Rechabites

Rechabites

Jeremiah 35:2 “Go unto the house of the 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.”

Jeremiah 35:6 “But they said, We will drink no wine: for Jonadab the son of Rechab our father commanded us, saying, Ye shall drink no wine, neither ye, nor your sons for ever:”

                In the above passages, we see the history of Jonadab the son of Rechab. We read about the zeal of Rechabites. When we read book of Judges 1:16 ‘And the children of the Kenite, Moses' father in law..’ we can understand that Rechabites are the children of the Kenite, Jethro who was Moses’s father in law. These are the tribes that were non-Israeli nomads who entered the promise land along with Israel. When these non-Israeli groups reflected a great zeal and integrity attracted God to bless them.  Today let us meditate the lifestyle of Rechabites and how it paved the way for all the blessings in their lives.

Model

Jeremiah 35:2 “Go unto the house of the 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.”

                Here we see the Lord puts forth a practical training for Jeremiah. He asks Jeremiah to give them wine to drink. The Lord wanted to teach a lesson to Israelites using this family as a role model. We see the Lord knew that the Rechabites will not drink wine but still commands Jeremiah to offer them to drink. But they politely refused.  We read in Jeremiah 35:6-7 ‘But they said, We will drink no wine: for Jonadab the son of Rechab our father commanded us, saying, Ye shall drink no wine, neither ye, nor your sons forever: Neither shall ye build house, nor sow seed, nor plant vineyard, nor have any: but all your days ye shall dwell in tents; that ye may live many days in the land where ye be strangers.’ In this passage we read about Jonadab who was a righteous man in his father Rechab’s lineage. The name Jonadab refers to Jehovah is willing. Jonadab had advised his generation not to drink wine at any cost.

                In the scripture, we only see Rechab’s name mention and no other details concerning the life of Jonadab. The life of Jonadab exceeded his father Rechab by leading a holy life. This was the reason why he was blessed greater than his forefathers. The lifestyle of Jonadab impacted his entire descendants to live for God and his name was established. The Rechabites refusal of taking the wine becomes a lesson to the Israelites. The Lord expects our lives to be an example/role model to other people’s lives. We should exceed our forefathers in living a holy life and be an example for those around us.

Reverence

Jeremiah 35:7 “Neither shall ye build house, nor sow seed, nor plant vineyard, nor have any: but all your days ye shall dwell in tents; that ye may live many days in the land where ye be strangers.”

Jeremiah 35:10 “But we have dwelt in tents, and have obeyed, and done according to all that Jonadab our father commanded us.”

                We see the command of father Jonadab was followed generation after generation. This refers to the reverence / Godliness of the family. They obeyed their forefathers as well as the Lord God. In Jeremiah 35:14 ‘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.’  Even though the father had perished, the descendants preserved his commandments without any slippage. This reverence and determination becomes a life lesson to Israelites. One man’s reverence inspired generations to live a holy life and to please God. The Lord acknowledges Jonadab’s reverence and honored him.  In Jeremiah 35:8 ‘Thus have we obeyed the voice of Jonadab the son of Rechab our father in all that he hath charged us, to drink no wine all our days, we, our wives, our sons, nor our daughters;’ The entire family / clan obeyed and adhered to the command of their forefathers. The passage clearly explains that each and every member in the family obeyed and showed reverence to their father Jonadab.

Testimony

Jeremiah 35:18 ‘And Jeremiah said unto the house of the Rechabites, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Because ye have obeyed the commandment of Jonadab your father, and kept all his precepts, and done according unto all that he hath commanded you:’

                Here we see the Lord shares his testimony concerning the family. The Lord himself testifies saying how they obeyed the commandments of Jonadab and kept his precepts. This signifies that the Lord keenly watches and remembers how each person in a family lives their lives. It is our duty to lead a holy life like Jonadab and raise our families in a holy manner. Today, we the children of God should walk with the testimony in front of God and man. We should receive a good testimony from the Lord himself.

Blessing

Jeremiah 35:19 ‘Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Jonadab the son of Rechab shall not want a man to stand before me for ever.’

                In the above passage we see the holy life of one man Jonadab, blesses his entire lineage. The Lord blessed Jonadab saying that this generation will always stand before him. We the children of God should gain the testimony from the Lord by adhering the commandments of our fathers. We should form a generation that never departs from the Lord. We must make it a point to pass on holy commandments to our generations like Jonadab. Amen.