The Rechabites – Faithful to the Lord and Their Family Heritage
Today’s Passage – Jeremiah 33 – 36 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text from the Blue Letter Bible website)
(Second Milers also read – Acts 25 – 28; Psalms 111 – 115; Proverbs 23)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Ephesians 4:32
Read the “0823 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
Read a previous post from this passage – “Bible Burning.”
Before I jump into my main thought for this morning’s devotion, take a look at Jeremiah 33:1 – 3:
“1 Moreover the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah the second time, while he was yet shut up in the court of the prison, saying, 2 Thus saith the LORD the maker thereof, the LORD that formed it, to establish it; the LORD is his name; 3 Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.” (Jeremiah 33:1-3)
Jeremiah was “shut up in the prison” but he was still communing with the Lord. He was not pouting about his living conditions and complaining about how unfairly he was being treated. He was praying to and receiving word back from the Lord. Notice that the Lord invites Jeremiah to keep calling to Him and God promises that he will shew him “great and mighty things” that he could then encourage the nation with. The remainder of the chapter reveals some wonderful things that God has in store for his people in the future. The description of blessing and prosperity given goes beyond just the return of the people from Babylonian captivity, it reveals a glimpse of what life will be like for Israel in the Millennial Kingdom when the “Branch,” the Lord Jesus Christ will be reigning from Jerusalem, the city which will also be called “the Lord our righteousness” at that time.
Now for my main thought:
As you read through chapter thirty-five, you learn about the Rechabite Family. This clan was actually descended from Moses’ father-in-law and was not part of one of the tribes of Israel (1 Chronicles 1:16). In the Book of Judges, we read about these people dwelling among the tribe of Judah (Judges 1:16). One of the heads of this family in previous generations was Jonadab (Jeremiah 35:6, 14). He is also mentioned in association with Jehu in 2 Kings 10:15 & 23 where he is called Jehonadab. According to our text in Jeremiah 35, he was the one who commanded his family to abstain from wine and live a very simple and separated life. Their obedience to refrain from wine is reminiscent of the Nazarite vow, but it appears that the descendants of Jonadab were not choosing on their own to enter into a vow of separation, they were just obeying the commandment of their forefather. God commands Jeremiah to offer them wine, which they refuse because of their obedience to the command of Jonadab, which was made over two hundred years prior to Jeremiah’s day. It is important to point out that the commandment of Jonadab was in no way in disagreement with any command of the Lord; it actually exceeded God’s basic requirements.
The Lord uses this story of the Rechabite family as an illustration to Israel. He states that these Rechabites have been faithfully following the commandments of their father, Jonadab, but in contrast, Israel was unable to be faithful to the commandments of their Father, God. God commends the Rechabites for their faithfulness to their father, and states that they “shall never want a man to stand before [God] forever,” meaning that there would always be somebody from Jonadab’s family that would be serving the Lord in some capacity. Israel, on the other hand, would be punished for their unfaithfulness to God.
God’s prophecy regarding the Rechabites was proven to be fulfilled later in the Scripture. We read of a Rechabite serving the Lord with Nehemiah some 150 years later (Nehemiah 3:14), and according to the Septuagint, which is the Greek translation of the Old Testament, Psalm 71 “was addressed for use by the sons of Jonadab and the earliest captives.”[1]
What is the application for us today? We can be faithful to the Lord, and also to our family name, even in the midst of perilous times when everyone else seems to be forsaking them.
[1] MacArthur, John, Jr., ed. 1997. The MacArthur Study Bible. Electronic ed. Nashville, TN: Word Pub.
Posted in Devotions by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.
i am applying to be the volunteer coordinator for mainland and city campus. and meet with the floors mame reports. have volunteers ready. set go aim high in the atlanticare future. also i applied to sisters of mercy where god is calling me to be a sister. god had big things and his timing is well done.