Blessed Life with Dispensational Value: Not Unnoticed by God the Almighty

 Blessed Life with Dispensational Value: Not Unnoticed by God the Almighty

Jer. 35:8-9 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, we, our wives, our sons, nor our daughters; Nor to build houses for us to dwell in: neither have we vineyard, nor field, nor seed:

In Book of Jeremiah 35, the mention of the tribe, the Rechabites, kindles our idle mind to think about something vague that tries to be made crystal clear. We ponder reflectively on this vagueness about this clan and the peculiar way of their living. The Bible says that they do not build houses for shelter, plant vineyards for the enjoyment of toxic wine, or build cities for their protective living. They live a nomadic life in tents and abstain from drinking wine. Altogether, it is a life without malice toward others and toward oneself.

What else can be expected more than this? One can count this life as the highest moral standard of humans.

One thing needs to be noted. The life pattern mentioned in Book of Jeremiah 35 is not genetically programmed; rather, it is the self-cultivated virtue of highly moral people. I guess it does not come from their innate genes like birds weaving their nests. Rather, it is just an objective norm handed over by their forefathers to be followed rigorously by his descendants. They are imitating the objective life code handed down by their forefather. I reiterate: there is severity in following this life pattern. It continues even after many generations up to Jonadab.

Usually, just three generations are hard enough in number to remember: father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. Beyond these three in count, we are in oblivion in reaching the fourth number of our forefathers. We do not know the great gap from Rechab to the present generation about whom Jeremiah the prophet is speaking. Albeit, the Rechabites are following their forefathers' laws faithfully more than the Israelites do with Moses’ Ten Commandments.

We are so curious to focus on these people not for their way of life and not for how great they are in number in following their father's oral word. On the face of the earth, innumerable tribes are there, and each and every clan has its own peculiarity. Some are born to live as a warring clan; some are priestly ones; some are artisans. Among them, anthropologically, this clan is worthy of great consideration for research. Credit goes to their forefather. The advice of the elderly one became the governing statute of the people. Just consider the solemnity of the matter that the tribe is mentioned by the Almighty God Himself, whose nature, condition of being, and existence are unknown to us. However, His speaking in a wholesome chapter about these people is extended to us through the weeping prophet. The Almighty Himself is referring to these dismal creatures and their temporal life on the earth to His unfaithful beloved Judah by way of reprimand.

One cannot forget that in this comparison the paternal love of Jehovah is expressed benignly. It is seen in all families: when a prodigal-like son is performing poorly and is kept unreproved, there is a tendency in the father to point to a brilliant one from the neighborhood and speak well of him in order to provoke his own son to act diligently. The comparison is not out of jealousy. No matter what, a son is a son to his father. However poorly he may perform in his duties, that will never be a criterion to cease being a son to his father. Nevertheless, the unreproved state of his son will always grieve his father. Out of desperation, he may scold him by comparing him to the best-performing one from his neighborhood. Here it is very striking to see that the best-performing clan living near the Jews are the Rechabites. For Him, they are the unreproved sons. In order to edify Judah, there is no other option except the comparison with Jonadab.

Throughout the Bible, they are the close associates of Israel. They were there with Moses in Midian and with the zealous, fighting Jehu for his God. Certainly, one cannot forget the epic statement of Jehu to Jonadab in the warfront ("and see my zeal for Jehovah"), 

"And when he departed from there, he came upon Jehonadab the son of Rechab coming to meet him; and he greeted him and said to him, Is your heart right, as my heart is with your heart? And Jehonadab said, It is. And Jehu said, If it is, give me your hand. And he gave him his hand, and Jehu took him up to himself into the chariot. And he said, Come with me, and see my zeal for Jehovah. So they made him ride in his chariot." (2 Kings 10:15-16) Recovery Version.

 So, they are not unnoticed by God. It seems they were there, living a life of utmost integrity, not disturbing others and not disturbing themselves, abstaining from wine. From the viewpoint of dispensation of God, such a life is worth living for themselves alone. The speaking God is desperately seeking the people whose life and living may be entirely for Him and unto Him. In this view of dispensation, His heart is neither after the infidel Judah nor after the ones who are morally self-sufficient, but on the people who have dispensational value, whose living is absolutely unto Him.