Read Jeremiah 35.
There are times when we are to say "no" to somethings in order to say
"yes" to something far better.
The first principle of wisdom in the book of Proverbs is to fear the LORD
(Proverbs 1:7). That is just the beginning of all knowledge and wisdom;
the starting line. The second principle of wisdom is to listen to the
instruction of one's parents (Proverbs 1:8). That should sustain a person
through life. Unfortunately, the people of Judah showed no signs of
wisdom. They chose to ignore God and the instructions of their fathers.
To illustrate that message, God told Jeremiah to invite the family of Rechab to
the Temple for a meeting. There they were offered wine to drink, but they
refused. With clarity, the Rechabites reviewed some family commitments
about their lifestyle. They would not break those commitments even for
the prophet.
It was a test and the family passed. God wanted to use their
demonstration of obedience to their father's word as a contrast to Judah's
disobedience of His word. "...they have obeyed their father's
command, I have spoken to you persistently, but you have not listened to
me." (v.14b) Then, God pronounced judgment on Judah, but rewarded
the family of Rechab.
Obedience is not optional. Faithfulness to our commitments to God is
required. There is loss and reward at stake. "For we must all
appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is
due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil." (2
Corinthians 5:10)
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