They draw strong assurance from Jehovah’s promise made to the vow-keeping Rechabites, as set out in Jeremiah 35:18, 19, where we read: “And to the household of the Rechabites Jeremiah said: ‘This is what Jehovah of armies, the God of Israel, has said, “For the reason that you have obeyed the commandment of Jehonadab your forefather and continue keeping all his commandments and doing according to all that he commanded you,

The name of this son of Rechab, that is, Jonadab or Jehonadab, takes note of the only living and true God, for it means “Jehovah Is Liberal.” The Rechabite to whom Jeremiah stated the divine promise was Jaazaniah, and his name means “Jah [that is, Jehovah] Hears.” (Jer. 35:3-5) True to their vow, Jaazaniah and his brothers had refused to drink wine at the hand of Jeremiah in Jehovah’s temple. There in Jehovah’s presence they demonstrated integrity toward their vow.

20. Although we have no direct Biblical evidence, of what may we be sure about the Rechabites when Jerusalem was destroyed, and after that?

²⁰ Jehovah respected the faithfulness of those Rechabites and promised that they would not be wiped out during the coming destruction of Jerusalem in 607 B.C.E. We can be sure that the Rechabites were not then cut off from Jehovah’s presence, for he respected his word of promise just as much as those Rechabites respected their vow with regard to wine.