The Rechabites were a small family of Israelites who were faithful to what their father Jonadab....centuries earlier....had commanded of them.....that they would not dwell in cities but in tents....and not plant vineyards or drink wine.
They were in a way like many conservatives today who wanted nothing to do with city life or the culture of the day. As Nebuchadnezzar's army began to wage war in Judah....this before the final siege under Zedekiah....the Rechabites moved into Jerusalem for safety. Jeremiah used them for one of his many visual parables as he called them all to the temple and put wine before them and told them to drink.....which of course they would not....for their father had commanded them against wine.....and they were going to stay faithful.
Jeremiah then used this as an example to all the unfaithful leaders in how this small group had stayed faithful....without prophets having to be sent to them....but they the people and their leaders did not stay faithful to God even though He sent prophet after prophet to them....warning them!
Jeremiah had told the people that although they supposedly 'worshiped' God....they also worshiped the pagan gods! Stay with me on this folks. He mentioned that they may go to temple but they also went up on their roofs to worship pagan gods....and he went further in prophesying to them that God was going to destroy the city along with their houses.
So how does that have anything to do with us today. We don't worship little clay idols. We don't worship under Terebinth trees or at Asherah poles or worship gods from the roofs of our houses....but keep this in mind.....we don't burn babies on a statue of Moloch....but we sacrifice babies all the same through abortion. Our own false prophets don't have to wear robes and say...."Thus saith the LORD"....but we have our own false prophets.
As for worshiping idols on roofs....I think that I can make a case that we do in a way worship idols from our roofs. Every blasphemous idolatry that exists today is available to us through the television set....and obviously the computer is the same thing. That cable coming in right at our gutters in essence is our way of worshiping pagan gods from our rooftops.
We may purposely live in the suburbs or even rural farmlands because of the disaster that the urban areas have become....and the culture that comes with it....but just as the people of Judah and Jerusalem in Jeremiah's time worshiped both Yahweh and pagan gods....we also worship in church and from our rooftops.
How many of us sat in front of television sets yesterday watching football....this on the Lord's Day....and how many pastors have come up with grand excuses why this is OK? How many of them were before the TV set as many in their congregations perish in ignorance?
As I read the headlines today I see that Aaron Rodgers....after only three plays....is done for the season. Folks....we have our plans....often "the best laid plans" as Steinbeck wrote....we will take back the government....and throw these people in jail....and build up our 401s....and build back up what God only decades ago told us that He would throw down. We may get three plays in....but our rebellious plans will come to nothing. Use these Jets fans as an example....we do not know what a day brings! There is one thing that is sure and that is God's Word....and it tells us to prepare....for great delusion....and for tribulation....but also to prepare as a bride....with oil in our lamps....for the marriage supper of the Lamb!
