Jeremiah 35, The Example of the Rekabites

Focus on the Family urges leaving a family legacy:

A spiritual, emotional and social legacy is like a three-stranded cord. Individually, each strand cannot hold much weight. But wrapped together, they are strong. That’s why passing on a positive, affirming legacy is so important and why a negative legacy can be so destructive. The good news is that you have help. With God’s help, you can decide to pass a positive legacy on to your children whether you received one or not.

Jeremiah used a family with a powerful legacy as an illustration of faithfulness to God.

35 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from Yahweh during the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah: ² “Go to the Rekabite family and invite them to come to one of the side rooms of the house of Yahweh and give them wine to drink.”

This prophecy is from an earlier time in Jeremiah’s ministry, when Jehoiakim was king of Judah, when the Babylonians came the first time to conquer Judah (606 BC), and when Jeremiah was not in confinement. He is instructed to invite the Rekabite family to chambers or rooms that were built around the Temple for use by the priests (like Jeremiah). The room Jeremiah meets with the Rekabites is likely a storeroom for wine used in the offerings.

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. ⁴ I brought them into the house of Yahweh, 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. ⁵ Then I set bowls full of wine and some cups before the Rekabites and said to them, “Drink some wine.”

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. 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.’ 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 ⁹ or built houses to live in or had vineyards, fields or crops. ¹⁰ We have lived in tents and have fully obeyed everything our forefather Jehonadab commanded us. 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.”

This unusual and amazing family, the Rekabites, have been following the command of their patriarch, Jehonadab, to never drink wine and to live in tents as nomads, with the promise that if they do they will live long in the land. This is not a particularly more holy way to live, just a particular discipline they have chosen to live under (perhaps spawned by Jehonadab’s opposition to Baal worship three hundred years earlier, 2 Kings 10:15-23). They are now living in Jerusalem because of the threat of the invading armies.

¹² Then the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah, saying: ¹³ “This is what Yahweh 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 Yahweh. 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. 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. ¹⁶ The descendants of Jehonadab son of Rekab have carried out the command their forefather gave them, but these people have not obeyed me.’

Jeremiah is inviting them to partake of wine, knowing they will refuse to drink it. He is showing their devotion to their father as a contrast to the lack of devotion of Judah to Yahweh. The Expositor’s commentary shows the comparison or contrast:

1. The Rekabites obeyed a fallible leader; Judah’s leader was the eternal God (cf. Mal 1:6).
2. Jonadab gave his commands to the Rekabites only once; God repeatedly sent his messages to his people.
3. The restrictions that bound the Rekabites did not deal with eternal issues; God’s messages to his people had eternal as well as temporal implications.
4. The Rekabites obeyed the commands of Jonadab for about three hundred years; the Lord’s people constantly disobeyed.
5. The loyalty of the Rekabites would be rewarded; for their disloyalty God’s people would be punished.

¹⁷ “Therefore this is what Yahweh 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.’”

¹⁸ Then Jeremiah said to the family of the Rekabites, “This is what Yahweh 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.’ ¹⁹ Therefore this is what Yahweh Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘Jehonadab son of Rekab will never fail to have a descendant to serve me.’” (Jeremiah 35)

We see a descendent of this family working on the wall in Nehemiah’s day (Nehemiah 3:14). God kept His promise to this family.

—

Discussion Questions:

1. Is there anything your family is known for historically?
2. Was God tempting the Rekabites?
3. What would you like your family to have as a commitment to you?