The Obedience of the Rechabites
Jer 35:1 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD during the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah:
Jer 35:2 “Go to the Rekabite family and invite them to come to one of the side rooms of the house of the LORD and give them wine to drink.”
Jer 35:3 So I went to get Jaazaniah son of Jeremiah, the son of Habazziniah, and his brothers and all his sons—the whole family of the Rekabites.
Jer 35:4 I brought them into the house of the LORD, into the room of the sons of Hanan son of Igdaliah the man of God. It was next to the room of the officials, which was over that of Maaseiah son of Shallum the doorkeeper.
Jer 35:5 Then I set bowls full of wine and some cups before the Rekabites and said to them, “Drink some wine.”
Jer 35:6 But they replied, “We do not drink wine, because our forefather Jehonadab son of Rekab gave us this command: ‘Neither you nor your descendants must ever drink wine.
Jer 35:7 Also you must never build houses, sow seed or plant vineyards; you must never have any of these things, but must always live in tents. Then you will live a long time in the land where you are nomads.’
Jer 35:8 We have obeyed everything our forefather Jehonadab son of Rekab commanded us. Neither we nor our wives nor our sons and daughters have ever drunk wine
Jer 35:9 or built houses to live in or had vineyards, fields or crops.
Jer 35:10 We have lived in tents and have fully obeyed everything our forefather Jehonadab commanded us.
Jer 35:11 But when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon invaded this land, we said, ‘Come, we must go to Jerusalem to escape the Babylonian and Aramean armies.’ So we have remained in Jerusalem.”
Jer 35:12 Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, saying:
Jer 35:13 “This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Go and tell the people of Judah and those living in Jerusalem, ‘Will you not learn a lesson and obey my words?’ declares the LORD.
Jer 35:14 ‘Jehonadab son of Rekab ordered his descendants not to drink wine and this command has been kept. To this day they do not drink wine, because they obey their forefather’s command. But I have spoken to you again and again, yet you have not obeyed me.
Jer 35:15 Again and again I sent all my servants the prophets to you. They said, “Each of you must turn from your wicked ways and reform your actions; do not follow other gods to serve them. Then you will live in the land I have given to you and your ancestors.” But you have not paid attention or listened to me.
Jer 35:16 The descendants of Jehonadab son of Rekab have carried out the command their forefather gave them, but these people have not obeyed me.’
Jer 35:17 “Therefore this is what the LORD God Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘Listen! I am going to bring on Judah and on everyone living in Jerusalem every disaster I pronounced against them. I spoke to them, but they did not listen; I called to them, but they did not answer.'”
Jer 35:18 Then Jeremiah said to the family of the Rekabites, “This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘You have obeyed the command of your forefather Jehonadab and have followed all his instructions and have done everything he ordered.’
Jer 35:19 Therefore this is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘Jehonadab son of Rekab will never fail to have a descendant to serve me.'”
1 By the obedience of the Rechabites, 12 Jeremiah condemned the disobedience of the Jews. 18 God blessed the Rechabites for their obedience.
The Obedience of the Rechabites
Jer 35:1 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD during the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah:
The experience recorded in ch. 35 occurred in an earlier period of Jeremiah’s ministry, shortly before the Babylonians came against Jerusalem (see PK 423).
Jer 35:2 “Go to the Rekabite family and invite them to come to one of the side rooms of the house of the LORD and give them wine to drink.”
The founder of this family was Jonadab, or Jehonadab (v. 6), who lived in the days of Jehu, king of Samaria (841–814 b.c.), about 240 years earlier. It is evident that his influence was so great that Jehu was glad to have him on his side, and Jonadab was equally glad to be with Jehu because of his “zeal for the Lord” (see 2 Kings 10:15, 16). Jonadab insisted that his followers adopt a strict manner of living.
Jer 35:4 I brought them into the house of the LORD, into the room of the sons of Hanan son of Igdaliah the man of God. It was next to the room of the officials, which was over that of Maaseiah son of Shallum the doorkeeper.
These rooms, or apartments, attached to the Temple (1 Kings 6:5) were apparently assigned to important priests or prophets; here to “the sons of Hanan.” The phrase, “man of God,” implies that the one so named was a prophet (see 1 Sam. 2:27; 1 Kings 13:1; 20:28; 2 Kings 4:7, 9).
Jer 35:5 Then I set bowls full of wine and some cups before the Rekabites and said to them, “Drink some wine.”
Jer 35:6 But they replied, “We do not drink wine, because our forefather Jehonadab son of Rekab gave us this command: ‘Neither you nor your descendants must ever drink wine.
Throughout life the Rechabites were like the Nazirites (see on Num. 6:2–5), a separate people, living apart from cities and refraining from holding property.
Jer 35:11 But when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon invaded this land, we said, ‘Come, we must go to Jerusalem to escape the Babylonian and Aramean armies.’ So we have remained in Jerusalem.”
Apologetically the Rechabites explained that they were forced to come temporarily to the city of Jerusalem with the other country dwellers of Judah, because of the Babylonian invasion (Jer. 4:6; 8:14; cf. 2 Kings 24:1, 2).
Jer 35:13 “This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Go and tell the people of Judah and those living in Jerusalem, ‘Will you not learn a lesson and obey my words?’ declares the LORD.
Learn a lesson. In striking contrast to the Rechabites, who had persisted faithfully for centuries in obeying the rule of their father, Jonadab, “the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem,” though purporting to be the children of God, persistently refused “to hearken” to divine counsel (see on chs. 7:13).
Jer 35:17 “Therefore this is what the LORD God Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘Listen! I am going to bring on Judah and on everyone living in Jerusalem every disaster I pronounced against them. I spoke to them, but they did not listen; I called to them, but they did not answer.'”
That this complaint of the Lord is justified is repeatedly stated by many of God’s teachers and prophets (see Prov. 1:24; Isa. 65:12; 66:4; Jer. 7:13; 25:4–7; etc.)
Jer 35:18 Then Jeremiah said to the family of the Rekabites, “This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘You have obeyed the command of your forefather Jehonadab and have followed all his instructions and have done everything he ordered.’
What God is particularly commending here is the constancy and faithfulness the Rechabites exhibited in holding to a human law.
Jer 35:19 Therefore this is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘Jehonadab son of Rekab will never fail to have a descendant to serve me.'”
19. Not want a man. Such promises are, of course, conditional on the continued fidelity of the descendants (see on 1 Kings 2:4). The loyalty of the sons of Rechad to the abstemious life enjoined upon them was a stern rebuke to the apostate and profligate people of Judah as a whole.