Then the LORD told me to say to the people of Judah and Jerusalem: I, the LORD All-Powerful, the God of Israel, want you to learn a lesson from the Rechabite clan. Their ancestor Jonadab told his descendants never to drink wine, and to this very day they have obeyed him. But I have spoken to you over and over, and you haven't obeyed me! You refused to listen to my prophets, who kept telling you, "Stop doing evil and worshiping other gods! Start obeying the LORD, and he will let you live in this land he gave your ancestors." The Rechabites have obeyed the command of their ancestor Jonadab, but you have not obeyed me, your God. I am the LORD All-Powerful, and I warned you about the terrible things that would happen to you if you did not listen to me. You have ignored me, so now disaster will strike you. I, the LORD, have spoken.
Then the LORD told me to say to the Rechabite clan: I am the LORD All-Powerful, the God of Israel. You have obeyed your ancestor Jonadab, so I promise that your clan will be my servants and will never die out.
Jeremiah 35: 10 - 19
Recently, the President of the United States revealed that he has never had a drink of alcohol because his older brother had a problem with drinking and told him not to drink. For many it was a rather shocking revelation and for others it was, frankly unbelievable. But Jeremiah tells of a clan of people called the Rechabites who were told by their ancestor never to drink wine and they obeyed.
The Lord said that we should learn from the obedience of the Rechabites. He said the Rechabites obeyed their ancestor Jonadab, but God’s people don’t obey Him!
The Rechabites could have decided to “update” the rules of Jonadab and modify the regulation of not drinking wine, but they did not! For that example to God’s people Jeremiah was told to declare God’s blessing on the clan.
The problem for us comes when we begin looking for the reason for the rules! If you must know why God said this thing or that, then you open the door of your heart to declare that the rule makes no sense today and it is fine to ignore or change it! But even the Words of God that make no sense to us must be obeyed for Him to be pleased! Certainly, it is a blessing when we understand why God said a thing, but the greatest blessing is in obeying the Word that God has spoken!
“Lord Jesus, thank You for the blessings that come from obeying You, even when I don’t understand why! May the blessing of the Rechabites be on my life and my family! Praise Your Holy Name now and forever. Amen.”
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