Lessons From The Rechabites — Jeremiah 35

0:00 Let's let's open up with a word of prayer. Heavenly father, lord, thank you for this time that we have to gather together and lord, open up your word and learn more about you, lord and and and lord, I just pray that you would just bless this time that we have together. Lord and and that you would that you would just impress upon our hearts. Something that you that you desire the body to know lord. Lord, I pray for the body.

0:29 I pray for myself. Lord, that we would just glorify you and give you the honor as do your name. We give thanks in Jesus name. Amen. Amen.

0:38 Okay. So, let's see. Okay, we're good. We're good. Let's open up to Jeremiah chapter 35.

0:51 So, I wanted to start with a little survey and I wanted to ask the the OGs and by OGs, I mean, original grandmas but we're... Omi is not here today. I did ask Omi yesterday and she said she had no idea who the Recobites are And then missus Reeder is not here, the other OG. And and... But a little quick survey to you all who all here before the character study has...

1:18 You know, did you even... Have you ever heard of the Recobites? Who here has heard of the Recobites? So we have handful, a handful of people. Most people never heard of the Ruckabites, okay?

1:26 Neither did I. It took me a couple weeks to say their names right. So here we go. If you... Before we start off, we need, before we start into the passage, we first need to know who the Recobites are, you know, what time period, and and the kind of people that they were.

1:44 So, the first thing, alright, Jeremiah 35, the Recobites obedience, convictions, and theology. Big word, I had to look it up to make sure I was using it right. That that study of the nature of god, okay? So, the first thing, who were the Recobites? So, the Recobites, okay, are a very I would say a small group of people.

2:07 They're pretty few but they were descendants. Oh, I'm sorry. They were descendants of the Kenite priest, Jethro, which was Moses's father-in-law and and I have all the verses here. We're not going to turn to him for the sake of time but I I can send you on a quick, you know, on a little scavenger hunt in the through the Bible that I went through to find out all these things about the Recobites but they're descendants of of Jethro, Moses' father-in-law and and how they end up in the time period we're at. So, while Moses and and with Israel going through the wilderness, Moses asked his brother-in-law, Hobab, Hobab, I'm I'm butchering it but he asked him to join their journey in the promised land.

2:48 So, that's how we have the Jacobites dwelling in the area around and in Judah during the time period that we're studying. So, the person, a person that's going to come up frequently is Jonadab. This is their father who gave them their initial commandment that we'll read about, okay? And Jonadab, something that we see about his character is that he had great zeal for the lord. He had great zeal for carrying out the commandments of god and that is in second Kings ten fifteen to 36 that he he helped King Jehu purge the Baal worshipers out of Judah, out of Israel, I mean.

3:25 And other mentions of of their ancestors and lineage are are listed there but that's just a little bit about them and now, I always need to help me with you know, so many components of what's going on during during history, during the time period that we're looking at. I need a I I need a timeline and especially with Israel and Judah, I need a timeline of of the kings lined up and so, here I have a little timeline of you can't see all the all the small names but I have the the the big ones that we're that we're talking about. I also put in there all the the people that we've studied so far who are in this timeline of of the kings of Israel and the kings of Judah. You see Jonadab right there. So, Jonadab is alive during the time of Jehu, King Jehu and where we're studying is Jeremiah and the Recobites during the time of King Jehoachim.

4:26 Bill, what are the lessons from King Josiah? Little review for you. Put you on the hot seat that we learned in VBS. You know. But do you remember the sayings?

4:42 He he heard the word. Yes. Walked in the way. Tender is the bender. Mister Hillen, what's the other one?

4:51 Right in sight. Right in the sight. Yep. Obviously, we need to review what we learn at DBS again, you know? But so that is that is King Josiah, okay?

5:00 So, King Josiah that was right in the sight of the lord. King Jehoachim did not. So, what happened here is is King Jehoachim, okay? His name is his name was originally Eliakim but Pharaoh Nico at this time when his older brother Jehoaz Jehoaz, Jehoaz, I'm not... I'm gonna butcher these names, but he became king and he reigned for two months until pharaoh Nico took him away as prisoner to Egypt.

