One by one, they walked into the room while Jeremiah the prophet held the door open for them.  He had invited them all to come to this particular chamber in the temple of Yahweh and they had all come – but not without some hesitation.  Jeremiah was known for his prophecies of doom and his outspoken criticism of false worship.  None of the family elders had welcomed the invitation.

It was Jaazaniah, the leader of the family, who had received the unexpected visitor.  While sitting in his tent in a crowded courtyard in the western extension of the city, he had heard someone outside call his name.  The family had not been in Jerusalem long and few people knew his name, so he had hurried out to see who was calling him.  To own the truth, he had been a little concerned that it might be officers of the king or the governor of the city.  Jerusalem was not a happy place, as the king’s men enforced their own brand of justice.  There were too many stories about innocent people disappearing and screams in the night which the neighbours were afraid to investigate.

The city was very crowded with people fleeing the attacks of Syrian and Babylonian raiding parties.  And now Nebuchadnezzar’s army had attacked the land and a siege was expected any day.

Jaazaniah and his family still lived in tents despite their move to the city, and they felt a little insecure at night.  Sometimes they wondered whether they had done the right thing in coming into the city, but surely they would be safer in the capital of Judah than living unprotected at the mercy of Nebuchadnezzar and his armies?

All things considered, it was with relief that Jaazaniah saw an unarmed man of about average height, with a thick, dark beard, greying slightly at the edges, and eyes that looked kind but determined.  His clothing looked well and truly in the common style of Judah, which convinced Jaazaniah that this was no representative of the king or nobles.  King Jehoiakim and his men all wore expensive foreign clothes and were normally accompanied by armed guards who were quick to use their weapons on the slightest pretext.

Jerusalem was a city in which you had to be careful.

“I’m Jeremiah, the son of Hilkiah,” announced the stranger.  “Are you Jaazaniah, the son of Jeremiah?”

“Yes, that is my name,” Jaazaniah replied, and waited to hear the stranger’s business.

“I am here to invite you and your family to come to the temple of God about an important matter.”

“My family?” repeated Jaazaniah, slowly.  “There are many in my family.  Who do you mean?”

Jeremiah smiled and waved his arms to encompass the collection of tents in the courtyard.  “Any of your adult male relatives who live in these tents.  The whole house of the Rechabites,” he said.[1]

“I see,” said Jaazaniah carefully, still wanting to find out why this prophet wanted them to go with him to the temple.  Everyone had heard of Jeremiah, but not many had a good word to say about him.  Many said he was a traitor, more interested in the other nations than in his own people.

“Can you come now?” asked Jeremiah, persistently.

“Not right now,” said Jaazaniah, trying to buy time.  “Some of my brothers are not here at present.”

“Alright,” said Jeremiah, “I can come back tomorrow afternoon at about the same time.  Can you make sure that everyone will be here then?”

“I suppose I can, if you really want us to come.”

“I do,” confirmed Jeremiah.

The conversation had ended there and Jeremiah had left.

That evening, Jaazaniah had recounted the events to his brothers and other relatives, repeating Jeremiah’s invitation that they accompany him to the temple.

“Was it an invitation or a demand?” asked one of his brothers.

“It was worded as an invitation,” replied Jaazaniah, “but it felt like a command.”

“Should we go?” asked another brother.

“I don’t want to,” said a third.

“Nor do I,” agreed Jaazaniah, “but I’m not sure that I dare to refuse the demands of a prophet of Yahweh!”

“Yes, but why would he want to see us?” responded the third.  Do you think he might have heard of the weird rules of our ancestor?”

After much discussion, the men had grudgingly agreed that when Jeremiah came the next day, they would all be ready to go with him to the temple.

So the next afternoon a nervous group of men had been waiting in their tents when Jeremiah arrived.  Several had asked him what it was all about, but he had answered every question with the advice that they wait until they were all in the temple, because he had something special for them there.  They had looked at each other doubtfully, but finally followed him tentatively all the way to the temple, up the stairs and along a passageway to the door of the chamber of the sons of Hanan.

Jeremiah had opened the door and now he stood waiting as they filed into the room.  “Each of you find a place to sit,” he encouraged them, and they did so, sitting down on the seats that lined the walls of the chamber.  An empty table sat in the middle of the room.

As soon as everyone was seated, Jeremiah said “I’ll be back soon,” and left them waiting, awkwardly.

After a short time, he returned carrying a large tray that was obviously heavy.  Many cups were on the tray, as well as two large jugs.  Jeremiah thankfully placed the heavily-laden tray on the table and began to distribute the cups.  The men exchanged glances, looking rather troubled.  But Jeremiah was smiling encouragingly as he gave each man his cup.

Once the distribution was complete, Jeremiah picked up one of the jugs and walked towards Jaazaniah.  Every eye in the room was fixed worriedly on that jug.  No-one could tell what was inside, and so much depended on what it was.  The whole situation felt unreal to the Rechabites, and Jaazaniah put his hand over his cup as Jeremiah approached.  He felt uncertain and uncomfortable – but he wasn’t going to give up the restriction he had cherished throughout his life.  This ancient rule had certainly caused him trouble at times, but he was committed to it; it was worthwhile. 

“Drink wine!” said Jeremiah enthusiastically, holding up the pitcher.  Most of the men in the room gasped – here was a prophet of God giving them an order which they could not obey.  But did they dare to disobey?  History told of terrible things that had happened to people who disobeyed prophets!

Nobody breathed as the men waited to see what Jaazaniah would do.

“No, we can’t,” said Jaazaniah, firmly.

“But why not?” asked Jeremiah, looking surprised.

“We will drink no wine,” answered Jaazaniah, “for Jonadab the son of Rechab, our father, commanded us, ‘You shall not drink wine, neither you nor your sons forever.  You shall not build a house; you shall not sow seed; you shall not plant or have a vineyard; but you shall live in tents all your days, that you may live many days in the land where you sojourn.’

God’s prophet stood and listened, still holding the pitcher of wine.

The next oldest brother continued earnestly: “We have obeyed the voice of Jonadab the son of Rechab, our father, in all that he commanded us, to drink no wine all our days, ourselves, our wives, our sons, or our daughters, and not to build houses to dwell in.  We have no vineyard or field or seed, but we have lived in tents and have obeyed and done all that Jonadab our father commanded us.”

“Then what has brought you to Jerusalem?” interrupted Jeremiah.

“When Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against the land, we said, ‘Come, and let us go to Jerusalem for fear of the army of the Chaldeans and the army of the Syrians.’ So we are living in Jerusalem,” explained Jaazaniah.

“I understand,” said Jeremiah, but then, suddenly, a strangely intent look spread across his face and he said no more for a few moments as he seemed to look into the distance, seeing or hearing something that no-one else in the room could see or hear.  Then, just as suddenly as the expression had spread over his face, it passed away again and he began to speak.

“God has told me to go and speak to the people of Judah and Jerusalem,” he said, “using you Rechabites as an example.  God is pleased that you have obeyed your ancestor Jonadab, but disgusted that his people will not treat him with the same respect – although he has spoken to them again and again through many prophets.”

“You mean that we don’t have to drink this wine?” asked Jaazaniah, thankfully.

“No,” said Jeremiah, and smiled again as all the men looked relieved.  “God was just using the wine to demonstrate your faithfulness to the commands of your forefather.  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, 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.”

Notes
[1] Jeremiah 35:3 lists only men and does not make it clear whether women and children were included in the expression “and the whole house of the Rechabites”.  Taken in conjunction with Jeremiah 35:8 and the indication that this was just a chamber in the temple, it appears more likely that it would only have been men – or there would have been too many people to fit in the space available.