JEREMIAH 35
The founder of the Rechabite family had assisted Jehu in removing Baal worship from the land (2 Kings 10:15–17), so they had a godly heritage. When the Babylonian army moved in, the Rechabites had to abandon their nomadic way of life and enter Jerusalem for safety.
They abandoned their tents, but they did not abandon their standards. Even though they were in the house of the Lord with a prophet of the Lord, they refused to drink wine. The Rechabites did not ask others to agree with their tradition, but they would not violate it themselves. They were a loyal clan.
Man’s tradition is not necessarily bad, unless it is contradicted by or substituted for God’s truth (Matt. 15:1–20). You may not agree with the traditions of others, but are you as devoted to God’s Word as they are to their traditions? The Jews refused to obey the very law of God, but the Rechabites obeyed human traditions. What an indictment against the Jews who claimed to know the true God! Is it an indictment against us today?