Day 879: Jeremiah 35- Fruit Of Listening

The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king 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 the 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 the son of Igdaliah, the man of God, which was near the chamber of the officials, above the chamber of Maaseiah the 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, “Drink wine.” 6 But they answered, “We will drink no wine, for Jonadab the son of Rechab, our father, commanded us, ‘You shall not drink wine, neither you nor your sons forever. 7 You shall not build a house; you shall not sow seed; you shall not plant or have a vineyard; but you shall live in tents all your days, that you may live many days in the land where you sojourn.’ 8 We have obeyed the voice of Jonadab the son of Rechab, our father, 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 dwell in. We have no vineyard or field or seed, 10 but we have lived in tents and have obeyed and done all that Jonadab our father commanded us.11 But when Nebuchadnezzar king 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 Syrians.’ So we are living in Jerusalem.”
12 Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 13 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Go and say to the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, Will you not receive instruction and listen to my words? declares the Lord. 14 The command that Jonadab the son of Rechab gave to his sons, to drink no wine, has been kept, and they drink none to this day, for they have obeyed their father's command. I have spoken to you persistently, but you have not listened to me. 15 I have sent to you all my servants the prophets, sending them persistently, saying, ‘Turn now every one of you from his evil way, and amend your deeds, and do not go after other gods to serve them, and then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to you and your fathers.’ But you did not incline your ear or listen to me. 16 The sons of Jonadab the son of Rechab have kept the command that their father gave them, but this people has not obeyed me. 17 Therefore, thus says the Lord, the God of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I am bringing upon Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the disaster that I have pronounced against them, because I have spoken to them and they have not listened, I have called to them and they have not answered.”
18 But to the house of the Rechabites Jeremiah said, “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 all that he commanded you, 19 therefore thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Jonadab the son of Rechab shall never lack a man to stand before me.”

Meditation
Grace awakens our hearts to hear God’s word and obey God’s will. James commands disciples to be doers of the word and not hearers only, that we may discover the blessing of becoming more like Christ (James 1:19-27). Refusing to listen to the Lord furthers ruin. Restoration and renewal come when God’s children respond to God’s love by listening to God’s word and obeying God’s will.
 
Listening is the key issue in today’s reading, hearing and obeying God’s word. The verb shema occurs seven times, climaxing with God’s question: Will you not…listen to my words?
 
The Rechabites were a nomadic sect living on the frontier outside Jerusalem. Tracing their lineage back to Jehonadab (verse 6, an ally of Jehu (2 Kings 9-10)), the Rechabites listened to the command to remain set apart by not drinking wine, building houses, sowing seed, or planting (6-11). Nebukadnezzar forced them into Jerusalem as he conquered Judah (11). Jeremiah tested them with his invitation for them to drink wine in the temple (2-5). The Rechabites obedience to the direction they had received led to blessing (18-19) as it highlighted Judah’s refusal to listen to and obey the Lord (17). Listening to the Lord leads to restoration. Refusing to listen leads to ruin.
 
The disciple whom Jesus loved invites believers to discover the blessings of obedience. Christ paid the penalty for our sin and His grace invites us to be born again, knowing the love of the Father and living for His glory by hearing His voice and walking in His ways (1 John 5:1-4).
 
Richly Dwelling
-What jumps out at you from today’s reading- the test? The promise keeping? The indictment?
 
-What are reasons you do not listen to God’s word and obey God’s will? What have the consequences been?
 
-How does God’s grace in Christ not only give us firm foundation to stand and hear God’s word but also strength to walk forward in obedience? Where do you need to be more obedient to the word of God?
 
Key Verse
17 Therefore, thus says the Lord, the God of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I am bringing upon Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the disaster that I have pronounced against them, because I have spoken to them and they have not listened, I have called to them and they have not answered.”