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Agape Bible Study
Jeremiah 35 - 36
Chapter 35: The Example of the Rechabites
Chapter 35 takes place near the end of the reign of King Jehoiakim (reigned 609-598 BC) the brother of King Zedekiah. The Babylonians deposed Jehoiakim's son and placed Zedekiah on the throne of Judah in his place in 598 BC (2 Kng 24:17). This chapter can be divided into three oracles Yahweh commands Jeremiah to present:
- Oracle #1 condemns the Judahites and Jerusalemites for their disloyalty (verses 13-16).
- Oracle #2 is a judgment oracle against the Judahites and Jerusalemites (verse 17).
- Oracle #3 is a divine blessing for the nomadic clan of the Rechabites (verses 18-19).
Jeremiah 35:1-5 ~ A Lesson in Obedience
Rechab was the founding father of the Rechabites. They were Gentiles who joined the Israelites during the Exodus wilderness years and came with them into the Promised Land. They believed in Yahweh but considered themselves resident aliens in the land of Israel, living in the desert region of the Negeb in southern Judah (Judg 1:16; Jer 35:7). Biblical tradition identifies the Rechabites with the Kenites (1 Chr 2:55), who were descendants of Moses' father-in-law, Jethro (Ex 3:1; 18:1; Judg 1:16; 4:11). They were known for their unwavering loyalty to Yahweh and their commitment to a nomadic pastoral lifestyle. The lifestyle rules for the clan were laid down by Rechab's son Jehonadab . They rejected all forms of settled culture, including wine cultivation and consumption. In 842 BC, according to 2 Kings 10:15-31, Jehonadab ben Rechab joined Jehu's successful revolt against wicked King Ahab because of his "zeal for Yahweh."
Jeremiah 35:6-11 ~ The Rechabites' Reply to Jeremiah
Question: Why did the Rechabites refuse Jeremiah's invitation to drink wine?
Answer: They were remaining faithful to their ancestral traditions to not drink wine.
Question: What reason did they give for leaving their nomadic life to seek refuge in the city of Jerusalem?
Answer: They only came for refuge because of the marauding Babylonians and their allies.
Jeremiah 35:12-16 ~ Oracle #1: Judahites and Jerusalemites Condemned for Their Disloyalty
Jeremiah 35:11-19 contain oracles for the obedient and the disobedient.
Question: What is the reason the story of Jeremiah and the Rechabites follows the story of the covenant failure of the people of Judah in Chapter 34, and what is God's command concerning Jeremiah's experience with these people?
Answer: God instructs Jeremiah to use the faithfulness of the Rechabites to their vows as an example of their commitment to their traditions to emphasize the charge that Judah has not been faithful to its own traditions in obedience to the Laws of Yahweh.
Jeremiah 35:17 ~ Oracle #2: Judgment Against Disloyal Judah and Jerusalem
The citizens of Judah and Jerusalem have again rejected the opportunity to turn away from their sins and turn back to God. The judgment decreed throughout Jeremiah's ministry will now fall fully upon the people because, Yahweh says, "I spoke to them and they would not listen, called to them and they would not answer" (it is an accusation of covenant failure throughout Israel's history; see for example: Is 6:9-10; Jer 5:21; Mt 13:14-15; Mk 4:12; Jn 12:40; Acts 28:26-27).
Jeremiah 35:18-19 ~ Oracle #3: Yahweh Gives the Rechabites a Divine Blessing
To "stand before Yahweh" usually refers to someone standing before God in prayer or service. God's blessing is that the Rechabites will not die out but will continue to have descendants who are faithful to Yahweh. These verses exempt the Rechabites from the full fury of the coming judgment against the inhabitants of Jerusalem. The Rechabites survived the exile and, after the return, a Rechabite descendant helped to rebuild the Jerusalem Temple (Neh 3:14).
Chapter 36: King Jehoiakim Destroys the Book/Scroll of Jeremiah
The events in Chapter 36 took place between 605-604 BC. The "fourth year of the reign of Jehoiakim" (36:1), who ruled from 609-598 BC, is calculated by Biblical scholars to be 605 BC. It is a date that brought far-reaching consequences in the ancient Near East:
- It was the first year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign as king of Babylon.
- It was the year the Babylonians defeated the Egyptians and Assyrians at Carchemish and then delivered another defeat to the Assyrian Empire at Hamath, making Babylon the region's superpower.
- It was the year, King Jehoiakim capitulated to the Babylonians and agreed to become Nebuchadnezzar's vassal king of Judah (2 Kng 24:1).
- It was the year Jeremiah received oracles against the nations (Chapter 25), delivering specific judgment for Egypt (Jer 46:2-26).
- It was the year the king and chief priests barred Jeremiah from entering the Temple and when Jeremiah received a divine word to put into writing all oracles and other utterances made over the years (Jer 36:1-2).
Jeremiah 36:1-8 ~ Jeremiah Records all the Words of God in a Book/Scroll
2 "Take a scroll and on it write all the words I have spoken to you about Israel, Judah and all the nations, from the day I first spoke to you, in the time of Josiah, until today.
