Jeremiah 35

1 The word which came to Yirmeyahu from the LORD in the days of Yehoiakim the son of Yoshiyahu, king of Yehudah, saying,

2 Go to the house of the Rechavim, and speak to them, and bring them into the house of the LORD, into one of the chambers, and give them wine to drink.

3 Then I took Ya`azanyah the son of Yirmeyahu, the son of Havatztzinyah, and his brothers, and all his sons, and the whole house of the Rechavim;

4 and I brought them into the house of the LORD, into the chamber of the sons of Hanan the son of Yigdalyahu, the man of God, which was by the chamber of the princes, which was above the chamber of Ma`aseyah the son of Shallum, the keeper of the threshold.

5 I set before the sons of the house of the Rechavim bowls full of wine, and cups; and I said to them, Drink you wine.

6 But they said, We will drink no wine; for Yehonadav the son of Rechav, our father, commanded us, saying, You shall drink no wine, neither you, nor your sons, forever:

7 neither shall you build house, nor sow seed, nor plant vineyard, nor have any; but all your days you shall dwell in tents; that you may live many days in the land in which you sojourn.

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

9 nor to build houses for us to dwell in; neither have we vineyard, nor field, nor seed:

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

11 But it happened, when Nevukhadretztzar king of Bavel came up into the land, that we said, Come, and let us go to Yerushalayim for fear of the army of the Kasdim, and for fear of the army of the Aram; so we dwell at Yerushalayim.

12 Then came the word of the LORD to Yirmeyahu, saying,

13 Thus says the LORD of Hosts, the God of Yisra'el: Go, and tell the men of Yehudah and the inhabitants of Yerushalayim, Will you not receive instruction to listen to my words? says the LORD.

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

15 I have sent also to you all my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them, saying, Return you now every man from his evil way, and amend your doings, and don't go after other gods to serve them, and you shall 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.

16 Because the sons of Yehonadav the son of Rechav have performed the mitzvah of their father which he commanded them, but this people has not listened to me;

17 therefore thus says the LORD, the God Tzva'ot,, the God of Yisra'el: Behold, I will bring on Yehudah and on all the inhabitants of Yerushalayim 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.

18 Yirmeyahu said to the house of the Rechavim, Thus says the LORD of Hosts, the God of Yisra'el: Because you have obeyed the mitzvah of Yehonadav your father, and kept all his precepts, and done according to all that he commanded you;

19 therefore thus says the LORD of Hosts, the God of Yisra'el: Yehonadav the son of Rechav shall not want a man to stand before me forever.

Jeremiah 35 Commentary

Chapter 35

The obedience of the Rechabites. (1-11) The Jews' disobedience to the Lord. (12-19)

Verses 1-11 Jonadab was famous for wisdom and piety. He lived nearly ( 2 Kings. 10:15 ) to drink wine. He also appointed them to dwell in tents, or movable dwelling: this would teach them not to think of settling any where in this world. To keep low, would be the way to continue long in the land where they were strangers. Humility and contentment are always the best policy, and men's surest protection. Also, that they might not run into unlawful pleasures, they were to deny themselves even lawful delights. The consideration that we are strangers and pilgrims should oblige us to abstain from all fleshly lusts. Let them have little to lose, and then losing times would be the less dreadful: let them sit loose to what they had, and then they might with less pain be stript of it. Those are in the best frame to meet sufferings who live a life of self-denial, and who despise the vanities of the world. Jonadab's posterity observed these rules strictly, only using proper means for their safety in a time of general suffering.

Verses 12-19 The trial of the Rechabites' constancy was for a sign; it made the disobedience of the Jews to God the more marked. The Rechabites were obedient to one who was but a man like themselves, and Jonadab never did for his seed what God has done for his people. Mercy is promised to the Rechabites. We are not told respecting the performance of this promise; but doubtless it was performed, and travellers say the Rechabites may be found a separate people to this day. Let us follow the counsels of our pious forefathers, and we shall find good in so doing.

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO JEREMIAH 35

In this chapter the disobedience of the people of the Jews unto God is aggravated by the obedience of the Rechabites to their father; and the one are threatened with the judgments of God upon them, and the other have a promise of the divine blessing. The time of this prophecy is observed; Jer 35:1; an order to bring the Rechabites into one of the chambers of the temple, which was done accordingly, Jer 35:2-4; wine is set before them to drink; which they refuse; alleging the command of their father to the contrary, Jer 35:5-7; which they had carefully and constantly obeyed in every part of it, excepting that which respects their dwelling in tents; for which they give a reason, Jer 35:8-11; by this instance of filial obedience to parents, the disobedience of the Jews towards their Father, which is in heaven, is aggravated; who, though he gave them laws and commandments, and sent his prophets to put them in mind of them, and exhort them to obedience, yet hearkened not to them, Jer 35:12-15; wherefore the Lord threatens to bring all the evil on them he had pronounced, Jer 35:16,17; and promises the sons of Rechab that there should be always some of them that should minister unto him, Jer 35:18,19.