The Reward of Obedience, the Consequences of Disobedience.

 By: Dr. Dale Weckbacher

 

Text: Jeremiah 35:1-19

 

Jeremiah 35:18-19

But to the house of the Rechabites Jeremiah said, “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Because you have obeyed the command of Jonadab your father and kept all his precepts and done all that he commanded you, 19 therefore thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Jonadab the son of Rechab shall never lack a man to stand before me.”

(ESV)

 

Today is July 4^th, which in the United States, is a day set aside to celebrate the birth of the nation. What makes the United States unique among the nations is that its founding is based on Godly principles, as seen in the Declaration of Independence, the document declaring the nation’s independence from British rule. (1) While the nation had a Godly founding, it has strayed from the principles of its founding and is currently in danger. The United States and the rest of the world need a revival or return to Godliness through people accepting Jesus Christ as the Savior and Messiah. Please continue to pray for revival to sweep across the world.

 

The Rechabites are not one of the most popular families mentioned in the Bible with this being their only mention in Scripture. Their mention in Jeremiah 35 is to provide a contrast of their obedience to their father with the disobedience of Judah and the people of Israel towards their God. This passage has three sections.

 

1)      Obedience (Jeremiah 35:1-11) – The passage begins with the Lord commanding Jeremiah to go to the house of the Rechabites, speak to them, and bring them to one of the chambers in the house of the Lord to offer them a drink of wine (Jeremiah 35:1-2). The passage then gives details about the specific chamber in the House of the Lord that Jeremiah took the Rechabites to (Jeremiah 35:3-4). These specifics mean little to us reading the passage today since the Temple was destroyed but do lend credibility to the occurrence of this event as there would have been eyewitnesses and a documented record of the visit. Jeremiah then sets pitchers of wine in front of the Rechabites telling them to drink (Jeremiah 35:5). It is unknown if Jeremiah was aware of the oath taken by the Rechabites not to drink wine so we cannot be certain if Jeremiah was aware he was tempting the Rechabites to disobey their father. As an example of obedience, the Rechabites resist temptation and inform Jeremiah that they are resisting based upon the words of their father not to drink wine, not build a house, not sow seed, not plant or have a vineyard, and live in tents where ever they live (Jeremiah 35:6-10). Even the invasion of the land by Nebuchadnezzar did not cause them to give in to temptation (Jeremiah 35:11).

2)      Disobedience and its consequences (Jeremiah 35:12-17) – In light of the example of obedience seen in the Rechabites, Jeremiah once again mentions the continued disobedience of Judah and the people of Israel (Jeremiah 35:12-15). Using the contrasting example of the obedience of the Rechabites, Jeremiah reminds Judah and the people of Israel of the consequences of their continued disobedience by not listening to the word of the Lord to repent (Jeremiah 35:16-17).

3)      Reward (Jeremiah 35:18-19) – Jeremiah then tells the house of the Rechabites about their reward for obedience to their household promising they will always have a man standing before God to represent them (Jeremiah 35:18-19). This reward is the exact opposite of the consequences Judah, and the people of Israel will experience with 70 years of exile ending the generation of disobedience to God.

 

The Rechabites are an example of obedience by not giving in to the temptation to drink wine even when offered to them in the House of the Lord (Jeremiah 35:5-6). This obedience comes with the reward of always having a man from their family standing before God (Jeremiah 35:19). In contrast, Judah and the people of Jerusalem are an example of disobedience for God commanded them not to have any gods other than the one true God (Deuteronomy 20:1-7; Jeremiah 35:15-17). Instead of a reward, Judah and the people of Jerusalem will experience the consequences of 70 years of exile per Deuteronomy 28:15-68.

 

All humanity has sinned and fallen short of God’s standard of obedience (Romans 3:23) and live under the death penalty for their sins (Romans 6:23). However, the second half of Romans 6:23 tells us that Jesus Christ has provided a free gift of eternal life. To receive the free gift of eternal life, one must confess with their mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in their heart that God raised Jesus from the dead (Romans 10:9-10). If you have never made this profession of faith, I encourage you to do so now by praying with me,

 

Dear Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned (Romans 3:23) and know that the penalty for my sin is death (Romans 6:23).  I ask you to forgive me of my sin and cleanse me as you promise in your Word (1 John 1:9).  I believe you died, spent three days in the grave, and resurrected from the dead and now declare you Lord of my life.

 

However, obedience is not a one-time event, but a process of losing conformity to the world and sin by having our minds renewed through the Word of God (Romans 12:1-2). Even though we have made Jesus the Lord of our lives, temptation will come for even Jesus endured temptation (Matthew 4:1-11). Jesus used the Word of God to resist temptation, something we can all do as we renew our minds through the study of the Word of God. I challenge everyone reading this to be like the Rechabites by allowing the Word of God to renew their minds, empowering them to resist the temptation to disobey God. May God bless and challenge everyone reading this post.

 

1. National Archives. The Declaration of Independence. archives.gov. [Online] The National Archives. [Cited: November 21, 2020.] https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration.