Bible Commentaries
Jeremiah 35

Verses 1-11

Jer 35:1-11

Jeremiah 35:1-5

The word which came unto Jeremiah from Jehovah in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, saying, Go unto the house of the Rechabites, and speak unto them, and bring them into the house of Jehovah, into one of the chambers, and give them wine to drink. Then I took Jaazaniah the son of Jeremiah, the son of Habazziniah, and his brethren, and all his sons, and the whole house of the Rechabites; and I brought them into the house of Jehovah, into the chamber of the sons of Hanan the son of Igdaliah, the man of God, which was by the chamber of the princes, which was above the chamber of Maaseiah the son of Shallum, the keeper of the threshold. And I set before the sons of the house of the Rechabites bowls full of wine, and cups; and I said unto them, Drink ye wine.

The house of the Rechabites. the house of Jehovah .....

(Jeremiah 35:2; Jeremiah 35:4). Here is an example of the way in which the same word has multiple meanings. In the case of the Rechabites, the reference is to their group; but in the case of the temple it refers to a literal building.

Of the persons whose names are given in Jeremiah 35:3, Ash declared that "nothing is known."

Into the chamber of the sons of Hanan...

(Jeremiah 35:4). By reason of Haman’s having a chamber in the Temple itself, and his being called, the man of God, it is supposed that he was a prophet, his sons being a reference to his disciples. The fact that the whole house of the Rechabites, or at least, representatives of all their families could be seated in a single chamber indicates that the whole number of that community was probably not very large. The fact that he lent this room to Jeremiah for the purpose of this meeting indicates a measure of sympathy with the prophet.

I said unto them, Drink ye wine...

(Jeremiah 35:5). By the inspiration of God, Jeremiah already knew what the outcome of this test would be. He did not command them to drink wine but politely offered it to them, making it available in sufficient quantifies to allow all to have plenty.

The force of this temptation was reinforced by the fact of the group’s having been signally honored by this reception in the Temple itself, and by the famed prophet Jeremiah himself having been the one who offered it.

Note also that their dwelling in Jerusalem at this time did not mean that they had violated the ancestral order not to live in houses, a violation which some of the group might have been forced into by reason of the shortage of space to pitch tents within Jerusalem. The very fact that one of the ancestral tenets might have been being violated at this time would have also added to the temptation to drink wine. Once a rule of conduct is broken in a single particular, it is easier to break it in another.

Beyond this, there was the fact of their being in strange circumstances in a city not their own. Matthew Henry noted that the very situation suggested: "Go ahead and drink wine. It’s free. You have broken one rule of your order by moving into Jerusalem, why may you not break this rule also?" Who has not heard exclamations such as, "Well, everyone is doing it!" or "When in Rome, do as Rome does!"

The keeper of the threshold...

(Jeremiah 35:4). There were three of these keepers in the Temple, answering to the outer and inner courts of the Temple, and to the entrance of the Temple itself. These were officers of high rank, having precedence next to the High Priest and his deputy.

Jeremiah 35:6-11

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, for ever: neither shall ye build house, nor sow seed, nor plant vineyard, nor have any; but all your days ye shall dwell in tents; that ye may live many days in the land wherein ye sojourn. And we have obeyed the voice of Jonadab the son of Rechab, our father, in all that he charged us, to drink no wine all our days, we, our wives, our sons, or our daughters; nor to build houses for us to dwell in; neither have we vineyard, nor field, nor seed: but we have dwelt in tents, and have obeyed, and done according to all that Jonadab our father commanded us. But it came to pass, when Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon came up into the land, that we said, Come, and let us go to Jerusalem for fear of the army of the Chaldeans, and for fear of the army of the Syrians; so we dwell at Jerusalem.

We have obeyed. in all that he commanded us .....

(Jeremiah 35:8). The obedience of the Rechabites to their principles was indeed astounding. All of their days, they had obeyed all of Jonadab’s injunctions; all of them obeyed at all times and in all particulars. No greater contrast to the disobedience of Israel could possibly have been imagined.

It should be noted that, "What is praised here is not Jonadab’s injunctions, but the faithful obedience of his sons."

