Many parts of scripture tell us not to fear, but recently I asked myself why. Why should we not fear? I can quote a verse when I’m feeling worried or nervous about something and try to will myself away from fear, but there must be something deeper for such a command to rest upon. The following paragraphs show from scripture that Yahweh himself is the basis of the comfort he gives. God does not offer ungrounded consolation to his people.

In Zechariah eight, the Lord reassures the Israelites three times (vs 9,13,15). He speaks through the prophet to those who have returned from seventy years of exile to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem (also called Zion). Chapter eight begins in the middle of God’s long answer to a simple question asked by the elders of the people in 7:3. They ask, “Should we keep fasting and mourning every fifth month, like we have the whole time we were exiled?” Eventually God tells them that what matters most is for them to obey and be formed by the Law (8: 16-17); however, before that he makes a bunch of lofty promises to the small group of disgruntled Jews.

In fact, it seems almost cruel that God would make these kinds of promises to these struggling people. Here they are, barely able to rebuild the temple's foundation (4:1-10), and God speaks to them of a day when Jews ripe with age will rest in Zion comfortably and the region’s produce will be rich. Furthermore, he promises that someday a king will reign from Jerusalem in peace over the whole world (9:10) and all Israel's present enemies will be silenced, or even brought into the covenant (9:2-8)! God tells them of a day when living water will flow from the renewed Jerusalem, which will then be free from its curse (14:8-10). Mixed in with such promises also come Yahweh’s words of comfort, “Do not fear.”

The same phrase appears again in the pages of Luke’s gospel. With a visit from the angel Gabriel, God promises another stage in his redemptive plan—a promise that again seems impossible. Gabriel announces to the Virgin Mary that she will give birth to a baby king from the house of David whose kingdom will not end. Later a whole host of angels delivers the same message to some Judean shepherds. “Today in the town of David, a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord” (2:12 NIV). In both cases, the news of God’s new saving movement is coupled again with divine consolation; “Do not fear.”

In summary, God gives comfort based on his covenant with man, which is manifested differently in different ages. For the returned exiles, it was the repopulation of Jerusalem and the rebuilding of the temple. For the Jews under Roman rule four centuries later, it was the coming of the long awaited Messiah. For the redeemed community today, it is righteous standing with God through Jesus’ work on the cross and the hope of wholeness through the resurrection of the dead. Lord, make our fears small in the light of your truth.