Sermon Notes

35 [The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord in the days of King Jehoiakim son of Josiah of Judah: 2 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. 3 So I took Jaazaniah son of Jeremiah son of Habazziniah and his brothers and all his sons and the whole house of the Rechabites. 4 I brought them to the house of the Lord into the chamber of the sons of Hanan son of Igdaliah, the man of God, which was near the chamber of the officials, above the chamber of Maaseiah son of Shallum, keeper of the threshold.] 5 Then I set before the Rechabites pitchers full of wine and cups, and I said to them, “Have some wine.” 6 But they answered, “We will drink no wine, for our ancestor Jonadab son of Rechab commanded us, ‘You shall never drink wine, neither you nor your children,7 nor shall you ever build a house or sow seed, nor shall you plant a vineyard or even own one, but you shall live in tents all your days, that you may live many days in the land where you reside.’ 8 We have obeyed the charge of our ancestor Jonadab son of Rechab in all that he commanded us, to drink no wine all our days, ourselves, our wives, our sons, or our daughters, 9 and not to build houses to live in. We have no vineyard or field or seed, 10 but we have lived in tents and have obeyed and done all that our ancestor Jonadab commanded us. 11 But when King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon came up against the land, we said, ‘Come, and let us go to Jerusalem for fear of the army of the Chaldeans and the army of the Arameans.’ That is why we are living in Jerusalem.” (New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition, NRSVue)
35 The Message that Jeremiah received from God ten years earlier, during the time of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Israel: 2 “Go visit the Recabite community. Invite them to meet with you in one of the rooms in God’s Temple. And serve them wine.” 3-4 So I went and got Jaazaniah son of Jeremiah, son of Habazziniah, along with all his brothers and sons—the whole community of the Recabites as it turned out—and brought them to God’s Temple and to the meeting room of Hanan son of Igdaliah, a man of God. It was next to the meeting room of the Temple officials and just over the apartment of Maaseiah son of Shallum, who was in charge of Temple affairs. 5 Then I set out chalices and pitchers of wine for the Recabites and said, “A toast! Drink up! 6-7 But they wouldn’t do it. “We don’t drink wine,” they said. “Our ancestor Jonadab son of Recab commanded us, ‘You are not to drink wine, you or your children, ever. Neither shall you build houses or settle down, planting fields and gardens and vineyards. Don’t own property. Live in tents as nomads so that you will live well and prosper in a wandering life.’ 8-10 “And we’ve done it, done everything Jonadab son of Recab commanded. We and our wives, our sons and daughters, drink no wine at all. We don’t build houses. We don’t have vineyards or fields or gardens. We live in tents as nomads. We’ve listened to our ancestor Jonadab and we’ve done everything he commanded us. 11 “But when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon invaded our land, we said, ‘Let’s go to Jerusalem and get out of the path of the Chaldean and Aramean armies, find ourselves a safe place.’ That’s why we’re living in Jerusalem right now. (The Message, MSG)

The 2008 movie, The Family That Preys is an object lesson in religious obedience, marital fidelity, true friendship, dauntless love, and family devotion. But. . . NOT! As the story goes, Alice Pratt, played by Alfre Woodard, raises two daughters while managing her own diner. Her snobbish, arrogant daughter Andrea (Sanaa Lathan) graduated in Economic Science and works in a construction corporation while her sister Pam (Taraji P. Henson) stayed with her mother Alice to work in the family business. Andrea is married to construction worker Chris, who works in his wife's corporation but dreams of starting his own business. Andrea is “involved” with their boss William Cartwright, the son of Alice's best friend, the wealthy Charlotte Cartwright (Kathy Bates). Ultimately, the plot reveals that while some family members struggle to keep the promises they made to each other, others do not. Their individual and collective actions trigger positive and negative events that change both families forever.
In similar fashion, this week’s lesson is a positive object lesson in obedience, spiritual fidelity, and keeping one’s word. The Rechabites, an obscure clan of Judahites who are primarily remembered in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament for abstaining from wine and city living, model authentic devotion to both ancestral promises and the LORD. Because they uphold a legacy of family integrity before God, contemporary Christians have a striking biblical example of how God is glorified, and God’s people are edified, when we keep the promises we make.

For biblical readers and interpreters throughout the ages, the Rechabites are a mystery wrapped in a riddle inside an enigma. When hearing their names, most people would automatically ask the question, “Who are the Rechabites?” There are only two mentions of this word, recah in the bible. One is a geographical place name (1 Chronicles 4:2), and the other is a personal name of a family clan—descended from Rechab the Kenite—who collectively chose to live in a way that is singularly focused on its commitments. Together, the place and people reveal a family that models unwavering obedience for centuries.
This week’s lesson comes from the portion of Jeremiah that includes historical narratives about the prophet Jeremiah ben Hilkiah (34:1 – 35:19). Chapter 35 is meant to be read and interpreted together with chapter 34 as a lesson in comparison and contrast. As mentioned in last week’s notes, the book of Jeremiah does not flow in an orderly chronological fashion. It moves back and forth between time in flashback sequences as the writers/compilers of the book seek to explain how the devastation of Jerusalem, destruction of the temple, and deportation of the ‘talented tenth” of Judah occurred.
When read together, these two chapters evaluate how the reigns of Zedekiah and Jehoiakim contributed negatively, or positively, to the covenantal faithfulness of Judah. This block of scripture begins with Jeremiah addressing King Zedekiah (34:1–7), continues with two narratives which explore communal ethics (34:8–22 and (35:1–11), and concludes with final observations from the two contrasting community examples (35:12–19). Although the first four verses are not part of the printed lesson, it is important to include them for literary, historical, and theological contexts.

