Jeremiah Chapter 35
Jeremiah 35
The Lesson of the Rechabites
Jeremiah 35:1-2, God Tells Jeremiah to Speak to the Rechabites
Jeremiah 35:1-2, “The word which came unto Jeremiah from the LORD 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 the LORD, into one of the chambers, and give them wine to drink.”
Jeremiah 35 moves back chronologically to the days of Jehoiakim, before the final reign of Zedekiah. This matters because the book of Jeremiah is not arranged in strict chronological order. The Holy Spirit arranges these events thematically, placing this lesson after the covenant breaking of Jeremiah 34. In Jeremiah 34, Judah broke a solemn covenant to release Hebrew servants. In Jeremiah 35, the Rechabites are shown as a people who kept the command of their forefather for generations.
The LORD commands Jeremiah to go to the house of the Rechabites, bring them into the house of the LORD, into one of the chambers, and give them wine to drink. This was not because God wanted Jeremiah to tempt them into sin. The point was to create a public demonstration of their obedience.
The Rechabites were a distinctive group within Israel connected with the Kenites and with Jonadab the son of Rechab. They lived by a strict ancestral command. They did not drink wine, build houses, plant vineyards, or settle into ordinary city life. They lived in tents, preserving a pilgrim simplicity that stood apart from the corruptions of settled urban life.
Jonadab had appeared earlier in Israel’s history during Jehu’s purge of Baal worship.
2 Kings 10:15-16, “And when he was departed thence, he lighted on Jehonadab the son of Rechab coming to meet him, and he saluted him, and said to him, Is thine heart right, as my heart is with thy heart? And Jehonadab answered, It is. If it be, give me thine hand. And he gave him his hand, and he took him up to him into the chariot. And he said, Come with me, and see my zeal for the LORD. So they made him ride in his chariot.”
Jonadab was associated with zeal against Baal worship. His descendants carried forward a disciplined way of life intended to keep them separate from idolatry, luxury, and moral corruption.
Jeremiah 35:3-5, Jeremiah Does as God Instructed Him
Jeremiah 35:3-5, “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; 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: 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.”
Jeremiah obeys the LORD exactly. He brings Jaazaniah, his brethren, his sons, and the whole house of the Rechabites into the temple chamber. This was a public and formal setting. The house of the LORD, the chamber of a man of God, the nearby chamber of the princes, and the presence of the whole clan all make the test visible and serious.
The chamber belongs to the sons of Hanan, the son of Igdaliah, called “a man of God.” That phrase often describes prophetic or spiritually honored men in the Old Testament. The setting therefore carries religious weight. This is not a private meal. It is an acted parable in the temple area.
Jeremiah sets before them pots full of wine and cups and says, “Drink ye wine.” He does not say, “Thus saith the LORD, Drink wine.” That distinction matters. If God had directly commanded them to drink, they would have been obligated to obey God above Jonadab. But Jeremiah gives the invitation in order to draw out their refusal and make their obedience visible.
The issue is not that wine itself is presented as universally forbidden in Scripture. The issue is obedience to a lawful command received through their forefather. The Rechabites had bound themselves to a disciplined family tradition, and God now uses their faithfulness to rebuke Judah’s faithlessness.
Jeremiah 35:6-11, The Rechabites Refuse to Drink the Wine
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 where ye be strangers. 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; 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.”
The Rechabites refuse immediately, “We will drink no wine.” They explain that Jonadab the son of Rechab, their father, commanded them not to drink wine, not to build houses, not to sow seed, not to plant vineyards, and not to possess vineyards, fields, or seed. They were to dwell in tents all their days.
This command was not part of the Mosaic Law for all Israelites. It was a family command, a voluntary discipline inherited from their father. Yet they kept it with remarkable faithfulness. Their obedience included men, wives, sons, and daughters. The whole household honored the command.
Their lifestyle was a visible protest against spiritual compromise. Wine, houses, seed, fields, and vineyards were not evil in themselves. But Jonadab had commanded his descendants to live as sojourners, separate from settled corruption, idolatry, and the moral softness of city life. Their tents reminded them that they were pilgrims.
They explain why they are presently in Jerusalem. Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon came up into the land, and they feared the army of the Chaldeans and the army of the Syrians. Therefore they came to Jerusalem for shelter. This was an emergency exception caused by war. They were not abandoning their ancestral commitment. They were preserving life during invasion.
The public test proves their loyalty. They stand in the temple, before a prophet, with wine set before them, and still refuse. Their obedience exposes Judah. The Rechabites obeyed the voice of their human father for generations. Judah refused the voice of the living God again and again.
Jeremiah 35:12-16, The Contrast between the Rechabites and Judah
Jeremiah 35:12-16, “Then came the word of the LORD unto 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 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 commandment: notwithstanding I have spoken unto you, rising early and speaking; but ye hearkened not 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. 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:”
The LORD now explains the lesson. “Will ye not receive instruction to hearken to my words?” The Rechabites are living instruction. Their obedience becomes a sermon to Judah.
The contrast is devastating. Jonadab commanded his sons not to drink wine, and they performed his words. God spoke to Judah repeatedly, rising early and speaking, but they did not listen. The Rechabites obeyed a human ancestor. Judah disobeyed the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel.
