Turn to Jeremiah, chapter 35. Jeremiah chapter 35. Now, as you're turning there, I will also make another announcement with that financial planning class on Sunday afternoon. I'm going to be teaching it, and Brother Steve will be helping out if there's some times when I can't make it. But Brother Anthony is willing to speak on Sunday evenings while we're doing that, so that's going to be a blessing there also. So I'm just thankful for Brother Anthony being able to fill in there. Jeremiah chapter 35 is not in chronological order. Sometimes in the Word of God, when we read God's Word, we think things happen just because you're reading it that way. It's happening in time that way. Anybody ever read a chronological Bible? It's different because it puts things in perspective as far as the times of the prophets when they ministered and the times of the historical era when they ministered. A chronological Bible is very interesting to read through. I've read through one once or twice. Anyway, with Jeremiah chapter 35, what we find is what happens in chapter 35 was actually a few years before chapter 34, because chapter 34 is Zedekiah, and Zedekiah in Jerusalem is about to go into captivity. But what we find in chapter 35, it's a different king, and it's not Zedekiah, so it's before Zedekiah. And the reasoning behind this is probably, I believe, because in chapter 34 you remember that last week we looked at Zedekiah and how he was unfaithful. And in chapter 34, you remember how he let all the slaves go that were Hebrews, that were Jews. And then they turned around and they broke the promise and they took them back as slaves. And they also, you know, he promised to submit to the king of Babylon, and then he backed out on that promise. So his unfaithfulness was highlighted in chapter 34. So in chapter 35, what you find is a scenario of faithfulness. So, I believe it's comparison, chapter 34, with the unfaithfulness, and it's bringing out chapter 35 with the faithful ones that are keeping their promise. Now, the Rechabites is the name of this group. I want you to notice the first three verses in chapter 35. The Word of God says, The Word which came unto Jeremiah from the Lord in the days of Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah, king of Judah, saying, Go into the house of the Rechabites, and speak unto them, and bring them into the house of the Lord. Into one of the chambers, and give them wine to drink. Then I took Jazaniah, the son of Jeremiah, the son of Habazaniah, and his brethren, and all his sons, and the whole house of the Rechabites." Now I want you to notice these Rechabites. Go back a little bit, if you would, and look in 1 Kings, or 2 Kings, chapter 10. 2 Kings chapter 10, and you find a story there about Rechab, which is where the Rechabites came from. In chapter 10, notice what it says down in verse 15. Chapter 10 and verse 15. And when he was departed thence, he lighted on Jehonadab the son of Rechab. Notice here. Here's the son of Recab. He's coming out to meet him and is talking about Jehu. And he saluted him and said to him, Is your heart right as my heart is with your heart? And Jehonadab answered, It is. If it be, give me thine hand. And he gave him his hand and he took him up to him into the chariot. And he said, Come with me and see my zeal for the Lord. So they made him ride in his chariot. Now Jehu had a reputation of driving a chariot, furiously. My dad made reference to brother Roger Cruz's driving was like Jehu. I don't know. Driving his car furiously. And notice here it says about Jehu, when he When he said, Come, see my zeal for the Lord, so they made him ride in his chariot. And when he came to Samaria, he slew all that remained unto Ahab in Samaria, till he had destroyed him, according to the saying of the Lord, which he spake to Elijah. And Jehu gathered all the people together, and said unto them, Ahab served Baal a little, but Jehu shall serve him much. Now therefore call unto me all the prophets of Baal, and all his servants, and all his priests. Let none be wanting, for I have a great sacrifice to do to Baal. Whosoever shall be wanting, he shall not live. But Jehu did it in subtlety, to the intent that he might destroy the worshipers of Baal. Jehu said, Proclaim a solemn assembly for Baal. And they proclaimed it. And Jehu sent through all Israel. And all the worships of Baal came, so that there was not a man left that came not. They came into the house of Baal, and the house of Baal was full from one end to the other. And he said unto him, That was over the vestry. Bring forth vestments for all the worshipers of Baal. And he brought them forth vestments. Jehu went, and Jehonadab the son of Rechab, into the house of Baal, and said unto the worshipers of Baal, Search and look, that there be here with you none of the servants of the Lord, but the worshipers of Baal only. When they went in to offer sacrifices and burn offerings, Jehu appointed fourscore men without, and said, If any of the men whom I have brought into your hands escape, he that lets him go, his life shall be for the life of him. came to pass, as soon as he had made an end of the offering, the burnt offering, that Jehu said to the guard and to the captains, Go in, slay them, let none come forth, and they smoke them with the edge of the sword. And the guard and the captains cast them out, and went to the city of the house of Baal. And they brought forth the images out of the house of Baal, and they burnt them. And they break down the image of Baal, and break down