Jonadab’s Commands
God commanded Jeremiah to bring the Rechabites into one of the chambers in the house of the Lord and to give them wine to drink. So, Jeremiah took the whole house of the Rechabites and brought them into the house of the Lord. And he set before the sons of the house of the Rechabites pots full of wine and cups. And he said, “Drink ye wine”.
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”.
Jonadab lived during the reign of Jehu in Israel, 2 Ki 10:15. Jehu’s reign began in 884BC. The event we’re reading about in Jeremiah took place during the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah. His reign began in 609BC. So, this was around 275 years after Jonadab had given that command.
For nearly three centuries the Rechabites had been following Jonadab’s commands. That’s longer than America has been a country. And yet when they refused the wine, they made it sound like Jonadab had commanded them to drink no wine right before Jeremiah invited them into the house of the Lord.
Jonadab’s commands were actually four-fold.
- Drink no wine, neither ye, nor your sons for ever.
- Neither shall ye build house.
- Nor sow seed, nor plant vineyard, nor have any.
- All your days ye shall dwell in tents
Jonadab’s commands kept them from drunkenness and from settling down in one spot, too heavily invested in homes, farms, and vineyards. They would have to protect these from enemies.
These commands prepared them for an eventual invasion by a foreign power. They helped them “live many days in the land where ye be strangers”.
The Rechabites had dwelt in Israel among the ten northern tribes. Yet, Israel had been taken captive by the Assyrians over one hundred years before Jeremiah approached them with the offer to drink wine. The Rechabites had moved south to dwell among the two tribes of Judah. And more recently had moved to Jerusalem for fear of the armies of the Chaldeans and Syrians.
In fact, they were still living many days in the land where there were strangers. And because they had obeyed these commands for all these years, God said, “Jonadab the son of Rechab shall not want a man to stand before me for ever”, Jer 35:19.
This Father’s Day, what can we learn from Joandab’s commands.
Fathers must command their children. “Jonadab… our father commanded us”. You can’t just let your children figure life out on their own. They must be told authoritatively.
Today, people have little respect for authority and they don’t want to be told what to do. The truth is that they need to be told what to do and they must learn to respect authority. They will never fear God and submit to the authority of his words if they aren’t used to commands.
Suggestions and opinions are not enough. “My son, keep thy father’s commandment”, Prov 6:20. Command them well and they will command your grandchildren the same way they were commanded. That’s what happened in Jonadab’s family.
Commands must be simple and sensible. Jonadab’s commands were very simple and their purpose made perfect sense. There’s no doubt what these commands were and there is no doubt why they were given.
Simpler commands are easier to understand and follow. Consider Jesus’s command, “Ye must be born again”. Simple. And this command has lasted through 2,000 years of children.
Commands must have a benefit. “That ye may live many days” is perfectly in line with God’s command that children honour their father and mother. God said, “Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which thy God giveth thee”, Ex 20:12. Prov 4:4 says, “keep my commandments and live”. Prov 3:2 says, “For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee”.
Commands must be obeyed. The Rechabites said, “Thus have we obeyed the voice of Jonadab… we have dwelt in tents, and have obeyed, and done according to all that Jonadab our father commanded us”.
Prov 3:1 says, “My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments”. These are not rules you keep in the sight of your father. You are to keep them at all times, whether he is present or away.
Conclusion: And when children see the fruit of obeying your commands, they will command their children the same way. Your grandchildren and great grandchildren will benefit from your commands and your insistence that they be obeyed.