The superiority of the obedience of the Rechabites over that of Israel is inherent in a number of elements: (1) the person they obeyed was only a mortal man; Israel was disobeying God. (2) Jonadab had long been dead, some 250 years in fact; God lives forever. (3) There was no one to repeat the commands of Jonadab and insist upon their obedience; but God had sent prophet after prophet to reaffirm God’s commandments and to urge Israel to obey. (4) Jonadab gave no great blessings to his children; but God had endowed Israel with an entire kingdom. (5) Jonadab’s orders were very difficult to obey and had caused much hardship upon the Rechabites, but God’s commandments for Israel were not encumbered with such great difficulties. "And yet Jonadab’s orders were obeyed; and God’s were not!"

Jeremiah 35:11 is an explanation by the Rechabites that their dwelling in Jerusalem was of necessity and not because they were willing to violate the injunctions of their ancestor.

The following verses of this chapter stress the contrasts between the obedient Rechabites and the disobedient Israelites, which we have just enumerated.

AN ILLUSTRATION FROM AN EARLIER PERIOD CHAPTER 35

At this point Jeremiah or the final editor of the book introduces an incident from an earlier period of the prophet’s ministry to illustrate the disobedience of the people. Chapter 35 is unconnected chronologically with the preceding and following chapters. The event here narrated dates back to the reign of Jehoiakim (Jeremiah 34:1; Jeremiah 34:11) who ruled from 609 to 598 B.C. It is difficult to place the episode more precisely with the reign of that king. Jehoiakim started his reign as an Egyptian vassal (2 Kings 23:35). After the battle of Carchemish in 605 B.C. he swore allegiance to Nebuchadnezzar and remained faithful to him for three years, from 604 to 601 B.C. (2 Kings 24:1). Encouraged by an Egyptian defeat of Nebuchadnezzar late in 601 B.C. Jehoiakim rebelled against his overlord. Nebuchadnezzar, having returned to Babylon to lick the wounds of defeat, was unable to return to Jerusalem to deal with his rebellious vassal. In the meantime he sent local garrisons of Chaldean troops along with Syrian, Ammonite and Moabite mercenaries to raid Judah and harass Jehoiakim (2 Kings 24:2). It was probably to this period of Jehoiakim’s reign (599 or 598 B.C.) that the present episode is to be assigned.

The Fidelity of the Rechabites Jeremiah 35:1-11

Jeremiah used many different methods to communicate God’s truth to men. In the present instance he uses a dramatic demonstration involving a whole clan to drive home the truth to the people of Judah. The Rechabites are one of the most interesting groups mentioned in the Bible. They were apparently of Kenite descent (1 Chronicles 2:55) and had joined the Israelites at the time of the Exodus from Egypt (Judges 1:16). It was Jehonadab (or Jonadab) the son of Rechab who gave to the name “Rechabite” its special connotation.

Jehonadab first appears in 2 Kings 9:15-31 as a militant worshiper of Yahweh. He participated in the revolution of 841 B.C. when the zealot Jehu overthrew the dynasty of Omri in the northern kingdom of Israel. Apparently the excesses of Ahab and Jezebel, the importation of the worship of the Tyrian Baal, the disintegration of ancient social patterns and the wide-spread debauchery so completely upset certain conservative elements of the population that they were ready to take drastic steps to preserve the old values. Jehonadab had imposed rather strict regulations upon his descendants. But even though some 200 years had elapsed the Rechabites were still living by the rule of their father. Normally a nomadic group, the Rechabites had recently sought refuge in Jerusalem from the roving bands of Chaldeans and Syrians which were making repeated raids on the Jews living outside the walled cities (Jeremiah 35:11).

The narrative begins with Jeremiah receiving instruction to seek out the members of the Rechabite community. Literally, “Go to the house of the Rechabites.” House here does not refer to a dwelling but to members of a clan or, better still, a community. In obedience to this command Jeremiah contacted Jaazaniah, the present leader of the sect, and invited him and the members of his clan to come to the Temple (Jeremiah 35:2). Scripture does not state whether or not Jeremiah informed Jaazaniah as to the purpose of the Temple visit but the impression is left that what transpired there came as somewhat of a surprise to the Rechabites.

