THE occasions spoken of in chapters 35 and 36 took place about 18 years before the closing days of Zedekiah’s reign which have been before us in recent chapters. They are clearly chosen to give further illustrations of the inward state of Judah at the end of the nation’s history.
Jonadab the son of Rechab, has a place in the Scriptures (2 Kings 10:15-2815And when he was departed thence, he lighted on Jehonadab the son of Rechab coming to meet him: and he saluted him, and said to him, Is thine heart right, as my heart is with thy heart? And Jehonadab answered, It is. If it be, give me thine hand. And he gave him his hand; and he took him up to him into the chariot. 16And he said, Come with me, and see my zeal for the Lord. So they made him ride in his chariot. 17And when he came to Samaria, he slew all that remained unto Ahab in Samaria, till he had destroyed him, according to the saying of the Lord, which he spake to Elijah. 18And Jehu gathered all the people together, and said unto them, Ahab served Baal a little; but Jehu shall serve him much. 19Now therefore call unto me all the prophets of Baal, all his servants, and all his priests; let none be wanting: for I have a great sacrifice to do to Baal; whosoever shall be wanting, he shall not live. But Jehu did it in subtilty, to the intent that he might destroy the worshippers of Baal. 20And Jehu said, Proclaim a solemn assembly for Baal. And they proclaimed it. 21And Jehu sent through all Israel: and all the worshippers of Baal came, so that there was not a man left that came not. And they came into the house of Baal; and the house of Baal was full from one end to another. 22And he said unto him that was over the vestry, Bring forth vestments for all the worshippers of Baal. And he brought them forth vestments. 23And Jehu went, and Jehonadab the son of Rechab, into the house of Baal, and said unto the worshippers of Baal, Search, and look that there be here with you none of the servants of the Lord, but the worshippers of Baal only. 24And when they went in to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings, Jehu appointed fourscore men without, and said, If any of the men whom I have brought into your hands escape, he that letteth him go, his life shall be for the life of him. 25And it came to pass, as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt offering, that Jehu said to the guard and to the captains, Go in, and slay them; let none come forth. And they smote them with the edge of the sword; and the guard and the captains cast them out, and went to the city of the house of Baal. 26And they brought forth the images out of the house of Baal, and burned them. 27And they brake down the image of Baal, and brake down the house of Baal, and made it a draught house unto this day. 28Thus Jehu destroyed Baal out of Israel. (2 Kings 10:15‑28)); he was evidently of the tribe of Judah (1 Chron. 2:1515Ozem the sixth, David the seventh: (1 Chronicles 2:15)) though apparently in the land of Ephraim when Jehu ‘met him. We may judge that he was a man of marked godliness, who mourned over the state of God’s earthly people and because of it, became a Nazarite (Num.6:1-12). For more than 250 years his descendants had maintained the life of separation from the world which he had enjoined upon them. They were no doubt reckoned a very peculiar people, neither drinking wine, nor building houses, nor sowing seed, nor planting or possessing vineyards; but always dwelling in tents. O, that there were more true-hearted separation from the world seen among God’s children today! We have no thought of urging peculiarity of dress or dwelling, but long to see the people of God practicing in increased measure, a life that is toward God, and according to His Word. To please Him while here below should be the deepest desire of every Christian heart, and it is not without present reward.
Jeremiah, directed of God, went to the house of the Rechabites, and brought them all into one of the chambers of the temple building, there offering them bowls full of wine, and cups or goblets. Would they disregard the command of their father? Not they! They answered the invitation with “We will drink no wine!.. We have hearkened unto the voice of... our father in all that he commanded us ... and have obeyed and done according to all that Jonadab our father commanded us” (vv. 6-10. N. Tr.). They reckoned themselves strangers, having only come into Jerusalem when Nebuchadnezzar first came into the land, from a desire to get away from the contending armies (verse 11).
The latter part of the chapter reveals the reason for this testing of the Nazites of Jeremiah’s day. The prophet was to go to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem with a message from God charging them with their stony-hearted unbelief. The Rechabites among them were, as Jeremiah was to tell them, a living testimony of obedience to the commands of an ancestor, while the commandments of God—Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel—had no regard from the people to whom Jeremiah was sent.
Not the voice of one long dead, but the voice of the living God, speaking through all His servants the prophets, had been bore them constantly. All their blessings depended on obedience, but they loved to disobey; they would not hearken. There could be now but one issue of the matter (verse 17): “Behold, I will bring upon Judah and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the evil that I have pronounced against them, because I have spoken unto them, but they have not hearkened, and I have called unto them but they have not answered.”
But in that day the Rechabites would be spared; they were not to be judged with the world from which they walked in separation.
ML-02/24/1935