Verse-by-Verse Bible Commentary
Jeremiah 35:11

Clarke's Commentary

Verse Jeremiah 35:11. But - when Nebuchadnezzar - came up — If at present we appear to be acting contrary in any respect to our institutions, in being found in the city, necessity alone has induced us to take this temporary step. We have sought the shelter of the city for the preservation of our lives; so now we dwell at Jerusalem.

Bridgeway Bible Commentary

35:1-45:5 EVENTS IN JUDAH AND EGYPT

A lesson from the Rechabites (35:1-19)

Events recorded in the book of Jeremiah are not in chronological order, and Jeremiah now takes the readers back to the reign of Jehoiakim. He recounts a story concerning the Rechabites, a community of local tribal people who lived peaceably among the Israelites (1 Chronicles 2:55). The Rechabites were forbidden by their long-standing customs to drink wine. They were true worshippers of Yahweh and were fiercely anti-Baal (cf. 2 Kings 10:15-16,2 Kings 10:23-27). God told Jeremiah to test their loyalty to their ideals by offering them wine to drink (35:1-2). Jeremiah carried out the test in the temple, where officials could witness the event (3-5).

The Rechabites refused to touch the wine. They pointed out that their ancestors had forbidden them to drink wine or to carry on agricultural occupations of any sort (apparently because of the temptations to Baal worship that such occupations provided). They had always lived a simple nomadic life, living in tents rather than building houses (6-9). This nomadic life also enabled them to avoid the corrupting influences of city life; though when the Babylonian armies invaded Judah, they had been forced to flee to Jerusalem for temporary refuge (10-11).
Jeremiah now uses this as a lesson to the people of Judah. The Rechabites remain faithful to the laws of their ancestors, but the Judeans are not faithful to the law of God (12-16). God therefore will preserve the Rechabites through the bloodshed that will come upon Jerusalem (17-19).

Coffman's Commentaries on the Bible

"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: 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, that when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up into the land, that we said, Come, and let us go to Jerusalem for the 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" 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."Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's Commentary, p. 542. 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."Ibid., p. 543.

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!"Matthew Henry's Commentary, p. 630.

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.

Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible

The Syrians - The Septuagint substitutes Assyrians for Syrians, but marauding bands of the Aramaeans are probably meant.

Calvin's Commentary on the Bible

It hence appears that it proved advantageous to the Rechabites to observe what their father had commanded them: for had they been fixed to their possessions, they must have been driven into exile with the rest when the kingdom of Israel was destroyed; what happened to the ten tribes nmst have happened to the Rechabites. But as they had nothing as their own, they were freer to move elsewhere; nor had they the trial of leaving possessions, for they had none. We know that many are so tied to their own houses, fields, vineyards, and meadows, that they would rather be killed a hundred times than to be torn away from them. Then Jenadab consulted well the benefit of his posterity, when he ordered them to dwell in tents; for thus they could collect together in one day all that they had, according to the known saying of Bias. Hence poverty was a great advantage to them: their austerity of life was also a benefit to them; they could without difficulty dwell at Jerusalem, for they had no need of many luxuries. Had they been accustomed to wine and to other delicacies, they might have discussed the point, whether it would have been better for them at once to die than to suffer want in a besieged city. Moreover, as they had lived frugally and had also been accustomed to an austere life, no anxiety prevented them to come with confidence to Jerusalem; for they thought that they could gain a sparing and sordid subsistence by their own labor.

It hence then appears what Jenadab had in view, when he forbade his posterity the use of wine as well as the possession of fields and vineyards; for he could then foresee what dreadful revolutions were at hand. It was therefore his purpose thus to train up his posterity, that when difficulties came they might not succumb under the burden, but patiently bear want or any other inconvenience, which to others would be intolerable, whenever their former delicacies came to mind. We they said, Come, and let us enter into Jerusalem from the face of both armies. When therefore the Israelites were detained by their fields and domestic possessions, the Rechabites went to Jerusalem, and thus were freed from danger. It now follows, —

Smith's Bible Commentary

Chapter 35

The word which came unto Jeremiah from the LORD in the days of Jehoiakim ( Jeremiah 35:1 )