5:25 Okay? And then Jehoiakim took over. He reigned for eleven years, okay, starting in in six zero nine BC to five ninety seven BC. And so what happened right in five five ninety seven BC was the first siege on Jerusalem during king Nebuchadnezzar's reign. So this is when...

5:45 So immediately following King Jehoiakim's reign, Babylon took over took over Jerusalem. And and so during this time, we know that that that Judah, Israel, they were they were both just living in rejection of God. They're disobedient, and and that's what will be... When we're studying in Jeremiah 35, that's what god is is addressing here. And so, you know, all these characters, keep in mind, Jehovah being the first, mister Boss.

6:15 What did Jehovah... What did Jeho... Jeroboam do right? What did he do correctly? Nothing.

6:22 Right? Yeah. Yep. He did nothing right. Yep.

6:25 So so here we have a little timeline of of everything that's going on. Hopefully, now you have a, I guess maybe a foundational understanding of of who the Recomites are, where they came from, and so we'll get into reading the whole chapter now of Jeremiah 35. So starting verse one, I'm I'm assuming everyone's had time to to turn there. It says here, starting in verse one, the word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord in the days of Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah, king of Judah, saying, go to the house of the Recobites, speak to them, and bring them into the house of the Lord, into one of the chambers, and give them wine to drink. Then I took Jazaniah, the son of Jeremiah, the son of Habazaniah, his brothers, and all his sons, and the whole house of the Rehobites, and I brought them into the house of the Lord, into the chambers of the sons of Hanan, the son of Igdalia, a man of God, which was by the chamber of the princess above the chamber of Messiah, the son of Shalom, the keeper of the door.

7:23 Then I set before the sons of the house of the Recobites bowls full of wine and cups, and I said to them, drink wine. But they said, we will drink no wine. For Jonadab, the son of Rechab, our father, commanded us saying, you shall drink no wine, you nor your sons forever. You shall not build a house, sow seed, plant a vineyard, nor have any of these, but all your days, you shall dwell in tents, that you may live many days in a land where you are sojourners. Thus, we have obeyed the voice of Jonadab, the son of Rekab, our father, and all that he charged us to drink no wine all our days.

7:56 We, our wives, our sons, or our daughters, nor to build houses, to build ourselves houses to dwell in, nor do we have vineyard, field, or seed, but we have dwelt in tents and have obeyed and done according to all that Jonadab, our father, commanded us. But it came to pass when Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, came up into the land that we said, come, let us go to Jerusalem for fear of the army of the Chaldeans and for fear of the army of the Syrians. So we dwell at Jerusalem. Then came the word of the Lord to Jeremiah saying, thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, go and tell the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, will you not receive instruction to obey my words, says the Lord? The words of Jonadab, the son of Rakub, which he commanded his sons not to drink wine are performed for to this day they drink none and obey their father's commandment.

8:44 Although I have spoken to you rising early and speaking, you do not obey me And I've sent... And I've also sent to you all my servants, the prophets, rising up early and sending them, saying, turn now everyone from his evil way, amend your doings, and do not go after other gods to serve them, then you will dwell in the land which I have given you, and you and your fathers. But you have not inclined your ear nor obeyed me. Surely, sons of Jonadab, the son of Rehob, have performed the commandment of their father, which he commanded them, but this people has not obeyed me. Therefore, thus says the Lord God of hosts, the God of Israel, behold, I will bring on Judah and on all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, all the doom that I pronounce against them, because I have spoken to them, but they have not heard.

9:24 And I've called to them, but they have not answered. And Jeremiah said to the to the house of the Rehobites, thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, because you have obeyed the commandment of Jonadab your father and kept all his precepts and done according to all that he commanded you, therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Jonadab, the son of Reichab, shall not lack a man to stand before me forever. So the first, let me get a drink of water. That was a lot of reading. So, the first thing that we can learn about the Recabites is is is we can notice is what do the Recabites do differently than Judah?

10:40 They and they they turned away from god immediately following his reign and and his son and and king Jehoachim. And what the Jacobites did differently, we see here in in in the in the in the PowerPoint, here we have... This is Jonadab, and we're looking at King Jehoiakim here. This a... This time period is a difference of about three to four hundred years.

