The Sons of Jonadab

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=168 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF" background="129a11c3.png"> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Welcome to the Heart4God Website!"><U><B><IMG SRC="4b55a500.png" border=0 width="90" height="80" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id2.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Writings of Joseph Herrin"><U><B>Writings by Date</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id212.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Writings of Joseph Herrin Organized "><U><B>Writings by Topic</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.heart4god.ws/Audio/index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.heart4god.ws/Audio/index.htm"><U><B>Audio Files</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id690.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Videos"><U><B>Videos</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id323.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Writings of Others"><U><B>Other Authors</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id324.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Links"><U><B>Links</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id339.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Questions and Answers"><U><B>Q&A</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id328.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Heart4God Email List"><U><B>Heart4God E-mail List</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.parablesblog.blogspot.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.parablesblog.blogspot.com"><U><B>Parables Blog</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id306.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="File Downloads"><U><B><IMG SRC="2b264140.png" border=0 width="100" height="20" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <bR> <div> <B>The Sons of Jonadab</B></div> <div> <IMG SRC="c2827160.png" border=0 width="807" height="22" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> Joseph Herrin (8-12-1998)</div> <bR> <bR> <div> In these last days before the return of Christ, God is raising up a peculiar people, a people who are to be a praise in the Earth. A great harvest is foretold for these last days and a tremendous outpouring of God’s Spirit. Judgment is to come to the whole Earth, but first judgment will come to the household of God. In these days much will be given and much will be required.</div> <bR> <div> As the called-out children of God draw closer to that perfect image of a mature man, as they approach the fullness of the stature of Christ, a stricter judgment will be their portion. More is expected of a mature son than of a small child. Even now, those in positions of leadership are being called to a more circumspect walk. The time of common grace for those who walk carelessly or without scruples has come to an end.</div> <bR> <div> Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we shall incur a stricter judgment. (James 3:1)</div> <bR> <div> There are many temptations that leaders fall into, bringing condemnation upon themselves. One of the most grievous is pride and self-seeking. It is a violation of the stewardship entrusted to us to use the giftings and callings bestowed upon us by God for our own selfish promotion or enrichment. Peter sharply rebuked Simon the sorcerer who thought to purchase the gift of God to use for selfish purposes, saying,</div> <bR> <div> Your heart is not right before God. Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray the Lord that if possible, the intention of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bondage of iniquity. (Acts 8:21-23)</div> <bR> <div> Likewise, Paul wrote to Timothy warning of those “who suppose that godliness is a means of gain”, describing them as “men of depraved mind and deprived of the truth” (I Tim. 6:5). It was for this reason that a new convert was not to be placed in a position of leadership “lest he become conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil” (I Tim 3:6). Ezekiel describes the fall of Satan in this way,</div> <bR> <div> You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created, until unrighteousness was found in you. By the abundance of your trade you were internally filled with violence, and you sinned . . . Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom by reason of your splendor . . . By the multitude of your iniquities, in the unrighteousness of your trade, you profaned your sanctuaries. (Ezekiel 28:15-18)</div> <bR> <div> Lucifer began to see godliness as a means of gain. He began looking at himself when all of heaven was looking at Him who sits on the throne. Those things he was created for and gifted to accomplish, he began to see as a means of making a name for himself. He began to increase his activity to enlarge himself and “by the abundance of [his] trade” he sinned and profaned his sanctuaries. Many a minister has fallen into the same condemnation. They have taken the giftings and callings deposited into their lives by God, and used them to enlarge themselves. Their motivation has been to make a name for themselves as they exploited the gifts bequeathed to them by the Holy Spirit.</div> <bR> <div> In many ministers of God today can be seen a mixture. They have true anointings. They are gifted and exercise their gifts for the building up of the body of Christ, but they are also seeking to make a name for themselves. They want to be enriched through acquiring a greater reputation. They also are attracted to the material gain that attends worldly success. </div> <bR> <div> As God pours His Spirit out in greater measure in these days, the opportunity for abuse is increased. As the prophetic and the apostolic anointings are restored and men are entrusted with greater power and giftings, the temptation to look at oneself and become enthralled with one’s own beauty will increase. </div> <bR> <div> It may seem incredible to us that those with the greatest giftings could be so prone to corruption and weakness. One need only look at Lucifer, the covering cherubim, who “had the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty” (Ezekiel 28:12) to understand that tremendous gifting does not preclude tragic failure. Many of the most gifted men of God today are walking in perilous paths. </div> <bR> <div> It is commonplace today for ministers to form businesses or corporations of which the main assets are the gifts and callings bestowed upon them by God. They start ministries bearing their name, and begin publishing a wealth of material; tapes, books, newsletters, magazines, etc. that also bear their name. They form boards of directors and invite distinguished people to occupy places of honor on them. They model their service in the Kingdom of God after the business enterprises of the western world. How easy it is for these to allow the “abundance of their trade” to lead to the “profaning of their sanctuaries”. How easy it is to use the talents entrusted to them for selfish promotion.