Jeremiah 35:18
And Jeremiah said unto the house of the Rechabites, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Because ye have obeyed the commandment of Jonadab your father, and kept all his precepts, and done according unto all that he hath commanded you:
Jeremiah 35:18 records God's commendation and blessing of the house of the Rechabites because they obeyed the commandment of Jonadab their father, kept all his precepts, and did according to all that he commanded them. Their obedience was willing, ready, faithful, and constant, fully proved over time. Nothing was required of them but what they were able to perform. Jonadab was a good and wise father, and his directions were against intemperance.
Their faithfulness stands in contrast to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, who would not receive instruction nor hearken to God's words through the prophets. Judah's disobedience was unrighteous and aggravated, for God spoke to them rising early and sent His servants the prophets calling them to return from evil and amend their doings. God uses the loyalty of the Rechabites to let the Jews see their own disobedience.
Because of that obedience God promises that Jonadab's descendants will always have someone to stand before Him. The verse teaches that faithfulness and obedience to rightful authority and rightful requirements are reflected in and honored with blessing. Obedience to a father's directions shows how much greater reverence people owe God as their holy Creator and commander.
Their example warns God's people who have received great light not to turn from it and follow their own impulses, but to heed God's warnings. Disregarding and despising God's counsel brings judgment and ruin. God uses many means to lead people to see and repent of sin, yet He does not preserve and prosper a people who despise His counsel and persist in rejecting His reproof and acting against His will.