II. THE HERITAGE OF JONADAB
A. The first appearance of Jonadab in Scripture was during the reign of King Jehu of the Northern Kingdom of Israel in 2Kings 10:15-28.
1. Jehu of Israel (2Ki. 9-10) reigned for twenty-eight years from around 841 to 814 B.C.
2. In 2Kings 10:15-28, Jehonadab (Jonadab) son of Rechab joined Jehu in a righteous mission.
a. In his first acts as king, Jehu would eradicate the house of Ahab and the worshipers of Baal in fulfillment of the prophecies of Elijah (1Ki. 21:17-29) and the commission of Elisha (2Ki. 9:1-10).
b. After destroying the house of Ahab at Jezreel and ordering the execution of Ahab’s sons in Samaria, Jehu travelled to Samaria himself to do the same to the worshipers of Baal.
c. On the way, Jehu met Jehonadab and asked him, "Is your heart right, as my heart is with your heart?” Jehonadab answered, "It is,” and he went with Jehu to see his zeal for the Lord (2Ki. 10:15-16).
d. When Jehu deceived and destroyed the worshipers in the house of Baal, Jehonadab was present to witness the great slaughter (2Ki. 10:23).
B. The best insight into Jonadab’s character and heritage is found in Jeremiah chapter 35.
1. The events of this chapter occurred during the reign of Jehoiakim of Judah (2Ki. 23:34-24:6; 2Chron. 36:4-8), who ruled for eleven years from around 609 to 598 B.C. This was long after the fall of the Northern Kingdom of Israel (722 B.C.).
2. Jeremiah was commanded by God to bring the family of the Rechabites into a chamber of the temple in Jerusalem and offer them wine to drink (vv. 1-5).
3. When Jeremiah obeyed God’s command, the Rechabites refused to drink the wine. Notice their reply in verses 6-10 (emphasis added):
"We will not drink wine, for Jonadab the son of Rechab, our father, commanded us, saying, ‘You shall not drink wine, you or your sons, forever. You shall not build a house, and you shall not sow seed and you shall not plant a vineyard or own one; but in tents you shall dwell all your days, that you may live many days in the land where you sojourn.’ We have obeyed the voice of Jonadab the son of Rechab, our father, in all that he commanded us, not to drink wine all our days, we, our wives, our sons or our daughters, nor to build ourselves houses to dwell in; and we do not have vineyard or field or seed. We have only dwelt in tents, and have obeyed and have done according to all that Jonadab our father commanded us.”
4. For over two hundred years and after perhaps eight generations of descendants, the faithful leadership of Jonadab had been effective in preserving his family through the destruction of one nation (Israel) and was still effective in the midst of Judah’s national destruction.
5. God’s purpose in this event was to teach the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a lesson in obedience. Notice God’s words to Judah and Jerusalem in verse 14:
"The words of Jonadab the son of Rechab, which he commanded his sons not to drink wine, are observed. So they do not drink wine to this day, for they have obeyed their father's command. But I have spoken to you again and again; yet you have not listened to Me.”
6. Because of the faithfulness of Jonadab’s descendants to his commands, God gave them this promise in verse 19: "Jonadab the son of Rechab shall not lack a man to stand before Me always.”
III. LESSONS LEARNED
A. We have a responsibility not only to our children, but also to generations of our descendants.
1. Fathers in particular are given this generational responsibility. The decisions that fathers make today can affect their family trees for years to come.
2. The willingness and ability to carry the responsibility of fatherhood to generations was the reason that God chose Abraham to be the father of His people.
a. His names – Abram, meaning "exalted father,” and Abraham, meaning "father of a multitude” – were significant of this godly trait of generational fatherhood.
b. Notice God’s testimony of Abraham’s fatherhood in Genesis 18:19 – "For I have chosen him, so that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing righteousness and justice, so that the LORD may bring upon Abraham what He has spoken about him.”
c. Indeed, Abraham did command his children, and his physical descendants became the nation of Israel (and several other nations as well), while his spiritual descendants by faith are today’s Christians (Gal. 3:7, 29).
3. This responsibility of generational fatherhood is carried out through the teaching of God’s words and wisdom.
a. This tradition of teaching is evident in Proverbs 4:1-5 and Psalm 78:1-8. Joel 1:3 says, "Tell your sons about it, and let your sons tell their sons, and their sons the next generation”
b. Notice the commandment of God to the fathers of Israel in Deuteronomy 4:9 – "Only give heed to yourself and keep your soul diligently, so that you do not forget the things which your eyes have seen and they do not depart from your heart all the days of your life; but make them known to your sons and your grandsons.”
4. Just as the faithful commands of Jonadab preserved his descendants for generations, so also our faithful teachings to our children and grandchildren may preserve our descendants long after we are gone.
B. We must discern the signs of the times and respond in order to preserve our families and the Lord’s church.
1. Jesus rebuked the Pharisees and Sadducees for their inability to discern the signs of the times (Matt. 16:3). Would He not also rebuke us for not opening our eyes to the world around us?
a. Humanism has become the official state religion that is taught in schools and promoted by the government. (Humanism is the philosophy that rejects God and embraces human reason and experience as the only guides for human life.)
b. Materialism, greed, debt, waste, and selfishness have become the way of life in our nation. This path leads to destruction of individuals, families, churches, and nations.
c. Fornication, adultery, homosexuality, pornography, immodesty, lasciviousness, divorce, abortion, violence, theft, deceit, profanity, blasphemy, etc. These are the new hallmarks of our culture.
d. With this tide of godless culture rising around us, we must see the dangers and not allow ourselves, our children, and our brethren to be swallowed up in it.
2. It is evident that when Jonadab saw the signs of his times and heard the words of the prophets, he believed them and commanded his descendants to live in a way to survive those times.
a. The descendants of Jonadab were strange people among the Jews, and that was the key to their survival. They lived like no one else so they could live like no one else.
b. When everyone else was immersed in the trappings of prosperity and indulgence, Jonadab’s family drank no wine, had no houses, and owned no vineyards, fields, or seeds.
3. What faithful decisions are we making to avoid the pitfalls of the world around us? Are we separated and strange in this world (2Cor. 6:14-18; 1Pet. 2:11-12; 4:3-5), or will we just "follow the masses in doing evil” (Ex. 23:2)?
C. The lesson given by God to Judah and exemplified by Jonadab’s descendants was that those who obey their Father’s commands will live, but those who do not listen will die.
1. Consider the judgment of God against Judah in Jeremiah 35:17 – "Behold, I am bringing on Judah and on all the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the disaster that I have pronounced against them; because I spoke to them but they did not listen, and I have called them but they did not answer.”
2. The lesson for Judah and for us through the descendants of Jonadab is stated perfectly in Hebrews 12:9 – "Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live?”
3. Notice Moses’ words in Deuteronomy 30:19-20 more than 800 years before the fall of Judah to Babylon – "I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, by loving the LORD your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days, that you may live in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.”
4. The choice is simple: obey God’s word and live, or reject Him and die. Which do you choose?
