The Rechabites (Learn Absolute Obedience)

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Scripture Text: “If ye love me, keep my commandments” John 14:15 (KJV)

We are in a generation of fast track, some call it, the Jet age, others term it the smart age. 

In this present time, everyone seems to be on the fast lane, they want to achieve everything very quickly, everyone is playing it smart and others learning to play smart alike. 

It doesn’t matter how they come by, how the results come, whether right or wrong, nobody cares about it.

As long as the money is made and the results come, it's just a cool deal.

A teacher I learned from once said something striking that has since registered firmly in my subconscious.

Let me quote him ”Fame is a vapor, popularity is an accident, riches take wings, but only one thing endures forever –Character.” 

Man will rarely pursue after true character, like I said it’s a jet age generation, an age of consumerism and materialism (greediness, covetousness, acquisitiveness). 

Everyone is busy hustling for riches, fame, and popularity, majority are chasing this same wind. But the truth is, "If you must be made in life, you must first be self-made". 

Every man’s world must begin from the inside of him, God dwells within you. You began in Him and you are created for Him. 

Only living in the fear of God gets Him to be pleased with you, and when God is pleased with you he empowers you for almost everything.

He even gets your enemies to be at peace with you, to do this you must be endued with a godly character and that’s where the sacrifice is; “Solomon loved the LORD”, “David, a man after God’s own heart”: 

They made a way to God’s heart and God took place in their lives, I should  rather say, “God took responsibility for their place in life” 

The Bible says, “THROUGH desire a man, having separated himself, seeketh and intermeddleth with all wisdom”-Pro.18:1(KJV). 

During Prophet Jeremiah’s era, the people were rebellious to God’s commandments and ardent to wickedness, everyone did things his way, and Jeremiah’s rebukes from God fell on deaf ears. 

This is not farfetched from this present world, ours seems even far exceeding! 

Rarely does any man serve God as worship from the heart or for who God is, but for material blessings and gains.

Many are indifferent to the God factor, we fail to discover that the miracles and blessings we seek are hidden in obedience to His word(see Psalm 1:1-8), the Biblical instructions. 

“If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land” - Isaiah 1:19 

Thank God for His loving grace, He is willing and patient to wait for us to learn his statutes. 

Back to Jeremiah’s time like I said the Prophet’s word meant nothing to the people of Israel, and Prophets are mouth piece of God.

So, God’s words weren’t an option for them, none of them knew obedience, and every one of them went about in their rigid and stone-heartedness, in pride and ego.

They embraced all manners of vice and injustice against the weak and the poor alike; they were calling for ruin. 

But instead of death and destruction God wouldn’t dare, in its place, He sorted a way to demonstrate to them how to live in obedience. 

What did God do? 

He sent Jeremiah to the house of the Rechabites (see Jeremiah 35:1-19), an unusual people in the land.

He asked Jeremiah to invite them into the house of the LORD, into the chambers, and to offer them wine to drink. 

Jeremiah carried out God’s instruction and brought the entire family of the Rechabites into the LORD’s house in the chambers and Jeremiah set before the sons of the house of Rechabites pots full of wine and cups and asked them to drink. 

But the Rechabites said, “We will drink no wine, for Jonadab the son of Rechab our father commanded us, saying, ye shall drink no wine neither ye nor your sons forever” 

In the 8th verse, it says, “thus have we obeyed the voice of Jonadab the son of Rechab our father in all that he hath charged us, to drink no wine all our days, our wives, our sons, nor our daughters”. 

The astonishing thing with these people is, that they aren’t of the tribe of Israel but fled for safety into the land of Israel from the besiege of battle by the Babylonians, yet they had a wonderful covenant sense. 

After Jeremiah meets with this obedient set of folks; the Rechabites, I can imagine how astonishing and marveling he would be looking, at the rare character of these people.

This was the life and character God desires among us His chosen ones. 

God sent the prophet back to Judah and the entire house of Israel to emulate and learn from the Rechabites.

Who kept the instruction of their father from their grandfather: never to drink wine forever. 

What God seeks from our generation is a committed obedience to his word, it is our only proof of fear and love for God. 

Our text says, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” 

Obedience is where the blessings dwell, the way to pleasing God is by the way of obedience. 

“If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land” - Isaiah 1:19 (KJV) 

Obedience to God proves our love to him and when we love him he will make himself known to us. 

This is the miracle you seek! (See John 14:21). 

I pray you receive grace today for committed obedience. 

PRAYER KEY POINTS

• Father, IJN: Thank you Lord for your word of salvation and transformation.

• Father, IJN: You are the way, the truth, and life, show me the way, sow in me the truth, and guide me in the path of life.

• Father, IJN: Your hand is not shortened neither your ear heavy but my iniquity and disobedience is the barricade, forgive my sin of disobedience and plant obedience in my heart.

• Father, IJN: By the blood of Jesus I destroy every spirit of disobedience at work within and without. I cast it out forever.

COMMIT TO MEMORY

"Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;" -Hebrews 5:8

FURTHER READING

Jer. 35:1-19, Job 36: 11, Exo. 23:25, Deut. 28:1-68

QUOTE

“God does not call us to be successful but to be obedient.                        

ASSIGNMENT

Daily ask grace for obedience to God through practical character. Consider 2Pet.1:3. All you need for Godly life is in your redemptive heritage,