Jeremiah chose the chamber of the sons of Hanan “the man of God” as the spot for the demonstration (Jeremiah 35:4). The title “man of God” was an honorable title of the prophets. It was applied to Samuel (1 Samuel 9:6-10), Elijah (2 Kings 1:9-13), Elisha (2 Kings 4-13) and others. The term occurs only here in Jeremiah. Perhaps Hanan was a prophet. If so, his “sons” may have been his disciples. A number of chambers were arranged around the courts of the Temple and served partly as storehouses and partly as residences for priests and other Temple personnel. See 1 Chronicles 9:27; Ezekiel 40:17; Nehemiah 10:37-39. No doubt this particular chamber was able to accommodate several persons. It certainly was located in a prominent place being next to the chamber of the princes and just above the chamber of Maaseiah, the keeper of the door. The keeper of the door was an important priestly function. There were three of these officials corresponding to the number of gates of the Temple (Jeremiah 52:24; 2 Kings 25:18). They seem to have been in charge of money contributed for the Temple (2 Kings 12:9). This would be a most advantageous spot for an object lesson to be seen by the leaders of Jerusalem. The fact that Hanan (or his sons) lent the room to Jeremiah on this occasion indicates that some high ranking officials of the nation were in sympathy with the prophet.

After a crowd of witnesses, probably including Temple officials, had assembled Jeremiah placed before the Rechabites large bowls of wine together with drinking cups and told them to drink (Jeremiah 35:5). This is no example of placing a temptation before a weaker brother. It was not Jeremiah’s intention to entice these ascetics into sin. He knew that the Rechabites had committed themselves to a rigorous rule of life that included the abstinence from all fruit of the vine. At this point the Rechabites have something in common with the Nazarites who also abstained from all fruit of the vine. There is no indication, however, that the Rechabites did not cut their hair or avoided contact with dead bodies as was the case with the Nazarites. It was their loyalty and obedience to this way of life that Jeremiah wished to vividly portray before the national leaders. So he offered them wine and, as expected, the Rechabites vigorously declined the invitation to drink. The use of the Hebrew imperfect in the Rechabite refusal implies customary action and can be translated: “We never drink wine.” They offered a reason for their refusal. Jonadab, the ancestor of their clan, had commanded them (1) not to drink wine; (2) not to build houses; and (3) not to engage in agricultural pursuits (Jeremiah 35:6-7). The descendants of Jonadab had compiled with these commandments for over 200 years (Jeremiah 35:8-10). Surely this is one of the most noted examples of the influence of a father in all the annals of history! They wish it to be clearly understood that their presence in Jerusalem does not indicate unfaithfulness to principle. Only for the sake of self-preservation had they sought refuge in the city. Bands of Chaldeans and Syrians pillaging the countryside had forced these gentle people to temporarily take Up residence behind the protective walk of the capital (Jeremiah 35:11).

The Rechabites were a people who desired the simple pastoral life. But there is more involved. By their practices they were protesting the corruption which they observed in the sedentary population about them. The excessive drinking and wild harvest-time orgies associated with Baal worship were repulsive to Jonadab. Since Baal was an agricultural deity, the god of the farmer, Jonadab refused to allow members of his clan to sow seed, to plant or to own vineyards. By their austerity the Rechabites were a constant rebuke to those Israelites who succumbed to the tantalizing temptation to join in the sensual “worship” of Baal. Like the Nazarites, the Rechabites set an example of commitment to God. Even when forced to temporarily seek the safety of Jerusalem, even when confronted by the command of a prophet within the house of God these noble nomads refused to compromise their convictions. Along with their meager belongings the Rechabites had brought their principles to the big city with them. Such convictions and courage were as rare in the sixth century before Christ as they are today. May God grant that the lives of His people today will be a perpetual protest against the debauchery and drunkenness of this world.

Jeremiah commends the Rechabites for being faithful to their vow. This does not, of course, mean that Jeremiah shared their sentiments in every respect or regarded their way of life as a model that all should follow. Jeremiah spent most of his life in Jerusalem, lived in a house, presumably drank wine (it was the common daily beverage), and owned land (Jeremiah 32:1-15). The main point here is that the faithful obedience of the Rechabites is pleasing to God. They were a living rebuke to a faithless and disobedient nation.

