# Jeremiah 35 š: The Faithful Rechabites
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> [!info] Table of Contents
> [[#š Scripture Text (NET)]]
> [[#š Verse-by-Verse Commentary]]
> [[#š¤ Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights]]
> [[#š§ Chapter Summary]]
> [[#āļø Christ in This Chapter]]
> [[#š Key Principles / š Life Application]]
> [[#š¬ Discussion Questions]]
> [[#āļø Key Verses to Remember]]
> [[#š Related Passages/Cross Reference]]
> [[#š Devotional Reflection]]
> [[#š Internal Notes]]
## š Scripture Text (NET)
(The NET Bible: New English Translation. Biblical Studies Press, 2005)
### Judahās Unfaithfulness Contrasted with the Rechabitesā Faithfulness
[[#Verse 01.]]Ā TheĀ LordĀ spoke to Jeremiah when JehoiakimĀ son of Josiah was ruling over Judah:Ā
[[#Verse 02.]]Ā āGo to the Rechabite community.Ā Invite them to come into one of the side roomsĀ of theĀ Lordās temple and offer them some wine to drink.āĀ
[[#Verse 03.]]Ā So I went and got Jaazaniah son of Jeremiah the grandson of Habazziniah, his brothers, all his sons, and all the rest of the Rechabite community.Ā
[[#Verse 04.]]Ā I took them to theĀ Lordās temple. I took them into the room where the disciples of the prophet Hanan son of Igdaliah stayed.Ā That room was next to the one where the temple officers stayed and above the room where Maaseiah son of Shallum, one of the doorkeepersĀ of the temple, stayed.Ā
[[#Verse 05.]]Ā Then I set cups and pitchers full of wine in front of the members of the Rechabite community and said to them, āHave some wine.āĀ
[[#Verse 06.]]Ā But they answered, āWe do not drink wine because our ancestor Jonadab son of Rechab commanded us not to. He told us, āYou and your children must never drink wine.
[[#Verse 07.]]Ā Do not build houses. Do not plant crops. Do not plant a vineyard or own one.Ā Live in tents all your lives. If you do these things you willĀ live a long time in the land that you wander about on.āĀ
[[#Verse 08.]]Ā We and our wives and our sons and daughters have obeyed everything our ancestor Jonadab son of Rechab commanded us. We have never drunk wine.Ā
[[#Verse 09.]]Ā We have not built any houses to live in. We do not own any vineyards, fields, or crops.Ā
[[#Verse 10.]]Ā We have lived in tents. We have obeyed our ancestor Jonadab and done exactly as he commanded us.Ā
[[#Verse 11.]]Ā But when King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon invaded the land we said, āLetās get up and go to Jerusalem to get away from the BabylonianĀ and Aramean armies.ā That is why we are staying here in Jerusalem.ā
[[#Verse 12.]]Ā Then theĀ Lordās message came to Jeremiah.Ā
[[#Verse 13.]]Ā TheĀ LordĀ of Heavenās Armies, the God of Israel,Ā told him, āGo and speak to the people of Judah and the citizens of Jerusalem. Tell them,Ā āI, theĀ Lord, say:Ā āYou must learn a lesson from thisĀ about obeying what I say.
[[#Verse 14.]]Ā Jonadab son of Rechab ordered his descendants not to drink wine. His orders have been carried out.Ā To this day his descendants have drunk no wine because they have obeyed what their ancestor commanded them. But IĀ have spoken to you over and over again,Ā but you have not obeyed me.Ā
[[#Verse 15.]]Ā I sent all my servants the prophets to warn you over and over again. They said, āEvery one of you, stop doing the evil things you have been doing and do what is right.Ā Do not pay allegiance to other godsĀ and worship them. Then you can continue to live in this land that I gave to you and your ancestors.ā But you did not pay any attention or listen to me.Ā
[[#Verse 16.]]Ā Yes,Ā the descendants of Jonadab son of Rechab have carried out the orders that their ancestor gave them. But you peopleĀ have not obeyed me!Ā
[[#Verse 17.]]Ā So I, theĀ LordĀ God of Heavenās Armies, the God of Israel, say:Ā āI will soon bring on Judah and all the citizens of Jerusalem all the disaster that I threatened to bring on them. I will do this because I spoke to them but they did not listen. I called out to them but they did not answer.āāāā
[[#Verse 18.]]Ā Then Jeremiah spoke to the Rechabite community, āTheĀ LordĀ of Heavenās Armies, the God of IsraelĀ says, āYou have obeyed the orders of your ancestor Jonadab. You have followed all his instructions. You have done exactly as he commanded you.āĀ
[[#Verse 19.]]Ā So theĀ LordĀ of Heavenās Armies, the God of Israel, says, āJonadab son of Rechab will never lack a male descendant to serve me.āā
