The Rechabites: Commitment Personified

Jeremiah Chapter 35

The previous blog post was entitled Commitment. The purpose of that post was to help us understand the importance of commitment in our relationship with Jesus Christ. It also expressed the importance of commitment in our everyday lives whether dealing with relationships, business, education, etc. Commitment is easy to talk about but much harder to live. Even Jesus before going to the cross had to pray “not my will but thine be done” to his Heavenly Father. This post is examines the lives of a people, in Old Testament times, that personified the very essence of commitment and were rewarded because of their faithfulness.

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.

Jeremiah 35: 19

Jeremiah Chapter 35 gives an account of a people who were decedents of Rechab who was a Kenite that accompanied the children of Israel into the Promised Land. These people were not Israelites. However, Jonadab, Rechab’s son, was very instrumental in overthrowing the worshippers of Baal alongside of Jehu (II Kings 10: 15). God wanted Jeremiah to speak to the Rechabites and feature their character for the purpose of giving point to his message to the King of Judah. These descendants had been given a specific yet simple command by Jonadab, the son of Rechab:

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:

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.

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;

Nor to build houses for us to dwell in: neither have we vineyard, nor field, nor seed:

But we have dwelt in tents, and have obeyed, and done according to all that Jonadab our father commanded us.

Jeremiah 35: 6-10

As the account goes, God tells Jeremiah to go to the “house of the Rechabites” and call them to come to one of the chambers in the house of the Lord and to give them wine to drink. Jeremiah brings them to the specific chamber or room and sets pots of wine and cups before them and tells them to drink. Put yourself in their position, the prophet (or Pastor) comes to you and invites you to the house of God (or church), in private, and sets wine before you (or something that your parents have forbidden) and says partake; with the implication that it would be fine to do it before God. What would you do? The Rechabites adhered to the commandment that was handed down to them through their ancestors. They did not bow even in the face of the prophet, in private. Nobody had to know. However, they were committed even if nobody knew.

This is the lesson that God wanted to impart to the men of Judah:

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.

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.

Jeremiah 35: 13-14

The real lesson (and commandment) is that Jonadab had commanded his “family” to be a separate and distinct people. No drinking; no houses; no vineyard was all a means to keep his people separate and distinct from the “world” around them. They would not become citizen’s of any country. God wanted the same for his people. God used the commitment and faithfulness of the Rechabites to try to reason with his own people … to no avail. The Rechabites actually lived more “in tune” with God’s plan and purpose than did His own people. God in turn made a promise to bless them forever.

The Rechabites commitment should be an example for us today. God still wants a separate and distinct people. In fact, Paul calls us a peculiar people unto God along with being called chosen, royal and holy (1 Peter 2: 9). The only way to realize that separateness and distinction is through commitment. A commitment that is based upon obedience and fueled by love. In order to maintain their commitment, the Rechabites had to be obedient to the commandment. However, that obedience had to be based on the love and respect that they had for their “father.” They would not have been able to maintain that commitment especially in light of the prophet’s “temptation” had their obedience been rooted in anything other than love. Obedience through fear would not have held up under the pressure. The same goes for us today. We need to have a commitment unto God, in our day, that is fueled by love and respect. That type of commitment is sustainable.