11:03 So for three to four hundred years, the Recobites carefully followed the way that their father commanded them. And and so Deuteronomy four nine through 10, this this verse is so important for all of us. It's a lesson to to... You know, I'm not a parent, but it's a lesson to me. It's a lesson to to parents, to grandparents.

11:22 It says here, Deuteronomy four nine to 10, only take heed to yourself and diligently keep yourself, lest you forget the things your eyes have seen, unless they depart from your heart all the days of your life, and teach them to your children and your grandchildren, especially concerning the day you stood before the lord your god in Horeb, when the lord said to them, gather to the gather the people to me and I will let them hear my words that they may learn to fear me all the days they live on the earth, that they may teach their children, and in Proverbs twenty two six, it says, train up a child in the way he should go and he will not depart from it. Now, once again, it's a proverb. Right? That's not a promise. It's a proverb.

11:59 It's a general saying that generally, right, that if you train up a child in the way he should go, he will not depart from it. And so the first thing is how is how can we be like the Recobites in the sense where where they diligently followed their their their father's commandments. The first thing to do, alright? For for parents, grandparents, the the family unit is so important. The family unit is the first thing...

12:26 Is is your first ministry as a parent. And so the first thing you need to do is is we need to be an example and be credible. And so by doing that, we have to we have to live it out for ourselves to be able to teach our children. If your desire is for for your children to be to be godly men and women, to be god fearing Christians for the lord, then then we first, as it says here in Deuteronomy, take heed to yourself. That means that means to to apply it to yourself first that that you need to do this yourself before you can tell other people to do it.

13:03 You know, example I have is that in wrestling, okay, and, you know, the practices are miserable and all those things. And when I have a wrestling coach... If I ever had a wrestling coach that didn't first do the miserable task that he's telling me to do, I don't wanna listen to that. Like, I don't wanna do that. No way.

13:21 He has no credibility. And so that's why we need to first live out being a godly example to our children, being a godly example to those around us in order to be able to teach them and don't get me wrong that we're not perfect. We're gonna make mistakes. That that's that's part of it but the the important thing there is to to confess and repent before god and also confess and repent to those who who you're being an example to. And that's important too to own our mistakes.

13:51 And so so by pursuing... By being diligent to pursue god, then we need to teach the word. Colossians three sixteen, if we can turn there real quick. I don't think I have it up there. No, I don't.

14:10 Colossians three sixteen says this, let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. So if we wanna be able to teach our children, we wanna be able to teach those to to follow God, to obey his commandments, we need to have the word of Christ dwelling richly in us. That... And I also wanna turn to Deuteronomy chapter six in verse nine. This is this is how it can be applied in our lives.

14:45 This is how it should look. Deuteronomy six nine reads this, and these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and you shall talk talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorsteps, the doorposts of your house, and on your gates, And that that for the word of Christ, the word of God to dwell richly in us.

15:21 That and and and at every opportunity, every moment to be able to to use it to teach your children the way in which they should go, to train your child in the way that he or she should go. And then the third thing that is that is vital is we need to explain why. We need to explain why to to our children, to to those in the body, why we do the things we do. Why why works don't save? Why God created us?

15:52 Why is it wrong to be drunk? Why is it wrong to to have sex outside of marriage? All these things. Right? We need a why because having a why solidifies...

16:40 We don't have just some sort of blind faith but that we have a sound faith that is according to logic and according to reason. And so the Jacobites, they they... I believe that they carried these things out. For four hundred years, they were able to do the... They were...

16:56 They kept their father's commandments and they knew their why. Their why that says in in in verse eight or no, in verse seven, it says, but all your days you shall you shall dwell in tents, that you may live many days in a land where you are sojourners. And so they knew that that they're sojourners, that that they don't belong in that land, that their citizenship is in heaven. And so that's the first thing is is the obedient Jacobites. The next thing, the Jacobites, weak in the faith.

17:27 Oh. Lord, I I bet you guys can bet we're we're gonna turn. What what do you think? Romans 14? Let's turn to Romans 14.

17:37 What does weak in the faith mean? That, you know, that that is a term that can be offensive if not understood correctly. And the Recabites were indeed weak in the faith. And so this is an another application of of obedience to God. So, being weak in the faith had being weak is unfounded scruples or doubts of morality over matters of secondary importance.