the house of Baal, and made it a drought house unto this day. Thus Jehu destroyed Baal out of Jerusalem. Howbeit from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, Jehu departed not from after them, to wit the golden calves that were in Bethlehem that were in Dan. And the Lord said unto Jehu, Because thou hast done well in executing that which is right in mine eyes, and hast done unto the house of Ahab, according to all that was in mine heart, your children of the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel. But Jehu took no heed to walk in the law of the Lord of Israel with all his heart. For he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam, which made Israel to sin." Now, in this situation, I want you to notice, there is one who is the son of Rechab, whose name is Jehonadab, who joins with Jehu and destroys all the Baal priests and all the Baal worshippers. They just knocked them out. So here the Rechabites, as we look at them, here is where they go back in time. They initially came from the Kenites, which was Moses' father-in-law's tribe. So they came from Moses' father-in-law, and you can see that lineage coming down. Here he was a man who was zealous for the Lord and the ways of the Lord, and desired to do what was right. Now, this incident we just read in 2 Kings 10 happened about 200 years before we read about this situation in Jeremiah. So 200 years later, what we find is these Rechabites, they are nomads. They live in tents and they travel from place to place. They were not to build houses. They didn't build houses. They lived in the northern part of Israel. But when the Babylonians... kind of before they actually invaded Jerusalem, they had different warrior groups come and they were invading northern Israel and everything. So what the Rechabites did, they went and went to Jerusalem for security. They were kind of hiding out from all this warring that was going on. Their lifestyle was a little bit backwards. They were a little bit different. If you would put them in our day and time, they would probably be like some Amish people. You know how they drive the buggies, and how they all wear black, and how some of them that are even more out of time, they don't have electricity, and they don't do certain things. That's kind of how these were. They kind of lived back in time. They lived a very simplified life. So what they did when they arrived to Jerusalem, the Word of God says in Jeremiah 35, that Jeremiah was told by the Lord to bring them to the house of the Lord, into one of the chambers and give them wine to drink. And that's what he did. He brings them all, the whole house of them. That means all of them, he brings them to the house of the Lord. He sends out a party invitation. They're going to have a party. They're going to have a big time. So as Jeremiah invites them by God's command, I want you to notice here what stands out in this chapter is pure pressure. There is some great pure pressure going on with these Rechabites. If you think about it, they're in a safe place. They're in Jerusalem. They're in a walled city. They've been invited by Jeremiah. Jeremiah is the one who's prepared the table. It's inside one of the rooms of the temple, so it's in one of the sacred places, and they're being offered some of the best hospitality. Now, think about that. Jeremiah's offering them wine. Uh-oh. They're not wine drinkers. What do you do when somebody offers you a drink and you're not a drinker of the kind of drink they drink? You got your own spirit, the Holy Spirit, and you don't want none of that other spirit. What do you do if, say, like you went to a royal hoopla and they prepared the table for you and they've got it there for you? Here are these Rehoboites. Would they spurn that hospitality? Would they embarrass Jeremiah? I want you to notice here, it goes on to say, in verse 4, he says, I brought them into the house of the Lord, into the chamber of the sons of Hanun, the son of Igdaliah, a man of God, which was by the chamber of the princes, which was above the chamber of Maaseah, the son of Shalem, the keeper of the door. Now, the keeper of the door, they had a very important position. here, it specifies which room in particular they were at. So, it then says that Jeremiah sat before the sons of the house of the Rechabites, pots full of wine and cups. Now, in other words, they got a spread laid out and they don't just have a cup of wine, they got pots of wine. That's hard to kind of understand. Pots of wine, that means some larger vessels of wine, along with the cups of wine. And I said unto them, drink ye the wine. Now, as they're presented with this problem, what would you do in a situation like that? Here? what they did. Verse 6, they said, that means all of them in unison, they pretty much are in agreement, they said, we will drink no wine. For Jonadab, now remember Jonadab back in 2 Kings chapter 15, Jonadab, or chapter 10 verse 15, he's the son of Rechab, our father commanded us saying, you shall drink no wine. Now 200 years ago, Their great-great-grandfather, however many greats that would be, 200 years ago, he commanded them not to drink wine. They are obedient under the command of their ancestor. And he says, neither you nor your sons forever. Neither shall you build house, nor sow seed, nor plant a vineyard, nor have any. But all your days you shall dwell in tents, that you may live, many days in the land where you'd be strangers. They're not to build a permanent dwelling place. They're nomads. They're living in