</div> <bR> <div> In the days of darkness, just prior to Jerusalem being captured by Nebuchadnezzar, God pointed out to Jeremiah a family in Israel that walked in a different manner than the rest of the population. They were the Rechabites, the sons of Jonadab and their families. On the very verge of God’s judgment being poured out upon wayward Israel, God gave this family a promise, “Jonadab the son of Rechab shall not lack a man to stand before Me always” (Jer. 35:19). This family walked in a different spirit than the rest of Israel, and they found favor before God. This family is a model for those who would walk before God in integrity today.</div> <bR> <div> God spoke to Jeremiah the prophet and told him to go to the Rechabites, the sons of Jonadab, and bring them into a chamber off of the temple and give them wine to drink. He brought them all in and sat them down at a table and set pitchers full of wine and cups before them and he bid them to drink. Their response to Jeremiah was amazing.</div> <bR> <div> But they said, “We will not drink wine, for Jonadab the son of Rechab, our father, commanded us, saying, ‘You shall not drink wine, you or your sons, forever. And you shall not build a house, and you shall not sow seed, and you shall not plant a vineyard or own one; but in tents you shall dwell all your days, that you may live many days in the land where you sojourn.’ And we have obeyed the voice of Jonadab the son of Rechab, our father, in all that he commanded us, not to drink wine all our days, we, our wives, our sons, or our daughters, nor to build ourselves houses to dwell in; and we do not have vineyard or field or seed. We have only dwelt in tents, and have obeyed, and have done according to all that Jonadab our father commanded us.” (Jeremiah 35:6-10)</div> <bR> <div> Here was a most unusual family. They had entered into the promised inheritance of Israel. They became sojourners among the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, yet they lived as not owning or possessing anything. Their satisfaction was to dwell in the presence of God and among His people. Houses, lands, and vineyards held no attraction to them. Rather, they viewed these things as distractions from devotion to God. </div> <bR> <div> If a person likes wine, they will need a vineyard. If they plant a vineyard they will need to remain in one place and tend it. If they stay and tend the vineyard they will need a permanent dwelling place and will have to build a house for themselves. The end result is an attachment to things of the world and it all starts with simply enjoying the fruit of the vine.</div> <bR> <div> What is so bad about this? Everyone else in Israel had houses and lands and vineyards, didn’t they? No, they did not! </div> <bR> <div> At that time Yahweh set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the covenant of Yahweh, to stand before Yahweh to serve Him and to bless in His name until this day. Therefore, Levi does not have a portion or inheritance with his brothers; Yahweh is his inheritance, just as Yahweh your God spoke to him. (Deuteronomy 10:8,9)</div> <bR> <div> The Rechabites, the sons of Jonadab, had chosen to share the portion of the Levites. They did not possess house or land or vineyard. God was their portion and inheritance. With David they could say,</div> <bR> <div> Yahweh is the portion of my inheritance and my cup; Thou dost support my lot. The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; Indeed, my heritage is beautiful to me. (Psalm 16:5,6)</div> <bR> <div> I believe there is much direct correlation between the sons of Jonadab and the calling to ministers today. These men were referred to as the Rechabites, Rechab being their grandfather. Rechab in Hebrew means rider. The word in the Hebrew is rakab, meaning to ride (on an animal or in a vehicle) (Strong’s 7392). In scripture and in dreams and visions, vehicles are often symbolic of ministry. I believe God is setting forth these men as a type or example for those He has called to minister today. </div> <bR> <div> Consider the following correlation, beginning with the symbolism of the fruit of the vine and what it represents in the Kingdom of God.</div> <bR> <div> I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit . . . By this is My Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be My disciples. (John 15:5, 8)</div> <bR> <div> In the Kingdom of God, the fruit is produced by the branches (believers) and is for the consumption or glory of the Father. Christians are to be the fruit bearers, not the fruit consumers. This is the error of Satan and the error of many ministers; desiring to derive some personal benefit from the fruit. Such ones see the fruit as an opportunity for selfish promotion and enlargement. </div> <bR> <div> As ministers, we are merely to be laborers in God’s vineyard.</div> <bR> <div> And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. (Ephesians 4:11-13)</div> <bR> <div> As ministers we do not own the seed, or the vineyard. We are simply caretakers of the vineyard, tending the branches that they might yield fruit for the glory of the Father. </div> <bR> <div> Many ministers today have erred in attempting to take ownership of the vineyard. Yahshua spoke a parable to the priests and Pharisees, those who were called to be the caretakers of the vineyard in their day.