Online Bible 1995 March/ROM-1025.iso/olb/gill/5_600_p.lzh/5_603.TXT

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latter partof the verse, and so were to have no inhe-
ritance in it; and partly because the pastoral life was
what their ancestors hadlived; and therefore Jonadab
was desirous it should be continued in his posterity;
as well as because by this means they would live us-
envied by the Israelites, among whom they were;
since they did not covet to get any part of their pos-
tessions into their hands; as also these being their cir--
curestances, upon any public calamity, as sword, fa-
mine, or pestilence, they could more easily remove to
other places; and likewise, by observing these rules,
would not be liable to some sins, as drunkenness,
worldly-mindedness, &c. which are often the cause of
great calamities. The Easesea, a sect among the
Jews afterwards, seem in some things to have copied
after these Rechabites: but all your days ye shall dwell
in tents; which they could move from place to place, for
the convenience of pasture for the cattle, the business
they were brought up in, and were always to exercise:
that ye may live many days in the land where ye be
strangers; for they were not Israelites, as before ob-
served, but Kenites, the descendants of Jethro; they
were proselytes of the gate only; and now, partly on
account of their obedience to parents, which had an-
nexed to it the promise of long life in the !and in
which they lived; and p. artly because they would, by
such a course of life, give no umbrage to, nor raise
any jealousy in, the minds of the inhabitants of it, they
might expect a continuance in it.
Ver. 8. Thus have we obeyed the voice of Jonadab
the son of Rechab our father, &c.] The above was the
charge he gave them; and this, in every article of it,
they had carefully and constantly kept, though it had
been for the space of three hundred years, or there-
about; as follows: in all he hath charged us, to drink
no wine all our days, we, our wives, our sons, nor our
daughters; which was the first of the precepts he gave
them: and which they were now tempted to disre-
gard, but were resolved to observe it, as they had
hitherto done. The rest of the articles follow.
Vet. 9. Nor build houses for us to dwell in, &c.] This
explains that part of the charge more fully, which re-
spects building of houses; which did not restrain them
from building houses for others, if any of them were
masters of that art; which is not very likely, since
they were wholly brought up in the field as shepherds;
but it forbad them building any for themselves, and
making use of them by dwelling in them: neither have
we vineyard, nor field, or seed; any piece of ground
planted with vines, or field sown with corn, or any
seed to sow with; so exactly conformable were they
ts the prescriptions of their ancestor. Diodorus Si-
culus {g} reports of the Nabatheans, a people of Arabia,
descended from Nebaioth, see Isa. ix. 7, that they
have several laws which are much the same with those
enjoined the Rechabites; for he says," it is a law
"with them not to sow corn, nor to plant any plant
"that bears fruit, nor to make use of wine, nor to build
"houses; and whosoever is found doing any of these
"things is ,reckoned worthy of death; and the reason
"of their having such a law is, because they think that
"those who possess such things are easily compelled
"by men in power to do whatever is commanded
"them, for the sake of the enjoyment of them."
Ver. 10. But we have dwelt in tents, &c.] Ever
since, until very lately, when they had taken up their
dwelling in Jerusalem; the reason of which is presently
given: and have obeyed, and done according to all Jo..
nadab our father commanded us ; and should it be ob-
jected, that iu one point they had not obeyed, in that
they had left their tents, and now dwelt in Jerusalem;
they had this to say in answer to it, and as the reason
of their so doing, as follows:
Ver. 11. But it came to pass, when Nebuehadrezzar
king of Babylon came up into the land, &c.] Into the
laucl of Judea to invade it, which was in the reign of
Jehoiakim, in the tburth year of it, after he had served
him three years, and rebelled against him; see the note
on ver. 1: that we said, come, and let us go to Jerusalem;
they said one to another, let us not stay here to be de-
stroyed by a foreign enemy; but let us go to Jerusa-
lem, a fortified city, where we may be safe: for fear of
the army of the Chaldeans, and for fear of the army of
the Syrians; for Nebuchadnezzar's army in this expe-
dition consisted of Chaldeans and Syrians, and of other
nations, 2 Kings xxiv. 2: so we dwell at Jerusalem; for
the present. It seems as though this was quickly after
Nebuchadnezzar's incursion, and when he was but just
departed; so that their fears had not wholly subsided;
and they, as yet, had not returned to their tents, and
former manner of living: hence it appears that the Re-
chabites did not look upon this command of their
father as equal to a divine precept, which must be al-
ways obeyed; but that in case of necessity it might
be dispensed with, and especially when in danger of
life, and when human prudence required it; and in
which case the lawgiver himself would have dispensed
with it, had he been on the spot.
Ver. 12. Then came the word of the Lord unto Jere-
miah, &c.] After the Rechabites had been tried whe-
ther they would break the command of their father,
respecting drinking of wine; and steadfastly persisted
in their resolution not to drink, urging the reason of
it, and vindicating their conduct in another respect:
saying; as follows:
Vet. 13. Thus $aith th, Lord of hosts, the God of
Israel, &c.] The Lord of armies in heaven and earth;
the Creator of Israel; their benefactor, covenant God
and Father. and whom they professed to worship; God
and not man; infinitely greater than Jonadab, whose
precepts had been observed by his posterity: go and
tell the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem;
this is an order to the prophet to remove from the
chamber where he was with the Rechabites, and go to
the court of the people, where they were assembled.
for worship; or into the city of Jerusalem, and gather
the heads of them together, and declare the following
things to them: will ye not receive instruction to hearken
to my words ? saith the Lord; from this instance and
case of the Rechabites, who had so constantly obeyed
their father, and hearkened to his words, though but a
man; a father of their flesh; an earthly father; and
who had been dead long ago' and therefore much
more ought they to hearken to the Father of their

{g} Biblirthec. I. 19. p. 730. Ed. Rhod.