Message by Larry Thacker Jr. from August 9, “Stand Firm, Stand Out!”
I was reading from the book of Jeremiah and came across one of those stories that always caught my attention. I can’t say why exactly. God was always having the prophets do strange things for the purposes of illustration. Compared to some of the others, this one is rather uninteresting. At Yahweh’s command, Jeremiah invites a nomadic family into a room at the temple and serves them wine. They won’t drink it because an ancestor from 200 years ago told them not to. God then speaks through Jeremiah, using this as an example of how the land of Judah should be listening to Him. But there are layers to this message that I had not seen before, and a more than one good lesson for us.
Have you ever wondered, “Why am I doing this?” It’s not a bad question to ask. Sometimes the answer can help us decide whether we should keep on doing it. I’ll bet this family, the Rechabites, wondered that from time to time. It wasn’t just that they couldn’t drink wine. They were not supposed to build houses either, or plant seeds. In other words, they were to do nothing that would tie them to one place. There was nothing legally binding about these commands. It would not have violated the law to do any of these things. They did them because their father said to. There is a commandment they were keeping, the one to honor your parents. Their faithfulness resulted in honor from God and stood out as an example to the nation.
If you know that what you are doing is right, don’t give up! Others may think it’s silly. Sometimes you may wonder at it yourself, but if you stand firm, you will stand out. This account is found in Jeremiah 35.
