Obedience

Scripture:

Jeremiah 35:8 "Thus we have obeyed the voice of Jonadab the son of Rechab, our father, in all that he charged us, to drink no wine all our days, we, our wives, our sons, or our daughters".

Observation:

The Rechabites were given a test. They had been told not to drink wine for any reason all their days. Some "men of God" came by with some wine to give them and they passed the test. Their reply to being given some wine to drink was that they were commanded by Jonadab not to drink any wine and they would not. Their resolve to do what they were told to was amazing. They could have argued doctrine and shown how other mighty men of God had drank wine, but they simply obeyed the word.

Application:

We don't like simple obedience. We have grown up in an era that has taught us to question authority and obey only if you totally agree with the individual. When given a command, our natural response is to look for a way out of it or an argument against it because we don't like to be told what to do. We fight for our rights instead of walking in obedience to the word of the Lord. We must learn that obedience is better than sacrifice. God doesn't have to explain everything to us for us to obey. We should obey simply because He is God.

Prayer:

Lord, teach me to walk in submission to Your authority. Help me to have the backbone of the people in this story. They would not drink because they had been told not to and they obeyed, even when seemingly spiritual people brought it to them. I want their resolve in my life to obey the things I know You have told me to do. I need Your strength every day.

Your Son,

Jeff