"And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed."
--Deuteronomy 31:8 (NKJV)
From the daily Bible reading on April 12, 2013 of Psalm 73:1-11; Romans 9:30-10:21; Deuteronomy 28:58-31:8.
Back when it was time to fight Amalek, Moses appointed Joshua to lead the fighting men of Israel (please reference Exodus 17:8-13). By all indications, Joshua was a brave leader, not faltering even when the tide of battle turned against him and his forces but stayed the fight until they finally prevailed through God's help. A little later, Joshua served as one of the twelve spies sent to scout out the land God was giving them (please reference Numbers 13-14:9). When the scouts returned to the camp, only Joshua and Caleb trusted the Lord enough to valiantly step into the land and conquer it. The rest were afraid and spread their fear throughout the assemblage of Israel, inciting unrest and disobedience to God. Joshua and Caleb stood strongly and courageously against the majority and addressed the entire congregation, exhorting them that victory would be theirs because the Lord was on their side. But their arguments fell on deaf ears and the people were forced to wander for nearly thirty-eight more years because they did not trust God.
Both of these instances show Joshua to be a brave man, maybe fearless, because he obviously trusted fully in God and His word. And now he is about to take over the leadership of the entire nation of Israel as their entry into the Promised Land nears. This would be a daunting task for even the staunchest of heroes. So Moses wants to give his protege something to hang on to when times get really tough. "Be strong and of good courage", Moses instructs him (please see verse 7). Had Moses let it stand right there and not said another word, Joshua probably wouldn't have gotten much out of this tidbit. The mentor tells the student already known for being brave to be brave. Moses might as well have not said anything at all. But Moses doesn't stop there, he continues and in today's focus verse he tells Joshua that the reason he can be courageous is because God will be with him. No matter what Joshua may find himself faced with, no matter what he may come up against, God will always be at his side to face it with him. God will help him through any difficult situation to come.
Joshua already had great faith and trust in God, otherwise he would not have been ready to take on any obstacle that got in the people's way. Moses wanted to encourage him to keep that trust in faith. And that is the message our Lord has for us. No matter what trouble or problem or woe might rise up against us, we can persevere and prevail and triumph over it because God is at our side. He will be with us always, and never forsake us. Jesus promises, "I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Please reference Matthew 28:20.) And for this reason we need not ever be afraid again. God, through Moses, assures us we do not need to fear or be dismayed. Thank You, Almighty Lord! Amen.
All powerful God, thank You for always standing by our side, for protecting us against evil, for never leaving or forsaking us. Thank You for allowing us to be strong and courageous, to face tomorrow without fear, to not fall into despair or be dismayed when the night grows darkest. Thank You for being our strength and our salvation. In Jesus' glorious name we thank You and pray. Amen.
Both of these instances show Joshua to be a brave man, maybe fearless, because he obviously trusted fully in God and His word. And now he is about to take over the leadership of the entire nation of Israel as their entry into the Promised Land nears. This would be a daunting task for even the staunchest of heroes. So Moses wants to give his protege something to hang on to when times get really tough. "Be strong and of good courage", Moses instructs him (please see verse 7). Had Moses let it stand right there and not said another word, Joshua probably wouldn't have gotten much out of this tidbit. The mentor tells the student already known for being brave to be brave. Moses might as well have not said anything at all. But Moses doesn't stop there, he continues and in today's focus verse he tells Joshua that the reason he can be courageous is because God will be with him. No matter what Joshua may find himself faced with, no matter what he may come up against, God will always be at his side to face it with him. God will help him through any difficult situation to come.
Joshua already had great faith and trust in God, otherwise he would not have been ready to take on any obstacle that got in the people's way. Moses wanted to encourage him to keep that trust in faith. And that is the message our Lord has for us. No matter what trouble or problem or woe might rise up against us, we can persevere and prevail and triumph over it because God is at our side. He will be with us always, and never forsake us. Jesus promises, "I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Please reference Matthew 28:20.) And for this reason we need not ever be afraid again. God, through Moses, assures us we do not need to fear or be dismayed. Thank You, Almighty Lord! Amen.
All powerful God, thank You for always standing by our side, for protecting us against evil, for never leaving or forsaking us. Thank You for allowing us to be strong and courageous, to face tomorrow without fear, to not fall into despair or be dismayed when the night grows darkest. Thank You for being our strength and our salvation. In Jesus' glorious name we thank You and pray. Amen.
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