How to choose who we listen to (Jeremiah 35)

I recently heard an interview with a young woman who in her teenage years felt uncomfortable being a girl (abuse was a contributing factor). Feeling lonely, she turned to social media and discovered that she could become a boy. Despite her parents’ dismay, she stubbornly forged ahead supported by the trans-community and within six months or so, she had a double mastectomy and started hormonal treatment. Apart from one doctor (quickly replaced) no one discussed other options with her. At first, the changes were a relief but then she started missing feminine things and secretly, when no one was at home, she put on make-up and dressed in her old clothes as a girl. After three years, she decided to reverse her treatment, but some things have become lost to her forever. Our Western culture believes in authenticity, being true to ourselves and following our heart, but this young woman’s story illustrates in dramatic ways that our heart can hold conflicting desires and may not be our best guide. In the shifting sands of our changing culture knowing who to listen to and what counsel to follow is becoming increasingly difficult.

A contrast in faithfulness

Like our postmodern world, Judah was confident that they knew who to listen to and what would lead to a flourishing life, but their decisions in following other gods (Jer 35:15) brought them to the brink of disaster. The incident mentioned in today’s reading is about ten years earlier than the previous chapter, towards the end of Jehoiakim’s reign when Babylon besieged Jerusalem for the first time (598 BC; Jer 35:1, 11). The two chapters do not follow chronologically, but they are linked thematically. There is a contrast between Judah’s fluctuating allegiance to God (the release of Hebrew slaves and their re-enslavement; Jer 34:15-16) and a fringe group’s steadfast adherence to their ancestor’s commands (Jer 35:6-10).

The reward of faithfulness

The Rechabites were a small family who decided to stay with a nomadic life and not drink alcohol, perhaps as a way of preserving their integrity against the Canaanite influences that took hold of Israel and Judah.[1] They are commended here by God because of their unwavering faithfulness, not because God expects His people to live like them. Rather, it is ‘from the lesser to the greater’ argument. Here is a marginal group of no importance, who nevertheless revered the demands of their ancestor who was human. Should not Israel-Judah have listened to the One who was their God (Jer 35:14)? It is a shocking contrast to hear God’s assurance to the Rechabites that they will be preserved,[2] using language previously applied to the priesthood (Jer 35:19; 33:17), while God’s people are promised nothing but disaster (Jer 35:17). It is as if the Lord had castigated the Church for buying into the philosophies of our age and commended the faithfulness of the Amish!

Who do we trust?

The key word of our chapter is ‘to listen’ (repeated 9 times in the Hebrew) used in the sense of hearing and doing what God says.[3] In the ancient world, people tended to listen to an external authority (an ancestor, prominent leader, society’s norms, God or gods). Today, the heroic narrative of our age is that we should listen inwardly to our heart and follow our dreams, often against the expectations of society and authority figures. Yet, our heart’s desires and hopes are never in isolation from the larger world. As the woman in my opening illustration incorporated into her heart desires that she learnt of by listening to social media and felt affirmed in her decision because of the support of a group, so we cannot escape the cultural voices echoing in our heart vying to be heard. Ultimately who we listen to is a question of trust. Whose opinions and counsels do we trust to lead us to a life worth living? God brought Israel out of Egypt and slavery and gave them the land. He was on their side. We, as Christians, know God’s love that did not shrink from dying for our sake to redeem us from the slavery of sin. Although God’s commands may seem counter-intuitive in our culture, His Words lead to Life. May we renew our trust in Him for the direction of our lives and listen to Him.

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[1] The Rechabites are virtually unknown apart from this chapter. Their ancestor, Jonadab son of Rechab is mentioned in 2 Kings 10:15, where he sides with Jehu who massacred the idolatrous king Ahab and his wife, Jezebel, along with the prophets of Baal and their followers. The Rechabites are associated with the Kenites in 1 Chron 2:55, a group that Israel was friendly with from the exodus onward (1 Sam 15:6; Moses’ father-in-law is described as a Kenite in Judg 1:16).

[2] There is a descendant of Rechab mentioned in the rebuilding of the Jerusalem wall in Nehemiah’s time (Neh 3:14). If this is the same family, then it demonstrates God’s faithfulness in preserving them.

[3] Jer 35:8, 10, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 (twice in v.14; translations sometimes render the word ‘obey’).

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