tents. They're not to build vineyards lest they make wine. You see, they've kind of made a vow and they've stuck with that down through the years. And they have been faithful in what they promised to do. Now, let me tell you, faithfulness in small things is a big thing. You get that? We've got to be faithful in the little things, because that is a big thing. What we do, what they ought to do, and what we ought to do, instead of people trying to bring us down to their level, we need to invite people up to our level. We need to invite people up to our beliefs and what we know what the Word of God says. Don't go down to their level. Now you know what a good illustration of that in our day and time, wouldn't it be the homosexual marriage and the homosexual issue and how they're forcing that upon everybody and how we ought to accept that and how we ought to go along with that and we ought to be tolerant and we ought not to speak against them and we ought not to do, you know. Now think about it, we don't go down to their level. You know what, if half the nation, let's say if all the nation but you believed homosexuality was a legitimate lifestyle and God blessed it and condoned it. If all the nation but you believed it, you know what? All the nation can be wrong and believe in the wrong, but you need to stand for what's right. That's faithfulness in the little things. Because it seems like when the whole society is going contrary to what's rational concerning God's Word, and what God says, and what is right, and what is true, you know, we've got to stick with what we believe God says. You know, homosexuality is a sin. And we can't define it any other way. It's not a sickness and not a disease. It's not something somebody's born with. You know what, it's a choice like any sin. And you know what, people might say they're born that way and you can come back and say to them, I'm born that way too. I'm born a sinner. And but for the grace of God, you know what, I would still be a sinner. But God has saved me by His grace. And that's where you can share the Gospel with them. Here, I want you to notice. their reason for being in Jerusalem. It says in verse 8, Thus we have 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 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. But 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." Here's the reason they came to Jerusalem. Because of all the armies that were starting to kill all the people. Well, you know what? Common sense would tell you, if they're going to kill you, you better run for your life. If they're going to kill you, it's best to be behind a walled city and have a little bit of defense than just stand out there in open field and say, I'm over here. Don't do that. So they have stuck with their tradition all but they have gone into Jerusalem. That's not a nomadic life when you go into Jerusalem. But they had the reasoning behind it because the armies were coming out. Now you know what? What they had Think about Jonadab's command to them. You're not to drink wine. You're not to build houses. You're not to build vineyards. There are certain things you're not to do. You're not to sow any seed for a vineyard. Now you know what? They vowed to do that and that passed from generation to generation to generation. And it became kind of a tradition. Now think with me for a moment. Traditions might be good, but traditions could be bad also. Y'all probably heard me tell the story about the woman who was newly married and every time they would have a Thanksgiving dinner she'd cook a ham and she'd always cut off a good portion end of the ham and throw it away and she'd stick it in the pot and then she'd cook the ham. Well, the husband finally was wondering why she was cutting the ham off. Why, how come you cut off that good portion of ham? She says, because my mama always did it. So he went to his mother-in-law and asked, how come she cut off that portion of ham? She says, because my mama always did it. So he went to the grandmother-in-law and asked, why do you cut off that portion of ham and throw away that good piece of ham? She says, because my pot's only so big and it only fits a certain portion of that ham. Yeah, that's a bad tradition. You understand what I'm saying? There are some good traditions, and there are some not so good traditions. There are some traditions that are not necessarily what we need to stick to. When it comes to tradition, It is good if it's in the Word of God. And if it's glorifying God, we stick to those traditions. Now, I want you to notice what we gain from this chapter. Here what we, I believe, the main thrust of this whole chapter is talking about the keeping of vows. How important it is to keep a vow. Now, you know what, we're not obligated to make vows unto God. But you know what, when we make a vow, it's best we keep that vow. Zedekiah broke the vows. He broke his promise. Some don't even like to take vows. Have you ever run into anybody who don't like to take a vow? In other words, if they were called to court, they wouldn't want to put their hand on the Bible, they wouldn't want to swear to God, you know, how you be a witness, this type of thing. There are some people that are like that. Now, where they get that from is over in Matthew chapter 5. Look at Matthew chapter 5. In Matthew the 5th chapter, down in verse 33, Jesus said, again you have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths. But I say unto you, swear not at all, neither by heaven, for it is God's throne, nor by the