Jeremiah 35

THE word which came unto Jeremiah from the LORD, in the days of Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah king of Judah, saying This is another evidence that the Prophecies of this book are not left us in that order wherein they were delivered, for those which we had in the two or three foregoing Chapters being in the time of Zedekiah must needs be ten or eleven years after this.,

Go unto the house of the Rechabites, and s eak unto them, and bring them into the house of the LORD, into one of the chambers, and give them wine to drink These Rechabites had their name from Rechab their Father who as appears from 1 Chron. 2.55. descended from Hemah, who was a Kenit, who is also called Hobab, Iud. 4.11. (unless it may be Hemah who was the Son of Hobab) This Hobab was Iethro the Father in law of Moses, as appears from Iud. 4.11. we read Iud. 1.16. That his children went up out of the City of Palm-trees, with the children of Iudah, which lieth in the South of Arad, and they went, and dwelt among the people. The Rechabites here mentioned descended from this Stock. Iehonadab mentioned 2 King. 10.15. was of this Family, a man of some note, as appeareth by Iehu his taking him there into his Chariot. God commandeth the Prophet to bring some of this Family into the Temple, into some of the chambers (for in and about the Temple were several Chambers, for the Priests and where they disposed of the Holy Garments and several Oblations, 1 King. 6.5, 6.10. 1 Chron. 28.11, 12.) God commands I emiah to bring these Rechabites into some of these chambers and to set wine before them. This was either for the more publickness of the thing, or it may be for the reproof of the Priests who drank too much Wine..

Then I took Jaazaniah, the son of Jeremiah, the son of Habaziniah, and his brethren, and all his sons, and the whole house of the Rechabites.

And I brought them into the house of the LORD, into the chamber of the sons of Hanan, the son of Igdaliah a man of God This term, the man of God does in Scripture signifie a Prophet sometimes, but whether it so signifieth here, and if it does, whether it relateth to Igdaliah or Hanan is a question., which was by the chamber of the princes, which was above the chamber of Maaseiah the son of Shallum, the keeper of the door Probably by the chamber of the Princes is meant some chamber where the Princes were wont to meet in a Court, or for Counsel. Thither Ieremiah brings these Rechabites, and sets vessels of Wine before them, not commanding them to drink it, but only inviting them..

And I set before the sons of the house of the Rechabites pots full of wine, and cups, and I said unto them, Drink ye wine.

But they said, We will drink no wine: for Jonadab the son of Rechab our father It is uncertain whether father here signifies their immediate Parent, or (which is more probable) their Progenitor; it is most likely it referreth to that Ionadab of whom we read 2 King. 10.15. who was the father (that is the progenitor of this Family of the Rechabites, at 300 years distance.) commanded us, saying, Ye shall drink no wine, neither ye nor your sons for ever The reason why he left his Posterity this charge is uncertain, probably to warn them against the Luxury which he saw began to abound in Israel, and being desirous, that they should inure themselves to a more hardy and laborious life, being originally Kenites, and used to Husbandry, and keeping of sheep and other Cattel, he desired they should live according to their quality..

Neither shall ye build house, nor sowe seed, nor plant vineyard, nor have any: but all your days ye shall dwell in tents, that ye may live many days in the land where ye be strangers The last words of the verse probably give us a reason of the former, they were no Native Jews, but strangers amongst them, who commonly are envied, when they are observed to thrive too much, or to live splendidly; and that envy of the Natives of the place where they sojourn, exposeth them to their Hatred and Malice, so as their lives are made uneasie to them, Jonadab therefore cautions his Sons to avoid these inconveniencies by a thrifty, sober, laborious life, to which they had been bred, in keeping Flocks, and to avoid any thing might expose them to Envy or Hatred or Malice of the People amongst whom they were come to sojourn..

Thus have we obeyed the voice of Jonadab the son of Rechab our father, in all that he has charged us, to drink no wine all our days, we, our wives, nor our sons, nor our daughters.

Nor to build houses for us to dwell in: neither have we vineyard, nor field, nor seed.

But we have dwelt in tents Moveable Habitations, which they could with little labour remove from place to place, as they had convenience to feed their Flocks, this was their ordinary way of living until necessity compelled them to come and live in Jerusalem., and have obeyed, and done according to all that Jonadab our father commanded us.

But it came to pass when Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, came up into the land When the Chaldean Army came into the land, they saw there would be no quiet abode for them any where but in some fortified place. The Syrians joyned with the Chaldeans in this War, as we read 2 King. 24.2. This they tell the Prophet was the reason why they who never used to dwell in Cities, nor fixed Houses, came to dwell at Jerusalem, to prevent being destroyed by the forragers for these Armies., that we said, Come, and let us go to Jerusalem, for fear of the army of the Chaldeans, and for fear of the army of the Syrians; So we dwell at Jerusalem.

