DON'T BE AFRAID

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Then Moses went out and spoke these words to all Israel: "I am now a hundred and twenty years old and I am no longer able to lead you. The Lord has said to me, 'You shall not cross the Jordan.' The Lord your God Himself will cross over ahead of you. He will destroy these nations before you, and you will take possession of their land. Joshua also will cross over ahead of you, as the Lord said. And the Lord will do to them what He did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, whom He destroyed along with their land. The Lord will deliver them to you, and you must do to them all that I have commanded you. Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you."

Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the presence of all Israel, "Be strong and courageous, for you must go with this people into the land that the Lord swore to their forefathers to give them, and you must divide it among them as their inheritance. The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."

Deuteronomy 31:1-8

This ends our reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

“Do not be afraid. Do not be terrified. Do not be discouraged. Be strong and courageous. The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.”

These words of assurance resonate in this passage from the opening eight verses of Deuteronomy, chapter 31 as Moses stands before Israel and announces that Joshua would be the one who will lead them across the Jordan River and into Canaan.

You’ll recall earlier that the Lord had told Moses that he wouldn’t “cross the Jordan”, after he and his brother Aaron failed to give God the credit before bringing water to the Israelites from a rock (Numbers 20:9-12). As we come to this point in today’s scriptures, Aaron had already died and Moses was soon to follow but despite losing their leader, the people of Israel were to carry on and forge ahead into Promised Land…and to do so with a sense of faith, hope and confidence in the words mentioned before:

“Do not be afraid. Do not be terrified. Do not be discouraged. Be strong and courageous. The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Indeed, the Israelites were about to face massive change. They were entering a foreign land, occupied by foreign people, and were now going to be led by a new leader. I can’t help but sense that the people were uneasy and unsettled, fearful and worried. Worn out and feeling forlorn.

Speaking into that space, Moses sought to reassure his brothers and sisters, saying:

“The Lord your God Himself will cross over ahead of you. He will destroy these nations before you, and you will take possession of their land. Joshua also will cross over ahead of you, as the Lord said. And the Lord will do to them what he did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, whom He destroyed along with their land. The Lord will deliver them to you, and you must do to them all that I have commanded you.”

These words once again reinforced the common, overall theme:

“Do not be afraid. Do not be terrified. Do not be discouraged. Be strong and courageous. The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.”

I can’t help but think that Joshua must have been feeling a little uneasy as well. After all, Moses had faithfully led the Israelites for many years…through their oppression in Egypt…to their deliverance from Pharoah across the parted Red Sea…through their exodus…to their first opportunity to enter Canaan…to their punishment as God sent them back into the wilderness for forty years…and now to this place and time when they were about to finally enter the land that was said to flow with “milk and honey”.

Indeed, Joshua would have big shoes to fill and perhaps there were some questions raging in his head.

Would I be able to be as strong a leader as Moses was?

Would the people follow me as they did him?

Would God find as much favor with me as He did him?

Perhaps all these questions and more were under consideration as Joshua readied himself to become the new leader of Israel but into these anxious thoughts, Moses soke words of encouragement and reassurance:

“Be strong and courageous, for you must go with this people into the land that the Lord swore to their forefathers to give them, and you must divide it among them as their inheritance.”

And interlaced in these words was again the message we have gone to over and over in this message:

“Do not be afraid. Do not be terrified. Do not be discouraged. Be strong and courageous. The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

So given all this, let me shift my attention to you, the reader.

How is life going for you right now? Are you in circumstances that are causing you to be afraid…stressed…discouraged?

Are events unfolding that threaten to bring changes to your life?

Is uncertainty looming on your horizon?

If you’re in the midst of challenging times, times which have seemed to bring worry and concern, then the central point of this scripture passage and its message are as much for you as it was for Joshua and the Israelites around 3,400 years ago. It serves to remind us that God and His Word are always there to offer us strength and assurance, and my prayer is that you will write down these words and always keep them close at hand in your heart, mind, and soul.

“Do not be afraid. Do not be terrified. Do not be discouraged. Be strong and courageous. The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.