earth, for it is God's footstool, neither by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black, But let your communication be yes, yes, and no, no, for whatsoever is more than these comes of evil." Jesus said, make it yes or make it no. That's what you need to do. Now, look over in chapter 7. Mark chapter 7. In Mark chapter 7, notice how they abuse vows back in Jesus' day and time. In Mark chapter 7, down in verse 11, the Word of God says, But you say, if a man shall say to his father or mother, it is Corbin, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me, he shall be free. In other words, this sounds very confusing, but simply what this is saying, if a son or daughter had money or something valuable, and their parents had need, all they'd have to say is, Corbin, it's a gift to God. That way, they're not obligated to help out their parents. And that's how they worked their way around about honoring the father and mother. And he goes on to say, and you suffer him no more to do aught for his father or mother, making the word of God none effect through your tradition which you have delivered. Many such like things do you. In other words, they made vows, but they did it flippantly. In other words, they tried to get out of vows and they'd say certain things that would free them from having to make the vow. That's why Jesus said, let it be yes or let it be no. Now, there's nothing wrong with making vows. There is something wrong making flippant vows. You've heard people say, I swear, or I swear to God, or something flippant like that. You know what? That's wrong. Don't talk like that. You've probably heard some people say, cross my heart, hope to die. You know, the rest of it is stick a needle in my eye. That's a flippant vow. And you shouldn't be flippant about your word. Last night, there was a television show on. Jan was watching it too. I don't know if she saw this particular part, but anybody ever watch The Voice on TV, but it's got different people who sing. And one of the country singers who's a judge, Blake Shelton, and as he was, they had young ones on last night, 16, 17 years old, looked a lot older. And one girl had come, had been on the show before and they didn't vote her in, and so then she came back because they told her to keep trying, so she came back. And when she came back, Blake Shelton didn't vote for her, and she confronted him. She says, you said you would vote for me if I come back. And he looked at her, and this is a 16 or 17-year-old girl. He says, this is a hard lesson to learn, but you need to learn men are liars. And I'm going like, wow. You know, how harsh. You know, it's sad, that's the way the world is. You know what, there are times we make vows, aren't there? If we are in court, we make a vow. If we are married, we've made a vow. I think when one goes through the process of citizenship, I was talking to one from Nepal the other day, And he's doing really good managing a restaurant and everything. He's worked his way up. And he travels quite a bit, but he's only 25 years old. And he's got to wait five years before he can become a citizen. But you know, once you become a citizen, how do you go through that? You've got to go through a process, testing and all this stuff. You've got to study. And they probably know more American history than most average Americans. And they probably have to make a vow toward the end of that. Now you know what? A vow is a serious thing because vows are made before God. The problem is too many people lie like Blake Shelton. That's why many vows are broken. That's why there's so much divorce. That's why there's so much corruption in government. You know what? Government officials take vows. Judges take vows to uphold the Constitution and the law. How many times have they done their own thing, broken their own vows. The problem is that people don't see what they're vowing, they're calling God to witness when they make a vow. I want you to understand the importance of keeping a vow. There's something else in here I want you to notice. that with these Rechabites, they were honoring their ancestors, they were honoring their father and their mothers, so to speak. Look in verse 14. 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 father's commandment, Notwithstanding, I have spoken unto you, rising early speaking, but you hearken not unto me." So God's speaking to those in Judah how He spoke to them every day and they wouldn't listen, but here are the Rechabites and they are honoring their father and their mother. And in honoring them, honoring their ancestors, they're keeping the Word. Look back in the same chapter and look in verse 7. He says, but all your days you shall dwell in tents that you may live many days in the land where you be strangers. How does that commandment go? Honor your father and mother that your days may be long in the land. Isn't that what the Rechabites were doing? They were fulfilling that command. So in verses 18 and 19, Jeremiah said unto the house of the Rechabites, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Because you have obeyed the commandment of Jonadab your father, and kept all his precepts, and done according unto all that he hath commanded you, therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Jonadab the son of Rechab shall not want a man to stand before me for ever. God blessed them. Listen to this. When they went back into the land and they started building the walls, you remember in the book of Nehemiah how they came back? Listen to what it