Jehonadab

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, 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.

We have obeyed the charge of our ancestor Jonadab, son of Rechab, and all that he commanded us to drink no wine all our days, ourselves, our wives, our sons, or our daughters, and not to build houses to live in.

We have no vineyard or field or seed, but we have lived in tents and have obeyed and done all that our ancestor Jonadab commanded us.

Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah.

Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Go and say to the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, Can you not learn a lesson and obey my words? says the Lord.

The command has been carried out that Jonadab son of Rechab gave to his descendants to drink no wine, and they drank none to this day, for they have obeyed their ancestors' command.

But I myself have spoken to you persistently, and you have not obeyed me.

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, commanded us, saying, Ye shall drink no wine, neither ye, nor your sons for ever; neither shall ye build houses...'" Uh, I'm sorry.

"'Neither shall ye build house, nor sow 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.

Thus have we obeyed the voice of Jonadab the son of Rechab our father in all that he hath charged us, to drink no wine all our days, we, our wives, our sons, nor our daughters; nor to build houses for, uh, for us to dwell in: neither we, uh, neither have we vineyard, nor field, nor seed; but we have dwelt in tents, and have obeyed, and done according to all that Jonadab our father hath, uh, father commanded us.' But it came to pass, when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came into the land, that we said, 'Come, 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." We're gonna stop reading there this, this evening, and we'll read on further as we go.

But we're gonna look at faithfulness this evening.

Let's pray.

Let's look at verse 12.

"Then came the word of the Lord unto Jeremiah saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Go tell the men of Judah, And the inhabitants of Jerusalem, Will not ye receive instruction to hearken to my words? saith the Lord.

And they took them alive and slaughtered them at the pit of Beth-Eked forty-two persons, and he spared none of them.

And when he departed from there, he met Jehonadab the son of Rechab coming to meet him.

And he greeted him and said to him, Is your heart true to my heart as mine is to yours? And Jehonadab answered, It is.

Jehu said, If it is, give me your hand.

So he gave him his hand.

And they entered the house of Baal, and the house of Baal was filled from one end to the other.

He said to him who was in charge of the wardrobe, "Bring out the vestments for all the worshipers of Baal." So he brought out the vestments for them.

Then Jehu went into the house of Baal with Jehonadab the son of Rechab.

I'll show you 2 Kings 10, verse 15.

When he departed from there, he met Jehonadab, the son of Rechab, coming to meet him.

And he greeted him and he said to him, listen to this conversation God would always be having with you.

He said, is your heart right as my heart is towards your heart? Is your heart right as my heart is towards your heart? This is where the conversation starts.

Is your heart right? Does your heart see me for what it should see me as? Is God in his rightful place? Are you hearted as a worshiper? Is your heart right as my heart is towards your heart? And Jehonadab answered, he said, it is.

Jehu said, if it is, then give me your hand.

If your heart is right, then you can give me your hand.

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

But they said, we will drink no wine for Jonadab, the son of Rechab, our father commanded us saying, ye shall drink no wine, neither ye nor your sons forever.

Neither shall you build houses.

nor sow 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.

Thus have we obeyed the voice of Jonadab, the son of Rechab, our father, and all that he hath charged us to drink no wine, nor our days, we, our wives, 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 and have obeyed and done according to all that Jonadab our father commanded us.

And it came to pass when Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, came up into the land that we said, Come, 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.

Along the way, he encountered relatives of Ahaziah, king of Judah, and he ordered their execution as well.

He then met Jehonadab, the son of Rechab.

Jehu asked him an interesting question in verse 15.

He said, "'Is your heart true to my heart as mine is to yours?' Jehonadab answered that it was, and Jehu invited him into his chariot.

Jehonadab then accompanied Jehu to Samaria.

Jehu announced that he intended to demonstrate his zeal for the Lord.

In verse 16, he said this, "'Come with me and see my zeal for the Lord.'" Jehu's zeal soon became visible in his campaign against Baal worship.

Captains of the army rode with their swords in their hands and when one soldier met another, before he dared to trust him, he put to him the searching challenge, Is thine heart right as my heart is? It was a time like that when every wide-awake, alert soul sniffed the tragedy in the air that Jehu, driving with that furious haste which for more than 20 centuries has constituted a proverb, with his eyes flashing like lightning and the bloody foam dripping from the bridles of his horses, came suddenly upon a figure the very opposite of his own, which stirred him very deeply.

It was Jehonadab, a Rechabite priest, a stern mystic of the desert, a kind of John the Baptist himself, whose rough garments were a protest against the luxury and degeneracy of the times, and whose flowing beard over his broad chest spoke of the vows that were upon his soul.

The stout arm of Jehu flung back his fiery steeds upon their haunches, and with eyes flashing on the face of the priest, like the snap of a whip, came the sharp challenge of his lips, Is thine heart right as my heart is right? And as quick as a flash from the flint when the steel strikes it comes the response, It is.

Over leans the soldier as he exclaims, Give me thy hand, and he lifts the prophet into the chariot beside him, and on through the dust they drive, soldier and prophet, side by side.