After God completed the various stages of creation, He climaxed them by creating man and then woman in His own image. His next act was the establishment of the home, consisting of one man and one woman. He intended for them to remain together for life, bearing children and organizing orderly societies. The responsibility to maintain His ideal rests on each successive generation, family by family. How shall we succeed?

• In view of the chaotic moral state, it is imperative for us to begin now (vv. 1-4). As King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon threatened Israel with national destruction about 606 B.C., God directed the prophet Jeremiah’s attention to a family of Rechabites. He commanded the prophet to invite the family to a conference room in the temple and offer them some wine (v. 2). Jeremiah undoubtedly knew their background.

Their testimony began in 842 B.C., when their ancestors, Jonadab, a Kenite, aligned himself with the tribe of Judah (1 Chron. 2:55; Judges 1:16; 4: 18-22). Although an Arab bedouin, he signified his loyalty to the God of Israel by binding him and his children by a sacred oath. They would never drink wine. Setting high standards must begin with individuals.

• Having made a commitment to follow God’s guidelines, we must remain steadfast (vv. 5-11). The ancient Jonadab installed some precautions to help his successors keep the vow he made. They were to avoid the entanglements and obligations that would be inevitable if they built permanent homes and planted gardens. Instead, they would be bedouins, the gypsies of their day.

The threat posed by Nebuchadnezzar’s invading army forced the Rechabites to abandon their solitary lives in the open country and seek refuge in Jerusalem (v. 11). The summons to the chambers of the house of the Lord must have mystified the bedouins. Imagine their shock when Jeremiah set pots of wine before them with the command to drink. The Rechabites stood their ground. They obeyed the voice of their ancient forefathers in which he charged them never to drink wine. They would not be intimidated.

• To establish godly homes we must be careful to set examples (vv. 12-17). The next generation will be lost unless the present leaders can provide models for them to follow. Workers in inner cities where children are often reared by a single parent confirm the dire need for both parents, and especially the father, to provide a stable environment for the children.

God used the Rechabites as an example for people who lived according to the high moral standards set by their founding father about 235 years earlier. He set in contrast the stability of the Rechabites with the moral devastation of Israel. Israel repeatedly and consistently left God’s precepts. He had sent prophets to preach a message of repentance from worshiping heathen gods, to no avail (v. 15). God’s patience finally had run its course. The rumble of Nebuchadnezzar’s approaching armies signaled the end of Israel’s fretful peace. Captivity in Babylon would result.

• However, God commended the sons of Jonadab for trusting God (vv. 18-19). They kept the fourth commandment to honor one’s father and mother, the only commandment with a promise. They honored Jonadab by being true to his standards. By teaching and perpetuating moral character, the succeeding generations built their lives on eternal truths.

No one could have predicted the outcome, but God preserved their testimony in a marvelous way. Note the promise that “Jonadab the son of Rechab shall not want a man to stand before me forever” (v. 19). The phrasing “to stand before the Lord” appears in other texts as part of the prophetic formula of assurances. Jonadab’s posterity would abide in God’s favor.