18TH OCTOBER

BEYOND THE LAW

“Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Jonadab the son of Rechab shall never lack a man to stand before me.

(Jeremiah 35:19)

Jehu had invited Jonadab, the son of Rechab, who was as zealous as he was in God’s service, to join him in destroying Ahab’s family and purging the northern kingdom of Baal worship. However, unlike Jehu who allowed the worship of the golden calves, Jonadab would not join in the worship of any other god but Jehovah. He took God’s words literally and went even beyond, giving his family strict and harsh rules to live by. He separated himself and his family from the materialistic, idol worshipping culture of their time.

In our country, many speak against corruption in government but as soon as they are given a position in government, they compromise as they get carried away by materialism and power. How about in our homes? What values do we teach our children? What is our legacy?

Hundreds of years later, the generations of the Rechabites followed the teachings of their ancestor, Jonadab, to the letter, without complaining. This helped them to live a life of purity, rejecting societal pressures and temptations.

What would the next generations of our families stand for?

God rewarded the descendants of Jonadab for obeying their father. We would rather err in excessive obedience to our parents and God than be disobedient. We may not receive immediate rewards but our generations will receive the promises of God. God promises rewards for total obedience, including long life.

ACTION: As a parent, evaluate your parenting style and see if you have been inculcating values of a lifetime in your children. As a child, how obedient are you to parents’ instructions? Resolve, from now to obey your parents in the Lord, even if you do not understand their strict standards in these rebellious and disrespectful times.

PRAYER: Lord, give me grace to obey you in all things, and to leave legacies of righteousness and obedience for my children.