1 The Message that Jeremiah received from God ten years earlier, during the time of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Israel: 2 “Go visit the Recabite community. Invite them to meet with you in one of the rooms in God’s Temple. And serve them wine.” 3-4 So I went and got Jaazaniah son of Jeremiah, son of Habazziniah, along with all his brothers and sons—the whole community of the Recabites as it turned out—and brought them to God’s Temple and to the meeting room of Hanan son of Igdaliah, a man of God. It was next to the meeting room of the Temple officials and just over the apartment of Maaseiah son of Shallum, who was in charge of Temple affairs. 5 Then I set out chalices and pitchers of wine for the Recabites and said, “A toast! Drink up!”
In the opening verses of the lesson text, Jeremiah receives the word of the LORD , and is commanded by God to visit the Recahbites and bring them into the temple in Jerusalem. The text does not tell us who the Rechabites are or why God chooses to bring them to the temple. All the text reveals is that God commands Jeremiah to offer them wine. In verse 5, Jeremiah does just that.
6-7 But they wouldn’t do it. “We don’t drink wine,” they said. “Our ancestor Jonadab son of Recab commanded us, ‘You are not to drink wine, you or your children, ever. Neither shall you build houses or settle down, planting fields and gardens and vineyards. Don’t own property. Live in tents as nomads so that you will live well and prosper in a wandering life.’
After Jeremiah offers them wine, the Rechabites refuse to drink. Then, they recount to Jeremiah the commands they received from their ancestor Jonadab, son of Recab. Those commands form the foundation for their familial commitments and way of life for hundreds of years:
• You shall not drink wine, you or your children
• You shall not build a house
• You shall not sow seed
• You shall not plant or have a vineyard
• You shall live in tents.
What is interesting about these five statements is they are narrated or recited like a confession of faith for people who are being trained or catechized in a faith. Further, the statements collectively reflect the Rechabites’ refusal to accept the “status quo” of the greater society as normative for their lives. As a family and faith community, they choose to remove themselves from the culture, values, and economic systems of the dominant society. Please note, the biblical narrative does not present a prohibition against drinking wine or living in houses. Instead, these verses present the Rechabites as being completely committed to observing and keeping the values, culture, and religious fervor of their ancestors.
The writer(s) of Jeremiah make it clear that the Rechabites will not be swayed from upholding the promises to their ancestor’s commands by popular opinion or one of their religious/spiritual leaders (Jeremiah). They are steadfast and unmovable. This should cause contemporary Christians to reflect on the values that the Rechabites have taught and fostered throughout generations. Although the current generation did not receive the original command from their ancestor, they still observe these resolute family values.
8-10 “And we’ve done it, done everything Jonadab son of Recab commanded. We and our wives, our sons and daughters, drink no wine at all. We don’t build houses. We don’t have vineyards or fields or gardens. We live in tents as nomads. We’ve listened to our ancestor Jonadab and we’ve done everything he commanded us.
In verses 8-10, the Rechabites continue their statement of fidelity to keep and observe the values that their family has promised through the generations. I employ the terms “keep” and “observe” purposefully to bring attention to how the book of Jeremiah always points hearers/readers to the covenantal values that are reflected in the Shema of Deuteronomy 6:4-9.
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. 7 Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. 8 Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on your forehead, 9 and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
Essentially, the Rechabites are a community of hearers who live their lives in radical obedience to the LORD. For contemporary Christians, the notion of teaching religious values and family culture from generation to generation is the key point from this of pericope. The only way that successive generations can learn what it means to be faithful, live faithfully in the land, and survive the despair of deportation but live faithfully in the land of your oppressors, is that we teach them!

NOTES FOR REFLECTION: Generations of children, youth, and adults are lost because we have not taught them the values of our ancestors and modeled what spiritual faithfulness looks like. The faithfulness of the Recahbites—as evidenced by previous generations over hundreds of years—starts with strong familial leadership.

11 “But when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon invaded our land, we said, ‘Let’s go to Jerusalem and get out of the path of the Chaldean and Aramean armies, find ourselves a safe place.’ That’s why we’re living in Jerusalem right now.
In the final verse of the lesson text, the Rechabites explain why they are living in Jerusalem. Because the Babylonian Empire is encroaching on Syrai-Palestine, the people who live outside the fortified cities in villages or the countryside are in grave danger of becoming casualties of war. As a family, the Rechabites make a decision to move to Jerusalem to preserve the family. However, relocating to the city does not compromise their family values. They continue to keep and observe the commandments of their ancestor Jonadab while living within the city. Their actions contrast with the actions of the people under Zedekiah’s royal administration (34:14-17). Unlike those Judahites, the Rechabites continue to live in obedience as they listen to the wisdom of their ancestors and the Lord.

i. Film synopsis pulled from the Internet Movie Database, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1142798/.
ii. Brueggemann, Walter. A Commentary on Jeremiah: Exile and Homecoming (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1998) 323.