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The Rechabites, August 20
Jeremiah 35:1-19
And Jeremiah said unto the house of the Rechabites, ... Because ye have
obeyed the commandment of Jonadab your father, and kept all his
precepts, ... therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel;
Jonadab the son of Rechab shall not want a man to stand before me for
ever.
Jeremiah 35:18, 19
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God commanded Jeremiah to gather the Rechabites into the house of the
Lord, into one of the chambers, and set wine before them and invite them to
drink. Jeremiah did as the Lord commanded him. “But they said, We will drink
no wine: for Jonadab the son of Rechab our father commanded us, saying, Ye
shall drink no wine, neither ye, nor your sons forever.”
“Then came the word of the Lord unto Jeremiah, saying, ... Go and tell the
men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, Will ye not receive instruction to
hearken to my words? saith the Lord. The words of Jonadab the son of Rechab,
that he commanded his sons not to drink wine, are performed; for unto this day
they drink none, but obey their father’s commandment.” Here God contrasts the
obedience of the Rechabites with the disobedience and rebellion of His people,
who will not receive His words of reproof and warning.... The Rechabites were
commended for their ready and willing obedience, while God’s people refused
to be reproved by their prophets
If the requirements of a good and wise father, who took the best and most
effectual means to secure his posterity against the evils of intemperance, were
worthy of strict obedience, surely God’s authority should be held in as much
greater reverence as He is holier than man. Our Creator and our Commander,
infinite in power, terrible in judgment, seeks by every means to bring men to see
and repent of their sins. By the mouth of His servants He predicts the dangers of
disobedience; He sounds the note of warning and faithfully reproves sin. His
people are kept in prosperity only by His mercy, through the vigilant watchcare
of chosen instrumentalities. He cannot uphold and guard a people who reject His
counsel and despise His reproofs. For a time He may withhold His retributive
judgments; yet He cannot always stay His hand
[239]
29
Testimonies for the Church 4:174, 175
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30
Prophets and Kings, 425, 426
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247