JEREMIAH
35
A
Bible Study - Commentary by Jim Melough
Copyright
2003 James Melough
35:1. “The word
which came unto Jeremiah from the Lord in the days of Jehoiakim the son of
Josiah king of Judah,
saying,”
See the notes at the end of
the introduction, relative to the reason for the placing of this prophesy out
of chronological order.
35:2. “Go into
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.”
The Rechabites were nomads
related to the Kenites from whom Jethro, Moses father-in-law was descended.
They had helped Jehu in the elimination of the worship of Baal, see 2 Ki
10:15-28. In 598 BC, however, Nebuchadnezzar’s incursion against Judah forced
them to settle in Jerusalem.
The “chambers” mentioned
here were rooms around the Temple court, used as priests’ dwellings, as
meeting places, and for storage, see 1 Ki 6:5; 1 Chr 28:12; 2 Chr 31:11-12,
and Neh 13:7-9.
35:3. “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;”
Nothing is known of
Jaazaniah or Habaziniah.
35:4. “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 Maasiah the son of Shallum, the keeper of the
door:”
Nothing is known of Hanan,
Igdaliah, Maasiah, or Shallum.
35:5. “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.”
35:6. “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:”
35:7. “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.”
A careful study of this
chapter indicates that Jonadab, the obedient father of the equally obedient
Rechabites, is a type of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Rechab and Rechabite mean
charioteer: rider, meanings which at first glance afford no clue as to the
spiritual significance of these people. There can, however, be little doubt
that they are prototypes of believers who are to pass through this world as
pilgrims and strangers whose confession is that, “... here we have no
continuing city, but we seek one to come,” He 13:14; and whose condition is to
be marked by obedience to Peter’s plea, “Dearly beloved, I beseech you as
strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the
soul,” 1 Pe 2:11. Since, then, they do represent obedient believers, the
meanings charioteer: rider have something else to teach us, for the
chariot is the vehicle of the successful overcomer; while the horse is a
biblical symbol of strength, his rider controlling that strength.
But the emphasis here is on
the fact that the Rechabites, obedient to the command of their father Jonadab,
meaning Jehovah is willing giver, would not drink wine, which is the
biblical symbol of joy, either the true joy given by God, or the empty
fleeting shallow joy offered by earthly pleasures, the present context making
it clear that the latter meaning is the one which applies here.
Wine, however, was not the
only thing proscribed: they were not to build houses, engage in farming, plant
or own vineyards, the practical lesson for believers being that we are not to
become involved in the world’s business to any greater extent than is
necessary to supply our needs.
The objective in all of this
was that they might “live many days in the land where ye be strangers.” The
“many days” speak of the abundant life available to the obedient believer, no
matter whether his days on earth be many or few. And we should note again
that the land in which they lived, was one in which they were “strangers.” So
is this world for believers. We are simply passing through it on our way home
to heaven.
Christendom has been guilty
of great departure from the Divine standard; but sadly, so have all too many
genuine believers.
35:8. “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;”
35:9. “Nor to
build houses for us to dwell in: neither have we vineyard, nor field, nor
seed.”
Their obedience wasn’t
confined to themselves as individuals. They saw to it that those under their
control were also obedient; and certainly the application is first to our own
families; but we would be missing the point if we failed to recognize that
that responsibility goes beyond our literal families; it applies also to what
is spiritual. The wife in Scripture represents the expression of the
believer’s spiritual life, i.e., the life which others observe: our daily
conduct. There should be no contradiction between what we profess, and how we
think, speak, and act.
Sons and daughters represent
respectively the activity and passivity of our will, so that the Rechabites’
control of their sons and daughters teaches the lesson that what we do, and
refrain from doing, are to be in accord with God’s will.
Their having neither built
houses, planted vineyards, tilled fields, nor sown any seed, all translate
into the spiritual truth that as spiritual Rechabites we are to be occupied
with the things of this world no more than is necessary to supply our needs.
35:10. “But we
have dwelt in tents, and have obeyed, and done according to all that Jonadab
our father commanded us.”
Abraham, the great man of
faith, lived in the same fashion. We read often of his pitching his tent, but
never of his having built a house, or of his having lived in one; and of him
it is written, “For he looked for a (correctly the) city which hath
foundations, whose builder and maker is God,” He 11:10.
35:11. “But it
came to pass, when Nebuchadnezzar 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.”
The literal history
continues to be simply the vehicle by which God conveys spiritual instruction,
for Babylon, meaning confusing (by mixing), represents that great evil
religious system, back to which every false religious organization can be
traced, the apostate travesty centered today in Rome, and ruling virtually
all of apostate Christendom, being its “Christianized” representative. Never
was a name more appropriate, for it is by mixing its lies with the truth of
Scripture, that Roman Catholicism has duped countless multitudes into
accepting its deadly doctrine as the very word of God.