Verses 12-19

Jer 35:12-19

Jeremiah 35:12-17

Then came the word of Jehovah unto Jeremiah, saying, Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel: Go, and say to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, Will ye not receive instruction to hearken to my words? saith Jehovah. The words of Jonadab the son of Rechab, that he commanded his sons, not to drink wine, are performed; and unto this day they drink none, for they obey their father’s commandment: but I have spoken unto you, rising up early and speaking; and ye have not hearkened unto me. I have sent also unto you all my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them, saying, Return ye now every man from his evil way, and amend your doings, and go not after other gods to serve them, and ye shall dwell in the land which I have given to you and to your fathers: but ye have not inclined your ear, nor hearkened unto me. Forasmuch as the sons of Jonadab the son of Rechab have performed the commandment of their father which he commanded them, but this people hath not hearkened unto me; therefore thus saith Jehovah, the God of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will bring upon Judah and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the evil that I have pronounced against them; because I have spoken unto them, but they have not heard; and I have called unto them, but they have not answered.

Little comment is required, for this text is the basis for the enumerated contrasts in the above paragraphs. These verses reach their climax in, "The thunder of judgment in Jeremiah 35:17. Such a course of action by Israel can lead to but one end, the destruction of the nation."

Jeremiah 35:18-19

And Jeremiah said unto the house of the Rechabites, Thus saith Jehovah 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 commanded you; therefore thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel: Jonadab the son of Rechab shall not want a man to stand before me for ever.

Attempts to pinpoint the fulfillment of this promise to the Rechabites have been made, but not very convincingly. Nevertheless, we know that God did indeed bless the Rechabites as indicated here. Payne Smith declared that, "Professor Plumptre proved that the prophecy here was literally fulfilled when the Rechabites were incorporated into the tribe of Levi, whose office it was ’to stand before Jehovah’ (Deuteronomy 10:8)." It is also possible that the firm rejection of alcoholic drinks in the Arab countries today may have come about, in part, because of the influence of the Rechabites. "Even today in Syria and Arabia, there are groups that claim to be Rechabites and that follow the Rechabite rule."

The Faithlessness of the Jews Jeremiah 35:12-15

The presence of an eccentric group like the Rechabites in the Temple area must have created quite a sensation in Jerusalem. No doubt a crowd quickly assembled in the courtyard outside the chamber of the sons of Hanan. Apparently Jeremiah left the chamber where the demonstration had taken place and went out to address the people in the Temple court. He minces no words as he drives home the spiritual lesson. Pointedly God asks through His messenger, ‘Will you not receive instruction to hearken to My words? Will you not learn from the Rechabites the lesson of obedience to My word?” (Jeremiah 35:13). For over 200 years the Rechabite clan had obeyed the command of a dead ancestor even though his commandment was merely a matter of human judgment. But time and again the living God had spoken to His people, yet they had ignored or deliberately disobeyed His commandments (Jeremiah 35:14). Again and again God had sent unto them prophets who pleaded with the rebellious people to repent and turn from idolatry and who promised them that they could continue to dwell in their land if they would only hearken to the voice of God. But the people had refused to hearken and on occasion actually had reviled and ridiculed the servants of God (Jeremiah 35:15). They had persisted in their rebellion against the Lord.

The Fate of the Rechabites and the Jews Jeremiah 35:16-19

In view of the fact that Judah had ignored or spurned all efforts of God to turn them back from apostasy, God is compelled to execute judgment upon the nation. God declares: “I will bring upon Judah and Jerusalem all the evil (calamity) that I have pronounced against them” (Jeremiah 35:17). Just before bringing the children of Israel into Canaan God had warned His people through Moses that remaining in possession of that land flowing with milk and honey was contingent upon their faithfulness (Deuteronomy 28). Every prophet from Amos onwards had reminded the nation of this fact. The fall of Samaria in 722 B.C. should have served as empirical proof of the proposition. Yet Judah plunged even deeper into apostasy. There was no other alternative. Judah must be punished, her population deported and her land made desolate. The contrast in Jeremiah 35:16-17 is great: a small obscure clan faithful to the word of their forefather on the one hand; an entire nation unfaithful to the word of their heavenly Father on the other. Surely the impending judgment was justified.

