The National tribune., 1886-01-07
SUNDAY MEDITATION.
Practical Duties Taught by a Study Of the Inter
national Sunday School Lesson Appointed 70;
IAN II lar 81 J9-tg

Jan. Il. Jer., 35 2-i9.
Zone reading these notes should first carefully
study the paragraph from the Holy Scriptures as
Indicated above
We are now to consider the Rechabites Who
were they? Jethro was brother-in-law Of Moses.
(Ex., IS 8, 81 Jethro was a kente. (Jud., 1: 49,
Rechab was a descendant of Jethro, and there
fore Kenite. Il Ch, 2: 55) The branch of
keniteS which sprang from Rechab was known
the Rechabte branch. Jonadab was the son
or descendant of Rechab. (Jer, 80: 81 The
kenites We're not Hebrews, but an Arabian
tribe. They were divided into three classes.
Il Ch., 2: So They were nomads-did not set
tie, but lived as do the BedOuins, dwelling in
tents. Jonadab was Sheik. When Moses was
passing his 40 years in the wilderness of Sinai
he married Kenite lady. lex, 2: 10 21) His
father-in-law was Reuel, (EX 2: 49, or Raguel.
(Nu.. 10: 30 His brother-n-law was Jethro
or Hobab. (Jud., = 16. The original for father
in-law should be rendered brother-in-l -law.)
Moses leading the Israeites from Egypt to
Canaan, passed through the wilderness where
his wite's family resided, and urged them to
accompany him. M, 10: 29-32) Though
Jethro was reluctant to leave his old home, 1t
is evident he accepted Moses's invitation.
(Jud / l6; a IL kedesh was in the north
ern part of Palestine. Il Sa., 10: g. The Amalek-
ties lived III the vicinity of Canaan. So we
find the kenites with the Israelites in and
about Canaan. The branch of the kenites to
which Jonadab belonged settled about JabeZ,
in Judah. Jonadab saw the tendency Of the
Israelites to build cities and villages. Knowing
that when people thus enter upon urban ways
OF living they often degenerate through lux
uriauce, ease and sedentariness, he determined
to do his utmost to prevent the Kenites from
thus settling. He called them together, and
solemnly made them vow and promise: l. To
drink no wine. 2. TO build no houses. 3. 10
SOW no seed. 4. To plant no vines 8. To dwell
in tents. DER, 80 o. He prescribed asceti-
cism, i'll contrast with the license and luxury
of the Israeites. He demanded they maintain
forever the nomadic way of living. JOnadab
lived in the time of Jehu, q XII, 10: 15l and
so the RechabiteS had been faithful to promises
made to Jonadab 277 years before.
In our lesson we find the Rechabtes in the
city of Jerusalem, apparently disobeying Jona-
dab. But we see how it came about. Nebu-
chadnezzar, King of Babylon, invaded Judah
and was pressing hard on all the inhabitants.
Sacred utensils had been snatched from the
temple. Captives had been seized, among them
Daniel. The city had not, however yet been
captured The Rechabites were forced to escape
to its walls for safety. They were obliged for
the time to break IN part their VOWS to Jona-
dab, to w.t. to violate the clause as to residence
within walls. Necessity knows no law"
DER, sc: IL
1t is the year COZ B. c. Jehoiak i'm is King of
would use them grand object lesson. He
would have the JudahiteS forced to contrast their
dlSobedlence to God with the faithfulnesS of
the Rechabites to mere man (JOnadab). To
test the frmness of the Judahites, he in a very
| public way has wine offered to them. They
utterly refuse to drink, reminding jeremiah of
| their promise to Jonadab, though the VOW
was not directly theirs it having been made
over quarter of a millennium before by their
ancestors. But the pledge made to be
binding forever. 1t was probably repeatedly
renewed. All the Rechabites of Jeremiah's
day had taken upon themselves the promises
made 277 years before to Jonadab. Their liv-
| ing in the city was simply temporary for the
purpose of escaping death from the armies of
| Syria and Chaldea. There was something
grand in the integrity of the Rechabites. God,
as though jealous, seeing a race obedient to
| their human founder and contrasting il with
the insults of the lsraelites TO their Creator
and Preserver, would seek to shame the He
brews for their ill-treatment of Jehovah. Shall
men obey men better than they obey God
Shall vows TO the human be more respected
| than to Deity? Shall Rechabites Outdo Judah
ties in veracity, and fidelity, and obedience
| At no time had God neglected his people. lie
warned them from the beginning He kept
| them instructed by whole successive line Of
| Prophets. He cXhOrted them TO reform. lie
Chided their idolatTy and bCsOugbt them to
| forsake their evils ways. lie offered them
+ great rewards and encOuragements 10 fidelity.
The Rechabites had been more Obedicnt
and respectful to their founder (Jonadabi
though he had been dead for years, than the
Israelites had been TO their God, the living
God, who had kept on blessing, and warning
aGd teaching, and cheering his people, ever
present, ever good. God is justly offended.
lie decides on the punishment of the wicked
race. Let the captivity take place. Give
observation-disclosures free range Clear the land of
Canaan OF u people so pestiterouS, ungrateful,
wicked.
III contrast with the expulsion Of the Juda-
hites from their capital aud country on account
of their sins, see how the Rechabites are to be
blessed by reason of their fidelity. They shall
not become extinct. Rechabtes shall always
be found Lange says: The commands of
Jonadab. the Rechabite, have been kept centu-
ries after his death by his people, who are not
descendants of Abraham, and who consequently
participate in the covenant of promise only
mediately and in the second line. Israel, how
ever, has not obeyed the commands of Jehovah,
the God of hosts, though they have been pre-
sented and inculcated increasingly by Proph-
cts; therefore, all the threatenings pronounced
by the Lord on Israel shall be fulfilled. But to
the Rechabtes it is promised that JOnadab shall
not want man to stand before Jehovah. 1t is
said that there are still Rechabites in Asia"
Hegesippus gives an account of the martyr
dom of James the Just. 1t is preserved for us
by Eusebius. ST. James was stoned to death by
a body of Pharisees. "A descendant of Jonadab
was on the spot and protested against such
treatment OF Christ's apostle. Hegesippus says.
lone of the priests of the sons of Rechab the
son of Rechabim, who is mentioned by Jere-
miah the Prophet cried out against such in
humanity.
1T is hardly possible" says Prof Plumptre
in Smiths Dictionary, THAT a writer like Hege-
sippus, living at time when the details of the
temple services were fresh in the memories of
men, should have thus spoken of the Rechabim,
unless there had been a body of men to whom
the name was commonly applied. He uses it as
man would do to whom it was familiar. > :
We may accept Hegesippus, therefore, as wit
ness to the existence of the Rechabites as rec
ognized body up to the destruction of Jerusa-
LEM"
Benjamin of Tudela, who wrote in the 10Th
century, informs us he found body of people
calling themselves Rechabites in the neighbor-
hood of El-Jubar They preserved the charac-
teristicS of Jonadabs descendants There were
as many as 100000. De Wolff came upon tribe
of people about Senaa numbering $4,000, and
claiming to be descendants of Jonadab. They
were strict adherents of Rechabite principles.
De Wolff made the discovery in 1892 In 1862
SignOr Pierotti read paper before the British
Association, in which he stated he came across
tribe of Rechabites near the Dead Sea. They
persisted in their claim of being descendants of
Jonadab, and demanded belief on the ground
all their customs conformed to the Rechabite
pledges.