Je 23:3-6 - Then I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their fold, and they shall be fruitful and multiply. I will set shepherds over them who will care for them, and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall any be missing, declares the Lord. “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’
Again, God is putting in provisions for his people so that they are cared for and so they will not fear. It is a priority for God that His people fear Him only so that they will not fear anything else. It is the cornerstone of his Sovereignty. If we fear death or need or people, than we remove him from the throne of power that He sits on. God will bring in shepherds who will follow a Shepherd who will guide and encourage and lead you for the purpose that you would know that God cares for you and to remove your fears.
2 Ki 17:31-41 - They worshiped the Lord, but they also appointed all sorts of their own people to officiate for them as priests in the shrines at the high places. They worshiped the Lord, but they also served their own gods in accordance with the customs of the nations from which they had been brought. To this day they persist in their former practices. They neither worship the Lord nor adhere to the decrees and ordinances, the laws and commands that the Lord gave the descendants of Jacob, whom he named Israel. When the Lord made a covenant with the Israelites, he commanded them: “Do not worship any other gods or bow down to them, serve them or sacrifice to them. But the Lord, who brought you up out of Egypt with mighty power and outstretched arm, is the one you must worship. To him you shall bow down and to him offer sacrifices. You must always be careful to keep the decrees and ordinances, the laws and commands he wrote for you. Do not worship other gods. Do not forget the covenant I have made with you, and do not worship other gods. Rather, worship the Lord your God; it is he who will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies.” They would not listen, however, but persisted in their former practices. Even while these people were worshiping the Lord, they were serving their idols. To this day their children and grandchildren continue to do as their fathers did.
Though the words fear are not written in this passage, it is a clear example that the people did not fear God. When you fear God, you cannot fear anything else. Fear and worship go hand in hand. Fear comes out of worship and worship drives us to fear. We will fear what we worship. We worship what we fear. In this passage, they” worshipped” God and they worshipped their idols. God had warned them that you can’t do both. This is such a great complement to the previous verse about not fearing beause God has one answer to fear: Himself. He longs to care for you and provide you with the assurance that you need not fear. But, are we willing to let go of our fears and trust our father.
