35 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD during the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah:
God is going to use this family as an example to ________, and as an example to ________.
2 “Go to the Rekabite family and invite them to come to one of the side rooms of the house of the LORD and give them wine to drink.”
The Rekabite family
They were descendants of _________, the father-in-law of Moses.
So, it was this __________ to the Israelites, Jethro who blessed the Lord for his deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt, who recognized that God was using this __________ of them to ____________ to all of those peoples around that He is greater than all other gods.
A second time that this family is mentioned is in 2 Kings 10:15-16 15.
Jehonadab must have been renowned for his own zeal as a ________ of God, and known among the people as a servant of God. Jehu wants this man Jehonadab as a witness.
3 So I [Jeremiah] went to get Jaazaniah son of Jeremiah, the son of Habazziniah, and his brothers and all his sons—the whole family of the Rekabites. 4 I brought them into the house of the LORD, into the room of the sons of Hanan son of Igdaliah the man of God. It was next to the room of the officials, which was over that of Maaseiah son of Shallum the doorkeeper.
Jeremiah is making sure that everyone ________ what he is doing by bringing the Rekabites to a very prominent place in the temple.
5 Then I set bowls full of wine and some cups before the Rekabites and said to them, “Drink some wine.”
God is not trying to ________ the Rekabites here. He knows that they’re going to __________ it,
6 But they replied, “We do not drink wine, because our forefather Jehonadab son of Rekab gave us this command: ‘Neither you nor your descendants must ever drink wine. 7 Also you must never build houses, sow seed or plant vineyards; you must never have any of these things, but must always live in tents. Then you will live a long time in the land where you are nomads.’
But why did Jehonadab tell them to do this in the first place? Because he was a man of God, and he was living in a time period when Israel was still pretty rich, but was on the ___________, and he saw all of the Israelites ____________ the Law of God.
God would have to ___________ the Israelites someday, and he wanted his children that their children to be ______________ and away from those cities when it happened.
We must be careful not to __________ successful as the world defines it—strictly in terms of material assets. The most ____________ thing in life is a good ___________ with our God, then good relationships with our ________________, then good relationships with our brothers and sisters in _________, then good relationships with all of those ___________us.
Believing in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior will not only ____________ you from eternal punishment, but give you the best life that you can possibly live here and now as you __________ with God’s plan for your life. And not only that, it will allow you to ______________as a man of God. And there’s no life more worthy of _____________ than living your life as a man of God. When we do this, our children watch us, and this leaves an ________ on them.
There’s a reason why Proverbs 22:6 says to Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it.
8 We have obeyed everything our forefather Jehonadab son of Rekab commanded us. Neither we nor our wives nor our sons and daughters have ever drunk wine 9 or built houses to live in or had vineyards, fields or crops. 10 We have lived in tents and have fully obeyed everything our forefather Jehonadab commanded us. 11 But when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon invaded this land, we said, ‘Come, we must go to Jerusalem to escape the Babylonian and Aramean armies.’ So we have remained in Jerusalem.”
They remained in Jerusalem—in a city, but God did not count it as breaking their father’s command because they were there to escape the ___________ and ______ armies, not to live.
12 Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, saying: 13 “This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Go and tell the people of Judah and those living in Jerusalem, ‘Will you not learn a lesson and obey my words?’ declares the LORD.14 ‘Jehonadab son of Rekab ordered his descendants not to drink wine and this command has been kept. To this day they do not drink wine, because they obey their forefather’s command. But I have spoken to you again and again, yet you have not obeyed me.15 Again and again I sent all my servants the prophets to you. They said, “Each of you must turn from your wicked ways and reform your actions; do not follow other gods to serve them. Then you will live in the land I have given to you and your ancestors.” But you have not paid attention or listened to me.16 The descendants of Jehonadab son of Rekab have carried out the command their forefather gave them, but these people have not obeyed me.’
God is giving the Israelites an example of outsiders to make the Jews ____________________, because they had received so much from God, and yet so completely rejected the Law of God and the Word of God through the Prophets.
If the authority of Jehonadab, a mortal man was respected, how much more should the Israelites to simply turn from their wicked ways and obey.
These commands from God were not ________.
A man dead for 300 years commanded the respect of his children’s children, and yet the living God, who continually reminded Israel to obey, was not obeyed.
17 “Therefore this is what the LORD God Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘Listen! I am going to bring on Judah and on everyone living in Jerusalem every disaster I pronounced against them. I spoke to them, but they did not listen; I called to them, but they did not answer.’”
God is patient and long-suffering, but because He is a righteous God, because He must at some point _______________ sin.
18 Then Jeremiah said to the family of the Rekabites, “This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘You have obeyed the command of your forefather Jehonadab and have followed all his instructions and have done everything he ordered.’ 19 Therefore this is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘Jehonadab son of Rekab will never fail to have a descendant to serve me.’”
What was that promise that Jehonadab had made to the Rekabites?.
Then you will live a long time in the land where you are nomads.’
Now what is that fifth commandment in the tenth commandments again? And what’s the promise that goes with it? It’s found in Exodus 20 verse12 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the Lord your God gives you. In fact, Paul in Ephesians 6:2 points out that this was the first commandment with a promise.
And what does God promise to the Rekabites? Because they _______their father, Jehonadab as a family, their whole family would be ______________ in that their family will always have somebody _________ God. In a sense, that’s long life on the earth for their __________ as a whole.