Good day Beloved of God in Christ Jesus. You are all welcome to another new day. Glory to God for the gift of life.
In our today’s episode 525 of studying and understanding the Bible, we shall be examining Jeremiah Chapter 35 titled:
Amazing Practical Lesson You Should Learn From The Rechabites
Chapter 35 central focus is about obedience. In this chapter, we are taken back to the regime of king Jehoiakim who ruled Judah from 609 to 598 BC spending 11 years on the throne before handing over power to Jehoiachin (spent just 3 months because of his wickedness) and finally Zedekiah took over power from 598 to 587 BC (11 years too). Zedekiah was the last king of Judah until the temple was destroyed by the Babylonian forces.
So, the events that happened in this chapter happened under the leadership of Jehoiakim.
Remember these people have remained disobedient to Jeremiah’s prophecies and warnings. He warned them several times of their various sins and wickedness, which we have examined in our past studies. They were busy sacrificing little babies on the altar of Molech and were committing various other atrocities.
In trying to teach king Jehoiakim about obedience, God then instructed Jeremiah to invite the Rechabite’s family into the temple and offer them wine and observe their reactions. Verses 1-4.
So, Jeremiah obeyed. He brought them to the temple and set before them cups and bowls full of wine and he told them to have some wine and enjoy themselves. You will see this in verse 5.
In verse 6, we are made to understand that the Rechabites rejected the offer, because of the instructions they received from their ancestors. What were the instructions?
- They were commanded not to taste wine.
- They were commanded not to build houses.
- They were commanded not to farm the land.
- They were instructed not to plant vineyards or buy them.
They were only permitted by their ancestors to live in tents, rear animals and engage in hunting.
Who was their ancestor that gave these instructions? It was Jonadab, the son of Rechab.
They were nomadic people, wandering from place to place under a given territory. They were popularly known for rearing animals and hunting. So, all their children followed this style of living and since then it has become a tradition.
For over 200 years, these people have been keeping to the above strict rules, which made it easy to move their belongings from place to place.
What Are The Lessons learnt?
If an ordinary human being could instruct his children not to drink wine, build houses, plant crops but only rear animals and engage in hunting to feed themselves, and they obeyed for over two and a half centuries (Approx 240 years), then why was it difficult for king Jehoiakim and his successors to follow God’s instructions?
That’s exactly the practical lessons God wanted Jehoiakim to learn from the Rechabites.
What has God been laying in your heart to do and has kept on ringing in your mind, but you keep on ignoring, giving a lot of excuses.
You do not have to start big, you know?
You can start small and scale it higher with time.
It is an NGO, a ministry or a business that has kingdom impact?
Is God directing you to another ministry to volunteer or to partner with them?
Is God laying it in your heart to visit an orphanage home?
Is there a bad habit God has been instructing you to break by all means just like the people of Judah and God has used every means to communicate with you, yet you keep ignoring God?
You need to calm down, be humble and listen to what God is saying. You do not have to know everything right now, and everything does not have to be perfect. In fact, some may not even make sense to you yet. However, when you obey and begin the journey, things will become clearer along the way.
To be continued…stay tuned and stay blessed.
Let us pray:
- I declare you receive clear direction on what to do about that idea or instruction that keeps ringing in your mind. You will not fail and your will not be shipwrecked in Jesus name.
- All the resources you need to get it done, God will provide for you, in Jesus name.
- Every form of confusion and distraction directed at you by the devil and his cohorts are hereby rendered powerless over you, in Jesus name.
- The Lord God will connect you with those with similar vision that will join forces with you to get things done as effectively as possible. Help will locate you from all corners of the world, in Jesus name.
Bible Readings For Today: Esther Chapters 4, 5, 6 & 7 with Psalm 119:97-112
I call you blessed now and always.
Friday September 4, 2020 (DDMI)
