Be a "Son of Jonadab"

I am always looking for ways I can "pep talk" my kids or at least "spur them on to love good deeds".  The book of Jeremiah has become one of my greatest resource.  It has some fascinating passages that I have found so inspiring to use as encouragment for my children. This most recent was was quite unusual as God seems to use the obedience of one family to show the Israelites what obedience looks like.  I say unusual because typically it is considered bad form to compare your kids to other kids to shame them into good behaviour, but this morning, in Jeremiah 35, that's kind of what God did!  I think there is something to learn here.  Maybe it isn't to shame our kids into good behaviour, but maybe it is more to show them the model of good behaviour and then they'll learn by observing others.  I'm getting ahead of myself....this is what happened....

God told Jeremiah, "Go to the house of the Rechabites and speak with them and bring them to the house of the Lord, into one of the chambers, then offer them wine to drink."  So he did what God had told him to.  He called them over and then offered them pitchers full of wine.  "But they answered, 'We will drink no wine, for Jonadab the son of Rechab, our father commanded us, 'You shall not drink wine, neither you  nor your sons for ever.  You shall not build a house, you shall not sow seed, you shall not plant or have a vineyard, but you shall live in tents all your days that you may live many days in the land where you sojourn.'  We have obeyed the voice of Jonadab the son of Rechab, our father in all that he commanded us to drink no wine all our days, ourselves, our wives, our sons, or our daughters, and not to build houses to dwell in.  We have no vineyard or field or seed, but we have lived in tents and have obeyed and done all that Jonadab our father commanded us."

It may seem that this is a passage about drinking wine, building houses and planting vineyards, but it is not.  As the chapter goes on, God explains why he had Jeremiah call them over and offer them wine.  "Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel:  Go and say to the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.  Will you not receive instruction and listen to my words?  Declares the Lord.  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.  I have sent to you all my servants the prophets, sending them persistently, saying "Turn now every one of you from his evil way, and amend your deeds, and do not go after other gods to serve them, and then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to you and your fathers.  But you did not incline your ear or listen to me.  The sons of Jonadab the son of Rechab HAVE KEPT THIS COMMAND, but this people HAS NOT OBEYED ME."

God then pronounces "disaster" upon Judah "because I have spoken to them and they have not listened.  I have called to them and they have not answered."  He adds, however, "But to the house of Rechabites....Because you have obeyed the command of Jonadab your father and kept all his precepts and done all that he commanded you, therefore thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Jonadab the son of Rechab shall never lack a man to stand before me."

So, it seems, he literally sent a family, who must have been a God-fearing family, simply as an example to Judah.  They showed full obedience to their earthly father and in doing so they were used to model what kind of behaviour God expected from all His people.  Because of their obedience God said to them how they would be blessed in future generations.  Judah, however, would experience disaster for their lack of obedience.

It isn't good to pit one "good" child against another disobedient one, nor is it good to compare one family to another family, but the Bible does show that obedience gets rewarded and there are consequences for those who follow the path of disobedience.  Jeremiah simply does what God tells him to do and the illustration speaks for itself.  The message is clear and the phrases get repeated throughout the chapter, "They have obeyed their father's command", they "have kept this command",, "kept all His precepts".  The others have "not obeyed me", "I have spoken to them and they have not listened.  I have called them and they have not answered".  I'm always looking to the Word of God to help my kids stay on the right path.  This is such a good passage to remind them of modeling our lives after those who obey, after those who listen to God, who don't ignore Him.  Sometimes in our family there are those who listen better and those who obey quicker than others.  I don't think it's a bad thing to point out their good behaviour.  I think it can be a good thing to remind everyone of the good life they can have when they stay on track.

I did end up talking to our kids about this in our morning devotional time.  It struck me in the middle of our discussion that the family of Jonadab hadn't really loved all the rules their parents had given them.  It was quite the list:  no wine, no houses, no vineyards, seeds, sowing, and they had to live in a tent all the time.  I wonder if that list felt restrictive.  I wonder if they weren't particularly happy about the fact all the people around them were allowed to do all the things on the list they weren't allowed to do.  Yet, somehow, their father had their hearts enough that they still obeyed, despite the restrictive list that must have been so hard to follow in that culture of wine drinking, house building, garden planting..... Our children have certain limitations that are different than their own peers.  We know it isn't easy to follow them.  This passage was such a great encouragement for them.  It was a great reminder that blessing always follows obedience.