THE LORD SPOKE (May 30)

Daily Reflections from Scripture:

Old Testament: II Kings 9-10

Who was Jehonadab ben-Recab?

His name appears briefly in II Kings 10:15 & 23 but his reputation was still strong 250 years later in the days of Jeremiah (Jer. 35:6-19). The Rechabites were a clan related to the Kenites and friendly towards Israel. They were known as a conservative movement and very opposed to the worship of Baal. When Jehu was used of God to destroy the house of Ahab and the worship of Baal in Israel, he found a ready assistant in Jehonadab (II Kings 10:15-28).

The patriarch of the household was Hammath (I Chronicles 2:55) whose descendents were scribes. One understanding of the terms used in relation to his family is that they were involved in the reading (Tirathites), copying (Shimeathites), and checking/correcting (Sucathites) of manuscripts. In other words, they were very knowledgeable in the Scriptures.

This had led the family to take a special vow to (1) never drink wine, (2) never live in houses, and (3) never sow seed or plant vineyards. They are held up as an example in the days of Jeremiah:

This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel says: "Go and tell the men of Judah and the people of Jerusalem, 'Will you not learn a lesson and obey my words?' declares the Lord. Jonadab son of Recab ordered his sons not to drink wine and this command has been kept. To this day they do not drink wine, because they obey their forefather's command. But I have spoke to you again and again, yet you have not obeyed me. Again and again I sent all my servants the prophets to you. They said, 'Each of you must turn from your wicked ways and reform your actions; do not follow other gods to serve them. Then you will live in the land I have given to you and your fathers.' But you have not paid attention or listened to me. The descendants of Jonadab son of Recab have carried out the command their forefather gave them, but these people have not obeyed me." (Jer. 35:13-16)

His name sounds like a Dr. Seuss character but his convictions were anything but wishy-washy, namby-pamby, or loosey-goosey. They held a people together for over ten generations and led God to promise, "Jonadab son of Recab will never fail to have a man to serve me" (Jer. 35:19). Now, wouldn't you want that for your family?


New Testament: II Corinthians 1

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. (II Cor. 1:3-4)

Some knave has said, “The minister’s job is to comfort the afflicted and to afflict the comfortable.” In fact, that’s exactly what God does to/for us. When we become complacent or too comfortable in our spiritual life, He allows some affliction to grab our attention and to bring us back to Himself. If you were to put it in a list, here’s what affliction can accomplish:

1. It gets our attention. As it increases it can’t be ignored and thinking about it sooner or later brings us to ask “why?”.
2. It sensitizes us. The pain makes us conscious of our feelings. Sensitivity brings us quickly out of dullness or lack of attention.
3. It makes us more sympathetic to others who suffer. Because we’ve been through it ourselves, we’re better able to understand and to offer the right kind of help in the time of need.
4. It draws us closer to God. When we come to the end of our own rope we realize that He is a better or even the only solution to our need and we cast ourselves upon Him.
5. It results in a thicker skin. This can be a bad thing if it becomes a simple defensive mechanism to ignore problems. But it can be a good thing if it means handling problems with a better equilibrium.
6. It gives us a fellowship with others who suffer. We recognize that no man is an island, no man stands alone, and we bond together with others who are equally frail.
7. It strengthens us for the road ahead. How often do we find that previous hardships were a good preparation for even tougher times that come later. Without them we might not have been able to face the big test.
8. It makes us a better person. One who has never faced affliction has never learned how to overcome. He doesn’t know the Source of ultimate victory.

It may take awhile, but eventually we can say with James:

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. (Jas. 1:2-4)