During my teenage years, my rebellion against my mother was evident due to various influences and factors around me. It is true that parents have the toughest time with their child when he/she becomes a teenager. The teenage years are a season where the teen is developing to become an adult; thus, he/she is becoming more independent. Some teenagers do become more disobedient to their parents while there are exceptional ones.
Wouldn’t it be jubilant if all teenagers in the world are obedient to their parents? In a broader sense, wouldn’t it be exuberant if all of us truly honor our father and mother? What difference would it make in the world? Maybe everyone should be more like the Rechabites…
“Wait, what?” you might ask. “Who or what are the Rechabites?”
In the story of the Bible, there is a nomadic tribe called the Rechabites. Little information is given about them because there is only one chapter in the whole Bible that mentions the tribe. There is, however, more information regarding this person called “Rechab” as he does relate to the Rechabites. You can read Jeremiah 35.
What the significant feature of the Rechabites is that they are committed to being obedient to their ancestor or forefather, Jonadab the son of Rechab. Jonadab commanded his sons that they are to abstain forever from wine. He also commanded them not to build houses, sow seed, or have a vineyard, for they shall live in tents for the rest of their lives.
Some of these extreme abstinences are foreign to us.
Nonetheless, the Rechabites “have lived in tents and have obeyed and done all that Jonadab [their] father commanded [them]” (Jeremiah 35:10).
The Rechabites listened to their earthly father’s commandments, and they kept them. On the other hand, because God in His grace and mercy rescued Israel and gave them commandments to obey so as to consecrate themselves from other pagan nations. But Israel chose not to listen to the commandments of God. Israel continuously broke covenant with God.
God gave this message to Jeremiah so that he can deliver it to the people of Judah, “The command that Jonadab the son of Rechab gave to his sons, to drink no wine, has been kept, and they drink none to this day, for they have obeyed their father’s command. I have spoken to you persistently, but you have not listened to me.” (v.14)
Because the Rechabites were obedient to their forefather or their spiritual leader, God applauded them and said that Jonadab will not lack a man to stand before Him (v.19). What does this mean? To stand before God is, I think, to serve Him. It has a similar expression in Jeremiah 7:10; 15:1, 19, particularly serving God in the temple. Interpretation-wise, only the Levites, and the priests were allowed to stand before God. So, what would it mean for the Rechabites to stand before God? I think Nehemiah 3:14 does provide a suggestion that a line from Rechab will continue to serve God, which in this case being involved in rebuilding Jerusalem.
As you have read, if the Rechabites can obey their forefather, how much more should God, YHWH, be obeyed? The main point of this passage is to illustrate the contrast between the Rechabites and Israel. The Rechabites were an object lesson to Judah and Jerusalem. Their unwavering devotion to their forefather stood in stark contrast to unfaithful Judah’s rejection of the YHWH and His prophets. Judgment would fall on Judah, but YHWH would preserve Jonadab’s godly line.
The relevance of this passage to the New Covenant people of God, the church, is staggering! In the New Testament, the church is God’s covenant people in the New Covenant. The church is the gathering of God’s people, a community of the redeemed people. And the church has one Lord, one Spirit, One Father, and one God – the Triune God. Christians are servants of God and God is the Master, and that is one of the identities that the New Testament uses to describe Christians – servants or slaves. Because God redeems the church in and through the person and work of Christ, how much more should the church submit its life in obedience to God? How much better or worthier is Jesus than Rechab or Jonadab? Perhaps like the Israelite, we stumble and do not find Jesus trustworthy to be obeyed. Maybe it’s unbelief in His Word and the promises He made. Maybe it’s our pride that is preventing us from enjoying the abundant life that God gives.
Trust And Obey is a great hymn. Listen and read the lyrics if time permits. May you receive much encouragement from that song.
The New Testament teaching is filled with warnings about falling away from God in disobedience and rebellion. I think the ultimate expression of disobedience, like the Israelite, is unbelief (Hebrews 3:19). The Old Testament stories are examples for the church to not exemplify. Those who continue to fall into rebellion will face the consequences of God’s judgment and they were not part of God’s covenant people to begin with, but those who continue to live in obedience to God in Christ will be blessed and preserved.
Without falling into legalism and antinomianism, Kevin DeYoung made a helpful comment in saying (I’m paraphrasing) that our growing obedience to God is deeply manifested out of what God has ultimately done for us. Hence, the church’s, the Christians, sanctification is expressed and flows out of justification.
PS: Don’t be a rebellious teenager like me…just trying to save you from much hardship in the future from making foolish decisions (I guess that’s what the father in Proverbs wants to tell the son).
Tommy Wong 
Unbelief is the seed of disobedience – before the serpent even attempted to entice man to disobey, he first cast doubt on the Word of God: ‘Hath God said…?’
I was just saying to someone: I do not believe in ‘blind faith’ for faith must be based on God’s Word, but I do believe in ‘blind obedience’ because obedience is based on faith in God.
Good post!