18:08 That's Willie McDonald that that wrote that and so being weak in the faith means that that something itself isn't inherently wrong, but to you it's wrong. And and therefore, to your conscience, to you yourself, it is wrong. And so the record bites now that everyone is is turned to Romans 14 away from Jeremiah 35. What were some of the what were some of the convictions of the record bites? Anyone remember?

18:33 Anyone remember what we read? Little pop quiz. Not drink wine. Not drink wine. Trevor, you said some...

18:40 You said something? No? Yep. Yep. Can't...

18:44 Don't build a house. Bill? Mhmm. Mhmm. And other things like sow seed, plant a vineyard.

18:56 I mean, a lot of people here, if that were truly a sin, they... You'd literally be living in sin as in living in a house, you're living you're living in sin. Right? But that's not. The the...

19:07 So the first thing here is is these things are not inherently sins in themselves. Romans fourteen fourteen says this, I know and am convinced by the Lord Jesus there is nothing unclean of itself. To him who considers anything to be unclean, to him, it is unclean. And so it it's important to keep in mind that that many things are black and white. Many things are are easy for us to know that this is wrong.

19:34 It says in the word of God, you know, what things are wrong, what things are right. And so... But this verse here is not an alleyway for sin. For example, alcohol. Right?

19:43 Alcohol itself is not a sin. It's not wrong. But the perversion of it is we're not to be drunk. Sex. Right?

19:51 Sex is a beautiful thing created by God and that itself is not wrong but the perversion of it is. We think pornography and those things like that that are just crippling society. Those things are wrong. That's a perversion of what god created that is good. So, it's important to keep that in mind that this is not an alleyway for sin.

20:09 This is not, you know, you can't... Your your conscience cannot make anything that is on... Really unclean, clean. Okay? It can only make things that are clean, unclean.

20:19 And so, the second thing here is, it's important to be able to ask ourself, can I do this as to the Lord? And so that's the thing here in in Romans 14 verses six through eight. It says here, he who observes the day, observes it to the Lord. And he who does not observe the day, to the Lord, he does not observe it. He who eats to the Lord, he who eats, eats to the Lord, but who gives thanks, and he who does not eat, to the Lord, he does not eat and gives God thanks.

20:46 For none of us lives to himself and no one dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord's. So it's important to keep in mind here that that we need to ask ourself, can I do this as to the Lord? In in my personal conviction, am I able to do this to glorify God?

21:11 And that... That's gonna... That's... Everyone's gonna have a different answer for for how they can do this as to the Lord in in those things that are not inherently wrong. The third thing that the rectifieds did is that they didn't compromise.

21:44 We need to be, you know, pleasant to our host and no. No. That if it's wrong to you, that no matter what, you're you're not doing this to to please men, you're obeying god and so it's important to not compromise your convictions. It says here in in Romans fourteen fifteen, we'll read that. Yet if your brother is grieved because of your food, you're no longer walking in love.

22:08 And in verse 21, it says here, it is good neither to eat meat nor drink wine nor do anything by which your brother stumbles or is offended or is made weak. So therefore, any compromise that we make is not to make our convictions any less strict but in the end those who don't find that certain area of conviction that that person may have is to bear with the scruples of the weak. And so they're the... We are to make our conviction stronger for the sake of others because if we don't, then we're no longer walking in love. If we grieve our brother or sister, if we cause someone to stumble, we're no longer walking in love in that.

22:50 And so, to the weak, don't judge. We can read Romans fourteen ten here. But why do you judge your brother or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. And so those who judge are are those who have the stronger convictions that that because you think it's wrong, you're trying to impose that that conviction on someone else and and as a result, those who don't think it's wrong are are showing contempt.

23:19 And so the the the main the main the main goal for here in our application at WBF is that we would have peace, unity, and edification. In in in in verse 19, it says here, therefore, let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another. And then 15, five, and six of Romans. Now may the god of patience and comfort grant you to be like minded toward one another according to Christ Jesus, that you may, with one mind and one mouth, glorify the god and father of our lord Jesus Christ. And so in this, in our...

23:56 In these areas of convictions and bearing with one another and walking in love, that is our goal. It is for for unity, for edification, and for peace. And so when we don't do that, when we when we cause a brother to stumble, when we compromise our our convictions, there there's not peace in that. And and something else about about peace, can see in Ephesians chapter four verses one through three. Further pointed out the importance of it.

