Basic Obedience

Jer. 35

Obedience is probably the most important Issue in a Christian’s life. If we could just be obedient how would our lives be so much better. In your Bible from the very beginning God has tried time and time again to get men to be obedient. He has promised blessings for obedience and promised curses for disobedience. The Rechabites are used by God in this passage as a great example of basic obedience, and he blessed them greatly because of it.

Jer.7:23, God asked once again for obedience

Jer.25:1-3 They harkened not.

Some principles that we can draw example from:

They had a Trusted Father

• You must trust someone to be able to obey them
• Jonadab the son of Rechab rode with Jehu (2Kings10:15-28), he was a very trustworthy father
• They obeyed him, yet never had seen him
• They trusted in the father and not in the commandment (verses 6-7)
• We have a trustworthy father, God Almighty, and we should obey every command also
• we have never seen our father, and we should be at least as obedient as the Rechabites

They had a Tested Family

• (verses 6-7) the answer to all was “WE” do this or that, they held together as a family
• God was testing them that day, and they had surely been tested in the past. They were in the lineage of Caleb, who “wholly followed the Lord”, when he was tested in the wilderness.
• This family had been tested for obedience for years. These Rechabites knew how to say “no” even when dad was not there.
• This Christianity thing has been going on for about 2000 years now, and boy has it been tested. You are part of a well-tested family, with well tested principles, why don’t we obey?

They had Terrible Foes

• They feared their enemy, (verse 11) to steal, kill and destroy
• Jesus described our enemy: John 10:10, the thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
• Your enemy plays for keeps!
• When they feared the enemy, they got as close to God as possible, (verse 11)
• If we could understand how evil and dangerous our enemy is, we too would draw nigh unto God and choose obedience

They had a Terrific Future

• (verse 7) they had a promise of a terrific future through obedience
• Promised and received a good standing and favor with God, (verses 18-19)
• (Deu.5:29) Obedience is the key to God’s heart, for them and for us.