Although I have spoken to you, . . . you did not obey
Me. - Jeremiah 35:14
Have you ever met someone who had traits you thought should mark a Christian but then
found that the person had never met the Savior? It's not all that unusual. Sometimes
people who do not know Jesus keep their own moral standards more consistently than some
Christians keep God's standards.
The prophet Jeremiah ran into a group like that - and he passed along to us a valuable
lesson from observing them. They were a nomadic people called the Rechabites, and Jeremiah
used them as an example of obedience. Although they were not among God's chosen people,
God commended them for their obedience.
For example, their forefathers had taught them that they should not drink wine. So when
Jeremiah offered it to them, they refused it (Jeremiah 35:5-6). He wanted to show the
people of Judah what obedience looked like. God wanted the Jews to be as obedient to Him
as the Rechabites were to their leaders.
Even today we see unsaved people follow the morals they've set, while some Christians are
not being obedient to their Lord's commands. God hates our disobedience. Let it not be
said of us that the "Rechabites" of our day are more obedient than we are.
-JDB
Consistency! How much we need
To walk a measured pace,
To live the life of which we speak,
Until we see Christ's face.
-Anon.
Obedience is faith in action.