Encouragement
PLEASE ENCOURAGE AUTHOR BY COMMENTING
LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE As A Member OR Visitor
Message Writer
Hire Writer
Report Article
LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE As A Member OR Visitor
Message Writer
Hire Writer
Report Article
WHOSE COMMAND?
The flip side of the story of the sons of the Rechabites
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: 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. 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; Nor to build houses for us to dwell in: neither have we vineyard, nor field, nor seed: But we have dwelt in tents, and have obeyed, and done according to all that Jonadab our father commanded us. Jeremiah 25: 5-10;
Many times I have heard people preach on the story of the sons of Rechabites, and for the better part of those times, the focus was always on their allegiance, commitment, dedication, loyalty and consistency in following a set of family rules handed over to them from generations past. The sons of Rechabites stood faithfully and firmly in following and obeying the command that was handed over to them by Jonadab their forefather, who lived like three hundred years earlier. In fact, the level of their persuasion and commitment to the instructions of the forefathers was so much that neither passage of time, nor the contrary order from a highly anointed and respected prophet Jeremiah could invalidate their convictions. Thus, to many preachers, including myself, the sons of the Rechabites are often used as a reference point for commitment, dedication, allegiance, consistency and standing firm with one’s convictions without wavering. Notwithstanding, from my recent studies due to curiosity, I have had to probe the roots of the set of commands and ‘THOU SHALL NOTS’ which were handed over to the sons of the Rechabites by Jonadab their forefather.
By the commands handed over to the Rechabites by Jonadab their forefather, they were forbidden from building houses, sowing seed, planting vineyards (owning a business), or have any investment or possession. They were meant to be tenants dwelling in makeshift tents and never to be landlords or property owners all the days of their lives! By these restrictions, they were prevented from enjoying the good things of life from generations to generations all the days of their lives! It’s important to ask ourselves, whose idea was this commandment and ‘thou shall nots’? Were these from the Almighty God himself or self-imposed restrictions from man?
From a careful look at the roots of the commandments which prevented the Rechabites from owning nothing but living nomadic life in tents and shanties, there’s a very strong indication that the set of rules and restrictions were not specifically from God, but self-imposed by Jonadab. For the tribe of Levi, we’re not in doubt that it was God that specifically gave the command that prevents them from owning a property or any investment in Israel. God’s special arrangement for the Levites was to be catered for and be sustained by the rest of the tribes of Israel, while they dedicate themselves fully to the service of God and the temple without any distractions.
And the LORD spake unto Aaron, Thou shalt have no inheritance in their land, neither shalt thou have any part among them: I am thy part and thine inheritance among the children of Israel. Numbers 18:20;
But the tithes of the children of Israel, which they offer as an heave offering unto the LORD, I have given to the Levites to inherit: therefore I have said unto them, Among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance. Numbers 18:24;
But unto the tribe of Levi Moses gave not any inheritance: the LORD God of Israel was their inheritance, as he said unto them. Joshua 13:33;
From careful search through the scriptures, there’s absolutely nothing that suggests that the Rechabites - children of Jonadab are from the tribe of Levi which were prevented by divine instructions from planting vineyards, owning properties and investments. Equally, they were not under the Nazarene covenant that could have prevented them from drinking wine, yet they had been totally denied of the good things of life for over three hundred years, not because God prevented them, but because one man – Jonadab their father, gave a command that no one dared to probe from generations to generations.
In addition, the scriptures (1Chronicle 2:55) have it on records that Jonadab the father of the Rechabites was a descendant of Kenite which were not part of the tribes of Israel. The Kenites obviously were strangers who sought residency and protection in the land of Israel. Their self-imposed restrictions “Ye shall drink no wine, neither ye, nor your sons for ever: Neither shall ye build house, nor sow seed, nor plant vineyard, nor have any: but all your days ye shall dwell in tents” didn’t necessarily have anything to do with religious convictions or worship of the Almighty God, but may not be unconnected with the fact that they opted for a low life so as to not excite jealousy or envy of the Jews among whom they dwelt. Of course everyone knows that anytime a stranger is becoming more prosperous than his host community, it’s the beginning of big trouble for that stranger. The stranger’s prosperity will usually trigger envy and jealousy of the host community, and this is bound to lead to serious war and conflict against the stranger and his entire household. The stories of Isaac in Gerar and children of Israel in Egypt are testimonies to this fact.