And it is instructive to
note that Nebuchadnezzar, the best known of Babylon’s kings, and a type of
Satan, means confusing the lord of treasure: prophesy, the earthen vessel
is preserved. Through the false teaching of his earthly minions, Roman
Catholic priests and Protestantism’s false teachers, Satan has succeeded all
too well in confusing those whom God desires to be “lords of treasure,” i.e.,
those who, were they willing to trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior,
would thereby, through the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit Who indwells every
believer, become possessed of eternal treasure: the ability to understand the
wealth available to them in the Scriptures.
By continuing to view these
details symbolically, we see in Babylon’s invasion of the land, Satan’s early
attack on Christianity, and as that invasion impelled the Rechabites to seek
refuge in Jerusalem, synonymous with the presence of God, and meaning dual
peace shall be taught: lay (set) ye double peace, so did Satan’s earliest
attacks on Christianity drive true Christians nearer to God and to a firmer
grasp of His peace “which passeth all understanding,”
The name Chaldea (another
name for Babylon) means as clod-breakers, i.e., those lacking skill to
do anything other than to dig in the earth; and the name is particularly
appropriate to those entangled in the evil religious system represented by
Babylon. Lack of spiritual enlightenment leaves them incapable of anything
other than the ability to read only the literal language of Scripture, while
remaining ignorant of its true spiritual content. They are mere spiritual
clod-breakers.
But joined with the
Babylonians were the Syrians, meaning exalted, and speaking of pride;
and again, the spiritual lesson is crystal clear. The pompous pride of the
Roman Catholic system is glaringly apparent to all but the dupes of the
system. Consider, for example, the earthly splendor of the Papal palace; the
vast wealth represented by the Vatican’s art treasures; the incalculable
billions of literal wealth, (earth’s most closely guarded secret); the titles
and vestments of the Roman Catholic hierarchy, to name but a few.
“... so we dwell at
Jerusalem,” and so does every believer who walks in the enjoyment of the peace
which is synonymous with the name Jerusalem, and which comes from knowing that
God is in control, every circumstance of life, from the least to the greatest,
being ordered or permitted by Him, and being used for His glory, and the
ultimate blessing of those who are His.
35:12. “Then
came the word of the Lord unto Jeremiah, saying,”
35:13. “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 obedience of the
Rechabites to the command of their father, emphasizes the rebellion of Judah
relative to God’s commands.
35:14. “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 command: notwithstanding I have spoken unto you, rising early and
speaking; but ye hearkened not unto me.”
Jonadab’s command, given
only once, was faithfully obeyed, but even though God had spoken to Israel and
Judah persistently and untiringly, His word was flagrantly disobeyed. Nor has
it been given any better reception by apostate Christendom, whose sin is
aggravated by the fact that she has had the fate of Israel and Judah to warn
her of the folly of disobedience, that warning having been given, not only in
the Assyrian and Babylonian captivity of Israel and Judah respectively, but in
the destruction of both by the Romans in AD 70.
35:15. “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.”
Jonadab had spoken only once
and was obeyed, but God at many times, and by many servants, had warned Israel
and Judah that if they wished to remain on the land and enjoy His blessing,
they must cease their idolatry; but they demonstrated their contempt in two
ways: they refused to listen to His servants; and when compelled to hear, they
disobeyed.
Apostate Christendom has
been guilty of the same twofold rebellion. They refuse to read God’s Word,
and when by chance they do hear it preached by some faithful servant, they
reject it; but as the foretold Assyrian and Babylonian captivities ultimately
destroyed Israel and Judah, so will the long foretold Tribulation judgments
destroy apostate Christendom and the rest of this present equally evil and
rebellious world.
35:16. “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:”
35:17.
“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.”
Having finally exhausted
God’s great, but not limitless patience, rebel Judah was about to be
destroyed, her guilt being the greater as a result of her having had the fate
of her evil sister Israel as a warning against the folly of trifling with God.
Apostate Christendom, and
the rest of today’s evil world have had more warnings: not only the Assyrian
and Babylonian captivities of Israel and Judah respectively, but the
destruction of both by Rome in AD 70. Her turning a deaf ear and blind eye to
these warnings will not, however, prevent her now imminent destruction.
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;”
35:19.
“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 forever.”
It seems to be implied here
that Jonadab himself had been commanded by God to instruct his sons relative
to wine, so that there had been obedience on the part of the father as well as
the children, reminding us surely of the perfect obedience of the true Jonadab,
the Lord Jesus Christ Who speaks of believers as His children, “Behold I and
the children whom God hath given me,” He 2:13.
The assurance given Jonadab
therefore of the continuity of his line, is the symbolic assurance of the fact
that Christ, and all who belong to Him, will stand forever in the presence of
God as a result of His perfect obedience, even unto death, God’s
incomprehensible love, mercy, and grace imputing that perfect obedience to
every believer.
[Jeremiah
36]