Title: To Be a Blessed Descendant
Contents
To be a blessed descendant.
(Jeremiah 35:1-19)
Today's text goes back to the story of Jehoiakim. Jeremiah 32-34 is the story of the 10th year of King Zedekiah, the last king of Judah, and today's text is about 10 years before that.
The 19th king of Judah before King Zedekiah, the last 20th king of Judah, reigned as Jehoiachin for 3 months, and the 18th king of Judah right before King Jehoiachin was Jehoiakim. During the reign of King Jehoiakim, the word of God came to Jeremiah. Look at verse 2, “Go to the Rechabites and speak to them, and bring them to the house of the Lord to a room and drink wine.”
Then Jeremiah took all the Rechabites (verse 3), brought them into the house of the Lord, and offered them wine (verses 4-5). Then the Rechabites refused because their ancestor Jonadab told them not to drink wine, so they had to obey him (verses 6-11).
And verses 12-17 are God's words comparing the appearance of their ancestor Jonadab, who tried to keep his word, and the Israelites who did not listen no matter how much they spoke. So, in the end, the content of today's text is that he will bring disaster on the inhabitants of Judah and Israel (verse 17) and, on the contrary, give blessings to the Rechabites from generation to generation (verses 18-19).
What does the text teach us? We find in the text three reasons why the Rechabites were blessed.
1. It is a life of dedication
When Jonadab the son of Rechab told the descendants of Rechab not to drink wine and to live in uncomfortable tents rather than comfortable houses, it means that we must completely dedicate our bodies and minds to God. That's when power and blessings will follow.
Some people are looking for talented people. But if we really give our body and mind to God, we will have power. Some people go looking for people who are good at prayer. However, if you really pray with your body and mind before God, your prayers will be more powerful than anyone else's.
We must ask ourselves how much we give our body and mind to God and whether our thoughts and actions are truly for the glory of God. Such questions are the most important questions for us.
You don't know how important it is to give the first fruits, the first hour, the first substance, the first thing. If you sincerely give the first thing, everything will be a blessing. Early morning prayer, tithing, all are important in that sense.
This is today's Sunday worship service with the heart of giving the first thing.
In fact, how good is the fact that I am awake when others are sleeping? How rewarding is it to give the first thing before God? Whatever you do, if the beginning is holy, God will bless you not only in the process but also in the result.
Always give your body and heart to God, live faithfully, and live your life with serious consideration for God's glory. Don't try to give the 'the rest' to God in your life, but give the 'first thing' to God and buy the rest with the rest. God will never turn away from such a sacred beginning.
2. It is a life of obedience.
It's an era where you don't listen to your parents directly. But look at the Rechab descendants who thoroughly obey not only their parents' words, but also the words of their ancient ancestors.
The Rechabites could have complained like this. “Ancestor Jonadab is such a tight-knit man! Why are you putting such a burden on us alone! Others live in houses, but we have to spend our whole lives in tents!” But they obey their ancestors without any complaints.
In the end, because of such obedience, we receive God's blessing. In verse 19
“Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, that from Jonadab the son of Rechab there shall never be cut off from anyone who will stand before me.”
This blessing was not given because Jonadab, who gave the command, was good, but because the descendants of Jonadab were willing to obey the good command.
Obedience is the key that unlocks the door to blessing. Even if it's a little difficult, even if you don't understand a little, if you obey at the right time, God will open the door of blessing.
What did the Lord do when He healed the blind? (John 9:1-7) The ground spit on the soil to make clay, and the blind man applied it to his eyes. Then he told them to go to the pool of Siloam and wash. Where is this insult? But the blind man went to the Pool of Siloam to wash with dirt on his eyes. This is true obedience. Obedience is possible only when we transcend our feelings and reason.
Obedience means not only obedience to God, but also obedience to love. This is also a really important principle. For example, a conflict arose within the church. So, what should I do if other members of the church have a different opinion than mine? Then you shouldn't be obsessed with just my feelings, my thoughts and my attitude. Obedience to love, such as giving up what I feel is right for the sake of love, also counts as obedience to God.
We need to know why the Lord tells us to obey. It is to bless us through our obedience. Just as a blind man opens his eyes by obedience in a situation that is difficult to obey rationally, if we obey God's will and love, blessings and miracles will happen to us too.
3. It is a life of moderation.
The fact that Jonadam the Rechabite forbade wine is not only a command to live a life of devotion to God, but it is also an exhortation to lead a life of moderation.
In a fortress, it's like, "Children! Do not drink, smoke, and keep your body and mind clean.”
Our bodies are God-given. Even if you want to go to heaven and meet God as soon as you think, you need to take good care of your health so that you can live as long as possible until the Lord comes.
So, we have to do the best we can, create the greatest possible work, and try our best to go to God.
Some people care too much about their health, and some get sick. But in general, if we pay attention to health wisely, wholesomely, and carefully, we will be able to do God's work powerfully until we are 80 years old. And by the age of 100, you can do full body activities.
Sometimes people say, "If you live long, you are only ugly, but do you need to live long?"
But living long doesn't necessarily mean ugly. If you have a job and strive to live your life while contributing even a little to the social community, no one will ever think you are ugly when you are older.
We need to take good care of our God-given body and live as long as possible to be a little more helpful for God and human society. After all, it is God's job to take good care of the body God has given us. When we become ill, we are at a loss for ourselves, but we must also understand that it is a loss to our family, to the church, to society, to the nation, and ultimately to the work of God. Therefore, taking good care of your health is also an important steward's life.
For this health management, the most important thing is the management of the heart and the management of faith.
I pray that you will weave a beautiful life with faith that is always faithful, devoted, and obedient, and that you will receive the blessing of health through a restrained life.