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August 17th

Our bible reading today is in Jeremiah chapters 35,36,37.

“Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Go and say to the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, Will you not receive instruction and listen to my words? declares the Lord.”

‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭35:12-13‬ ‭

Now 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.”

‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭35:2‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Today’s message, apparently, was given to Jeremiah prior to his imprisonment in Jerusalem. God was going to use Jeremiah, through his preaching and a living illustration, to call Judah back to cheerful obedience to God.

“Judah, will you not receive instruction and listen to my words?” This is the heavenly Father speaking to His strong-willed, rebellious children. Why have you turned a deaf ear to my words? Why have you stopped accepting my instructions? Why is someone or something “else” more likely to gain your attention than Me?

Have I not proven my loving commitment to you and to our covenant relationship? Have I not kept my promises to protect you and supply your every need? Why then do you no longer pay close attention to my voice and my instructions?

Wow, that sounds a lot like some conversations my Dad had with me. He knew that I could be easily distracted, so when something was really important, he would turn the tv off and demand that I listen to him, not only with my ears but also with my eyes. Therefore, I learned early on to face my parents when they addressed me, and to look them in the eye.

Judah “too” was easily distracted from listening and obeying the Lord. So God sent prophets to preach and teach the people to respect His authority and instructions for living. But when vocal preaching did not reach the hard hearts of the Judeans, God used a “visual aid”...something they could see.

Jeremiah invited the Jewish clan, the Rechabites, to the Temple mount. This large family, of Godly Jonadab, agreed to the meeting. Our text says that it was a public gathering. There would be people outside this family unit that would be privy to Jeremiah’s conversation with the Rechabites.

Jeremiah offered the Rechabites wine to drink. That would have been a hospitable thing to do. But God and Jeremiah had another reason for the sharing of wine with Jonadab’s family that day. The Rechabites declined the wine. They went on to explain why. Our forefather, Jonadab, forbade his family to drink wine. And for over 450 years we have obeyed our fathers. Now if drinking this wine has something to do with God’s commandments, we will drink. Otherwise, we will continue to respect and obey our Fathers’ instructions.

The lesson applied?...If these brethren are so committed to obeying their earthly fathers, how much more should the rest of us enthusiastically obey our heavenly Father?

Father, forgive us for being so careless with your presence, your words, your instructions. Holy Spirit give us ears to hear and hearts to readily obey the Father of our salvation.

Have a great day