To illustrate the importance of yielding implicit obedience to the requirements of God, Jeremiah gathered some Rechabites into one of the chambers of the temple and set wine before them, inviting them to drink. As was to have been expected, he met with remonstrance and absolute refusal. "We will drink no wine," the Rechabites firmly declared, "for Jonadab the son of Rechab our father commanded us, saying, Ye shall drink no wine, neither ye, nor your sons forever."

For at vise, hvor vigtigt det er at adlyde Guds krav ubetinget, samlede Jeremias nogle rekabitter i et af templets kamre, stillede vin frem for dem og opfordrede dem til at drikke den. Som det kunne ventes, nægtede de pure at gøre det. De sagde bestemt: "Vi drikker ikke vin, thi vor fader Jonadab, Rekabs søn, gav os det bud: I og eders børn må aldrig drikke vin."