It’s evident that Jonadab placed himself and his unborn generations under serious restrictions and limitations just to negotiate his continuous stay and safety among the Jews. This is clearly revealed in his words: ‘that ye may live many days in the land where ye be strangers’. Unfortunately by these commands, backed up with a solemn oath, generations after generations of the Rechabites could neither live full life, nor achieve all that they had capacity for. For more than three hundred years, the whole generations could neither lead life of significance nor had anything they could call their own on the surface of the earth! Unfortunately no one from generations unto generations of the Rechabites stood up to challenge or revolt against the self-imposed ‘generational curse’ of “Thou shall build no house; thou shall sow no seed; thou shall plant no vineyard; thou shall not have anything, but thou shall dwell in tents all the days of your life”. By these injunctions, the generations of the Rechabites have been practically reduced to loafers and beggars!
We may actually make excuse for the Rechabites living by the command ‘Ye shall drink no wine, neither ye, nor your sons for ever ‘obviously because it reflects wisdom, even if it’s self-imposed. God wouldn’t also have any issue with that because it’s in line with His instructions to those who desire to live a honorable life. Proverbs 31:4 - 5 says ‘It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink: Lest they drink, and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted’. However, other restrictions which reduced the Rechabites to people who would have to lean upon others all the days of their lives, are absurd, ungodly and unacceptable! Regrettably, the people that were concerned were not bothered having their lives and destinies reduced by these rules without resisting or challenging them!
It’s an extremely terrible thing that many believers in Christ have failed to stand their ground to challenge certain norms, traditions, superstitions or rules that place limitations over their lives. In fact the real problem with majority of people is that they have dogmatically accepted and lived by certain rules, taboos and inhibiting traditions, without attempting to interrogate or challenge the basis or authority behind them. Nothing keeps a man in bondage than this! God never places restrictions and limitations around our lives, and that’s why Jesus says in John 10:10 that ‘I have come that you may have life, and have it more abundantly’ Amen! The mind of God for His children is for them to live life in full, and enjoy everything that pertains to life and godliness.
Until you begin to deliberately question certain things which have placed restrictions or limitations around your life, and vehemently revolt against them in your spirit while standing in the authority of Christ, you may be joining the long queue of many people that are being placed under ‘curse’ or bondage of man-made commands, traditions and baseless rules of ‘Thou shall nots’. I completely don’t have any problem if it’s God that says ‘Thou shall not’, I’m never going to question that because I know it’ll always be for my good. But every ‘thou shall not’ from any other source must be challenged and resisted, if it prevents you from living the abundant life that Christ has offered you.
Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it. Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: Colossians 2:14-16;
Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances, (Touch not; taste not; handle not; Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men? Colossians 2:20-22;
Challenge the Status Quo
Many people are usually afraid to challenge the status quo; their maxim seems to be ‘as it was in the beginning, so shall it be….’ Truth is, if you’re afraid to challenge the status quo, you can never break new grounds or live outstanding life. To break away from visible and invisible limitations, you must always be prepared to challenge the status quo. Christ never came to maintain, He came to challenge the status quo and establish entirely new standards. Not challenging the status quo is to discount the grace and authority of Christ in you. I’ve not seen anyone become great who simply accept and live by the status quo. Those who will become great in life must be prepared to break the rules, remove the roofs and release the giants in them!
Now let’s begin to put question marks where the world seems to have put full stops, and begin to challenge the status quo: “Whose command”? “…..says who”?
Go ahead and break the rules!
Excerpts from: PULLING DOWN THE WALLS
Ezekiel Olukolajo
© Copyright, 2019
[email protected]
PLEASE ENCOURAGE AUTHOR BELOW LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE AS A MEMBER OR VISITOR
Reader Count & Comments
Date
To break new ground, you must be ready to break the rules and challenge the status quo.
The opinions expressed by authors do not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com. This is especially true with articles that
deal with personal healthcare and prophecy. We encourage the reader to make their own decision in consultation with God, His Word, and others as needed.
This article has been read 520 times < Previous | Next >
Read more articles by Ezekiel Olukolajo or search for other articles by topic below.
This article has been read 520 times < Previous | Next >
Search for articles on: (e.g. creation; holiness etc.)
Read more by clicking on a link:Free Reprints
Main Site Articles
Most Read Articles
Highly Acclaimed Challenge Articles.
New Release Christian Books for Free for a Simple Review.
NEW - Surprise Me With an Article - Click here for a random URL
God is Not Against You - He Came on an All Out Rescue Mission to Save You
...in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them... 2 Cor 5:19
Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Acts 13:38
LEARN & TRUST JESUS HERE
FaithWriters offers Christian reading material for Christian readers. We offer Christian articles, Christian fiction, Christian non-fiction, Christian Bible studies, Christian poems, Christian articles for sale, free use Christian articles, Christian living articles, New Covenant Christian Bible Studies, Christian magazine articles and new Christian articles. We write for Jesus about God, the Bible, salvation, prayer and the word of God.