Purkey's Bible Study Outlines

KEY VERSE: For unto this day they drink none, but obey their father's commandment (Jeremiah 35:14b).

INTRODUCTION:Information about Jeremiah and the time he lived.

First, The Man.

The name “Jeremiah” means “whom Jehovah appoints.” Apart from this appointment by God, certainly the prophet could not have continued to minister faithfully. He was of the priestly line and lived in the priests’ city of Anathoth. Apparently he had some personal wealth because he was able to purchase real estate and even hire a scribe. He was called to the ministry when but “a child” (1:4–6); this was in the year 627 B.C.

Second, The Times.

Jeremiah ministered during the last forty years of Judah’s history, from the thirteenth year of Josiah (627 B.C.) to the destruction of Jerusalem and beyond (587 B.C.). He lists the kings during whose reigns he served (1:1–3), the last leaders of the once-prosperous kingdom of Judah. Josiah was a godly king; he died in 608 B.C. It was during his reign that the Law was found and the temple worship restored. Jehoahaz followed, but reigned only three months, so Jeremiah does not mention him. Jehoiakim was next (608–597 B.C.); he was a godless man and did his utmost to persecute Jeremiah. It was he who burned the scroll of Jeremiah’s prophecies in Jer. 36. Jehoiachin was the next king, but he too reigned just three months before being taken captive to Babylon. The last king was Zedekiah (597–586 B.C.); he presided over the ruin of the nation and the capture of the city of Jerusalem. So, the Prophet Jeremiah lived to see his beloved nation go down into sin, war, and judgment; yet through it all he was faithful to preach God’s Word throughout all the lands.

When Jeremiah began his ministry, Assyria was the leading power in the world, but Egypt and Babylon were rapidly gaining strength. In 607 B.C. the Babylonians took Nineveh and destroyed the power of Assyria. Babylon then turned to Judah, and Judah’s “politicians” advised the king to ask Egypt for help. Jeremiah was always against an Egyptian alliance. He knew that Judah’s only hope was the Lord, but her sins were so great, the nation had lost the blessing of God. Babylon finally did capture Judah and take Jerusalem (606–586). Jeremiah wrote Lamentations to commemorate the death of the Holy City.

Third, The Message.

Jeremiah’s task was not an easy one because he had to sound the death knell for his nation. The first part of his book records several of his sermons, given in Jerusalem, in which he denounces the people, priests, and princes for their sins, especially the sin of idolatry. In chapter 25 he announces that the nation will go into captivity for seventy years, and then return to reestablish the nation. In chapter 31 he prophesies a “new covenant” between Jehovah and His people, not a covenant of law and works written on stones, but a covenant of love and faith, written in the heart. In the final chapters, Jeremiah deals with the Gentile nations around Judah and tells of God’s plans for them.

One of the key words in the book is “backslide” (2:19; 3:6, 8, 11–12, 14, 22; 49:4). The nation had turned her back on the Lord and was following false prophets who led them to worship idols. Eleven times the word “repent” is used by the prophet, but the nation did not repent. We read of Jeremiah weeping, so burdened was he for his fallen nation. See 9:1; 13:17; 14:17; 15:17–18; and Lam. 1:2; 2:11, 18. Because he prophesied the captivity and told the kings to surrender to Babylon, Jeremiah was called a traitor and was persecuted by his own people. No OT prophet faced more opposition from false prophets than did Jeremiah (see 2:8, 26; 4:9; 5:31; 6:14; 14:13–16; 18:18; 23:9–40; 26:8–19; 27:9–16; chaps. 28 and 29). If Judah had repented and turned to God, He would have delivered them from Babylon. Because they persisted in their sins, the nation had to be punished, but then God promised restoration “for His name’s sake.” Jeremiah used many dramatic illustrations to get his messages across: fountains and cistern.

Fourth, Jeremiah and Jesus.

