Jeremiah 35

The Rechabites' Obedience

¹The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, saying,

²“Go to the house of the Rechabites, and speak to them, and bring them into the LORD’s house, into one of the rooms, and give them wine to drink.”

³Then I took Jaazaniah the son of Jeremiah, the son of Habazziniah, with his brothers, all his sons, and the whole house of the Rechabites;

⁴and I brought them into the LORD’s house, into the room of the sons of Hanan the son of Igdaliah, the man of God, which was by the room of the princes, which was above the room of Maaseiah the son of Shallum, the keeper of the threshold.

⁵I set before the sons of the house of the Rechabites bowls full of wine, and cups; and I said to them, “Drink wine!”

⁶But they said, “We will drink no wine; for Jonadab the son of Rechab, our father, commanded us, saying, ‘You shall drink no wine, neither you nor your children, forever.

⁷You shall not build a house, sow seed, plant a vineyard, or have any; but all your days you shall dwell in tents, that you may live many days in the land in which you live as nomads.’

⁸We have obeyed the voice of Jonadab the son of Rechab, our father, in all that he commanded us, to drink no wine all our days, we, our wives, our sons, or our daughters;

⁹and not to build houses for ourselves to dwell in. We have no vineyard, field, or seed;

¹⁰but we have lived in tents, and have obeyed, and done according to all that Jonadab our father commanded us.

¹¹But when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up into the land, we said, ‘Come! Let’s go to Jerusalem for fear of the army of the Chaldeans, and for fear of the army of the Syrians; so we will dwell at Jerusalem.’”

¹²Then the LORD’s word came to Jeremiah, saying,

¹³“The LORD of Armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘Go and tell the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, “Will you not receive instruction to listen to my words?” says the LORD.

¹⁴“The words of Jonadab the son of Rechab that he commanded his sons, not to drink wine, are performed; and to this day they drink none, for they obey their father’s commandment; but I have spoken to you, rising up early and speaking, and you have not listened to me.

¹⁵I have sent also to you all my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them, saying, ‘Every one of you must return now from his evil way, amend your doings, and don’t go after other gods to serve them. Then you will dwell in the land which I have given to you and to your fathers;’ but you have not inclined your ear, nor listened to me.

¹⁶The sons of Jonadab the son of Rechab have performed the commandment of their father which he commanded them, but this people has not listened to me.”’

¹⁷“Therefore the LORD, the God of Armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘Behold, I will bring on Judah and on all the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the evil that I have pronounced against them, because I have spoken to them, but they have not heard; and I have called to them, but they have not answered.’”

¹⁸Jeremiah said to the house of the Rechabites, “The LORD of Armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘Because you have obeyed the commandment of Jonadab your father, and kept all his precepts, and done according to all that he commanded you,’

¹⁹therefore the LORD of Armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘Jonadab the son of Rechab will not lack a man to stand before me forever.’”

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God commands Jeremiah to test the Rechabites, a nomadic clan who had faithfully obeyed their ancestor Jonadab's commands for generations, including abstaining from wine and living in tents. When offered wine in the temple, they refuse, demonstrating unwavering loyalty to their forefather's instructions. God uses their obedience as a stark contrast to Judah's persistent disobedience, highlighting how the Rechabites honor human commands while His people ignore divine ones, resulting in promised judgment for Judah and blessing for the faithful Rechabites.

Context

This chapter serves as another object lesson in Jeremiah's ministry, following the potter's house and broken flask illustrations, demonstrating God's faithfulness to the obedient versus judgment on the rebellious.

Key Themes

Outline

1-5
The Test of the Rechabites God instructs Jeremiah to bring the Rechabites to the temple and offer them wine to drink.
6-11
The Rechabites' Faithful Refusal The Rechabites explain their ancestral vows and demonstrate their unwavering obedience to Jonadab's commands.
12-17
God's Condemnation of Judah God contrasts the Rechabites' faithfulness with Judah's disobedience and pronounces judgment on the nation.
18-19
Blessing for the Faithful God promises that the Rechabites will be rewarded for their obedience with perpetual descendants.

The Rechabites' Obedience

35:1–35:19

narrative narration solemn

God uses the Rechabites' faithful obedience to their ancestor's commands as an object lesson to condemn Judah's disobedience to divine commands. The Rechabites are blessed for their loyalty while Judah faces judgment for their unfaithfulness.

person_contrast

Jeremiah employs the Rechabites' 300-year adherence to ancestral wine prohibitions as the sole positive obedience model in his entire prophetic corpus, contrasting their faithfulness with Judah's covenant rebellion.

Insight Character Study

Cross-References

Connected passages across Scripture

Jeremiah 35:1 4 references

Lexicals 4

Jeremiah 25:1 Lexical

The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, ki…

Jeremiah 35

The Rechabites' Obedience

The Rechabites' Obedience

Insights

Cross-References

Jeremiah 35:1 4 references

Jeremiah 35:4 1 reference

Jeremiah 35:5 1 reference

Jeremiah 35:7 5 references

Jeremiah 35:8 2 references

Jeremiah 35:11 5 references

Jeremiah 35:14 4 references

Jeremiah 35:15 5 references

Jeremiah 35:16 2 references

Interlinear

Historical Context