Do Not Fear: God is Faithful

Continuing through my series of “Do Not Fear,” the next and final set of promises are promises God gave to Israel. As His chosen people, and even in the midst of their rebellion and repentance cycles, He continues to be faithful to this nation. You may already know that God promised Abram that “in [his] seed all the nations of the earth will be blessed” (Genesis 22:18, see also Genesis 12). God has not forgotten Israel! 

The vast majority of the promises I found are in the book of Isaiah, which was written by a prophet who continuously called Israel to repentance, and in the midst, assured them of God’s faithfulness to them, to keep the remnant of Israel. Of these verses, though they specifically apply to Israel as a nation, because the Bible is the authoritative Word of God and is “useful for teaching, for reproof, for restoration, and for training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16) for all believers, we can find hope in these verses as well because Gentiles are grafted into the olive tree (see Romans 11:17) and we have these promises in Christ (see Ephesians 3:6; see also Ephesians 1–3). The promises are for all who receive Him!

God’s faithfulness to Israel also displays His faithfulness to us, those who have believed in Him also are able to receive all that He offers.

Isaiah records his vision in the first few chapters of his book, then establishes a promise of restoration. However, before that can happen, a series of events will need to take place, including the first coming of Messiah and the events leading up to the end of the age. 

As many of us know, the Messiah has already come for the first time, so parts of Isaiah have been fulfilled, but the portions of Scripture relating to His second coming and the events surrounding it have not yet been fulfilled. In these prophetic passages, God promises His presence, help, and redemption, even in the midst of the worst that’s yet to come. 

His presence is what gives His people strength to continue on in Him. He promises us: “Fear not, for I am with you, be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. Surely I will help you. I will uphold you with My righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10). No matter what’s going on or what we’re going through, He sees us right where we are. I find it interesting that the context of this verse is found shortly after the book of Hosea, which is God’s story of redemption and restoration through the Prophet Hosea and his harlot wife. The book of Hosea is a representation of how God loves His people. Because many verses in Isaiah are prophetic, I believe here the Lord is promising His presence even as the nations will rise against Israel in the end times. The rise of Antisemitism is real and will continue until the return of Jesus. As believers standing for Israel, we also will be hated by the nations, and yet, God promises to never leave us nor forsake us (see Hebrews 13:5). 

I find it encouraging that we all are able to hold fast to His promises and trust in Him, no matter what’s going on in the world around us or in the world at large. Another promise God gives is found in the next few verses: “For I am Adonai your God who upholds your right hand, who says to you, ‘Fear not, I will help you. Fear not, you worm Jacob, you men of Israel! I will help you.’ It is a declaration of Adonai, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel” (Isaiah 41:13–14). I love the phrase, “It is a declaration of Adonai,” because what He has declared will not return void (see Isaiah 55:11). 

We can trust that what He says is true and will come to pass. The promises of God are firm and steadfast, allowing us to walk in freedom as we trust in Him. 

His ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts (see Isaiah 55:8–9), and because He is far more greater than I could ever be, I know that the Lord will be faithful now and in the end. 

Not only is God faithful now and in the end, He has also revealed His lovingkindness even before we were born. Isaiah wrote, “But now, thus says Adonai—the One who created you, O Jacob, the One who formed you, O Israel: ‘Fear not, for I have redeemed you, I have called you by name, you are Mine’” (Isaiah 43:1). He called us by name, and declared us His even before we existed. What a beautiful proclamation of His love for us! He knows the innermost parts of our being (see Psalm 139:13) and loves us “with an everlasting love” (Jeremiah 31:2). We don’t need to fear because He already knows all and sees all. The Lord is the only One who knows every single detail of your life because He’s the One who created you—and you are His, forever.

Our identity is not in or of this world, it is in the Lord and what He has already declared about us. We are free, forgiven, redeemed, called, held in His hands, forever.

God longs to see all people saved (see 1 Timothy 2:4) and is waiting for Israel to nationally turn back to Him. However, while He is waiting for His people, He promises them that they will return back to their homeland of Israel and that all His children will one day reign together (see Revelation 22:5). Isaiah 43:5 says, “Do not fear, for I am with you. I will bring your offspring from the east and gather you from the west.” The remnant of Israel will one day return to Israel and, together with those who have been grafted in (see Romans 9:8 [and the entire chapter as a whole] for more about how the children of promise are the “offspring”), will see God for who He is (see 1 John 3:2) and we will reign with Messiah (see Revelation 20:4–6). 

The final promise I found in Isaiah before I touch on Zechariah is found in Isaiah 44: Thus says Adonai who made you, and formed you from the womb, who will help you: “Do not fear, Jacob My servant, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen” (v. 2). Not only have we been called and redeemed, we are chosen. 1 Peter says that we are a “... chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession ...” (1 Peter 2:9). The author of Colossians also wrote, “Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved ...” (Colossians 3:12). Just as Israel was chosen in the Old Testament, the people of God—Jew or Gentile—are chosen by God (see Romans 8:28–30). Every word the Lord has spoken and is speaking is true and can be completely trusted.

Moving from Isaiah to Zechariah, there are a couple verses I found in Zechariah where God has promised His compassion and faithfulness to the covenant He made with Israel. In Zechariah 8:13, it says, “‘It will happen that just as you were a curse among the nations, house of Judah and house of Israel, so will I save you and you will be a blessing. Fear not! Let your hands be strong!’” The Lord is promising that even in the midst of trouble and Antisemitism, He will protect His people and save them. And in turn, they will be a blessing to all the nations (Genesis 12:3), as He declared so long ago, from the beginning. The second verse comes shortly after verse 13, and is found in verse 15, and reiterates the promise God made: “So I have again determined in these days to do good to Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. Fear not!”

Our God is a faithful God, and anything and everything we face does not surprise Him or phase Him. He has already seen the entirety of our lives, and when we trust in Him and His promises, we can trust that He will be faithful now and to the end. Be blessed, my friends.

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“We love, because He first loved us.” —1 John 4:19 || “God is faithful, through whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Yeshua the Messiah our Lord.” —1 Corinthians 1:9

Scripture taken from the Holy Scriptures, Tree of Life Version*. Copyright © 2014, 2016 by the Tree of Life Bible Society. Used by permission of the Tree of Life Bible Society.