The similarities between Jeremiah and Jesus Christ are worth noting. Neither married (Jeremiah 16:2), and both were rejected by their own towns (Jeremiah 11:21 and 12:6 with Luke 4:16–30). Jeremiah ministered under the menacing shadow of Babylon, Jesus under the shadow of Rome. Both were considered traitors by their people. Jeremiah was viciously opposed by the false prophets, Jesus by the scribes and Pharisees, the false leaders of His day. Both wept over the city of Jerusalem, and both predicted its ruin. Jeremiah gathered few disciples about him; Jesus had a small following. Both were arrested falsely and persecuted. Both emphasized a religion of the heart, and not merely one of outward forms and ceremonies. It was Jeremiah 7:11 that Jesus quoted when He cleansed the temple and told the priests they had made it “a den of thieves.” Both emphasized the new covenant in the heart (Jeremiah 31:31–37; Heb. 8:7ff). In their preaching, both used striking illustrations and comparisons. Both revealed a tender, sympathetic heart.

1 The word which came unto Jeremiah from the Lord in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, saying, 2 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. 3 Then I took Jaazaniah the son of Jeremiah, the son of Habaziniah, and his brethren, and all his sons, and the whole house of the Rechabites; 4 And I brought them into the house of the Lord, into the chamber of the sons of Hanan, the son of Igdaliah, a man of God, which was by the chamber of the princes, which was above the chamber of Maaseiah the son of Shallum, the keeper of the door: 5 And I set before the sons of the house of the Rechabites pots full of wine, and cups, and I said unto them, Drink ye wine. (Jeremiah 35:1-5).

Previously, God sent the prophet to visit a Jewish clan called the Rechabites, nomads who were forced to move to Jerusalem when the Babylonians marched into Judah. The story in this chapter is actually a flashback to the years before Zedekiah came to the throne and faced the siege. Jeremiah was instructed by God to invite several Rechabite leaders to a side room in the temple and offer them wine (Jeremiah 35:2). Jeremiah obeyed the Lord and encouraged them to drink up (Jeremiah 35:3–5).

6 But they said, We will drink no wine: for Jonadab the son of Rechab our father commanded us, saying, Ye shall drink no wine, neither ye, nor your sons for ever: 7 Neither shall ye build house, nor sow seed, nor plant vineyard, nor have any: but all your days ye shall dwell in tents; that ye may live many days in the land where ye be strangers. 8 Thus have we obeyed the voice of Jonadab the son of Rechab our father in all that he hath charged us, to drink no wine all our days, we, our wives, our sons, nor our daughters; 9 Nor to build houses for us to dwell in: neither have we vineyard, nor field, nor seed: 10 But we have dwelt in tents, and have obeyed, and done according to all that Jonadab our father commanded us. 11 But it came to pass, when Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon came up into the land, that we said, Come, and let us go to Jerusalem for fear of the army of the Chaldeans, and for fear of the army of the Syrians: so we dwell at Jerusalem. (Jeremiah 35:6–11).

The Rechabites’ leaders kindly rejected the offer. They were under a long-standing family covenant not to drink wine or even live in permanent homes. Jonadab, son of [their] ancestor Rechab, had given them this command, and they were determined to keep it—they and their entire families (Jeremiah 3:6–11).

INSIGHT: The Lord tells Jeremiah to bring the Rechabites to the house of the Lord and give them wine to drink.

“And I set before the sons of the house of the Rechabites pots full of wine, and cups, and I said unto them, Drink ye wine. But they said, We will drink no wine: for Jonadab the son of Rechab our father commanded us, saying, Ye shall drink no wine, neither ye, nor your sons for ever” (Jeremiah 35:5–6).

12 Then came the word of the Lord unto Jeremiah, saying, 13 Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Go and tell the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, Will ye not receive instruction to hearken to my words? saith the Lord. 14 The words of Jonadab the son of Rechab, that he commanded his sons not to drink wine, are performed; for unto this day they drink none, but obey their father's commandment: notwithstanding I have spoken unto you, rising early and speaking; but ye hearkened not unto me. 15 I have sent also unto you all my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them, saying, Return ye now every man from his evil way, and amend your doings, and go not after other gods to serve them, and ye shall 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. 16 Because the sons of Jonadab the son of Rechab have performed the commandment of their father, which he commanded them; but this people hath not hearkened unto me: (Jeremiah 35:12–16).

A, Here is the lesson God wanted Jeremiah to deliver to Judah. For generations, the Rechabites had remained faithful to their promises, although there was nothing inherently spiritual about living as they did. But the point was not the particular prohibition they had chosen to obey, but their unswerving faithfulness to their covenant.

