15 And when he was departed thence, he lighted on Jehonadab the son of Rechab coming to meet him: and he saluted him, and said to him, Is thine heart right, as my heart is with thy heart? And Jehonadab answered, It is. If it be, give me thine hand. And he gave him his hand; and he took him up to him into the chariot.

Lesson of the Rechabites

The Rechabites were descendants of Rechab, family of the Kenites, who dwelt in the South (Negev), preserving the pioneer patriarchal life, but allied to Judah (Jdg 1: 16, 1Sam 27: 10, 1Chron 2: 55).

Jonadab, a Rechabite whose heart was right, was invited into Jehu's chariot for the war against Jezebel apostacy [Rev 18]

Jehu lighted on Jehonadab the son of Rechab coming to meet him: and he saluted him, and said to him, Is thine heart right, as my heart is with thy heart? And Jehonadab answered, It is. If it be, give me thine hand. And he gave him his hand; and he took him up to him into the chariot

And he said, Come with me, and see my zeal for Yahweh. So they made him ride in his chariot - 2 kgs 10: 15, 16

Already we see two lessons or the Rechabites

1. They preserved or held fast to the pioneer faith

2. They made war with the apostacy.

How do we compare?

The Apostolic Messenger, Aug 2022

Elisha had earlier prophesied that Ahab's house should be destroyed. This was public knowledge, as Jehu made clear in verse 10. Elisha had recently anointed Jehu, and said he was the one to do the work. This would not yet be public knowledge, but it seems clear that Jehonadab knew it. From their known characters and interests, it seems certain that Elisha and Jehonadab were acquainted.

From some cause, whether direct instruction or not, Jehonadab was coming to meet and help Jehu-apparently from Judah, for all we ever hear of the Kenites they are in Judah, both before and after this, except for the single case of Heber who it specially says had "severed" himself from the main body.

The Kenites, as worshipers of God, would certainly not move to the wicked, idolatrous kingdom of Israel, especially in the times of Ahab and Jezebel.

Verse 15 indicates that Jehu knew Jehonadab, but that they had had no previous intercourse about this matter. Jehonadab was a leader of the Kenites, and it is very probable he was widely known and respected as a righteous man.

It is apparent from the subsequent history that he was a very outstanding character, and a strong and dominant personality. He left such a deep impression on his people that regulations he made were faithfully kept for at least two hundred and fifty years.

On meeting, Jehu blessed Jehonadab, and said-

"Is thy heart right, as my heart is with thy heart?"

Jehonadab said, "It is, it is!"-as the original has it. Jehu was saying-

"Are you with me in the destruction of Ahab's house and the Baal worship, as I am with you in the worship of the Lord?"

We know that Jehu was not a righteous man, but it was not apparent at this time. In the divinely appointed work of destruction he appeared very zealous for God, as many do. For the flesh, criticism and destruction are very pleasant and gratifying, but God requires faithful builders.

Bro Growcott - BYT 2.4.

16 And he said, Come with me, and see my zeal [kina] for Yahweh. So they made him ride in his chariot [had him ride in his merkavah.].

He manifested a great zeal for vengeance and destruction, and condemnation of others, but such a zeal -- if it is not accompanied by righteousness and gentleness and mercy and tenderness toward the weaknesses of others -- is merely an ugly, hypocritical, Pharisaical manifestation of the evil of the flesh.

Bro Growcott - I Will Return To My First Husband

Give me thine hand v15

Jehonadab did so. This was a joining together in the work. Jehonadab got up into Jehu's chariot and went with him (v. 17) as he killed the remnants of Ahab's house.

Then came the incident of the slaughter of all the worshipers of Baal by calling them to a supposed sacrifice to Baal. In this, Jehonadab was not only an approving supporter of Jehu, but an active partner, as we see in verse 23. It was a basic and necessary law of God that worshipers of false gods must be put to death. This was the second time when the normally peaceful and separate Kenites took a dramatic part in the history of Israel.

We hear no more of Jehonadab at this time. Immediately after the slaughter of the Baal worshipers we read (v. 29) that Jehu departed not from the sins of Jeroboam who had at the beginning of the northern kingdom set up the calf worship. The revelation of Jehu's unfaithfulness would be a great disappointment to Jehonadab, and would immediately end any association between them.

With the divinely decreed destruction at the hands of the seemingly so zealous Jehu of the two wicked kings of both Israel and Judah, and Jezebel, and all the Baal worshipers-Jehonadab doubtless looked forward happily to a reform throughout the whole land.

Instead, wicked Jehu ruled in Israel, promoting the calf-worship; and even more wicked Athaliah ruled in Judah, promoting Baal worship, and the people were always ready to follow wicked rulers into the pleasant and fleshly corruptions of idolatry.

It may well have been at this time that Jehonadab renewed and reinforced the separated position of his people the Kenites, binding them to it in perpetuity. He doubtless could sadly see that national reformation was a hopeless dream that could not possibly endure, even if it should briefly happen.

Bro Growcott - BYT 2.4

30 And Yahweh said unto Jehu [Yehu], Because thou hast done well in executing that which is right [yashar] in Mine eyes, and hast done unto the house of Ahab [bais of Ach'av] according to all that was in Mine heart [lev], thy children [banim] of the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel [kisse Yisroel].

'...a case of thorough cooperation with the divine intentions, eliciting divine approbation-is to be found in the reign of Jehu, the executioner of divine vengeance on Ahab's house. Jehu's mission was to extirpate the house of Ahab. He received express instructions to that effect.

"Thou shalt smite the house of Ahab, thy master, that I may avenge the blood of My servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the Lord, at the hand of Jezebel" (2 Kings 9:7).

Here was a case of God's purpose being thoroughly carried out by the instruments selected. The idea that anything else is possible-the idea that a divine purpose can be humanly opposed and delayed, may seem anomalous and impossible; but the fact is beyond question.

The case ...of Ahab's release of the doomed king [of Syria 1 Kings 20], is conclusive proof. It is further illustrated in the angel's words to Daniel:

"The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one-and-twenty days: but lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia. Now I am come to make thee understand, . . . and now will I return to fight with the prince of Persia; and when I am gone forth, lo, the prince of Grecia shall come" (Daniel 10: 13, 20).

The explanation of this, at first sight, extraordinary fact-that man can antagonise the divine purpose in the hands of the angels, "who execute His commandments, hearkening to the voice of His word"-is probably to be found in the nature of the process by which that work has to be carried out.

Human rulers to whom the angels are unknown and invisible, have to be led by them into certain causes of action, without any interference with that law of intelligent volition which distinguishes intelligence from merely physical life.

Men, whose actions the angels have to guide, are allowed the unfettered exercise of their wills, and the angels have to influence them to exercise those wills in a given direction, by regulating the circumstances around them.

If you set fire to a house, you cause all its inmates to leave, without interfering with their free will. It is the exercise of their free will that leads them to endeavour to escape the fire. So the angels, by disposing circumstances, can influence men to act in a certain way without interfering with their volitions.

Such a mode of carrying out the work entrusted to them makes their work a delicate and interesting one, and provides scope for the possibility of that kind of human antagonism which requires careful and persistent arrangement to overcome, as in the case of the Persian emperor, who unwittingly was fighting against an angel in the particular policy he pursued.

Ways of Providence Ch 19