and give your life away or you can invest in the temporal and throw it away, but either way you’re going to lose it, so you may as well invest it in the future (Mt 10:37-39 and Jn 20:26-29). NOTE – God has given us the account of the Rechabites to remind us that not every believer fails in his relationship to God.