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. (Jeremiah 46:28 ESV)
The number of jokes that begin, “there are two kinds of people in the world” are legion. My absolute favorite is: “There are three kinds of people in the world. Those that can count… and those that can’t.”
But here God is not telling a joke. He is stating a fact.
There are two kinds of people in the world. The people who are God’s People. And the people who are not God’s people. And those two groups are very different, as God sees them.
And while the blessings He gives His people do slosh over onto those who are not His people (Matthew 5:45,) God is at work teaching, helping, guiding, protecting, redeeming, saving, sanctifying, and loving His people. (Romans 8:28)
God is His people’s champion. God is His people’s potter. God is His people’s biggest fan.
God’s people are God’s focus. God’s people are God’s purpose (after the purpose of declaring HIS glory…) God’s people are God’s explanation of current events, the rise and fall of kings and nations, and history itself.
It might be unnerving, if not downright scary, to observe as nations rise and fall. Especially if we are in the middle of it. As Jeremiah was experiencing the rise of mighty Babylon, as well as the fall of mighty Israel, he would have reason to be afraid. God told His people, though, not to be afraid when that happens. Because even in BIG things like this… God is working for His people’s sake.
As we observe the rise and fall of political parties, leaders, and maybe even nations as we have known them… God gives us that same message. His concern is rightly, justly, and lovingly for His people. And His promise is that His people will endure. More than that, His people will prosper.
Fear not, because nations are merely nations.