## š Verse-by-Verse Commentary
###### Overall.
###### Verse 01.
###### Verse 02.
###### Verse 03.
###### Verse 04.
###### Verse 05.
###### Verse 06.
###### Verse 07.
###### Verse 08.
###### Verse 09.
###### Verse 10.
###### Verse 11.
###### Verse 12.
###### Verse 13.
###### Verse 14.
###### Verse 15.
###### Verse 16.
###### Verse 17.
###### Verse 18.
###### Verse 19.
## š¤ Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights
1. This event took place during the reign of Jehoiakim (35:1), earlier than the chapters around it.
2. Jonadab son of Rechab (35:6) supported Jehu's purge of Baal worship (2 Kings 10:15-23), around 250 years earlier.
3. The Rechabites did not drink wine, build houses, sow seed, or plant vineyards, and they lived in tents (35:7).
4. The Rechabites may have been connected to the Kenites (1 Chronicles 2:55), the clan of Moses' father-in-law.
5. They moved into Jerusalem only because of the Babylonian and Aramean armies (35:11).
6. Jeremiah brought them into the room of the sons of Hanan the man of God in the temple (35:4).
7. Maaseiah was the "keeper of the threshold" (35:4), an important temple office (52:24).
8. Jeremiah set bowls and cups of wine before them as a test (35:5).
9. The Rechabites' lifestyle may have been a way of avoiding settled Canaanite culture.
10. Jeremiah's point was not about wine itself but about faithful obedience compared to Judah's unfaithfulness (35:14-16).
## š§ Chapter Summary
> [!note] š± Still growing. This section is on its way.
## āļø Christ in This Chapter
Christ is the perfectly obedient Son. The Rechabites kept their father's command for generations (35:14), and Jesus always did what pleased His Father (John 8:29), becoming obedient to the point of death on a cross (Philippians 2:8).
## š Key Principles / š Life Application
> [!note] š± Still growing. This section is on its way.
## š¬ Discussion Questions
1. The Rechabites refused wine even when offered it in the temple (35:5-6). What does their example teach about faithfulness under pressure?
2. God contrasts the Rechabites' obedience to their human father with Judah's disobedience to Him (35:14). Why is that contrast so convicting?
3. God promised that Jonadab would never lack a man to stand before Him (35:19). How does God honor faithfulness passed down through generations?
## āļø Key Verses to Remember
- š verse 6: The Rechabites refuse wine because their ancestor Jonadab commanded them.
- š verse 14: The words of Jonadab have been kept, but My people have not listened to Me.
- š verse 19: Jonadab son of Rechab will never lack a man to stand before Me.
## š Related Passages/Cross Reference
- š [[John 08#Verse 29.|John 8:29]] - Jesus always does what pleases the Father.
- š [[Philippians 02#Verse 08.|Philippians 2:8]] - Jesus was obedient to death on a cross.
- š [[2 Kings 10#Verse 15.|2 Kings 10:15-16]] - Jonadab joins Jehu.
- š [[Ephesians 06#Verse 01.|Ephesians 6:1-3]] - Children, obey your parents.
- š [[Luke 11#Verse 28.|Luke 11:28]] - Blessed are those who hear and keep God's word.
## š Devotional Reflection
š SOAP: [[Jeremiah 35 - SOAP|What Are People Learning From You?]]
## š Internal Notes