Jeremiah 35 Bible study questions are built for small groups, Sunday classes and personal reading alike. This chapter tells the story of a family that kept an ancient promise faithfully, and it uses their obedience to hold up a mirror to Judah, which had ignored God’s repeated calls to turn back. The questions below move from what the text says, to what it means, to how it should shape daily life.
Jeremiah 35 at a Glance
The chapter opens during the reign of King Jehoiakim. The LORD tells Jeremiah to bring the household of the Rechabites into one of the temple rooms and offer them wine. When they refuse, explaining that their ancestor Jonadab commanded abstinence and a nomadic life in tents, the prophet has a living example to set beside the people of Jerusalem.
God then speaks directly to Judah. The Rechabites have kept a human command for generations, yet Judah has not listened to God’s own prophets. The chapter closes with a promise of blessing to the Rechabites. Leaders can move through the flow in that order: the invitation, the refusal, the rebuke and the blessing.
Observation Questions
Use this set first, before anyone offers an opinion. Ask the group to point to the exact words and resist the urge to interpret. Read each verse aloud and let silence sit for a moment before the next question.
Jeremiah 35:6-7
6 But they said, “We will drink no wine; for Jonadab the son of Rechab, our father, commanded us, saying, ‘You shall drink no wine, neither you, nor your sons, forever. 7 You shall not build a house, sow seed, plant a vineyard, or have any; but all your days you shall dwell in tents, that you may live many days in the land in which you live as nomads.’
(WEB)
Read this passage early to set the scene. Hearing the Rechabites explain their father’s command in their own words lets the group feel the weight of the commitment before the chapter turns toward Judah.
Jeremiah 35:14
“The words of Jonadab the son of Rechab that he commanded his sons, not to drink wine, are performed; and to this day they drink none, for they obey their father’s commandment; but I have spoken to you, rising up early and speaking, and you have not listened to me.
(WEB)
This verse states the central contrast of the chapter in one sentence. Reading it aloud helps the group hear God’s frustration at being ignored despite constant, early, faithful speaking.
Jeremiah 35:15
I have sent also to you all my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them, saying, ‘Every one of you must return now from his evil way, amend your doings, and don’t go after other gods to serve them, then you will dwell in the land which I have given to you and to your fathers:’ but you have not inclined your ear, nor listened to me.
(WEB)
Here God summarizes the message he sent through the prophets. Reading the call to return from evil allows the group to hear the invitation as well as the warning.
Jeremiah 35:17
“Therefore the LORD, the God of Armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘Behold, I will bring on Judah and on all the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the evil that I have pronounced against them; because I have spoken to them, but they have not heard; and I have called to them, but they have not answered.’”
(WEB)
This verse names the consequences Judah faced for not answering God. Reading it helps the group see that the judgment follows from a relationship that was offered, not from a distant or random decision.
Jeremiah 35:18-19
18 Jeremiah said to the house of the Rechabites, “The LORD of Armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘Because you have obeyed the commandment of Jonadab your father, and kept all his precepts, and done according to all that he commanded you;’ 19 therefore the LORD of Armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘Jonadab the son of Rechab will not lack a man to stand before me forever.’”
(WEB)
Ending with the blessing gives the chapter a note of hope and God’s faithful remembrance. Reading it last lets the group leave the session focused on God’s commitment to those who obey him.
Memory Verse for Jeremiah 35
A Closing Prayer for the Group
Father, we thank you that you speak to us patiently and call us back again and again. Like the Rechabites, we want to be people who keep faith with your word even when it costs us something. Forgive us for the times we have heard your voice and gone on as though we had not. Give us ears that listen and hearts that respond with obedience. Help us encourage one another to stay close to you this week, and let our lives show that we take your word seriously. Amen.
