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them wine to drink; which they refused: hence occafion is taken to upbraid the Jews with their disobedience to the commands of God; and a blessing is pronounced on the Rechabites,

'T

HE word which came unto Jeremiah from the LORD in the days of Jehoiakim the fon of Jofiah 2 king of Judah, faying, Go unto the house of the Rechabites, and speak unto them, and bring them into the house of the LORD, into one of the chambers, and give them wine to drink, which Jonadab had forbidden 3 them. See v. 8. Then I took Jaazaniah the son of Jeremiah, the fon of Habaziniah, and his brethren, and all his fons, and the whole houfe of the Recha4 bites; And I brought them into the house of the LORD, into the chamber of the fons of Hanan the fon of Igdaliah a man of God, which [was] by the chamber of the princes, which [was] above the chamber of Maafeiah the fon of Shallum, the keeper of the door, and near the place where the fanhedrim or council was held, 5 to make the affair more publick and folemn: And I fet before the fons of the house of the Rechabites pots full of wine, and cups, and I said unto them, Drink 6 ye wine. But they faid, We will drink no wine: for Jonadab the son of Rechab our father commanded us, about three hundred years before this time, (2 Kings x. 15.) saying, Ye shall drink no wine, [neither] ye, nor your 7 fons for ever: Neither shall ye build house, nor fow feed, nor plant vineyard, nor have [any :] but all your days ye shall dwell in tents; that ye may live many 8 days in the land where ye [be] ftrangers. Thus have

we

P This was in his fourth year, when Jerufalem was befieged, and many captives taken, and in which Daniel and his companions were carried to Babylon.

a Thefe people were a branch of the family of the Kenites, defcended from Mofes's father in law Hobab. In Judges i. 16. we read of Jonadab the fon of Rechab, who was a man of confiderable eminence, and whom Jehu took with him into his charict to witnefs his zeal for the honour of God.

The defign of this command was, that they fhould live. quietly among the Ifraelites, and not be envied or ill ufed, as they might have been had they been tradefmen or husbandmen; it might also be intended to preferve them from the temptati

ons

1

we obeyed the voice of Jonadab the fon of Rechab our father in all that he hath charged us, to drink no wine

all our days, we, our wives, our fons, nor our daugh9 ters; Nor to build houses for us to dwell in: neither 10 have we vineyard, nor field, nor feed: But we have

dwelt in tents, and have obeyed, and done according I to all that Jonadab our father commanded us. But it came to pass, when Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon came up into the land, that we faid, Come, and let us go to Jerufalem for fear of the army of the Chaldeans, and for fear of the army of the Syrians: fo we dwell at Jerufalem; being obliged for our own fecurity to break thro' this rule in part, and take shelter in this city.

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Then came the word of the LORD unto Jeremiah, 13 faying, Thus faith the LORD of hosts, the God of Ifrael; Go and tell the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerufalem, Will ye not receive instruction 14 to hearken to my words? faith the LORD. The words of Jonadab the fon of Rechab, that he commanded his fons not to drink wine, are performed, for unto this day they drink none, but obey their father's commandment notwithstanding I have spoken to you, rifing early and fpeaking; but ye hearkened not unto 15 me. I have fent alfo unto you all my fervants the prophets, rifing up early and fending [them,] faying, Return ye now every man from his evil way, and amend your doings, and go not after other gods to ferve them, and ye fhall dwell in the land which I have given to you and to your fathers: but ye have not inclined your ear, nor hearkened unto me; they have Showed greater regard to a man, than you have done to God. 16 Because the fons of Jonadab the fon of Rechab have performed the commandment of their father, which he commanded them; but this people hath not hearkened

unto

ons of luxury and intemperance, and the contagion of ill examples; and that in troublesome times they might more easily get away. Accordingly they were never incorporated with the Jews, nor circumcifed, but lived among them as friends, and worshipped the true God.

• Nebuchadnezzar, having conquered the Syrians, recruited his army with them, and brought them on this expedition.

17 unto me: Therefore thus faith the LORD God of hofts, the God of Ifrael, Behold, I will bring upon Judah and upon all the inhabitants of Jerufalem, all the evil that I have pronounced against them: because I have spoken unto them, but they have not heard; and I have called unto them, but they have not answered. 18 And Jeremiah faid unto the houfe of the Rechabites, Thus faith the LORD of hosts, the God of Ifrael; Becaufe ye have obeyed the commandment of Jonadab your father, and kept all his precepts, and done ac19 cording unto all that he hath commanded you: Therefore thus faith the LORD of hosts, the God of Ifrael Jonadab the fon of Rechab fhall not want a man to ftand before me for ever; that is, they shall continue to be a people a long time; or perhaps the meaning may be, none of them shall be slain in the assault upon the city; according to the marginal reading, there shall not a man be cut off from Fonadab the fon of Rechab to ftand before me for ever.