says in Nehemiah chapter 3. Nehemiah chapter 3 and verse 14. Nehemiah 3 verse 14, this is after they came back out of captivity, but the dungate repaired Malkiah, the son of Rechab, the ruler of part of Beth-hexarem. He built it, set up the doors thereof, the locks thereof, and the bars thereof. Notice here how the remnant is continuing on and on. God blessed them. God promised He would bless them and He does bless them. Now, you know what? We can go into a lot more here besides just making a vows and honoring your father and mother, ancestors. There's also the principle here of abstinence. Drinking or refraining from alcohol. It's not for kings to be given unto wine. Drunkenness is forbidden in God's Word. The drinking of wine is not forbidden. Notice here, the drinking of wine is not forbidden. Because Jeremiah is the one who gave him the wine, wasn't he? At the commandment of God. Does that mean we can all go out and buy a bottle of wine? I'm not saying that. You know, I don't believe we ought to be drinkers. Let me tell you why. because of the connotation it brings. You go into the store and buy you a six-pack of beer. You go in the store, buy you whatever alcoholic beverages or whatever. You know what? It's associated with a partying scene. It's associated with drunkenness. And you know what? You don't want to mess up your testimony. The Bible says don't be given too much wine. You know what? That culture in the Middle East They made wine. They had grapes, they had vineyards, and they made wine. Be not drunk with wine wherein is excess, but be filled with the Spirit, is what the Word of God tells us. Now, the Word of God also tells us in Romans chapter 14, notice what it says in Romans 14 and verse 13. Romans 14 and verse 13. Let us not therefore judge one another any more, but judge this rather, that no man put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in his brother's way. I know and I am persuaded by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of itself, but to him that it seems anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. But if your brother be grieved with your meat, or your food, now walkest thou not charitably, destroy not him with your meat, your food, for whom Christ died. Let not then your good be evil spoken of. Because, it says, the kingdom of God is not meat and drink, the kingdom of God is not food and drink, but the kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. Now there, we're not going to go more deeper into that than what I just went. But notice the final thing here. What this chapter is emphasizing is obedience. Because the previous chapter was disobedience. They were poor listeners. Look back in chapter 35 and verses 12 through 16. Verse 12 said, Then came the word of the Lord unto Jeremiah, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Go and tell the men, of Judah in the inhabitants of Jerusalem, will you not receive instruction to hearken to my words, saith the Lord, the words of Jonadab the son of Rechab, that he commanded his sons not to drink wine, or performed? For unto this day they drink none, but obey their father's commandment. Notwithstanding, I have spoken unto you, rising early speaking, but ye hearken 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. Amend your doings. 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 hearkened unto me. Because the sons of Jonadab, the sons of Rechab, have performed the commandment of their father, which he commanded them, this people hath not hearkened unto me." When you think about it, how bad is it to have a child that will never listen? You know what, that's like beating your head against the wall when the child does not listen to you. That's what God was constantly confronted with, with the Israelites. He constantly sent His prophets, He constantly sent His words, and they would not listen. They would not hearken unto His words. Listen to what the Word of God says over in the book of James, chapter 1. In James, the first chapter, down in verse 19, the Word of God says, Wherefore, my beloved brethren, Let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath. Swift to hear, the Word of God says, slow to speak, slow to wrath. We often get that twisted up, don't we? Sometimes we get swift to speak, sometimes swift to wrath. But we're supposed to be swift to hear. Notice what verse 22 says. but be doers of the word, not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. So we're to be swift to hear, and we're to do what we hear. We're to put it into practice. That's obedience. And that's what God's called us to. As we hear his word, we need to be receptive to it, but we need to be obedient unto God's word. When you think about it, these Rechabites, that was a family, and they had a family tradition, and they had a family vow, and they were obedient as a family. You think about it, some families even put Christians to shame, don't they? Because of their vows. Because of their obedience. How much more so should we as God's children listen to His Word and be obedient? Swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath, being doers of the word. Let's pray. Father, we thank you for your word. And Lord, we pray that you'd help us to be obedient children, that we would have a desire to follow you with all of our being, to glorify your name. Lord, we thank you for the examples in your word. but we ask that you'd help us to be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath, always ready to do your will for Christ's sake. Amen.