B. In this instance God used an argument from “the lesser to the greater”—that which is true in a small matter is surely true in a similar, more significant matter.The Rechabites had obeyed Jonadab their ancestor even though he was a mere man. If these nomads could be so obedient to a man’s words, why could the people of Judah not bring themselves to obey the word of the LORD of Armies, the God of Israel (Jeremiah 35:13)? We don’t know the reasons behind Jonadab’s commands, yet the Rechabites heeded him. God commanded his people time and time again for their own good—so they could live and enjoy his blessing—but they did not pay attention to him (Jeremiah 35:15–16).

INSIGHT: The Lord tells Jeremiah to bring the Rechabites to the house of the Lord and give them wine to drink. 

And I set before the sons of the house of the Rechabites pots full of wine, and cups, and I said unto them, Drink ye wine. But they said, We will drink no wine: for Jonadab the son of Rechab our father commanded us, saying, Ye shall drink no wine, neither ye, nor your sons for ever (Jeremiah 35:5–6).

INSIGHT: “And it came to pass in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, that this word came unto Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,… [Trouble is coming!]” Jeremiah chapter 36.

Chapter 36 reveals the attitude which Jehoiakim had toward the Word of God and the messages God sent to him through His prophet, Jeremiah. Jehoiakim rejected the word of God.

By Robert Jeffress

Walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work (Colossians 1:10).

In Colossians 1, we discover three things we ought to pray for our loved ones and ourselves.First, Paul prayed that the Colossian Christians would know the will of God. But knowing God’s will is not enough, so Paul had a second prayer request: that they would obey God’s commands. Paul wrote, “So that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work” (verse 10).

Sometimes we pray, “Lord, show me Your will,” while secretly thinking, Then I’ll decide whether I want to obey it. Doing God’s will is not optional for a child of God. The only reason to know God’s will is so you can obey it.

Notice Paul prayed that the Colossians would “please Him in all respects.” The desire of every true Christian is to please God. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5:9–10, “We also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.” Paul knew that blessings in this life and the next life come from obeying God’s will.

Do you want to be blessed by God? Then obey God’s commands. When the Israelites were getting ready to enter the promised land, God said, “I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse: the blessing, if you listen to the commandments of the Lord your God, which I am commanding you today; and the curse, if you do not listen to the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside from the way which I am commanding you today, by following other gods which you have not known” (Deuteronomy 11:26–28).

God was saying to the Israelites, “You have a choice to make. You can obey My commands and experience My blessings, or you can disobey My commands and experience My curses. The choice is up to you.” God says the same thing to you and me today. And He is no respecter of persons–He doesn’t have a private deal with you that exempts you from following His commands. God doesn’t say to me, “Robert, I’m going to overlook your disobedience because you’re doing so well in other areas.” No. If you want God’s blessings, then you have to obey His commands. Paul prayed that the Colossians would know God’s will so they could obey Him. - Today’s devotion is adapted from “The Perfect Prayer” by Dr. Robert Jeffress.

CONCLUSION: What do we learn from a study of Jeremiah 35?

INSIGHT: God is telling us to do what He says in God’s Word. The Rechabite family had strong convictions about NOT drinking strong drinks. Also, they were faithful to the commitment to their covenant with their fathers.

First, We learned that the founder of the Rechabite family had assisted Jehu in removing Baal worship from the land (2 Kings 10:15–17), so they had a godly heritage.When the Babylonian army moved in, the Rechabites had to abandon their nomadic way of life and enter Jerusalem for safety.

Second, We learned that they abandoned their tents, but they did not abandon their standards.Even though they were in the house of the Lord with a prophet of the Lord, they refused to drink wine. The Rechabites did not ask others to agree with their convictions, but they would not violate it themselves. They were a loyal family of faith.

Third, we learned that mankind’s preferences are not necessarily bad, unless it is contradicted by or substituted for God’s truth (Matthew 15:1–20). You may not agree with the preferences and traditions of others, but are you as devoted to God’s Word as they are to their preferences and traditions? The Jews refused to obey the very law of God, but the Rechabites were true to their convictions. What an indictment against the Jews who claimed to know the true God! Also, is it an indictment against us today?

THOUGHT TO REMEMBER: “Today, Jesus mediates a new covenant based on grace; are you trusting Jesus Christ as your Savior?”