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1.

Ο

REFLECTION S.

BSERVE how acceptable to God, obedience and fubjection to parents are. A reverence for the memory of a pious ancestor led these people to observe his ordinances; and God put a mark of honour upon them. How reasonable is it then, for children and young people to obey their parents, when they require of them nothing but what is an evident and important duty? Let the folicitude which these people fhowed to keep up the customs of their ancestors, lead us to be concerned to keep up the entail of religion, and the worship of God in our families, from generation to generation; remembering, that ftrict fobriety and moderation to this world, are the best means of preferving it: whereas pride and luxury are its bane and ruin. When When young perfons grow afhamed of the fimplicity and the employments of their ancestors, and

+ In

are

1 Chron. ii. 55, we find, that fome of them returned with the Jews after the captivity, and fo had the privilege of worshipping at God's temple.

are aspiring to a higher rank and place in life, they too often lofe the religion of their ancestors; and tho' they become more efteemed in the fight of men, are an abomination in the fight of God, and lofe the greatest glory of the family.

2. How much more reasonable and important is it to obey the commands of God! How forcible was the argument used in this chapter to the Jews? Jonadab was but a man, and had been long dead; but God was their father and master, almighty, and eternal. He never tied them up to fuch feverities as were enjoined upon the Rechabites. His favours to the Jews were incomparably greater than Jonadab's to his children; and he had reminded them of his commands and favours, by many prophets and for many fucceeding years. How abfurd and monstrous is it for young perfons, tho' dutiful and affectionate to earthly parents, to forget God! to caft off fear, and reftrain prayer before him! to be tractable and respect ful to men, but difobedient and rebellious to God! Let us fear God our father in heaven, and keep his commandments, for they are not grievous, and in keeping of them there great reward.

is

3. What fpecial obligations are chriftians under, to celebrate the death of Chrift at his table. The Rechabites thought the will of a dying ancestor fufficiently binding, and they fulfilled it for many generations. How inexcufable then are those chriftians, who will not fulfil the dying command of a Saviour, in showing forth his death till he come? That Saviour, to whom they profess subjection, and owe all their privileges and hopes? His authority and love fhould engage their obedience, and to refufe it, is fuch ingratitude and inconfiftency, as may juftly fill them with fhame, and alarm their fears: while thofe who punctually, regularly, and seriously fulfil their master's will, and act confiftently, may cheerfully expect great and eternal falvation.

his

CHAP.

CHAP. XXXVI.

In which Baruch writeth and publickly reads Jeremiah's prophecy; Jehoiakim, hearing of this, orders the roll to be fetched, and burns it; upon which Jeremiah denounces judgment against him; and Baruch writes a new copy.

A

I ND it came to pafs in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Jofiah king of Judah, [that] this word came unto Jeremiah from the LORD, faying, 2 Take thee a roll of a book, or, a fcroll of parchment rolled upon a stick," and write therein all the words that I have spoken unto thee against Ifrael, and against Judah, and against all the nations, from the day I fpake unto thee, from the days of Jofiah, even unto this day; write a fummary of thofe things thou haft de3 livered from time to time. It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the evil which I purpose to do unto them; that they may return every man from his evil way; that I may forgive their iniquity and their fin." 4 Then Jeremiah called Baruch the fon of Neriah; and Baruch wrote from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the LORD, which he had spoken unto him, 5 upon a roll of a book, And Jeremiah commanded. Baruch, faying, I [am] fhut up; I cannot go into the house of the LORD; that is, I am a prifoner; or. 6 rather, I am forbid to go thither: Therefore go thou, and read in the roll, which thou haft written from my mouth, the words of the LORD in the ears of the people in the LORD's houfe upon the fafting day, the day of atonement: and also thou fhalt read them in the 7 ears of all Judah that come out of their cities. It may be they will present their fupplication before the LORD, and will return every one from his evil way: for great [is] the anger and the fury that the LORD 8 hath pronounced against this people. And Baruch the

fon

These were the books then in ufe; this may account for the transposition of the chapters in this prophecy, which were probably written on many separate scrolls.

This was a proper means to effect this end, and would leave them inexcufable; tho' God knew that in fact they would not hearken.