Jeremiah 46:28 Fear thou not, O Jacob my servant, saith the LORD: for I am with thee; for I will make a full end of all the nations whither I have driven thee: but I will not make a full end of thee, but correct thee in measure; yet will I not leave thee wholly unpunished.
Chapter 46 is about the judgment that will shortly come upon the nation of Israel. History tells us that this judgment, prophesied in the chapter, began to be fulfilled at the Battle of Carchemish in 605 BC. Our focus today is not on the judgment itself but on the word that the Lord had for His people in that nation at the time.
Jeremiah 46:28 says: “Fear thou not, O Jacob my servant, saith the LORD: for I am with thee; for I will make a full end of all the nations whither I have driven thee: but I will not make a full end of thee, but correct thee in measure; yet will I not leave thee wholly unpunished.”
It was a fearful time to be alive. Not only was Judah falling, but many nations were experiencing turmoil, perhaps akin to the World Wars and possibly worse. Babylon had been raised by God to prominence, and they were a force to be reckoned with. Egypt seemed like a safe bet at that time, so against the counsel of the Lord, many Jews fled there to escape the famine and fighting they were experiencing in their own nation. God had already warned them that the sword and famine they were attempting to escape would find them in Egypt, but they refused to listen and went anyhow. Truly, God’s grace is amazing. Despite their disobedience and in the midst of pronouncing judgment on Egypt, He has a word of promise for His servant Jacob.
“Fear thou not, O Jacob my servant, saith the LORD.” This is a repetition of what He had just told them in the previous verse: “Fear not thou, O my servant Jacob, and be not dismayed, O Israel.” God repeats this to make it doubly forceful, and notice how He refers to them. He calls them Jacob and Israel, their titles, and then calls them “My Servant.” When God wanted to relieve their fears, He reminded them of their title and position. Jacob means “supplanter” or “trickster,” and it serves as a reminder not only of their patriarch but also of their nature as a nation—always scheming and trying to live in their own strength. Yet, despite this title, like their father Jacob, God had made promises to them that He would never repent of. It was to their father Jacob that God made a very similar promise centuries ago: Genesis 28:15 says, “And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.” It is easy to see that this promise for the Jews of Jeremiah’s day dwelling in Egypt was a repetition of the original promise God made to their supplanting father all those years ago. Note as well that this promise was made before his name was changed and not long after his trickery concerning his brother’s birthright. The Jews in our text today are in the same position as their father Jacob was, having recently rebelled, yet still, God makes this promise to “Jacob.”
Then He calls them Israel. This should have reminded them of that fateful night many years later when Jacob wrestled with God. That night, he sought God’s blessing instead of relying on his trickery and strength to obtain what he longed for. God’s strength was made perfect in Jacob’s weakness. He left that wrestling match with a lifelong limp, the blessing of God, and a new title—Israel. These Jews needed to remember where their safety and blessing came from—not from Uncle Laban or the nation of Egypt, but from God. From the covenant He made with them, and perhaps like their father Jacob, once they were “left alone” with no hope of help, they too would wrestle with their God and find where true blessings come from.
Their title as “My servant” was also a reason not to fear. They were facing slavery, Babylon was coming to overtake them, and they were seeking refuge in the nation that once enslaved them. Yet, no chains of this world could ever stop them from being Jehovah’s servants. As Paul wrote while imprisoned by Rome, “I Paul the prisoner of Jesus Christ,” so was the case for this backslidden nation. Their position was that of the servants of the Most High God, and because they belonged to Him, He would never leave them nor forsake them, even though they had forsaken Him.
Lastly, and perhaps most comforting, are the words “I am with thee.” Here is the end of all fear for the servants of God. In their rebellion, He was with them; in their captivity, He was with them; in their days of blessing, He was with them. Remember the promise made to them before they were a nation: Genesis 28:15 says, “And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.” He promised to be with them, to keep them in all places, and to bring them back into the land promised to their fathers. This promise should have been of the utmost comfort, that in their midst, God was with them. Although their temple would be destroyed, their own disobedience would blind them, and they would be captives to the nations around them, God’s promises were not based on their merits but on His mercies.
Fast forward 700 years, and the Roman Empire destroyed their city and temple, just as Babylon did in Jeremiah’s day. For the next 2,000 years, the nation of Israel was among the nations of the world, inhabiting every corner but without a homeland. Then, in 1948, after WWII, the nation returned to their piece of land that God had promised to bring them back into. Dear friend, fear not. If He has been so faithful to Jacob and kept His promises to them, then we know without a doubt that He will keep His promises to us. Are you in the midst of trouble of your own making? Are you like Jacob, fighting for your blessing, or like Israel, trusting in this world for your security, entangled in debts that bind you like the cords of Egypt and the contracts of Laban? Even if you are, if you are His servant, He is with you and will deliver you. He will bring an end to all those things and correct you in measure. Fear not; His correction is precisely measured and will produce the peaceful fruits of righteousness.
“Fear thou not, O Jacob my servant, saith the LORD: for I am with thee; for I will make a full end of all the nations whither I have driven thee: but I will not make a full end of thee, but correct thee in measure; yet will I not leave thee wholly unpunished.”
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