Jeremiah Chapter 35 in Simple English

Read Jeremiah Chapter 35

1This is 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 to them. Bring them into the house of the LORD, into one of the rooms, and give them wine to drink."

3So I took Jaazaniah the son of Jeremiah, the son of Habaziniah, and his brothers, and all his sons, and the whole house of the Rechabites.

4I brought them into the house of the LORD, into the room of the sons of Hanan the son of Igdaliah, a man of God. That room was beside the room of the princes, above the room of Maaseiah the son of Shallum, the keeper of the door.

5I set pots full of wine and cups in front of the sons of the house of the Rechabites, and I said to them, "Drink wine."

6But they said, "We will drink no wine. For Jonadab the son of Rechab, our father, commanded us, 'You shall drink no wine, neither you nor your sons, for ever."

7You shall not build a house, or sow seed, or plant a vineyard, or own one. All your days you shall live in tents, so that you may live many days in the land where you are strangers.'

8So we have obeyed the voice of Jonadab the son of Rechab, our father, in everything he ordered us. We drink no wine all our days, we, our wives, our sons, or our daughters.

9We do not build houses to live in, and we have no vineyard, no field, and no seed.

10But we have lived in tents, and we have obeyed and done everything that Jonadab our father commanded us.

11"But when Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon came up into the land, 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 are living in Jerusalem."

12Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah:

13"This is what the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, says: Go and tell the men of Judah and the people living in Jerusalem, 'Will you not receive instruction and listen to my words?' says the LORD."

14"The words of Jonadab the son of Rechab, who commanded his sons not to drink wine, have been kept. To this day they drink none, but obey their father's command. Yet I have spoken to you, rising early and speaking, and you did not listen to me."

15"I have also sent to you all my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them, saying, 'Turn back now, every one of you, from your evil way. Make your doings right. Do not go after other gods to serve them. Then you shall live in the land which I gave to you and to your fathers.' But you have not turned your ear, and you have not listened to me."

16"The sons of Jonadab the son of Rechab have kept the command their father gave them, but this people has not listened to me."

17"Therefore this is what the LORD God of hosts, the God of Israel, says: Look, I will bring on Judah and on all the people living in Jerusalem all the evil I have spoken against them. For I have spoken to them, but they have not heard. I have called to them, but they have not answered."

18And Jeremiah said to the house of the Rechabites, "This is what the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, says: You have obeyed the command of Jonadab your father, and kept all his rules, and done everything he commanded you."

19"Therefore this is what the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, says: Jonadab the son of Rechab shall never lack a man to stand before me for ever."

Explanation

Jeremiah 35

In short

God asks Jeremiah to test the Rechabites, a community that has kept their ancestor's strict rules about not drinking wine or building houses. They refuse wine, proving their faithfulness to their father's commands. God then uses their obedience as a contrast to show how Judah has repeatedly rejected his own instructions.

Context

This happens during the reign of King Jehoiakim, when the Babylonian army under Nebuchadrezzar is threatening the land. Jeremiah is still preaching God's word to Judah, but the people are not listening. God now directs Jeremiah to an unusual object lesson involving the Rechabites, a group known for their strict way of life who trace their practices back to their ancestor Jonadab.

What the text says

God commands Jeremiah to invite the Rechabites into the temple and offer them wine (verses 1-2). Jeremiah does this, but they refuse, explaining that Jonadab their father commanded them never to drink wine, build houses, plant vineyards, or own property, commanding them instead to live in tents (verses 3-7). They have obeyed these rules their whole lives, they say, including through the current crisis when they came to Jerusalem (verses 8-11). God then tells Jeremiah to speak to Judah: the Rechabites have kept their father's commandment, but Judah has refused to listen to God's repeated messages through the prophets (verses 12-15). Because Judah has not obeyed, God will bring all the disaster he has pronounced on them (verses 16-17). In contrast, God promises the Rechabites that because of their obedience, Jonadab shall always "want a man to stand before me for ever" (verses 18-19).

Takeaways

One family's faithfulness to their earthly father stands as a rebuke to a nation's unfaithfulness to God.
Obedience is rewarded with God's lasting blessing, even when that obedience is to a human ancestor's rules.
Continued rejection of God's word, despite repeated chances, brings consequences.

Jeremiah 35 - Simple English