The phrase “the Lord is the God of recompense” comes from Jeremiah 51:56, which says: “For the destroyer is come upon her, even upon Babylon, and her mighty men are taken, every one of their bows is broken: for the Lord God of recompences shall surely requite.” This verse refers to God bringing judgment on the nation of Babylon for its sin and idolatry. The key phrase is “the Lord God of recompences.” The word “recompense” means to repay, reward, or make restitution. So when the Bible calls God the “God of recompense,” it is saying that He will repay and bring just punishment on those who do wrong.
There are several important things to understand about God being the “God of recompense”:
1. God is completely righteous and just. His judgment is always according to truth and justice (Deuteronomy 32:4). He does not show favoritism or make mistakes in His repayment of sin.
2. God’s punishment fits the crime. His recompense is not excessive but rather is an accurate reflection of the sin committed (Exodus 21:23-25). Babylon was facing devastation because of its wickedness against God’s people.
3. God often delays His recompense to allow time for repentance. 2 Peter 3:9 says God is “patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” But there comes a time when judgment falls. Babylon’s time had come.
4. God’s recompense includes both punishment for the wicked and reward for the righteous. Romans 2:6-8 promises that “He will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury.”
5. God’s ultimate day of recompense will be the final judgment. At this time, all sin will be punished and all righteousness rewarded (Revelation 20:11-15). Every wrong will be made right.
So in summary, the fact that God is the “God of recompense” shows that He is perfectly just and righteous. He cannot overlook wickedness and will ensure that all sin receives its rightful punishment. This should make us fear sinning against a holy God (Hebrews 10:26-31). But it should also give us confidence that evil will not go unpunished forever. God will make all things right in the end. As Christians, we can rest in God’s justice and trust Him even when life seems unfair. Our eternal reward is sure because we serve the God of recompense.
1. God’s judgment is always righteous
A key truth highlighted by calling God the “God of recompense” is that His judgment is always right and just. Human judges make mistakes and at times show favoritism. But God judges with perfect righteousness.
Deuteronomy 32:4 declares of God: “The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he.” God’s recompense reflects His flawless, righteous character.
When God repays and punishes sin, it is always an accurate and fair response to the evil done. After David committed adultery and murder, the prophet Nathan confronted him saying, “You are the man! Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you out of the hand of Saul…Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife’” (2 Samuel 12:7,10). David suffered for years afterward, including losing his child, as just recompense for his heinous sins.
God also promises that His final judgment will be perfectly just. In Revelation 19:2 we read, “His judgments are true and just.” No one will be able to accuse God of unfair treatment or too harsh of punishment on that day. The God of recompense will ensure each person receives what he or she deserves.
2. God’s punishment fits the crime
Not only is God’s judgment righteous, but it is also accurately measured to match the offense committed. God warned the Israelites, “Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot” (Exodus 21:24). The punishment must fit the crime – no more and no less.
When Babylon arrogantly oppressed God’s people and idolized false gods, its recompense was to be destroyed and left desolate (Jeremiah 50:29; 51:24-26). Babylon’s ruin matched its wickedness.
God does not have an emotional overreaction when punishing sin. His wrath is a righteous response to offensive and rebellious behavior towards our holy Creator. We can trust that God’s recompense is always precisely tailored to the offense so that no one is repaid with too much or too little punishment. The God of recompense has perfect discernment in measuring just penalties for sins.
3. God delays judgment to allow repentance
In many cases, God puts off His recompense to provide time for people to repent. Although all sin immediately earns death (Romans 6:23), God is “not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).
In the days of Noah, God’s judgment was delayed 120 years while Noah built the ark and preached repentance (Genesis 6:3; 1 Peter 3:20). Yet the people remained stubbornly unrepentant. So eventually the day came when God brought the flood as punishment. But God first allowed ample time for sinners to turn from their ways.
Likewise, Jesus lamented over Jerusalem, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation” (Luke 19:42-44). God’s recompense came later in AD 70 when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem. But it could have been avoided if the people repented.
So God often delays recompense to allow time for repentance. But Scripture warns that the day will come when God’s patience runs out and judgment falls (2 Peter 3:8-10). That day came for Babylon as Jeremiah foretold.
4. God’s recompense includes reward for the righteous
While God’s recompense involves punishment for the wicked, it also contains reward and blessing for the righteous. The day of judgment is not only a day of justice but also a day of reward.
Romans 2:6-8 says God “…will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury.” The God of recompense gives out both punishment and blessing.
Jesus described the final judgment as a time when the righteous sheep will be welcomed by their master, while the wicked goats are turned away (Matthew 25:31-46). Revelation 22:12 declares, “Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done.” God will repay all people – both punishments and rewards.
So we should strive to walk uprightly knowing God sees all and will recompense both good and evil deeds. As Hebrews 10:35 encourages, “Do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward.” Serving the God of recompense means righteousness leads to blessing, even if we don’t always see the reward in this life.
5. God’s ultimate day of recompense is the final judgment
While God brings various judgments throughout history and people face the recompense of their deeds in this life, the ultimate and final day of reckoning will be the last judgment.
Hebrews 9:27 tells us it is appointed for each person to die “and after that comes judgment.” The day is coming when God will judge all people and administer perfect justice. Revelation 20:11-15 describes this scene vividly, depicting God on His great white throne about to judge “the dead, great and small.” The records of each life will be opened and all sins will be punished.
For believers, this judgment day does not determine heaven or hell since Christ paid for our sins on the cross. As Romans 8:1 promises, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” But 2 Corinthians 5:10 says Christians will be judged for rewards based on their service to Christ: “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.”
Unbelievers will face eternal condemnation because they rejected God’s offer of forgiveness through Christ (John 3:18). For the righteous and wicked alike, the final judgment will be the culmination of the recompense each has earned. God’s justice will be perfectly meted out. And His judgments “are true and just” (Revelation 19:2).
Summary
In Jeremiah 51:56, the phrase “the Lord God of recompences” shows that God will fully repay all people for their deeds. As the righteous Judge of all the earth, He will ensure perfect justice is carried out (Genesis 18:25).
Understanding God as the “God of recompense” means recognizing that:
– His judgment is always righteous, never flawed.
– His punishment fits the crime, not too harsh or lenient.
– He often delays recompense to allow time for repentance.
– His recompense includes reward for the righteous as well as punishment of the wicked.
– The final judgment will be God’s ultimate day of recompense.
Knowing that we serve a God of justice should make us fear sinning against Him. But it should also give us confidence that evildoers will not go unpunished. And if we walk in holiness, our eternal rewards are sure because the God of recompense sees all and will make all things right in the end.