LESSONS FROM THE RECHABITES

2. An unknown family standing strong in the background LESSONS FROM THE RECHABITES

3. The Story of Judah was not a Pretty one • For forty years Jeremiah pleaded • Judah was given over to… • Idolatry • Drunkenness • Pleasure seeking • Worldliness • And pervervted justice

4. The Rechabite Story from Jeremiah 35 The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah: 2 “Go to the house of the Rechabites and speak with them and bring them to the house of the LORD, into one of the chambers; then offer them wine to drink.” v. 1-2, The command

5. The Rechabite Story from Jeremiah 35 3 So I took Jaazaniah the son of Jeremiah, son of Habazziniah and his brothers and all his sons and the whole house of the Rechabites. 4 I brought them to the house of the LORD into the chamber of the sons of Hanan the son of Igdaliah, the man of God, which was near the chamber of the officials, above the chamber of Maaseiah the son of Shallum, keeper of the threshold. 5 Then I set before the Rechabites pitchers full of wine, and cups, and I said to them, “Drink wine.”  v. 3-6, The invitation

6. The Rechabite Story from Jeremiah 35 6 But they answered, “We will drink no wine, for Jonadab the son of Rechab, our father, commanded us, ‘You shall not drink wine, neither you nor your sons forever. 7 You shall not build a house; you shall not sow seed; you shall not plant or have a vineyard; but you shall live in tents all your days, that you may live many days in the land where you sojourn.’ 8 We have obeyed the voice of Jonadab the son of Rechab, our father, in all that he commanded us…  v. 6-8a, The refusal

7. The Rechabite Story from Jeremiah 35 11 But when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against the land, we said, ‘Come, and let us go to Jerusalem for fear of the army of the Chaldeans and the army of the Syrians.’ So we are living in Jerusalem.” v. 11, An explanation

8. Who are the Rechabites? 55 The clans also of the scribes who lived at Jabez: the Tirathites, the Shimeathites and the Sucathites. These are the Kenites who came from Hammath, the father of the house of Rechab. 1 Chronicles 2:55 On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates, 19 the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, 20 the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim… Genesis 15:19

9. Who are the Rechabites? 16 And the descendants of the Kenite, Moses' father-in-law, went up with the people of Judah from the city of palms into the wilderness of Judah, which lies in the Negeb near Arad, and they went and settled with the people. Judges 1:16 29 And Moses said to Hobab the son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses' father-in-law, “We are setting out for the place of which the LORD said, ‘I will give it to you.’ Come with us, and we will do good to you, for the LORD has promised good to Israel.”  Numbers 10:29

10. 2 Kings 10 was an interesting time • Jehu is taking power • Ahab is dead/Jezebel killed • Slaughters Ahab’s 70 sons • Slaughters his great men • Slaughters his priests • Slaughters his close friends • Slaughters 42 visiting dignitaries • V. 15 – shows deference to Jonadab • Slaughtered all Baal wor. in Samaria • Turned Baal temple into a latrine

11. Jonadab, a powerful chieftain and believer …they answered, “We will drink no wine, for Jonadab the son of Rechab, our father, commanded us, ‘You shall not drink wine, neither you nor your sons forever. 7 You shall not build a house; you shall not sow seed; you shall not plant or have a vineyard; but you shall live in tents all your days, that you may live many days in the land where you sojourn.’ Jeremiah 35: 6-7

12. The point of a 1,000 yr. old family, and a 200 yr. old vow? Jeremiah 35:14, 16, 18-19 • 14 The command that Jonadab the son of Rechab gave to his sons, to drink no wine, has been kept, and they drink none to this day, for they have obeyed their father's command. I have spoken to you persistently, but you have not listened to me. • 16 The sons of Jonadab the son of Rechab have kept the command that their father gave them, but this people has not obeyed me.  • 18 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.”

13. What can we learn? • God desires separation from the world

14. God desires separation 17 Therefore go out from their midst,and be separate from them, says the Lord,and touch no unclean thing;then I will welcome you,18 and I will be a father to you,and you shall be sons and daughters to me,says the Lord Almighty.” 2 Corinthians 6:17-18

15. God desires separation 9 I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— 10 not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. 11 But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one.  1 Corinthians 5:9-11 Separation, even from brethren who are impenitent

16. What can we learn? • God desires separation from the world • We should not give up on our children

17. Young Families? • Beware the pleasure, money, sports of our day • Pray daily • Schedule devotions • Discipline hard • Learn to say “no” • Teach worship, not “church” • Teach your children to stand, not lean

18. What can we learn? • God desires separation from the world • We should not give up on our children • The Great God of all creation considers Himself a Father