This was not done to tempt them, but to reprove the Jews, who resorted in great numbers to the temple; though they had cast off the fear of the God there worshipped.  God knew, and had probably informed the prophet, that the wine would be refused.  It was refused, and the reason, assigned—­“We will drink no wine; for Jonadab,—­the son of Rechab, our father commanded us, saying, Ye shall drink no wine, ye, nor your sons forever, Neither shall ye build house, nor sow seed, nor have any:  But all your days ye shall dwell in tents; that ye may live many days, in the land where ye be strangers.”

Some of these may seem to be strange restrictions; but they speak the piety of him who laid them, and his regard to the eternal, if not to the temporal interests, of his posterity.  The prohibition seems to have been the same with the law of the Nazerites.  Wine is doubtless here used in a large sense, for every kind of strong drink.  “Wine was given to make glad the heart of man.”  He is allowed to use it with temperance and sobriety:  But so many abuse it to their own hurt, and to the injury of society, that it is rather a curse, than a blessing, to the world.  Seeing the evils which resulted from the abuse—­the devastation of men and morals, which it occasioned, this good man, from love to his offspring, warned them wholly to abstain from it.  And what evils would many others have avoided, had they considered the counsel as given to them, and like this family, religiously regarded it?  The ravages of intemperance, exceed those of the sword; and the moral evils it hath occasioned surpass description!

But why the other restrictions included in the charge?  Why must the descendants of Jonadab be denied the comfort of warm and convenient dwellings, and reside in tents through every season of the year, to all generations?  Why must they possess neither fields nor vineyards, which were allowed to others, and promised to Israel, as part of the blessing, when they should settle in Canaan?

Peculiarities unknown to us, might render it proper for them to submit to self denials to which others are not called.  What they were we presume not to determine. *

* Mr. Henry undertakes to assign the reasons of all these injunctions; but as none can be assigned which are not merely conjectural, we choose rather to leave each one to make his own conjectures, as he may find occasion.

Mankind are exceedingly prone to set up their rest here, and promise themselves permanent dwellings on this rolling ball.  Could this man of God persuade his posterity that this was not their home, and engage them to seek another country, that is, an heavenly, and lay up their treasure there, whatever self denials it might cost them, it must have been, on the whole for their advantage.  This might be the general design of his counsel.

But whatever might be the design, admirable was the effect.  The whole family seemed to have listened to his advice, and for many ages to have obeyed his voice!  “Thus have we obeyed the voice of Jonadab, the son of Rechab our father, in all that he charged us—­and done according to all that he commanded us!”