耶利米書35:1-11

35:1 當猶大王約西亞之子約雅敬的時候，耶和華的話臨到耶利米說： 35:2 「你去見利甲族的人，和他們說話，領他們進入耶和華殿的一間屋子，給他們酒喝。」 35:3 我就將哈巴洗尼雅的孫子雅利米雅的兒子雅撒尼亞和他弟兄，並他眾子，以及利甲全族的人， 35:4 領到耶和華的殿，進入神人伊基大利的兒子哈難眾子的屋子。那屋子在首領的屋子旁邊，在沙龍之子把門的瑪西雅屋子以上。 35:5 於是我在利甲族人面前設擺盛滿酒的碗和杯，對他們說：「請你們喝酒。」 35:6 他們卻說：「我們不喝酒；因為我們先祖利甲的兒子約拿達曾吩咐我們說：『你們與你們的子孫永不可喝酒， 35:7 也不可蓋房、撒種、栽種葡萄園，但一生的年日要住帳棚，使你們的日子在寄居之地得以延長。』 35:8 凡我們先祖利甲的兒子約拿達所吩咐我們的話，我們都聽從了。我們和我們的妻子兒女一生的年日都不喝酒， 35:9 也不蓋房居住，也沒有葡萄園、田地，和種子， 35:10 但住帳棚，聽從我們先祖約拿達的話，照他所吩咐我們的去行。 35:11 巴比倫王尼布甲尼撒上此地來，我們因怕迦勒底的軍隊和亞蘭的軍隊，就說：『來吧，我們到耶路撒冷去。』這樣，我們才住在耶路撒冷。」

The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord in the days of King Jehoiakim son of Josiah of Judah: ²Go to the house of the Rechabites, and speak with them, and bring them to the house of the Lord, into one of the chambers; then offer them wine to drink. ³So I took Jaazaniah son of Jeremiah son of Habazziniah, and his brothers, and all his sons, and the whole house of the Rechabites. ⁴I brought them to the house of the Lord into the chamber of the sons of Hanan son of Igdaliah, the man of God, which was near the chamber of the officials, above the chamber of Maaseiah son of Shallum, keeper of the threshold. ⁵Then I set before the Rechabites pitchers full of wine, and cups; and I said to them, “Have some wine.” ⁶But they answered, “We will drink no wine, for our ancestor Jonadab son of Rechab commanded us, ‘You shall never drink wine, neither you nor your children; ⁷nor shall you ever build a house, or sow seed; nor shall you plant a vineyard, or even own one; but you shall live in tents all your days, that you may live many days in the land where you reside.’ ⁸We have obeyed the charge of our ancestor Jonadab son of Rechab in all that he commanded us, to drink no wine all our days, ourselves, our wives, our sons, or our daughters, ⁹and not to build houses to live in. We have no vineyard or field or seed; ¹⁰but we have lived in tents, and have obeyed and done all that our ancestor Jonadab commanded us. ¹¹But when King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon came up against the land, we said, ‘Come, and let us go to Jerusalem for fear of the army of the Chaldeans and the army of the Arameans.’ That is why we are living in Jerusalem.”

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    利甲族這個種族是一個遊牧團體或是居無定所的工匠行會，是基尼人的後裔 (代上 2:55)，與以色列的先祖有深厚的情誼( 創 15:19 ;士 1:16 ;  士 5:24 ;  撒上 15:6  30:29 )。



     他們禁戒喝酒、蓋房、務農而只住帳棚，代表的可能是要保存游牧民族的精神。務農與定居是迦南民族的生活型態，種葡萄也代表了可以釀酒，而大量的酒也是迦南的淫亂宗教中不可或缺的產品。因此，維持游牧民族的傳統使利甲人避免了與迦南人的宗教混合與物質貪婪帶來的生活腐化。

    這也讓我們想到基督徒也應該有這樣的精神，寧可貧窮而不要貪愛世界，因為我們要追求的是永遠的土地，不是短暫的土地。我們若是渴慕永遠的地土，就會像亞伯拉罕一樣或是利甲族一般，只有帳篷和祭壇，因為我們盼望永遠的家鄉！