The Rechabites received one inherited command and kept it across generations. Judah received repeated prophetic calls from God and refused them. The Rechabites obeyed in matters of earthly discipline. Judah disobeyed in matters of covenant faithfulness, idolatry, repentance, and life before God.
God says He sent His servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them. The message was clear, “Return ye now every man from his evil way, and amend your doings.” Repentance required turning from evil and changing conduct. They were also commanded not to go after other gods to serve them. If they obeyed, they would dwell in the land given to them and their fathers.
This was not obscure. Judah’s problem was not lack of revelation. It was refusal to hear. They did not incline their ear. They did not listen.
The Rechabites’ obedience does not save Judah. It condemns Judah. If a clan can obey an ancestral rule for centuries, how much more should the covenant people have obeyed the living God?
Jeremiah 35:17, Application of the Lesson of the Rechabites
Jeremiah 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.”
The conclusion is judgment. God will bring upon Judah and Jerusalem all the evil He has pronounced. The reason is repeated, “I have spoken unto them, but they have not heard; and I have called unto them, but they have not answered.”
This language is personal. God did not merely issue cold decrees. He spoke. He called. He sent prophets. He rose early and instructed them. Yet they refused.
Judah’s judgment is therefore not rash or unjust. God gave warning after warning. He called them to return. He offered continued dwelling in the land. They persisted in idolatry and covenant rebellion.
The lesson of the Rechabites removes every excuse. Judah cannot say obedience is impossible. Judah cannot say commands cannot be remembered. Judah cannot say loyalty across generations cannot be maintained. The Rechabites prove otherwise.
Jeremiah 35:18-19, The Reward of the Sons of Jonadab
Jeremiah 35:18-19, “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: 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.”
God rewards the Rechabites. They obeyed the commandment of Jonadab their father, kept his precepts, and did according to all he commanded. Therefore the LORD promises that Jonadab the son of Rechab shall not lack a man to stand before Him forever.
“To stand before” the LORD is language of privileged service. It can describe prophets, priests, royal servants, or those specially received before God. The promise means the line of Jonadab will not be erased. Their obedience will be remembered by God, and their descendants will have a place before Him.
This does not mean the Rechabites earned salvation by ascetic discipline. It means God honored their faithfulness in the matter placed before them. Their obedience to their earthly father was used by God as a rebuke to Judah and then received by God with approval.
The chapter ends with mercy to the obedient remnant and judgment to the disobedient nation. Judah had temple, priests, prophets, kings, sacrifices, and covenant privileges, yet refused the LORD. The Rechabites had a simple inherited command and kept it. God saw both.
Doctrinal and Practical Notes
Jeremiah 35 teaches that obedience matters to God. The Rechabites were not praised for their social distinctiveness alone, but because they obeyed what had been commanded to them.
Jeremiah 35 teaches that God may use lesser obedience to expose greater disobedience. The Rechabites obeyed Jonadab, while Judah refused the LORD Himself.
Jeremiah 35 teaches that repeated revelation increases accountability. Judah heard God’s prophets again and again, yet would not incline the ear.
Jeremiah 35 teaches that true repentance includes changed conduct. God said, “Return ye now every man from his evil way, and amend your doings.”
Jeremiah 35 teaches that family instruction can have generational power. Jonadab’s command shaped his descendants for centuries.
Jeremiah 35 teaches that faithful separation from corruption can be honorable when it is rooted in obedience and devotion to God.
Jeremiah 35 teaches that religious privilege without obedience condemns. Judah had the temple and the prophets, but the Rechabites had the obedience Judah lacked.
Jeremiah 35 teaches that God sees and honors covenant faithfulness, even in obscure groups. The Rechabites were not prominent rulers, but God publicly honored them.
Jeremiah 35 teaches that God’s judgment on Judah was righteous. He spoke, called, instructed, and sent prophets, but they refused to hear.
Jeremiah 35 teaches that standing before God is a privilege. The promise to Jonadab’s house shows that faithful obedience is not forgotten by the LORD.
Summary
Jeremiah 35 records the LORD’s command to Jeremiah during the days of Jehoiakim to bring the Rechabites into the house of the LORD and give them wine to drink. Jeremiah brings Jaazaniah, his family, and the whole house of the Rechabites into a temple chamber and sets pots full of wine and cups before them.
The Rechabites refuse to drink. They explain that Jonadab the son of Rechab, their father, commanded them not to drink wine, build houses, sow seed, plant vineyards, or possess fields and vineyards. They were to dwell in tents all their days. They had obeyed his voice, including their wives, sons, and daughters. They were only dwelling in Jerusalem temporarily because Nebuchadrezzar’s army had come into the land, and they feared the Chaldeans and Syrians.
The LORD then uses their obedience as a rebuke against Judah and Jerusalem. The sons of Jonadab obeyed the commandment of their father for generations, but Judah refused the repeated word of the LORD. God had spoken, rising early and speaking. He had sent His servants the prophets, calling the people to return from evil, amend their doings, stop serving other gods, and dwell in the land. But they did not incline their ear or obey.
Therefore God declares that He will bring upon Judah and Jerusalem all the evil He pronounced, because He spoke and they did not hear, He called and they did not answer. Yet to the Rechabites, God gives a promise. Because they obeyed Jonadab, kept his precepts, and did all he commanded, Jonadab the son of Rechab would not lack a man to stand before the LORD forever.