</div> <bR> <div> There was a landowner who planted a vineyard and put a wall around it and dug a winepress in it, and built a tower, and rented it out to vine-growers, and went on a journey. And when the harvest time approached, he sent his slaves to the vine-growers to receive his produce. And the vine-growers took his slaves and beat one, and killed another, and stoned a third. Again he sent another group of slaves larger than the first; and they did the same thing to them. But afterward he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ But when the vine-growers saw the son, they said among themselves, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and seize his inheritance.’ And they took him and threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vine-growers? (Matthew 21:33-40)</div> <bR> <div> Yahshua spoke this parable and it is recorded, “when the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they understood that He was speaking about them” (Matt. 33:45). Lest we assume that this parable has no application for today, consider the words of Solomon, “That which has been is that which will be, And that which has been done is that which will be done. So there is nothing new under the sun” (Eccl. 1:9). Men ever live to repeat the mistakes of the past.</div> <bR> <div> Ministers today are just as prone to abuse their stewardship as those of old. There is always a temptation to seize Christ’s inheritance and use it for selfish purposes. We must be ever vigilant against subtle and creeping sin. We must not in any way take that which belongs to the Father and which is intended for His glory and use it for our own glory. It is all too easy to drop a word here and there about our service to God and the fruitfulness of our efforts, not discerning that we have done so for our own promotion rather than the Father’s glory. Solomon again said, “Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; A stranger, and not your own lips” (Prov. 27:2).</div> <bR> <div> The sons of Jonadab were also instructed to not build houses. An appalling characteristic of our day is the competition between ministers of God and their congregations to build the grandest houses of worship that they possibly can. It is not too difficult to discern that it truly is the house that is being worshipped. The motive behind much of this building is to attract the proper type of people to the fellowship and to retain them. Image becomes all-important. Many churches today are relocating to trendier neighborhoods where they can attract more of the wealthy members of the community, despising the poor of whom James proclaimed, </div> <bR> <div> Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him. (James 2:5)</div> <bR> <div> It is interesting to note that the sons of Jonadab refused to own seed or plant a vineyard. As ministers, we are not to claim ownership of the seed. It is the Spirit that gives gifts to men, just as he wishes. The Spirit is the source. How then can we claim that souls were saved or lives changed by our ministry? We cannot in truth claim ownership of any part of the work. “No one can come to the Father, unless the Spirit draws him.” “So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” It is the Spirit alone who can lay claim to origination and ownership of the seed. He is also the One who brings the increase.</div> <bR> <div> Ministers who talk proudly about the number of souls saved under their ministry, or the people healed, or the prophecies given, etc. are in danger of claiming ownership of the seed. Those who boast of the works they have started are likened unto those who plant a vineyard for themselves. Such boasting is foolish in the eyes of God. The apostle Paul when forced to defend his apostleship to the Corinthian church said, “I have become foolish; you yourselves compelled me” (II Cor. 12:11).  “For not he who commends himself is approved, but whom the Lord commends” (II Cor. 10:18).</div> <bR> <div> In this day the Lord is looking for ministers who have the spirit of the sons of Jonadab, not coveting the things of this world, knowing that “friendship with the world is enmity with God.” As ministers, we are to not drink wine. All fruit produced in the vineyard is for the glory of the Father. </div> <bR> <div> Hundreds of years later, we find the same spirit residing in John the Baptist. John also spurned the fruit of the vine. He had taken the vow of a nazarite and was not allowed to partake of the fruit of the vine all of his days. John the Baptist did not have houses or lands either, but dwelt in the wilderness. It was he who said, “I must decrease, but He (Christ Yahshua) must increase.” This is the unselfish nature that the Lord desires in His servants.</div> <bR> <div> There is perhaps some spiritual application to the qualification for overseers that states that he must “not (be) addicted to wine” (I Tim. 3:3). Ministers are not to view the fruit of the vineyard in which they labor as something for their own consumption. They are to have the attitude that was found in the sons of Jonadab and in John the Baptist. They are to not be addicted to, or intoxicated by, the fruit of the vine. It is for the glory of God. They are to be as the Levites who had God as their portion and their inheritance. </div> <bR> <div> In fact, all Christians are to share these traits. Paul spoke to the believers in Ephesus,</div> <bR> <div> Do not be drunk with wine, for that is dissipation (mental distraction, excessive indulgence in luxury, Webster’s Dict.), but be filled with the Spirit. (Ephesians 5:18)</div> <bR> <div> As ministers, we should not view our calling as a means of gain. Let us not look for things to attach our name to, nor let us use the gifts or fruit of our labors to promote ourselves. God’s name is Jealous. Let us not provoke Him to anger. Let us be as Paul who said,</div> <bR> <div> For we never came with flattering speech, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed---God is witness---nor did we seek glory from men, either from you or from others. (I Thessalonians 2:5, 6)</div> <bR> <div> Too many sanctuaries have already been profaned as unscrupulous ministers have plied their selfish trade. Yahshua is coming a third and final time to cleanse the temple. He has said, “Zeal for My Father’s house has consumed Me.” Let us join Him in His zeal and keep the sanctuaries pure and undefiled.</div> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>