In 605 BC, at Yahweh's command, Jeremiah dictates to the scribe Baruch all Yahweh's words he has received since he began his ministry in the time of King Josiah. We first heard of Baruch son of Neriah in Chapter 32 when Jeremiah was confined in the Court of the Guard in the palace in the year 587 BC. At that time Jeremiah needed a scribe to write out a document of sale for property God commanded Jeremiah to purchase from his cousin. The events in this chapter took place about 18 years before the land sale; therefore, this may be the first collaboration between Jeremiah and the professional scribe, Baruch. Jeremiah needed a professional scribe who had the professional skills to write the book of oracles in neat lines and columns.
At this time, Jeremiah had been serving as Yahweh's prophet for twenty-three years from the thirteenth year of Josiah to the fourth year of Jehoiakim. Yahweh orders that the scroll of Jeremiah's prophetic ministry with all its fearful warnings and predictions must be read to the assembly of the covenant people during the daily Temple liturgical worship service. It is interesting that the words of Yahweh must include all He spoke "about Israel, Judah and all the nations."
Jeremiah 36:9-10 ~ Baruch Reads the Scroll to the Assembly of Israel/Judah
In the ninth month of the fifth year of the reign of the king, the month of Kislev corresponding to our November/December 604 BC, King Jehoiakim ordered the people to observe a national fast with a ceremony at the Temple. To fulfill Yahweh's command that the book must be read to all the people, Jeremiah sent Baruch to the Temple on the national fast day to read the book of oracles. Baruch read the book in the "upper court at the entry of the New Gate" in the room of the royal scribe Gemariah son of Shaphan. Gemariah's room must have had a balcony that allowed Baruch to have a vantage point from which to be heard by a large crowd of people.
Jeremiah 36:11-20 ~ The Royal Scribes Summon Baruch
Gemariah's son, the royal scribe Micaiah, reports the event of Baruch reading the book of Jeremiah's oracles to the session of the chief palace scribes. The palace scribes then sent for Baruch to read the book to them. They were shocked by what they heard, but as a whole, they were sympathetic to Jeremiah and Baruch. Elnathan was the king's emissary who was sent to Egypt to bring back the prophet Uriah who was later executed for sedition (Jer 26:25), but even he is sympathetic (36:25). They know they must take the book to the King, but they warn Baruch that he and Jeremiah must go into hiding to preserve their lives.
Jeremiah 36:21-26 ~ Elishama Reads the Scroll to King Jehoiakim
It is winter; the month of Kislev corresponding to our November/December, and the king is sitting by a fire. Yahweh's oracles are offensive to the king. He is not moved to repentance and instead, despite the pleading of some of the royal scribes, he destroys the first edition of the Book of Jeremiah by cutting off columns with a scribal knife and throwing the pieces into the fire.
Jeremiah 36:27-32 ~ Yahweh's Oracle to King Jehoiakim and His Command to Re-write the Scroll
Yahweh's judgment oracle for the king is that God will fulfill everything that the king heard in the scroll of Jeremiah.
Question: What personal judgment against Jehoiakim did Yahweh add?
Answer: His personal judgment was:
- His descendants will not continue as kings of Judah.
- He will not receive an honorable burial.
DAY 248 Truth versus Precision
CHALLENGE: “The Bible contains many passages that say something close to the truth but are still not quite accurate.”
DEFENSE: This confuses truth with precision.
Perhaps you’ve seen the Star Trek episode “Errand of Mercy,” where the following exchange occurs:
KIRK: What would you say the odds are on our getting out of here?
SPOCK: Difficult to be precise, Captain. I should say, approximately 7,824.7 to 1.
KIRK: Difficult to be precise? 7,824 to 1?
SPOCK: 7,824.7 to 1.
KIRK: That’s a pretty close approximation.
SPOCK: I endeavor to be accurate.
This illustrates the different levels of precision expected by humans and Vulcans. Something similar occurs when modern audiences read ancient texts. We live in an age in which things are rigorously measured and recorded. But the ancient world was very different. There were few and imprecise measuring tools, no audio or video recorders, and most people could not read or write.
Consequently, the ancients expected a lesser degree of precision than we do. They would have rolled their eyes at us the way we roll our eyes at Mr. Spock and his absurd over-precision.
This has implications for how we read the Bible. We can’t hold its authors to a higher level of precision than they used. They expressed truths according to the level of precision expected in their day, not ours.
Statements of truth regularly involve approximation. When we say the speed of light is 186,000 miles per second or that pi is 3.14, we are expressing truths, but in an approximate manner.
Approximation is so common that scientists even speak of the different “orders of approximation” they use in their work. At some point, it becomes foolish to try to be more precise, and this judgment must be made based on the situation in which we find ourselves.
We must thus respect the circumstances in which the biblical authors wrote and not expect more precision of them than their situation allowed. If we want to charge them with error, then we need to show that they weren’t using the degree of precision expected in the ancient world.
Jimmy Akin, A Daily Defense: 365 Days (Plus One) to Becoming a Better Apologist
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