There was no reasonable hope that they could escape alive from the powerful Pharaoh and his army. It’s the same word used by David in Psalm 23:4 where it says we should “fear no evil: for Thou art with me”Ĥ0 years before Deuteronomy 31, Israel was a nation of slaves in Egypt. The word translated as “fear” is the Hebrew word, “ya-rae” (יָרֵא). We are to be strong, courageous, and unafraid. God’s people in every age, and facing any seemingly unbeatable enemy, are to face those odds head-on. Therefore, the promise Deuteronomy 31:6 begins with a challenge: “Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: …” God is greater than all that stands against us,Īnd he will neither fail us, nor abandon us. But as one wise Christian teacher once said, there’s more in our favor than “noses, nickels and noise.” We are greatly outnumbered, outspent, and drowned out by a flood of distortions in the powerful media. And many who call themselves “churches” have surrendered the Creation Sabbath, distorted the gospel, and redefined God into a begging deity hoping we give him permission to work in our hearts. They call us bigots for believing there’s only one way to salvation and heaven. Society protects abortion, homosexuality, premarital intimacy, and greed. The spiritual odds against us are enormous. This is very much like the promise to Israel in Deuteronomy 31:6, “Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.” Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’ Amen.” There in Matthew it says, “And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. In Matthew 28:18-20 we have an assurance similar to the one God gave to Israel back in Deuteronomy 31. Jesus sends us out to tell the truth, and to conquer the world for him. We and our children are surrounded by the influences of a fallen world and a distorted form of Christianity. God’s moral principles are ridiculed and openly disobeyed. In the world around us the gospel is hated by some and distorted by others. In the assignment God gives us today, we face hard challenges too. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you do not fear nor be dismayed.” And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you. Then Moses called Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, “Be strong and of good courage, for you must go with this people to the land which the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall cause them to inherit it.Ĩ. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”ħ. Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. The Lord will give them over to you, that you may do to them according to every commandment which I have commanded you.Ħ. And the Lord will do to them as He did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites and their land, when He destroyed them.ĥ. Joshua himself crosses over before you, just as the Lord has said.Ĥ. The Lord your God Himself crosses over before you He will destroy these nations from before you, and you shall dispossess them. Also the Lord has said to me, ‘You shall not cross over this Jordan.’ģ. And he said to them: “I am one hundred and twenty years old today. Then Moses went and spoke these words to all Israel.Ģ. Moses delivered God’s assurances to Israel and then to Joshua in Deuteronomy 31:1-8.ġ. The directive was to retake the land, and God promised to make them victorious. It was like that young shepherd named David as he stood before the overwhelming giant Goliath. But it’s not always numbers and might that makes the battle go one way rather than another. The responsibility God was now giving to this small nation of Israel was to cross the Jordan River, and take the land back. They greatly outnumbered Israel, and had a huge arsenal of weapons. The occupiers had strong armies and well fortified cities. Pagan nations had taken over the land God promised to Abraham and his descendants. The job he was giving to Joshua wasn’t going to be an easy one. When we come to this chapter he was 120 years old, and was told that he was not going to enter the promised land of Canaan. Moses was the one God had assigned to lead Israel ever since the great Exodus from Egypt. In Deuteronomy 31 Moses was handing over leadership to Joshua.
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