Yes, Sir --- Maybe

“The words of Jonadab the son of Rechab, that he commanded his sons not to drink wine, are performed; for unto this day they drink none, but obey their father’s commandment: notwithstanding I have spoken unto you, rising early and speaking; but ye hearkened not unto me.” (Jer 35:14 AV)

Jonadab commanded his sons to refuse all wine and live in as transients.  They dwelt in tents.  They sowed no seed, built no homes, and permanently settled nowhere.  They lived off the land and kept themselves unspotted from the world.  These commandments may have been motivated for very practical reasons.  They could escape any threat easily and quickly.  If they were always sober and mobile, it reduced any threat the Babylonians could raise against them.  These sons did not question the authority.  They harkened unto the words of their father and obeyed implicitly.  Even though these sons eventually fled into the city of Jerusalem proving that even the best preparations could not avoid the hand of God, they were blessed by the LORD because they at least understood submission to authority.  The question to Judah was if the sons of Jonadab could follow their authority without question, and that authority was a flawed human, why couldn’t Judah harken to and obey the Word of God?

We will obey parents because we are afraid of the punishment that awaits if we do not.  We will obey our employer because we do not want to get fired.  We will obey the traffic officer because we do not want to get a ticket.  We will obey the tax man because we do not want to lose all that we have.  We will obey the civil government because we do not want to go to jail.  We will obey all sorts of human authorities, but when it comes to the LORD, we pick and choose what we will or will not obey!

In the end, those who learn to submit to authority are the ones who are ultimately blessed.  The sons of Jonadab were allowed to stay in the land after all others were carried away.  They learned to obey their father’s word in the most extreme of all situations.  This enabled them to submit to the Word of the LORD.  It is easy to submit when the alternative is far worse.  It is harder to submit when the consequences don’t seem so bad.  It is the later which the LORD is seeking!  Obedience out of respect, not out of fear!