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Rethinking the Rechabites Page 1 of 3 Lesson Objective: to Encourage Rethinking the Rechabites Page 1 of 3 Lesson Objective: To encourage extreme habits of holiness. Introduction: How many of you are sports fans? Does the name Scott Jurek mean anything to you? Scott Jurek won the Western States 100 seven years in a row. (1999-2005) He won the Badwater twice. (2005-2006) [The Badwater is a 135 mile race death valley in July.] Tonight I want to talk to you about the Scott Jurek of faith. A man who went the distance and left behind him a heritage of faith like no other and yet a surprising number of people know almost nothing about him. His name is Jonadab or Jehonadab the son of Rechab. I. Who were the Rechabites? A. The Rechabites, interestingly enough, were not Israelites. 1. They were Kenites. (1 Chronicles 2:55) 2. The Kenites had come to dwell in Judah when that tribe took the land. Their connection is through Moses who married the daughter of a Kenite, probably Jethro. (Judges 1:16) B. The Patriarch of the family Jonadab (Jehonadab) was known for his zeal for the Lord. (2 Kings 10:15-16) [Jehu began his reign in 641 BC.] C. 230 to 240 years later, Jonadab’s family is noted for their faithfulness. (Jeremiah 35:1-16) [This happened in the reign of Jehoiakim. Jehoiakim ruled from 609 to 598 BC.] 1. A quick summary of Jeremiah 35:1-16. a. You shall not drink wine, you or your sons, forever. b. You shall not build a house. c. You shall not sow seed and you shall not plant a vineyard or own one. d. In tents you shall dwell all your days, that you may live many days in the land where you sojourn. 2. Some commentators feel that these restrictions came about because of the spread of Baal worship among God's people. 3. Jonadab was around during the reign of Ahab. 4. Another interesting note is that although they were apparently living in Israel in Jonadab's time, they were not carried away with Israel! They escaped captivity. II. The Rechabites in the Temple: A. Setting the Rechabites in context 1. God has promised to restore Israel through the prophet Jeremiah. a. This promise is sure. b. Their restoration will be spiritual and complete. 1) "I will make an everlasting covenant with them that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; and I will put the fear of Me in their hearts so that they will not turn away from Me. (Jeremiah 32:40) 2) 'In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch of David to spring forth; and He shall execute justice and righteousness on the earth. (Jeremiah 33:15) 2. However, Jerusalem is currently a city of unfaithfulness. a. The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD after King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people who were in Jerusalem to proclaim release to them: that Sid Latham Rethinking the Rechabites Page 2 of 3 each man should set free his male servant and each man his female servant, a Hebrew man or a Hebrew woman; so that no one should keep them, a Jew his brother, in bondage. (Jeremiah 34:8-9) b. And all the officials and all the people obeyed who had entered into the covenant that each man should set free his male servant and each man his female servant, so that no one should keep them any longer in bondage; they obeyed, and set them free. But afterward they turned around and took back the male servants and the female servants whom they had set free, and brought them into subjection for male servants and for female servants. (Jeremiah 34:10-11) c. God's judgment: "Therefore thus says the LORD, 'You have not obeyed Me in proclaiming release each man to his brother and each man to his neighbor. Behold, I am proclaiming a release to you,' declares the LORD, 'to the sword, to the pestilence and to the famine; and I will make you a terror to all the kingdoms of the earth. (Jeremiah 34:17) B. The Rechabites are brought in as an example of faithfulness. Read Jeremiah 35:1-10. III. Practical Lessons from the Rechabites A. Jonadab started this in the days of Ahab! 1. He had distinguished himself as someone who hated the deeds of Ahab. (2 Kings 10:15-16) 2. Much of the standard that he established may have been in response to Baal worship. a. You shall not drink wine, you or your sons, forever. b. You shall not build a house, and you shall not sow seed and you shall not plant a vineyard or own one; but in tents you shall dwell all your days, c. that you may live many days in the land where you sojourn.' 3. Godly children can be raised in any environment. a. Note Abraham: "For I have chosen him, so that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing righteousness and justice, so that the LORD may bring upon Abraham what He has spoken about him." (Genesis 18:19) b. God told him to do this in Canaan! B. Jonadab recognized ongoing devotion as the key to success: 1. 'You shall not build a house, and you shall not sow seed and you shall not plant a vineyard or own one; but in tents you shall dwell all your days, that you may live many days in the land where you sojourn.' (Jeremiah 35:7) 2. "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the LORD your God gives you. (Exodus 20:12) 3. Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER (which is the first commandment with a promise), SO THAT IT MAY BE WELL WITH YOU, AND THAT YOU MAY LIVE LONG ON THE EARTH. (Ephesians 6:1-3) C. Jonadab identified threats to holiness! (Jeremiah 35:6-7) 1. He eliminated these threats even when they were not wrong in and of themselves. Sid Latham Rethinking the Rechabites Page 3 of 3 a. Paul advocates a similar kind of standard in 1 Corinthians 6:12-14. 1) All things are lawful but not all things are profitable. 2) We should not be controlled by anything but the Lord. 3) We are destined to be raised up. b. You don not develop uncommon faithfulness by a common level of devotion. 2. This is key. a. Jonadab was purposeful in his parenting. b. His purpose was spiritual and he took a no compromise approach to realizing that purpose. D. Jonadab established a family identity that was separate from the environment. 1. "If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." (Joshua 24:15) 2. The Zadokites are another interesting example. a. "But the Levites who went far from Me when Israel went astray, who went astray from Me after their idols, shall bear the punishment for their iniquity. (Ezekiel 44:10) b. "But the Levitical priests, the sons of Zadok, who kept charge of My sanctuary when the sons of Israel went astray from Me, shall come near to Me to minister to Me; and they shall stand before Me to offer Me the fat and the blood," declares the Lord GOD. (Ezekiel 44:15) c. This was said during the captivity (after 586 BC) Zadok was priest under David and Solomon. Conclusion: Then Jeremiah said to the house of the Rechabites, "Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, 'Because you have obeyed the command of Jonadab your father, kept all his commands and done according to all that he commanded you; therefore thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, "Jonadab the son of Rechab shall not lack a man to stand before Me always."'" (Jeremiah 35:18- 19) This is exactly the outcome we are looking for. Means: By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise; for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God. (Hebrews 11:9-10) Outcome: The substance of that hope: For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17) Sid Latham.
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