24:33 It says here Paul... This is Paul writing to the to the church in Ephesus. He says, I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you are called with all lowliness and gentleness, with long suffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. And that unity in the spirit, we're trying to keep that. And so it's not the unity of the spirit that changes because because in the spirit, there is unity that's unchanging, but it's us that that we that we change.

25:04 And so so we need to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. And that bond of peace is Jesus Christ. We... In Ephesians two fourteen, it says, for he himself is our peace, who has made both one and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in his flesh the enmity that is the law of commandments contained in ordinances as to create in himself one new man from the two, thus making peace. And so Jesus Christ is is our peace.

25:36 He made peace through our own, you know, our differences of ethnicity, race, socioeconomic status, all these things are made one and we're also... He's broken the barrier between God and man and and so that's how he is our peace. And so, yeah, this is... This can only be done through the work of the Holy Spirit. And so if anyone tells you that that I can't get along with that person unless it's divine intervention that, you know, yeah, if you're right.

26:38 But the Recabites... And and so what did God do? Because God rewards obedience. We know that. What what did God promise to them?

26:48 It says here, we'll read eighteen and nineteen again. And Jeremiah said to the house of the Rehobites, thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, because you have obeyed the commandment of Jonadab your father and kept all his precepts and done according to all that he commanded you. Therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Jonadab the son of Rechab shall not like a man to stand before me forever. Now that that phrase there shall not like a man to stand before me forever. That's that's the promise that God that God gave to the Jacobites.

27:19 And I honestly don't know. There there are several things that promise could be. I I I myself really really don't know. It could be either that that their their present... That their lifestyle that is preserved.

27:34 Right? That they're teaching it to their children and they're remembering god and all these things that it's that it's a promise that their lifestyle will be preserved. It could be a promise of of just eternally that that their that the Recobites, those who follow god and and obey Jonadab and all those things are are in heaven with the lord. Right? That that can be applied or it could be to to not lack a...

28:00 For a a man to stand before me. Also, it is the same diction used in the priest where the the the priesthood, the Levi priesthood would stand before god for the people. Right? And and we see that in in Nehemiah three fourteen, it does suggest that that the Recobites were in a way absorbed into the priesthood and especially Nehemiah shows that they that they survived the captivity, the 70 captivity of is of of Jerusalem and that that there is a record by in in the priesthood and so I I I really don't know. I really don't know.

28:41 You know, I... I'm open to suggestions, number one, but if anything, what I do take comfort in and what we can take comfort in is that that God is faithful to his promises. And so I don't know how god is fulfilling this. I don't know how he has fulfilled it but I do know that he's true to his promise and he's faithful. And then going on to our position versus condition, it's important to to see and throughout the chapter, god's talking to his people.

29:09 That's their that's their position. It's unchanging. God made a covenant with his people, right, that that he will not break. And so... But their their condition didn't match their position.

29:21 Their position is God's people, but their condition where they were being in the way that they were acting, the way that they were that they were living, were living in a way where where they were not being his people and and and we do that often ourselves that when we have Christ, when we are sealed with the Holy Spirit, our position is in Christ and that's unchanging But sometimes our condition when we fail, when we fall away, when we walk away from the Lord, our condition doesn't match our position and our condition changes. And so here we have... And so the position is is that that they are God's people and and that that we know that God is faithful and was faithful to to his covenant. But the condition of Judah of Jerusalem that that they're harlots, they're idolaters, and that they're living in rejection of god and so the first thing in in application to ourselves is is what is our position? Is our position?

30:19 Ephesians two one through two, it says, in you, he made alive who are dead in trespasses and sins in he once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, by nature, children of wrath. So, is that is that our position, right? Are are those in here? Is that your position right now? Are you are are you a son of disobedience?

30:45 That that that is living in the flesh, living in rejection to god, in that enmity with god Or are we John one twelve through 13? But as many as as received him, to them, he gave the right to become children of god, to those who believe in his name, who are born not of blood, nor of the will of flesh, nor the will of man, but of god. So those are two very different positions that you're either a son of disobedience or or you're a child of god and you become a child of god through the blood of Jesus Christ by accepting him and repenting of your sins and and and that's what god earnestly desires and that's what we wanna talk about next is is something that I've just been super encouraged by the term rising early. We see that in Jeremiah 35 verses almost out of time. Jeremiah 35 verses fourteen and fifteen.

