Today's Daily Bread

DO NOT BE AFRAID, JACOB

Date : Tuesday, April 23, 2024
Passage : Jeremiah 46:27~47:7
Keyverse : 46:27  
27
"Do not be afraid, Jacob my servant; do not be dismayed, Israel. I will surely save you out of a distant place, your descendants from the land of their exile. Jacob will again have peace and security, and no one will make him afraid.
28
Do not be afraid, Jacob my servant, for I am with you," declares the Lord. "Though I completely destroy all the nations among which I scatter you, I will not completely destroy you. I will discipline you but only in due measure; I will not let you go entirely unpunished."
1
This is the word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the Philistines before Pharaoh attacked Gaza:
2
This is what the Lord says: "See how the waters are rising in the north; they will become an overflowing torrent. They will overflow the land and everything in it, the towns and those who live in them. The people will cry out; all who dwell in the land will wail
3
at the sound of the hooves of galloping steeds, at the noise of enemy chariots and the rumble of their wheels. Parents will not turn to help their children; their hands will hang limp.
4
For the day has come to destroy all the Philistines and to remove all survivors who could help Tyre and Sidon. The Lord is about to destroy the Philistines, the remnant from the coasts of Caphtor.
5
Gaza will shave her head in mourning; Ashkelon will be silenced. You remnant on the plain, how long will you cut yourselves?
6
"’Alas, sword of the Lord, how long till you rest? Return to your sheath; cease and be still.’
7
But how can it rest when the Lord has commanded it, when he has ordered it to attack Ashkelon and the coast?"
God gave Jeremiah his prophesies of judgment on the surrounding nations, not so that Israel could gloat, but so they could know God, who punishes the guilty for their sins and also restores.

If we know this God and trust him, we don’t have to be afraid, no matter what happens. By faith in Jesus, we can be God’s chosen people and know his salvation. This world is like a land of exile, where we are living as foreigners, but God saves us out of the world. We can know true spiritual peace and security (46:27).

We can also have a sense of identity as God’s servant who is used for his good purpose. We suffer just like everyone else, but we know that our troubles will not destroy us, but that God uses all things for our good (Ro 8:28). Our sufferings are God’s discipline, just as a Father disciplines the children he loves (46:28).

Prayer: Father, thank you for letting me be one of your chosen people through faith in Jesus. I want to overcome fear with faith, and to trust that even my sufferings are your good discipline.
One Word: Do not be afraid.