It is better to obey. Short term harder, long term, easier.

Jeremiah 34–35 contrasts broken promises with faithful obedience. In chapter 34, Judah briefly does what is right by freeing Hebrew slaves, then reverses course and enslaves them again, violating a covenant made before Jehovah. Because of that hypocrisy and disobedience, Jehovah confirms that Jerusalem will fall to Babylon. Chapter 35 presents the Rechabites as the opposite example: they faithfully obey the instructions of their forefather Jehonadab for generations. Jehovah uses their loyalty to expose Judah’s failure to listen to Him, and He promises to honor the Rechabites for their obedience.

Jeremiah 34

The word that came to Jeremiah from Jehovah, when King Neb·u·chad·nezʹzar of Babylon and all his army and all the kingdoms of the earth under his dominion and all the peoples were fighting against Jerusalem and all her cities:

“This is what Jehovah the God of Israel says, ‘Go and speak to King Zed·e·kiʹah of Judah and tell him:

“This is what Jehovah says, ‘Here I am giving this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will burn it with fire. And you will not escape out of his hand, for you will without fail be caught and handed over to him. And you will see the king of Babylon eye to eye, and he will speak to you face-to-face, and you will go to Babylon.’

“However, hear the word of Jehovah, O King Zed·e·kiʹah of Judah, ‘This is what Jehovah says concerning you: “You will not die by the sword. In peace you will die, and they will make a burning ceremony for you as they did for your fathers, the former kings who were before you, and they will mourn you, ‘Alas, O master!’ for ‘I have spoken the word,’ declares Jehovah.”’”’”

Jeremiah the prophet then spoke all these words to King Zed·e·kiʹah of Judah in Jerusalem, when the armies of the king of Babylon were fighting against Jerusalem and against all the cities of Judah that were left, against Laʹchish and against A·zeʹkah; for they were the only fortified cities that remained of the cities of Judah.

The word that came to Jeremiah from Jehovah after King Zed·e·kiʹah had made a covenant with all the people in Jerusalem to proclaim liberty to them, that everyone should free his Hebrew slaves, male and female, so that no one would keep a fellow Jew as his slave.

So all the princes and all the people obeyed. They had entered into the covenant that everyone should free his male and female slaves and not keep them as slaves any longer. They obeyed and let them go.

However, they later brought back the male and female slaves whom they had freed, and they again forced them back into slavery.

So the word of Jehovah came to Jeremiah from Jehovah, saying:

“This is what Jehovah the God of Israel says, ‘I made a covenant with your forefathers in the day I brought them out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, saying:

“At the end of seven years, each of you should free his Hebrew brother who was sold to you and who has served you six years; you must set him free.”

“But your forefathers did not listen or incline their ears to me.

“And recently you yourselves turned around and did what was right in my eyes by proclaiming liberty to your fellow men, and you made a covenant before me in the house that bears my name.

“But then you turned around and profaned my name by bringing back your male and female slaves whom you had freed according to their desire, and you forced them back into slavery.’

“Therefore this is what Jehovah says:

‘You have not obeyed me in proclaiming liberty, each one to his brother and to his fellow man. So I will now proclaim liberty to you,’ declares Jehovah, ‘to the sword, to pestilence, and to famine, and I will make you an object of horror to all the kingdoms of the earth.

‘And this is what will happen to the men who violated my covenant by not carrying out the words of the covenant that they made before me when they cut the calf in two and passed between the halves, namely, the princes of Judah, the princes of Jerusalem, the court officials, the priests, and all the people of the land who passed between the halves of the calf:

‘I will hand them over to their enemies and to those seeking to take their lives, and their dead bodies will become food for the birds of the heavens and for the beasts of the earth.

‘And I will give King Zed·e·kiʹah of Judah and his princes into the hand of their enemies and into the hand of those seeking to take their lives and into the hand of the armies of the king of Babylon, who are withdrawing from against you.’

“‘Here I will give the order,’ declares Jehovah, ‘and I will bring them back to this city, and they will fight against it and capture it and burn it with fire; and the cities of Judah I will make a wasteland, without an inhabitant.’”

Jeremiah 35

The word that came to Jeremiah from Jehovah in the days of Je·hoiʹa·kim son of Jo·siʹah, the king of Judah, saying:

“Go to the house of the Reʹcha·bites and speak with them and bring them into the house of Jehovah, into one of the dining rooms; then offer them wine to drink.”

So I took Ja·az·a·niʹah the son of Jeremiah the son of Hab·az·zi·niʹah, his brothers, all his sons, and the entire house of the Reʹcha·bites into the house of Jehovah.

I brought them to the dining room of the sons of Haʹnan the son of Ig·da·liʹah, a man of the true God, which was next to the dining room of the princes that was above the dining room of Ma·a·seiʹah the son of Shalʹlum the doorkeeper.

Then I put cups and goblets full of wine before the men of the house of the Reʹcha·bites and said to them:

“Drink wine.”

But they said:

“We will not drink wine, because Je·honʹa·dab the son of Reʹchab, our forefather, gave us this command, ‘Neither you nor your sons must ever drink wine.

‘And you must not build a house, sow seed, or plant or obtain a vineyard. Instead, you must always dwell in tents, so that you may live for a long time in the land where you are residing as foreigners.’

“So we continue to obey the voice of Je·honʹa·dab the son of our forefather Reʹchab in all that he commanded us, by never drinking any wine—we, our wives, our sons, and our daughters.

“And we do not build houses to dwell in, nor do we have vineyards or fields or seed. We keep living in tents and obeying all that Je·honʹa·dab our forefather commanded us.

“But when King Neb·u·chad·nezʹzar of Babylon came up against the land, we said, ‘Come, let us go into Jerusalem to escape the army of the Chal·deʹans and of the Syrians,’ and now we are living in Jerusalem.”

And the word of Jehovah came to Jeremiah, saying:

“This is what Jehovah of armies, the God of Israel, says:

‘Go and say to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem:

“Were you not continually urged to obey my words?” declares Jehovah.

“Je·honʹa·dab the son of Reʹchab commanded his descendants not to drink wine, and they have carried out his words by not drinking it to this day, thus obeying the order of their forefather.

“However, I have spoken to you again and again, but you have not obeyed me.

“And I kept sending all my servants the prophets to you, sending them again and again, saying, ‘Turn back, please, each of you from your evil ways, and do what is right! Do not walk after other gods and serve them. Then you will keep dwelling in the land that I gave to you and your forefathers.’

“But you did not incline your ear or listen to me.

“The descendants of Je·honʹa·dab the son of Reʹchab have carried out the order that their forefather gave them, but these people have not listened to me.”’”

“Therefore this is what Jehovah, the God of armies, the God of Israel, says:

‘Here I am bringing on Judah and on all the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the calamity that I have warned them about, for I have spoken to them, but they would not listen, and I kept calling to them, but they would not answer.’”

And Jeremiah said to the household of the Reʹcha·bites:

“This is what Jehovah of armies, the God of Israel, says:

‘Because you have obeyed the order of your forefather Je·honʹa·dab and you continue to observe all his orders, doing exactly what he ordered you, this is what Jehovah of armies, the God of Israel, says:

“There will never fail to be a descendant of Je·honʹa·dab the son of Reʹchab to serve in my presence.”’”