So we're going back even further now, even before Zedekiah was the king. This prophecy came way back in the time of Jehoiakim.

the son of Josiah the king of Judah, saying, Go to the house of the Rechabites, and speak unto them, and bring them into the house of the LORD, into one of the chambers, and set before them wine to drink. Then I took Jaazaniah the son of Jeremiah, the son of Habaziniah, and his brothers, and all his sons, and the whole house of the Rechabites; And I brought them into the house of the LORD, into the chamber of the sons of Hanan, the son of Igdaliah, a 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 door ( Jeremiah 35:1-4 ):

So a lot of names that don't mean much to us. But what he's saying is that God said, "Go to the Rechabites and bring them into this particular chamber in the temple and set wine before them." So he did it.

And I set before the sons of the house of the Rechabites pots full of wine, and cups; and I said unto them, Drink some wine. But they said, We will not drink wine: for Jonadab the son of Rechab our father commanded us, saying, You shall drink no wine, neither your sons for ever: Neither shall you build houses, nor are you to plant fields, or vineyards, nor have any: but all of your days you are to dwell in tents; that you may live many days in the land wherein you are strangers. So we have obeyed the voice of Jonadab the son of Rechab our father in all that he charged us, not to drink wine all our days, we, nor our wives, nor our sons, nor our daughters; Nor have we built houses for us to dwell in: neither have we any vineyards, nor fields, nor seeds: But we have dwelt in tents, and obeyed, and done according to all that Jonadab our father commanded us. But it came to pass, when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has come into the land, that we said, Come, and let us go to Jerusalem because we fear the army of the Chaldeans, and for fear of the army of the Syrians: so we are dwelling at Jerusalem ( Jeremiah 35:5-11 ).

So here is this Nomadic group of people. They are Bedouin types who are living in tents. They don't drink wine. And you'll find today around Jerusalem and around Israel still you'll find these Bedouins living in tents. Now the Israeli government tried to build houses for them and a housing settlement. But the people just don't like living in houses. And the houses that were built for them by the Israeli government are vacant. They won't... They prefer their tents still. These Bedouins are still around the area. They're interesting people to observe. They don't drink wine or they don't plant fields. They are, most of them, just shepherds. They don't have vineyards. They just move from place to place living in tents. And so they're interesting people indeed. The Bedouins are similar to these Rechabites who way back one of the fathers said, "Hey, don't drink wine, don't build houses, live in tents, don't plant vineyards," you know. And so here they're keeping it. They're obeying this guy of hundreds of years ago who gave the command to the family. So here they're still following it.

So the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; 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 ( Jeremiah 35:12-14 )

Just this ancestor of these people.

the son of Rechab, that he commanded his sons not to drink wine, are performed; for unto this day they don't drink any wine, but obey their father's commandment: notwithstanding I have spoken unto you, rising early and speaking; but you did not hearkened unto me ( Jeremiah 35:14 ).

Now God is showing the incongruency of this whole thing. "Look, here are these people. I'm offering them wine, they won't drink." Why? Because way back in their ancestry, one of their dads says, "Now don't drink wine, son, and don't let your children drink wine." And to this day they are obeying the voice of Jonadab. And God said, "I have spoken unto you but you haven't listened to My voice. You haven't hearkened to Me. Now here is a group of people hearkening unto one of their fathers. But here I have spoken and you won't hearken to Me."

I have also sent 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 do not go after other gods to serve them, and you shall dwell in the land which I have given to you and to your fathers: but you have not inclined your ear, nor hearkened unto me. Because 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 the LORD 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 ( Jeremiah 35:15-17 ).

So I'm going to bring upon them all of the evil.

And Jeremiah said unto the house of the Rechabites, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Because you have obeyed the commandment of Jonadab your father, and you have kept all of his precepts, and done all that he commanded you: 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 ).

So these people still exist. God says, "I won't let them get wiped out. They'll remain." They do. The Rechabites who still obey Jonadab their ancestor and follow after his orders and refuse to live in houses but dwell in tents and don't plant vineyards. An interesting class of people, and God says, "They'll remain. My people they're going to get wiped out. They'll be scattered and all. But these Rechabites they can stay."