¶ Then came the word of the LORD unto Jeremiah, saying,

Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, Go, and tell the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, Will ye not receive instruction to hearken to my words? says the LORD.

The words of Jonadab the son of Rechab, that he commanded his sons not to drink wine, are performed; for unto this day they drink none, but obey their fathers commandment: notwithstanding I have spoken unto you, rising early, and speaking, but ye hearkned not unto me.

I have sent also unto you all my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them, saying, Return ye now every man from his evil way, and amend your doings, and go not after other gods to serve them, and ye shall dwell in the land, which I have given to you, and to your fathers: but ye have not inclined your ear, nor hearkned to me God in this Revelation of his Mind to the Prophet expoundeth to him, why he had set him to bring the Rechabites into the Temple, and commanded him to set Wine before them, and invite them to drink of it, that by their refusal of doing according to the invitation, in obedience to their Father Ionadab; he might convince the Iews of their disobedience to his commands, yet Gods commands were more advantaged, then the commands of Ionadab in that. 1. Ionadab was but an earthly Parent, and so had no absolute universal soveraignty over his children, but God was the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel. 2. Ionadabs command was not for the performance of a moral duty, but the doing of a thing which they might do, or leave undone. God required of them what was but their moral duty, and for which was the highest reason. 3. Ionadabs command had no promise annexed, Gods precept had a promise annexed, yet they had not yielded him that obedience which the sons of Ionadab had yielded him: He was their Father, but where was his honour..

Because the sons of Jonadab the son of Rechab have performed the commandement of their Father, which he commanded them, but this people has not hearkned unto me;

Therefore thus says the LORD God of hosts, the God of Israel, Behold, I will bring upon Judah, and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, all the evil that I have pronounced against them: because I have spoken unto them, and they have not heard, I have called unto them, and they have not answered. This is but the same threatning confirmed, which we have often met with before, concerning the ruine of this people, only the meritorious cause of it is further amplified, their not paying that homage to God which these Rechabites paid to an Earthly parent, and had been steady in the payment of, now for three hundred years together.

And 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, and kept all his precepts, and done according to all that he has commanded you.

Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts the God of Israel, Jonadab the son of Rechab shall not want a man to stand before me for ever For ever here signifies the ever of the Jewish State, or Church, whether the promise relates to the abiding of Ionadab's Family, when many Families of the Iews were quite rooted out, cut off, and extinct, or to some special favour that God would show them, or to some place of Office, they should have in, or about the Temple (as some judge because 1 Chron. 2.55. it appears they were Scribes) is uncertain: but it is a question of more moment. How God promiseth a reward to these sons of Ionadab for obeying the command of their Father, and whether they had sinned if they had not obeyed this command of Ionadab, which brings in another question: Whether Parents have a power to oblige their children in matters which God has left at liberty. To which I answer, 1. God might reward these Rechabites, for their Reverence and Obedience to Jonadab their Father, though they were not strictly by the Divine Law, obliged thus far to have obeyed him: as he rewarded David for his thoughts in his heart to build him an house, though it was not God's will that he should do it, so as God's promise of the reward does not prove their obedience in this particular to have been their Duty. Admit that it remained still a matter of Liberty, yet the General Honour, and Reverence they testified might be rewarded by God. 2. Unquestionably Parents have not a power to determine Children in all things as to which God has left them a liberty, for then they have a power to make their children slaves, and to take away all their natural Liberty. To marry or not, and to this, or that person, is matter of Liberty. Parents cannot in this case determine their Children, Beth l Gen. 24.58. asketh Rebeccah if she wo ld go with Abraham's servant before he would send her. 3. In matters of civil concernment they have a far greater power than in matters of Religion, All Souls are God's, and Conscience can be under no other dominion than that of God. 4. In civil things Parents have a great power, d ring the nonage of Children, and after, also in matters which concern their Parents good, as to command them to assist them, to help to supply their necessities, &c. 5. Parents being set over Children, and instead of God to them as it is their Duty to advise their Children to the best of their ability for their good: so it is the Duty of children to receive their advice, and not to depart from it, unless they see circumstances so mistaken by Parents, or so altered by the providence of God, as they may reasonably judge, their Parents, had they known or foreseen it, would not have so advised. But that Parents have an absolute power to determine Children in all things as to which God has not forbidden them, and that Children by the Law of God are obliged to an Obedience to all such Commands, however, they may see their Parents mistaken, or God by his Providence may have altered circumstances I see no reason to conclude. Ionadab had prudently advised his Sons as before mentioned, they were things they might do, and which by experience they found not hurtful to them, but of great profit and advantage, and that with reference to all the ends of mans life: Herein they yield Obedience, and pay a Reverence to their Parent, this pleaseth God, he promiseth to reward them with the continuance of their Family, according to what he had said, Exod. 20.12. in the Fifth Commandment, which the Apostle calleth the First Commandement with promise..