The Thirty-First Prophecy of Jeremiah (see book comments for Jeremiah). the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel. See note on Jeremiah 7:3 . men. Hebrew. 'ish . App-14 . saith the Lord = [is] Jehovah's oracle. read more
"Then came the word of Jehovah unto Jeremiah, saying, Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel: Go, and say to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, Will ye not receive instruction to hearken to my words? saith Jehovah. The words of Jonadab the son of Rechab, that he commanded his sons, not to drink wine, are performed; and unto this day they drink none, for they obey their father's commandment. But I have spoken unto you, rising up early and speaking; and ye have not... read more
After this experience, the Lord instructed Jeremiah to speak to the people of Jerusalem and Judah. He was to ask them if they would not receive instruction from Him. Jeremiah may well have expected that when the Lord sent him a message it would have been one censuring the Rechabites for their eccentric lifestyle, legalism, and refusal to drink wine. But the Rechabites’ chosen lifestyle was no problem to Yahweh. [Note: Kidner, p. 118.] read more
The rebuke of the Judahites 35:12-17 read more
Jeremiah’s Nineteenth Prophecy (Reign of Jehoiakim). The Obedience of the RechabitesThis and Jeremiah 36 form a break in the narrative, bringing us back from the tenth year of Zedekiah to the insecurity which followed upon Nebuchadnezzars victory of Carchemish (fourth year of Jehoiakim), when predatory bands of Chaldeans and others had compelled many of the inhabitants of Palestine to take refuge within Jerusalem. Among these were the Rechabites, a nomadic tribe of Kenite descent. The prophet... read more
(12) Then came the word of the Lord unto Jeremiah.—Up to this time the prophet had acted on the thought which came into his mind as an inspiration, without apparently more than a partial insight into its meaning. Now, as the words indicate, he passes at once into the prophetic state and speaks the prophetic words. It follows from Jeremiah 35:18 that it was uttered in the presence of the Rechabites and formed, we may believe, the conclusion of this strange dramatic scene. read more
(13) Will ye not receive instruction . . .—The argument of the prophet is naturally an à fortiori one. The words of Jonadab had been kept faithfully as a rule of life for 300 years by his descendants or his order. The words of Jehovah, “rising early and speaking” through His prophets (we note the repetition of the characteristic phrase of Jeremiah 7:13; Jeremiah 25:3), were neglected by the people whom He had adopted as His children. They, too, had the same promise that by obeying they should... read more
CHAPTER IVTHE RECHABITESJeremiah 35:1-19"Jonadab the son of Rechab shall not want a man to stand before Me forever."- Jeremiah 35:19THIS incident is dated "in the days of Jehoiakim." We learn from Jeremiah 35:11 that it happened at a time when the open country of Judah was threatened by the advance of Nebuchadnezzar with a Chaldean and Syrian army. If Nebuchadnezzar marched into the south of Palestine immediately after the battle of Carchemish, the incident may have happened, as some suggest,... read more
CHAPTER 35 The Faithful Rechabites and the Unfaithful Jews 1. The command concerning the Rechabites (Jeremiah 35:1-11 ) 2. The lesson for the Jews (Jeremiah 35:12-19 ) The Rechabites were Kenites and were numbered with the children of Israel 1 Chronicles 2:55 . During the reign of Jehoiakim the incident of this chapter happened. The critics may rave against the “unchronological” construction of Jeremiah jumping from one period into another, but there we see the guiding hand of the Spirit... read more
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Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Jeremiah 35:1-19
35:1-45:5 EVENTS IN JUDAH AND EGYPTA lesson from the Rechabites (35:1-19)Events recorded in the book of Jeremiah are not in chronological order, and Jeremiah now takes the readers back to the reign of Jehoiakim. He recounts a story concerning the Rechabites, a community of local tribal people who lived peaceably among the Israelites (1 Chronicles 2:55). The Rechabites were forbidden by their long-standing customs to drink wine. They were true worshippers of Yahweh and were fiercely anti-Baal... read more