Last time, we saw that Scripture describes "the time of Jacob's trouble" (Jeremiah 30:7) as one of anguish, sorrow, intensity, great discomfort, and "pain as a woman in childbirth" (Isaiah 13:8). It is interesting how the Bible applies this last phrase. When used to describe the enemies of God, the emphasis is clearly on the pain, anguish, sorrow, and fear of what is ahead (cf. Jeremiah 49:20-24). Yet, when it is used in reference to Israel, as it is in Jeremiah 30, there is always hope that the pain will be turned to joy, just as with a physical birth (Isaiah 66:8-9; cf. John 16:21). It is painful, but a tremendous blessing remains when it is over.

We can see a hint of this hope in Jeremiah 30:7: ". . . but he shall be saved out of it." The pain and the anguish will not cost him his life. A dear price will be paid, but the peoples of Jacob who return to God will survive and be blessed—both physically and spiritually. God says in Jeremiah 30:11:

"For I am with you," says the LORD, "to save you; though I make a full end of all nations where I have scattered you, yet I will not make a complete end of you. But I will correct you in justice, and will not let you go altogether unpunished."

In all of God's dealings with Israel and Judah, we see His perfect application of justice and mercy. He is just, because He does not allow their sins to go unpunished. We could not trust God if He did not hold to His promises of blessing and cursing (Numbers 23:19; Leviticus 26; Deuteronomy 28). If He allowed His people to sin with impunity, His laws would have no authority, and His words would be of no consequence. But for the sake of what is best for Jacob, God has to show him that He is serious about what He says. So His justice will be upheld as Israel and Judah are brought to the painful realization that they have forsaken God and have been living the wrong way.

Yet we can also see God's mercy in His dealings with them. Today's Western culture—a product of the nations of Israel—is not so very different from the way Sodom and Gomorrah are described. The same sins are being committed in the same brazen manner. Our regard for humanity is so low that, in America alone during the last three decades, an estimated 40-50 million pre-born children have been killed for the sake of convenience. God has been systematically removed from schools, government, and public life. Post-Christian Europe has transgressed even further. Even Jerusalem—the "Holy City"—has an annual "Gay Pride" parade and is essentially secular. Even so, God will not make a complete end of Israel as He did to Sodom and Gomorrah.

God will show mercy to Israel and Judah because of the promises He made, not because they deserve it. In Ezekiel 36:22-24, 31-32, God repeats several times that He is bringing Israel back for His name's sake and not for Israel's sake. God would be unfaithful to His unconditional promises if He made a complete end of the descendants of Jacob—though, by all accounting, that is exactly what is deserved.

Lest the grievous reality of Jacob's Trouble get too far from his reader's mind, Jeremiah again cites the coming judgment for sin:

Behold, the whirlwind of the LORD goes forth with fury, a continuing whirlwind; it will fall violently on the head of the wicked. The fierce anger of the LORD will not return until He has done it, and until He has performed the intents of His heart. In the latter days you will consider it. (Jeremiah 30:23-24, our emphasis)

These verses repeat Jeremiah 23:19-20 almost word for word, which is significant because Jeremiah 23 warns against false prophets. In particular, it is about men claiming to speak for God who are telling the people—people whose lives deny God—that "The LORD has said, ‘You shall have peace'" and "No evil will come upon you" (Jeremiah 23:17). They were, in essence, denying God's justice and the fact that sin has consequences. They were telling the people not to worry about His judgment upon them, and that everything would be fine without having to change course.

However, the reality was that, in the way they were conducting their lives, they had declared war on God and His way of life. Whether or not they realized it, their carnal minds held great enmity for God's way of doing things (Romans 8:7). There would never be peace with God until they repented and changed. God always desires peace, but if the sinning party is unwilling to face the reality of its sinfulness and repent, then His response will be a painful one. Peace with God will occur only when the sinning side is broken and submits to Him. The false prophets, though, insinuated that God did not care, and that it did not matter how one lived.

These passages show that God destroys those who promote the idea that sin has no consequences and who say God's justice is of little concern. These ideas keep getting Israel—indeed, all of mankind—into trouble.

Clearly, God does not believe in "peace at any price." He works toward repentance, but He also shows that if repentance is not in the offing, the only solution is to destroy those who rebel against Him. But after the destruction, He promises to be the God of all Israel once again, and Israel will again be His people (Hosea 2:23).