Fear and the Justice of God

27 “But fear not, O Jacob my servant,
    nor be dismayed, O Israel,
for behold, I will save you from far away,
    and your offspring from the land of their captivity.
Jacob shall return and have quiet and ease,
    and none shall make him afraid.
28 Fear not, O Jacob my servant,
declares the Lord,
    for I am with you.
I will make a full end of all the nations
    to which I have driven you,
    but of you I will not make a full end.
I will discipline you in just measure,
    and I will by no means leave you unpunished.”
(Jeremiah 46:27,28)
Jeremiah talked about fear a lot.  Understandably so. He had the misfortune of being the prophet of God when Israel finally crumbled and was exiled. He spoke the truth of God and no one would listen.  He personally suffered injustice for the stubbornness and rebellion of his people. Yet God uses him to say this: Stop being afraid.  Why? Because God is Just. He will do what is just. He will restore. Everything that is wrong will ultimately be resolved.  To be sure, the justice of God can be scary when we realize and remember we deserve some pretty bad stuff.  But that is an unbalanced view of the character of God. He disciplines in love; He grants mercy; He gives grace. He is good. It will all work out in the end.