Now these things were all written for our instruction. It's not that we are to look at the people of Israel and say, "Oh, isn't that horrible? The things that they did. How they refused to obey God and they turned their backs on God and not their face. Isn't that awful that they broke the covenant of God? Isn't that awful that they worshipped these false gods? Isn't that terrible that God had to bring judgment on them?" It's not so that we can criticize them. It's so that we will learn not to follow after false idols ourselves. That we will learn to hearken to the voice of God and to obey His voice. That we will seek the Lord with all of our hearts. That we will live a life that is pleasing unto Him. That we will not follow their example of turning away from God, but will live unto God a life of righteousness before Him.

So may God be with you and bless you and help you this week to live a life that is pleasing before the Lord. Doing the work of God. Obeying the commandment of His voice. Walking in fellowship with Him. God be with you and bless you and keep you and give you a beautiful week in Christ Jesus. "

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

The meeting with the Rechabites 35:1-11

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

The only time they lived in a city was when Nebuchadnezzar’s vassals invaded the Judean countryside. Then they moved into the city for protection out of necessity, for survival, not because they had abandoned their principles. Jerusalem was not under siege at this time, but the surrounding countryside was being invaded.

Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

But it came to pass, when Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon came up into the land,.... Into the land of Judea to invade it, which was in the reign of Jehoiakim, in the fourth year of it, after he had served him three years, and rebelled against him;

:-;

that we said, come, and let us go to Jerusalem; they said one to another, let us not stay here to be destroyed by a foreign enemy; but let us go to Jerusalem, a fortified city, where we may be safe:

for fear of the army of the Chaldeans, and for fear of the army of the Syrians; for Nebuchadnezzar's army in this expedition consisted of Chaldeans and Syrians, and of other nations, 2 Kings 24:2;

so we dwell at Jerusalem; for the present. It seems as though this was quickly after Nebuchadnezzar's incursion, and when he was but just departed; so that their fears had not wholly subsided; and they, as yet, had not returned to their tents, and former manner of living: hence it appears that the Rechabites did not look upon this command of their father as equal to a divine precept, which must be always obeyed; but that in case of necessity it might be dispensed with, and especially when in danger of life, and when human prudence required it; and in which case the lawgiver himself would have dispensed with it, had he been on the spot.

Henry's Complete Commentary on the Bible

      1 The word which came unto Jeremiah from the LORD in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, saying,   2 Go unto the house of the Rechabites, and speak unto them, and bring them into the house of the LORD, into one of the chambers, and give them wine to drink.   3 Then I took Jaazaniah the son of Jeremiah, the son of Habaziniah, and his brethren, and all his sons, and the whole house of the Rechabites;   4 And I brought them into the house of the LORD, into the chamber of the sons of Hanan, the son of Igdaliah, a 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 door:   5 And I set before the sons of the house of the Rechabites pots full of wine, and cups, and I said unto them, Drink ye wine.   6 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:   7 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 where ye be strangers.   8 Thus have we obeyed the voice of Jonadab the son of Rechab our father in all that he hath charged us, to drink no wine all our days, we, our wives, our sons, nor our daughters;   9 Nor to build houses for us to dwell in: neither have we vineyard, nor field, nor seed:   10 But we have dwelt in tents, and have obeyed, and done according to all that Jonadab our father commanded us.   11 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.

      This chapter is of an earlier date than many of those before; for what is contained in it was said and done in the days of Jehoiakim (Jeremiah 35:1; Jeremiah 35:1); but then it must be in the latter part of his reign, for it was after the king of Babylon with his army came up into the land (Jeremiah 35:11; Jeremiah 35:11), which seems to refer to the invasion mentioned 2 Kings 24:2, which was upon occasion of Jehoiakim's rebelling against Nebuchadnezzar. After the judgments of God had broken in upon this rebellious people he continued to deal with them by his prophets to turn them from sin, that his wrath might turn away from the. For this purpose Jeremiah sets before them the example of the Rechabites, a family that kept distinct by themselves and were no more numbered with the families of Israel than they with the nations. They were originally Kenites, as appears 1 Chronicles 2:55, These are the Kenites that came out of Hemath, the father of the house of Rechab. The Kenites, at least those of them that gained a settlement in the land of Israel, were of the posterity of Hobab, Moses's father-in-law, Judges 1:16. We find them separated from the Amalekites, 1 Samuel 15:6. See Judges 4:17. One family of these Kenites had their denomination from Rechab. His son, or a lineal descendant from him, was Jonadab, a man famous in his time for wisdom and piety. He flourished in the days of Jehu, king of Israel, nearly 300 years before this; for there we find him courted by that rising prince, when he affected to appear zealous for God (2 Kings 10:15; 2 Kings 10:16), which he thought nothing more likely to confirm people in the opinion of than to have so good a man as Jonadab ride in the chariot with him. Now here we are told,

