Just When You Think You Have Heard Every Sermon Illustration!

by David Shannon

Jeremiah is known for his unusual life of service and communication as a prophet of God.He wore an ox yoke to prophecy the captivity Judah would experience by the king of Babylon (ch 27-28). He bought a farm as Babylon was coming to conquer them to prove his family would one day return there to farm (ch 32)! Another unusual sermon illustration came in chapter 35 with the Rechabites being urged by Jeremiah to drink wine.

The Rechabites had obeyed their father Jonadab as he commanded them to: 1. Not drink wine, 2. Not build a house but live in tents, 3. Not sow seeds or plant vineyards.

Jeremiah uses them as a sermon illustration of obedience saying to this day they have drunk no wine BECAUSE they obey their father's command! He then urged Judah to obey God's command just as the Rechabites obeyed their father.

Why do many youth not do drugs, drink, cheat, lie, steal or fornicate? Many do not do these things because they are obeying their father and mother! And as they grow and mature spiritually they do not do these things because they love the Lord, not the world or the things in the world (I Jn 2:15)!

Two Thoughts:

Parents: If your children obeyed you would they be pleasing to God? How many parents give too little instruction, with naïve expectations?

Children: Do you obey your parents? It may be socially acceptable to disobey, but it isn't spiritually. God listed disobedient children as condemned to hell along with fornicators, murders, and haters of God at the end of Romans one.

By the way, Jeremiah was unable to persuade the Rechabites to drink the wine proving their obedience!How does your family fare in tests of obedience?

• Train Up a Child -Dec 16, 2007
• It's Not Your Father's Choice Whom You Serve -Oct 02, 2005
• New Eyes -Jun 12, 2005
• A Dirty Dozen To Avoid -May 22, 2005
• Who's Driving? -Apr 24, 2005