31:44 This is Gadi. He's saying, the words of Jonadab, the son of Reichab, which he commanded his sons not to drink wine are performed. To this day, they drink none and obey their father's commandment. And then God's saying this to his people, but although I have spoken to you, rising early and speaking, you do not obey me. I've also sent to you all my servants, the prophets, rising up early and sending them saying, turn now everyone from his evil way, amend your doings, and do not go after other gods to serve them.

32:10 Then you will dwell in the land which I have given you and your fathers, but you have not inclined you have not inclined your ear nor obeyed me. And that that this term rising early, looking it up, it means to... And it's used throughout Jeremiah that God earnestly and persistently again and again that God desires first a relationship with us and fellowship with us. And so I... I'd like to turn to Revelation three nineteen through 20 that God in his earnestness he sent...

33:07 And this is Jesus. This is Jesus talking and and this just goes to to say that that God just earnestly desires to be with us. It says here, as many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. The the Israelites Jerusalem, they were they were being rebuked and they were being chastened. Therefore, be zealous and repent.

33:29 And so God's goal, even even when rebuking Judah in Jeremiah 35, that God's goal, his desire is that they would repent and return to him. And it says here in verse 20, Jesus is saying this, behold, I stand at the door and knock. And this is talking about our hearts. He's knocking at the door of our hearts. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into him and dine with him and he with me.

33:57 So the question there is is will you open the door? Will you... It's up to us. God gives us a choice. Right?

34:04 He's given us a free will that here's God. He's there. He's... He he desires us to to have fellowship with him. So are we going to choose him?

34:13 Are we going to open up the door and let Jesus into our heart? And then in Luke Luke fifteen twenty through 24, I think we find this applying to ourselves all the time. Now this is a parable that Jesus gave speaking to to his disciples and whereas I can't remember if it was to his disciples, but there's a parable Jesus gave of this this prodigal son who who abandoned his father. He took it... He took his father's inheritance, went off and and, you know, lived in sin, rejected his father and and now...

34:50 Then his son, he realizes what he did wrong and he comes back to him. And this is this is God in relationship to us that the father... We are the son. We are the prodigal son and God is is the father here. And he says in verse 20, and he arose and came to his father.

35:09 But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion and ran and fell on his and fell on his neck and kissed him. And so God, to apply it to yourself that that God saw me. He saw me turn around. He had compassion on me. He ran to me, and he fell on my neck and kissed me.

35:31 And so that when we turn back, like, that all God says is turn. In Jeremiah 35, what does he ask the the the his people to do? He says, just just turn from those gods. Turn from serving those gods. Turn from your because when we turn, god is right there that when we draw near to god, he will draw near to us and so that's just turn.

35:56 And verse 21, and the son said to him, father, I have sinned against heaven and and in your sight and I'm no longer worthy to be called your son. But the father said to his servants, bring out the best robe and put it on him and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet and bring the fatted calf here and kill it and let us eat and be merry for this my own... For this my son was dead and is alive again. He was lost and is found, and they began to be merry. And so when we return to the Lord, he restores us to himself completely and gives us back...

36:28 The the father here gave his prodigal son back his inheritance, back his his his place in the family and that's what god does with us. And so what we can take from this too is in closing that that god commands us to obey Like the Recobites that they obeyed. They they were diligent to pursue. They taught their children and and they remembered God. And so God commands us to obey and two two of the the primary commandments, right, is if you love me, obey my commandments.

37:48 Lord, we thank you for your son, Lord Jesus, who who died for us, who took the penalty of sin upon himself. Lord, we just we're just so odd by that the fact that you would love us, lord. We are nothing before you, lord and but you loved us and and you and you desire to continue to desire to have a relationship with us and fellowship with us. Lord, you will that none would perish but that all would come to repentance. Lord, we thank you for your love and we just thank you for your word that is able to teach us and and guide us to live a life that is pleasing and glorifying you.

38:29 Lord, I just pray for safety as everyone travels back home. In this, I pray in Jesus name. Amen.