October 19, 2005
“Those Faithful Recabites”
Jeremiah 35:1-19

As I was reading through Jeremiah, I came across a group of people called the “Rebabites”. I had never heard of them before, but apparently the come from a story in 2 Kings. A guy named Jehonadab (great name huh!) helped King Jehu end Baal worship in Israel. This group of people who helped Jehonadab were told not to drink wine or build houses.

In Jeremiah 35, this same group of people is still upholding their vow not to drink wine or build houses. God tells Jeremiah to invite them into the Temple and prepare wine for them to drink. The “Rebabites” refuse to drink because they had made a vow. God tells Jeremiah that these people will be blessed because they have been keeping their covenant while the people in Judah have not. God’s promise to them is that they will always have descendants who serve God.

I do not know about you, but I have to take my hat off to those “Recabites.” It is not always easy to stay faithful to your commitments. I would imagine there were times when they would have wanted to give up on them, especially after their land was taken by the Assyrians. Now they are being threatened by the Babylonians. Some would wonder, “What’s the point?” Well, the point is, they were faithful to their word. No matter how insignificant that may seem, God honored their faithfulness. I think this goes to show us that when we are faithful, even in the things that seem insignificant, God will honor it.