The passage concludes with a word of commendation for the Rechabites. Because they had faithfully observed the commandments of their father, Jonadab “shall not want a man to stand before Me forever” (Jeremiah 35:18-19). To stand before anyone in Old Testament thought is to function as a servant to that person. Thus the promise here is that throughout the ages there would always be obedient servants of the Lord among the descendants of Jonadab. It is not easy to determine in what way the Lord fulfilled His promise to the Rechabites. Some missionaries and travelers report having encountered Rechabites in Yemen and Mesopotamia. Perhaps it is better, however, to think in terms of a spiritual fulfillment of the promise. Throughout history there have been and will be spiritual descendants of the Rechabites who remain true to their convictions and separate themselves from the sinfulness of the world.

Judgment Arrives - Jeremiah 34:1 to Jeremiah 35:19

Open It

1. Whom do you admire for his or her faithfulness and integrity, and how does this person demonstrate those qualities?

2. What do you think motivates people to go back on their word?

Explore It

3. What good news and bad news did Jeremiah have for king Zedekiah during the siege of Jerusalem? (Jeremiah 34:1-5)

4. At the time of this prophecy, what cities had not yet fallen to the king of Babylon? (Jeremiah 34:6-7)

5. What agreement did king Zedekiah make with the people of Jerusalem? (Jeremiah 34:8-9)

6. How did the people respond to Zedekiah’s suggestion about abolishing the slavery of fellow Jews? (Jeremiah 34:10)

7. After they had agreed to free the slaves, what did the people do? (Jeremiah 34:11)

8. What was God’s plan for dealing with the issues of Israelites as slaves? (Jeremiah 34:12-14)

9. What solemn agreement was initiated by Jeremiah’s countrymen? (Jeremiah 34:15)

10. What action by the leadership of Judah profaned God’s name? (Jeremiah 34:16)

11. What was God’s sarcastic expression for the punishment He decreed? (Jeremiah 34:17)

12. How did God turn the ceremony used for solemnizing an agreement into a picture of the punishment due those who broke the agreement? (Jeremiah 34:18-20)

13. What specific prophecy destroyed the hope that Nebuchadnezzar had withdrawn from Jerusalem for good? (Jeremiah 34:21-22)

14. What invitation did God tell Jeremiah to issue to the Recabite family? (Jeremiah 35:1-2)

15. Where did Jeremiah meet with the Recabites? (Jeremiah 35:3-5)

16. How did the Recabites respond to Jeremiah’s invitation? (Jeremiah 35:6)

17. What instruction of their ancestor had the Recabites been obeying to the letter? (Jeremiah 35:7-10)

18. Why had the Recabites come to Jerusalem? (Jeremiah 35:11)

19. How did Jeremiah use the example of the Recabites’ obedience to call the people of Jerusalem to account? (Jeremiah 35:12-16)

20. How did the people’s response to God’s call through His prophets seal their doom? (Jeremiah 35:17)

21. What was God’s promise to the Recabites because of their integrity and wholehearted obedience? (Jeremiah 35:18-19)

Get It

22. What might Zedekiah have hoped would happen if the people repented of making slaves?

23. In what sense did it profane the name of God when His people broke their agreement with Him?

24. Why were the people of Jerusalem unwise to break a covenant they had made with God?

25. Why did God honor the obedience of the Recabites?

26. How are the examples in these chapters insightful lessons about the value of keeping your word?

27. What promises do contemporary people tend to take lightly?

28. What sorts of consequences follow in the wake of a broken promise?

29. What is gained by fulfilling the terms of a promise even if it hurts or requires sacrifice?

Apply It

30. What promise do you need to keep, even if it is costly to you?

31. How could you advise a fellow Christian before he or she enters into a binding promise or agreement?.

Questions On Jeremiah Chapter Thirty-Five

By Brent Kercheville

1 What was the lesson God wanted his people to learn from the Rekabites (Jeremiah 35:1-16)?

2 How do we fall into the same sin?

3 What blessing does God give for the faithfulness of the Rekabites (Jeremiah 35:17-19)?

TRANSFORMATION:

How does this relationship change your relationship with God? What did you learn about him?

What will you do differently in your life?