Rechab

Rechab was a figure mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, specifically in the book of Jeremiah. He was the father of Jonadab, a man who, along with his descendants, was known for their strict adherence to a nomadic lifestyle and their rejection of settled life, wine consumption, and the building of houses. The Rechabites, as they were called, were a Kenite clan.

The prophet Jeremiah used the example of the Rechabites' obedience to their ancestral commands as a rebuke to the people of Judah. He presented them with wine, offering them drink as they were accustomed to do in their settled dwellings. The Rechabites refused, citing the command of Jonadab, their father, who had instructed them to drink no wine and build no houses, nor sow seed, nor plant vineyards, but to live in tents all their days.

Jeremiah then contrasted their faithfulness to their human father's instructions with the people of Judah's disobedience to God's commands. He declared that because the Rechabites had obeyed Jonadab in all things, the "sons of Jonadab the son of Rechab shall not lack a man to stand before me for all days." This promise suggests a continued existence and a place of honor for the Rechabite line. The Rechabites are seen as an example of loyalty and obedience, even to earthly commands, highlighting the spiritual failings of the Judahites.