12 Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 13 “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. 14 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. 15 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. 16 The sons of Jonadab the son of Rechab have kept the command that their father gave them, but this people has not obeyed me. 17 Therefore, thus says the Lord, the God of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I am bringing upon Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the disaster that I have pronounced against them, because I have spoken to them and they have not listened, I have called to them and they have not answered.”
18 But to the house of the Rechabites Jeremiah said, “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Because you have obeyed the command of Jonadab your father and kept all his precepts and done all that he commanded you, 19 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.”
REFLECTION:
The rules of the Rechabites are somewhat similar to those of the Nazirites, who are those who make certain special vow to God (see Numbers Ch.6). For two hundred years, the Rechabites have abided by the legacy of their ancestors and never touched any alcohol. Although all Judah and the whole country had abandoned the covenant with God, these people still adhered to the covenant and did not waver. There is a sharp contrast between the Rechabites and the Israelites: the Rechabites can persist in the precepts of the leader who will make mistakes, but the Israelites have abandoned the covenant with the infallible God. Jonadab only once told them that drinking was not allowed, the Rechabites obeyed. God repeatedly ordered the Israelites to leave their sins, but they resisted and refused to obey Him. The regulations that the Rechabites obeyed were only of temporary significance, but they still stick to it, and the Israelites violate God’s eternal law. The Rechabites have kept the commandments for hundreds of years, but the Israelites have disobeyed God for hundreds of years; the Rechabites have been blessed, and the Israelites have caused misfortune. God hopes that the remaining people will be able to keep the covenant made with Him just as the Rechabites kept their father’s command. The same is true today. In the ever-changing world, some people think that adapting to change is the way to survive. However, God wants us to keep His word. In many cases, we will follow traditional customs. God’s word is based on His faithfulness, far superior than all traditional customs, and will never change. It contains a beautiful will for our life. Isn’t it more worthy of our observance and practice?
PRAYER:
Pray for God to strengthen your heart so that you can hold on to the truth and unwaveringly in the changing world. Pray for wisdom and strength when your heavenly values conflict with the values of the world, especially when the conflict comes from your relatives, friends or traditional customs. Pray that God will enable you to stand firm and at the same time have the dexterity to resolve contradictions, and guide people to the truth of life.
1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army and all the kingdoms of the earth under his dominion and all the peoples were fighting against Jerusalem and all of its cities: 2 “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Go and speak to Zedekiah king of Judah and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord: Behold, I am giving this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire. 3 You shall not escape from his hand but shall surely be captured and delivered into his hand. You shall see the king of Babylon eye to eye and speak with him face to face. And you shall go to Babylon.’ 4 Yet hear the word of the Lord, O Zedekiah king of Judah! Thus says the Lord concerning you: ‘You shall not die by the sword. 5 You shall die in peace. And as spices were burned for your fathers, the former kings who were before you, so people shall burn spices for you and lament for you, saying, “Alas, lord!”’ For I have spoken the word, declares the Lord.”
REFLECTION:
This chapter describes the fulfillment of many of Jeremiah’s prophecies. In the Book of Jeremiah, many prophecies were soon fulfilled. God used Jeremiah’s mouth to warn Zedekiah, king of Judah, that even if the outcome was miserable, he must “hear the word of the Lord” (v4). Babylon was besieging Jerusalem, and the whole city was in danger. Finally, Zedekiah, who was disobedient, finally decided to obey Jeremiah and calm God’s anger. He liberated slaves, thinking that by doing good deeds, he could please God, but in fact what he really needed was sincere repentance, which would bring about a change and renewal of life. The people of Judah did not abide by God’s law from the beginning. When the disaster of the siege was temporarily eased, the people returned to their previous behaviour, and even worsened and committed blatant crimes, as did Zedekiah himself. If there is no real renewal of the soul, and only hurriedly call upon God in danger, it seems to have obeyed God’s words, in fact, there is no real repentance, and defeat cannot be saved. Today, do we rush to pray to God only when we are at a critical juncture or desperate?
PRAYER:
Pray for God to enable you to learn from the defeat of Zedekiah, to be vigilant every day, and to walk with God at all times, so that you will not be far away from God in normal days, but only pray to God in times of trouble. Ask God to enlighten you so that you have a deeper understanding of your sins and a more thorough repentance, which will bring transformation and renewal in your life.
1The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah a second time, while he was still shut up in the court of the guard: 2 “Thus says the Lord who made the earth, the Lord who formed it to establish it—the Lord is his name: 3 Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known…
14 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. 15 In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David, and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. 16 In those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell securely. And this is the name by which it will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’
17 “For thus says the Lord: David shall never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel, 18 and the Levitical priests shall never lack a man in my presence to offer burnt offerings, to burn grain offerings, and to make sacrifices forever.”
REFLECTION:
God will rebuild Jerusalem, not because of the cry of the people, but because this is the work of His eternal plan. The disaster brought by Babylon could not change God’s will for His people at all. Although Jerusalem will be destroyed, there must be a day of reconstruction. God assured Jeremiah that as long as he calls to God, God will answer him. God is always listening to our prayers. The problem is that you have to pray to Him and ask Him for help. It is true that even if we do not ask Him for help, He will take care of our needs. However, we prayed to Him to admit that He alone is God, and that we cannot accomplish things that belong to God by our own strength. The Davidic Covenant was finally fulfilled in Christ. Christ not only fulfilled the role of king, but also fulfilled the role of priest, becoming the mediator between the people and God, maintaining the communion relationship between God and His people. Through the blood that He shed for us, all believers today are priests of God, so we no longer need the Levites to sacrifice for us, but can come directly to God and pray to Him. When we pray to Him, we must be humble, let go of our will and worries, and obey His will wholeheartedly. Prayer is never in vain, but not many people have truly experienced the power of prayer, so that they do not cherish the right to pray to God. As children of God, have we grasped the right to pray to God?
PRAYER:
Let go of all your burdens and worries and come pray to God. Pray for God to make you cherish the right to pray directly to God and spend more time in prayer every day to get close to God. Pray for God to make your prayers more deep and powerful. This depth and power come from letting go of all your mind and thoughts. Discern God’s will wholeheartedly and live in God’s will.
