Jeremiah 35:18

_AND JEREMIAH SAID UNTO THE HOUSE OF THE RECHABITES, THUS SAITH THE LORD OF HOSTS, THE GOD OF ISRAEL; BECAUSE YE HAVE OBEYED THE COMMANDMENT OF JONADAB YOUR FATHER, AND KEPT ALL HIS PRECEPTS, AND DONE ACCORDING UNTO ALL THAT HE HATH COMMANDED YOU:_ No JFB commentary on this verse....

Here the Prophet, that he might affect the Jews more deeply, promises a reward to the sons of Jonadab, because they obeyed their father; and he promises them a blessing from God. Nor is it to be wondered at, for this commandment, as Paul says, is the first to which a promise is annexed. (Ephesians 6:2) God promises generally a reward to all who keep the Law, for every command has in general connected with it the hope of reward; but this is in a special manner added to the Fifth Commandment: “Honor thy father and thy mother, that thou mayest prolong thy life,” etc. It is, then, nothing strange that God promised a reward to the Rechabites, because they followed the command of their father, for he had promised that in the Law. But what the Papists allege, that the obedience rendered to the Church is on the same account pleasing to God, may, as we have said, be easily confuted; for if the Re...

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....

EXPOSITION The third member of this group of short prophecies. In it, Jeremiah points to the faithful obedience of the Rechabites, as putting to shame the infidelity of Judahites. It belongs obviously to the time before the arrival of Nebuchadnezzar, perhaps to the summer of B.C. 606. (See Dr. Plumptre's poem, "The House of the Rechabites," part 2, in 'Lazarus and other Poems.') JEREMIAH 35:2 THE HOUSE OF THE RECHABITES ("house" equivalent to "family"). From a notice in 1 Chronicles 2:55 it appears that the Rechabites were a subdivision of the Kenites, the nomad tribe so closely connected with the Israelites (Judges 1:16;...

AND JEREMIAH SAID UNTO THE HOUSE OF THE RECHABITES,.... To the family of them, to those that were with him in the temple, and while they were there; and what he said to them, which is as follows, was by the order and direction of the Lord: THUS SAITH THE LORD OF HOSTS, THE GOD OF ISRAEL; he uses the same titles, when speaking to them, as to the Jews, expressive of his sovereignty, power, and grace: BECAUSE YE HAVE OBEYED THE COMMANDMENT OF JONADAB YOUR FATHER; that particular command concerning not drinking wine: AND KEPT ALL HIS PRECEPTS, AND DONE ACCORDING TO ALL THAT HE HATH COMMANDED YOU; all the rest, as well as that; though they were many, they took notice of them, and observed them; they kept them in their minds and memory, and made them the rule of their actions, and conformed to them in all respects....

CHAPTER 35 The Faithful Rechabites and the Unfaithful Jews _ 1. The command concerning the Rechabites (Jeremiah 35:1) _ 2. The lesson for the Jews (Jeremiah 35:12) The Rechabites were Kenites and were numbered with the children of Israel 1 Chronicles 2:55. During the reign of Jehoiakim the incident of this chapter happened. The critics may rave against the “unchronological” construction of Jeremiah jumping from one period into another, but there we see the guiding hand of the Spirit in the arrangement of these events. It is perfectly in order that this should come next to the chapter which relates the broken covenant. A careful reading and study of this chapter will bring

JEREMIAH 35. A LESSON IN OBEDIENCE FROM THE RECHABITES. These were the descendants of that Jonadab who, in 842, aided Jehu to overthrow the house of Ahab and the cult of Baal of Tyre (2 Kings 10:15 *); they were connected with the Kenites (1 Chronicles 2:55), from whom the worship of Yahweh may have passed to Israel (_cf._ Judges 1:16). The incident here described is to be dated _c._ 598 (_cf._ Jeremiah 35:11 with 2 Kings 24:2), _i.e._ after the events of Jeremiah 36....

JONADAB THE SON OF RECHAB SHALL NOT WANT. MAN TO STAND BEFORE ME FOREVER. The Jews are condemned for their unfaithfulness to God; but the Rechabites are commended for their fidelity to the pledge made by all their house to keep the command of Jonadab. Though mighty enemies were crushing the land under the iron heel of invasion, and it would soon be depopulated, they are assured that their society shall not cease and that Jonadab shall never want. man to stand before the Lord. It is somewhat uncertain just what this remarkable prediction means. If it means that he shall have spiritual descendants in every age who shall preserve his principles, it has certainly been remarkably fulfilled. There are millions of the human race now who will not touch wine. The Arabians still practice total abstinence, and in Christian lands almost all Christian people refuse to touch intoxicating drinks. The...

See introd. summary to the section. This portion, which forms the application of the preceding narrative, seems to have received considerable later additions. The LXX seem to present it in practically its original form....

C. The Fate of the Rechabites and the Jews Jeremiah 35:16-19 TRANSLATION (16) Because the sons of Jonadab the Son of Rechab have kept the commandment of their ancestor, and this people have not obeyed Me, (17) therefore thus says the LORD, the God of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I am about to bring against Judah and against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the calamity which I have spoken against them; because I have spoken unto them and they did not obey, I called out to them but they did not answer. (18) And to the house of the Rechabites Jeremiah said, Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Because you have obeyed the commandment of Jonadab your ancestor, and you have kept all his commandments, and have done everything which he commanded you; (19) therefore thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Jonadab the son of Rechab shall not lack a