Jeremiah 35:12-19 - I called to them, but they did not answer

35:12-16

God had brought the Rechabites to Jerusalem as an example and as a rebuke to the people of Jerusalem. They had been given a command by one of their ancestors, a mere man, and the Rekabites had kept this command. The Hebrews had received commands from God Himself, and had received many prophets reiterating the word of God. When the people had failed to follow God’s commands, God had sent them prophets calling them back to His word. But the people ignored the prophets. The Rekabites had shown themselves to be a much more faithful people than the Israelites.

35:17-19

So God tells them yet again that He is going to bring disaster upon them. They may have claimed that God’s commands were too hard, but the Rekabites showed that it was perfectly possible. Today people say it is unrealistic to expect people to wait till marriage before having sex, or that a monogamous relationship is unrealistic (or even undesirable!). There are numerous examples that prove that this is not the case. The only reason these things are “unrealistic” is because of our sin.

In contrast to the bulk of the Israelites, God promises the Rechabites that they would be rewarded for their faithfulness by always having someone to serve the Lord.