Loyalty to a Group or to God?
June 5, 2026
Commentary
The Rechabites were descendants of the Kenites, the family connected to Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law. Several centuries before Jeremiah’s day, Jonadab son of Rechab instructed his descendants not to drink wine, build houses, plant vineyards, or settle permanently in the land (vv. 1–9). They were to live in tents and maintain a simple lifestyle. The Rechabites faithfully followed these instructions for generations. When the Babylonian threat increased, they temporarily moved into Jerusalem for safety (vv. 10–11). God then told Jeremiah to bring the Rechabites into the temple and offer them wine. They refused to drink it. Their refusal was not mainly about wine but about their commitment to obey the instructions of their forefather.
God used the Rechabites as an object lesson for Judah. While these men carefully obeyed the words of their earthly father, the people of Judah continually ignored the commands of their heavenly Father (vv. 12–15). God had repeatedly spoken to His people, calling them to repent, but they refused to listen. The contrast was striking: the Rechabites obeyed human instructions passed from their fathers, while Judah rejected the living God who continued to speak to them.
Because Judah would not listen, God announced coming judgment upon the nation (vv. 16–17). Yet He commended the Rechabites for their faithfulness and promised, “Jonadab the son of Rechab shall not lack a man to stand before Me forever” (v. 19, NKJV). This chapter is not mainly about following family traditions. Rather, it highlights the importance of obeying God. If people can remain loyal to human instructions for generations, how much more should God’s people listen to and obey the Lord who continues to speak through His Word.
Application
Am I obeying God’s Word in my daily life, or only listening to it? Have any traditions become more important to me than God’s will? Is God showing me an area where I need to change or grow? Am I responding quickly when God speaks through His Word? How can I demonstrate greater faithfulness and obedience to God?
Jeremiah 35:1–19 (NET)
1 The Lord spoke to Jeremiah when Jehoiakim son of Josiah was ruling over Judah: 2 “Go to the Rechabite community. Invite them to come into one of the side rooms of the Lord’s temple and offer them some wine to drink.” 3 So I went and got Jaazaniah son of Jeremiah the grandson of Habazziniah, his brothers, all his sons, and all the rest of the Rechabite community. 4 I took them to the Lord’s temple. I took them into the room where the disciples of the prophet Hanan son of Igdaliah stayed. That room was next to the one where the temple officers stayed and above the room where Maaseiah son of Shallum, one of the doorkeepers of the temple, stayed. 5 Then I set cups and pitchers full of wine in front of the members of the Rechabite community and said to them, “Have some wine.” 6 But they answered, “We do not drink wine because our ancestor Jonadab son of Rechab commanded us not to. He told us, ‘You and your children must never drink wine. 7 Do not build houses. Do not plant crops. Do not plant a vineyard or own one. Live in tents all your lives. If you do these things you will live a long time in the land that you wander about on.’ 8 We and our wives and our sons and daughters have obeyed everything our ancestor Jonadab son of Rechab commanded us. We have never drunk wine. 9 We have not built any houses to live in. We do not own any vineyards, fields, or crops. 10 We have lived in tents. We have obeyed our ancestor Jonadab and done exactly as he commanded us. 11 But when King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon invaded the land we said, ‘Let’s get up and go to Jerusalem to get away from the Babylonian and Aramean armies.’ That is why we are staying here in Jerusalem.”
12 Then the Lord’s message came to Jeremiah. 13 The Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, told him, “Go and speak to the people of Judah and the citizens of Jerusalem. Tell them, ‘I, the Lord, say: “You must learn a lesson from this about obeying what I say. 14 Jonadab son of Rechab ordered his descendants not to drink wine. His orders have been carried out. To this day his descendants have drunk no wine because they have obeyed what their ancestor commanded them. But I have spoken to you over and over again, but you have not obeyed me. 15 I sent all my servants the prophets to warn you over and over again. They said, ‘Every one of you, stop doing the evil things you have been doing and do what is right. Do not pay allegiance to other gods and worship them. Then you can continue to live in this land that I gave to you and your ancestors.’ But you did not pay any attention or listen to me. 16 Yes, the descendants of Jonadab son of Rechab have carried out the orders that their ancestor gave them. But you people have not obeyed me! 17 So I, the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, say: ‘I will soon bring on Judah and all the citizens of Jerusalem all the disaster that I threatened to bring on them. I will do this because I spoke to them but they did not listen. I called out to them but they did not answer.’”’”
18 Then Jeremiah spoke to the Rechabite community, “The Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel says, ‘You have obeyed the orders of your ancestor Jonadab. You have followed all his instructions. You have done exactly as he commanded you.’ 19 So the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says, ‘Jonadab son of Rechab will never lack a male descendant to serve me.’”