“Therefore, this is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “Jonadab son of Recab will never fail to have a man to serve me.”
– Jeremiah 35:19
Hi James and Ellen,
Do you sometimes feel like your family tree extends back to the Recabite family clan? How would you like to grow up in a family that has a heritage of never drinking wine, never building a house, never owning a vineyard and/or fields and never raising crops? How would you like to grow up in a nomadic family that is always moving from one place to another place? How would you like to grow up in a family that is surrounded by God’s specially chosen guys and gals – the Israelite people group guys and gals? Jeremiah profiled the Recabite family clan in his Jeremiah Book – in Jeremiah 35. Around 605 B.C. – which is about the timeframe when God – as God the Father, through God – as God the Spirit, gave to Jeremiah a ‘word’ to use for the Recabite family clan’s long term, faithful devotion to Him as an example to rebuke His specially chosen guys and gals who were living in the land of Judah and in the city of Jerusalem for their ongoing defiant, rebellious lifestyles against Him, God was preparing the king of the country of Babylonia – who was Nebuchadnezzar, and his Babylonian army to do a number on His specially chosen guys and gals who were living in the land of Judah and in the city of Jerusalem. Because the Recabite family clan apparently saw the ‘handwriting on the wall’ what God was about to do to His specially chosen guys and gals who were living in the land area of Judah – which was Israel’s southern kingdom, just as He did about 127 years earlier to His specially chosen guys and gals who were living in the land area of Israel – which was Israel’s northern kingdom, when he had the Assyrian people group army to do a number on them, the Recabite family clan decided to ‘escape’ into the city of Jerusalem. The ‘word’ that God – as God the Father – through God – as God the Spirit, gave to Jeremiah was for him to set up a meeting with the Recabite family clan in one of the side rooms in His temple that was in the city of Jerusalem and that in this meeting he was to offer the Recabite family clan wine to drink. When Jeremiah caught up with Jaazaniah – who possibly was at this time the Recabite family clan point person, he invited Jaazaniah, his bros and their sons to meet with him in the room that was next to the temple officials’ room. When Jeremiah offered each Recabite family clan guy a cup of wine to drink, the guys told Jeremiah that they do not drink wine because of the ‘Nazirite type vow’ that Jonadab – or Jehonadab per the Kings Book historian, had made about 250 years earlier. Jehonadab had joined then with King Jehu – who had been a king over the guys and gals who were living in the northern kingdom of Israel – called Isreal, to destroy – albeit temporarily, the Baal idols that were being worshipped by God’s specially chosen guys and gals who were living in Israel’s northern kingdom.
Your grandpaa wonders that just possibly that his grandpa on his ma’s side his family may have had initiated a ‘Recabite type family clan tree’. A ‘Recabite type family clan tree’ to your grandpaa is an extended family that has over a period of time demonstrated having a proactive, God-fearing faithfulness. Out of the thirteen kids that your grandpaa’s grandpa and grandma raised in their house in Volga, South Dakota, two of their kids – your grandpaa’s Uncle Otto and Uncle Renze, became Christian Reformed Church pastors. Your grandpaa’s dad wrote down – near the end of his life, his life story as a young guy before he was married. Your grandpaa’s dad wrote in his missive that before he was married that he told his pastor one day that he would like to be a preacher. Your grandpaa’s dad then wrote that he did not do anything to become a preacher because he had not graduated from high school. Your grandpaa’s dad and ma instilled in your grandpaa a devoted dedication to serve God through praying before and after every meal and through their daily reading from a devotional and/or the Bible at the end of every meal. Before your grandpaa’s dad was elected by the congregants in the Christian Reformed Church in Volga to be a deacon and then an elder, he was a leader in the church. Your grandpaa’s ma taught Sunday School and was a Ladies Aid leader. Your grandpaa believes her dad and ma modeled for his ma a secure faith in God. Because of the devotion that your grandpaa’s dad and ma had for God, he believes that because of this – which began with his grandpa on his ma’s side of his family, that he now has had the privilege of spending nearly 35 years in the missionary vocation.
Don Felix Pedraza may also have initiated a ‘Recabite type family clan tree’ when he made his kids and at least one grandkid to make a decision of faith in front of John Depue. Don Felix had been hired by John Depue to be South America Mission’s base gatekeeper and groundskeeper. When your grandmaa and grandpaa arrived in Bolivia at the end of August in 1978 to join South America Mission’s field missionary team, don Felix’s son – Raúl, was already a leader of the association of churches that are affiliated with South America Mission. Because Raúl was a good evangelical speaker, your grandpaa asked Raúl to go with him and your grandmaa the first year that they led a South America Mission Bolivia summer team. Felix – a cousin of Raúl, was also told by his grandfather to make a decision of faith in front of John Depue, became the first graduate from the Christian University of Bolivia with a degree in theology. Verse 19 says, “Therefore, this is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “Jonadab son of Recab will never fail to have a man to serve me.” Do you think that you are in a ‘Recabite type family clan’?
Jeremiah 35 (1130)