      I. What the rules of living were which Jonadab, probably by his last will and testament, in writing, and duly executed, charged his children, and his posterity after him throughout all generations, religiously to observe; and we have reason to think that they were such as he himself had all his days observed.

      1. They were comprised in two remarkable precepts:-- (1.) He forbade them to drink wine, according to the law of the Nazarites. Wine is indeed given to make glad the heart of man and we are allowed the sober and moderate use of it; but we are so apt to abuse it and get hurt by it, and a good man, who has his heart made continually glad with the light of God's countenance, has so little need of it for that purpose (Psalms 4:6; Psalms 4:7), that it is a commendable piece of self-denial either not to use it at all or very sparingly and medicinally, as Timothy used it, 1 Timothy 5:23. (2.) He appointed them to dwell in tents, and not to build houses, nor purchase lands, nor rent or occupy either, Jeremiah 35:7; Jeremiah 35:7. This was an instance of strictness and mortification beyond what the Nazarenes were obliged to. Tents were mean dwellings, so that this would teach them to be humble; they were cold dwellings, so that this would teach them to be hardy and not to indulge the body; they were movable dwellings, so that this would teach them not to think of settling or taking root any where in this world. They must dwell in tents all their days. They must from the beginning thus accustom themselves to endure hardness, and then it would be no difficulty to them, no, not under the decays of old age. Now,

      2. Why did Jonadab prescribe these rules of living to his posterity? It was not merely to show his authority, and to exercise a dominion over them, by imposing upon them what he thought fit; but it was to show his wisdom, and the real concern he had for their welfare, by recommending to them what he knew would be beneficial to them, yet not tying them by any oath or vow, or under any penalty, to observe these rules, but only advising them to conform to this discipline as far as they found it for edification, yet to be dispensed with in any case of necessity, as here, Jeremiah 35:11; Jeremiah 35:11. He prescribed these rules to them, (1.) That they might preserve the ancient character of their family, which, however looked upon by some with contempt, he thought its real reputation. His ancestors had addicted themselves to a pastoral life (Exodus 2:16), and he would have his posterity keep to it, and not degenerate from it, as Israel had done, who originally were shepherds and dwelt in tents, Genesis 46:34. Note, We ought not to be ashamed of the honest employments of our ancestors, though they were but mean. (2.) That they might comport with their lot and bring their mind to their condition. Moses had put them in hopes that they should be naturalized (Numbers 10:32); but, it seems they were not; they were still strangers in the land (Jeremiah 35:7; Jeremiah 35:7), had no inheritance in it, and therefore must live by their employments, which was a good reason why they should accustom themselves to hard fare and hard lodging; for strangers, such as they were, must not expect to live as the landed men, so plentifully and delicately. Note, It is our wisdom and duty to accommodate ourselves to our place and rank, and not aim to live above it. What has been the lot of our fathers why may we not be content that it should be our lot, and live according to it? Mind not high things. (3.) That they might not be envied and disturbed by their neighbours among whom they lived. If they that were strangers should live great, raise estates, and fare sumptuously, the natives would grudge them their abundance, and have a jealous eye upon them, as the Philistines had upon Isaac (Genesis 26:14), and would seek occasions to quarrel with them and do them a mischief; therefore he thought it would be their prudence to keep low, for that would be the way to continue long-to live meanly, that they might live many days in the land where they were strangers. Note, Humility and contentment in obscurity are often the best policy and men's surest protection. (4.) That they might be armed against temptations to luxury and sensuality, the prevailing sin of the age and place they lived in. Jonadab saw a general corruption of manners; the drunkards of Ephraim abounded, and he was afraid lest his children should be debauched and ruined by them; and therefore he obliged them to live by themselves, retired in the country; and, that they might not run into any unlawful pleasures, to deny themselves the use even of lawful delights. They must be very sober, and temperate, and abstemious, which would contribute to the health both of mind and body, and to their living many days, and easy ones, and such as they might reflect upon with comfort in the land where they were strangers. Note, The consideration of this, that we are strangers and pilgrims, should oblige us to abstain from all fleshly lusts, to live above the things of sense, and look upon them with a generous and gracious contempt. (5.) That they might be prepared for times of trouble and calamity. Jonadab might, without a spirit of prophecy, foresee the destruction of a people so wretchedly degenerated, and he would have his family provide, that, if they could not in the peace thereof, yet even in the midst of the troubles thereof, they might have peace. Let them therefore have little to lose, and then losing times would be the less dreadful to them: let them sit loose to what they had, and then they might with less pain be stripped of it. Note, Those are in the best frame to meet sufferings who are mortified to the world and life a life of self-denial. (6.) That in general they might learn to live by rule and under discipline. It is good for us all to do so, and to teach our children to do so. Those that have lived long, as Jonadab probably had done when he left this charge to his posterity, can speak by experience of the vanity of the world and the dangerous snares that are in the abundance of its wealth and pleasures, and therefore ought to be regarded when they warn those that come after them to stand upon their guard.

      II. How strictly his posterity observed these rules, Jeremiah 35:8-10; Jeremiah 35:8-10. They had in their respective generations all of them obeyed the voice of Jonadab their father, had done according to all that he commanded them. They drank no wine, though they dwelt in a country where was plenty of it; their wives and children drank no wine, for those that are temperate themselves should take care that all under their charge should be so too. They built no houses, tilled no ground, but lived upon the products of their cattle. This they did partly in obedience to their ancestor, and out of a veneration they had for his name and authority, and partly from the experience they themselves had of the benefit of living such a mortified life. See the force of tradition, and the influence that antiquity, example, and great names, have upon men, and how that which seems very difficult will by long usage and custom become easy and in a manner natural. Now, 1. As to one of the particulars he had given them in charge, we are here told how in a case of necessity they dispensed with the violation of it (Jeremiah 35:11; Jeremiah 35:11): When the king of Babylon came into the land with his army, though they had hitherto dwelt in tents, they now quitted their tents, and came and dwelt in Jerusalem, and in such houses as they could furnish themselves with there. Note, The rules of a strict discipline must not be made too strict, but so as to admit of a dispensation when the necessity of a case calls for it, which therefore, in making vows of that nature, it is wisdom to provide expressly for, that the way may be made the more clear, and we may not afterwards be forced to say, It was an error,Ecclesiastes 5:6. Commands of that nature are to be understood with such limitations. These Rechabites would have tempted God, and not trusted him, if they had not used proper means for their own safety in a time of common calamity, notwithstanding the law and custom of their family. 2. As to the other particular, we are here told how, notwithstanding the greatest urgency, they religiously adhered to it. Jeremiah took them into the temple (Jeremiah 35:2; Jeremiah 35:2), into a prophet's chamber, there, rather than into the chamber of the princes, that joined to it, because he had a message from God, which would look more like itself when it was delivered in the chambers of a man of God. There he not only asked the Rechabites whether they would drink any wine, but he set pots full of wine before them, and cups to drink out of, made the temptation as strong as possible, and said, "Drink you wine, you shall have it on free cost. You have broken one of the rules of your order, in coming to live at Jerusalem; why may you not break this too, and when you are in the city do as they there do?" But they peremptorily refused. They all agreed in the refusal. "No, we will drink no wine; for with us it is against the law." The prophet knew very well they would deny it, and, when they did, urged it no further, for he saw they were stedfastly resolved. Note, Those temptations are of no force with men of confirmed sobriety which yet daily overcome such as, notwithstanding their convictions, are of no resolution in the paths of virtue.