Deuteronomy 31:1–8
Joshua to Succeed Moses
31:1 So Moses continued to speak these words to all Israel. 2 And he said to them, “I am 120 years old today. I am no longer able to go out and come in. The LORD has said to me, ‘You shall not go over this Jordan.’ 3 The LORD your God himself will go over before you. He will destroy these nations before you, so that you shall dispossess them, and Joshua will go over at your head, as the LORD has spoken. 4 And the LORD will do to them as he did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, and to their land, when he destroyed them. 5 And the LORD will give them over to you, and you shall do to them according to the whole commandment that I have commanded you. 6 Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”
7 Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the land that the LORD has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall put them in possession of it. 8 It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”
(ESV)
For the Lord Will Not Forsake His People
Earlier this year Elmo asked a question on Twitter (sorry, X) to his 457,000 followers: “Elmo is just checking in! How is everybody doing?” According to the overwhelming majority of replies, people were not doing well at all.
People confessed to severe depression, anxiety, financial strain, and every other kind of trouble. One response in particular seemed to capture the mood especially well. Hanif Abdurraqib, a writer, said, “Elmo each day the abyss we stare into grows a unique horror. One that was previously unfathomable in nature. Our inevitable doom which once accelerated in years, or months, now accelerates in hours, even minutes.”
A little over the top, perhaps, but it resonates with where a lot of us are. We live with fear and despair every day.
In Deuteronomy 31 God’s people faced two very frightening prospects. First, they are about to enter the Promised Land and face enemies who are vastly stronger militarily and politically. Second, they have to do this without Moses. The one who led them out of Egypt, who spoke with God face to face, God’s servant who led them to safety time and time again, will be dead. They’re terrified about who is there—powerful enemies—and who isn’t—Moses.
But God says someone will be there. I will be there, he says. In fact, he affirms this point from every angle. The Lord will go before you. He will go with you. He will not leave or forsake you. The Lord’s in front of you, behind you, over you, under you, and in you.
The application follows from this truth. Be strong. Take courage. Don’t fear. Don’t be in dread. Don’t be dismayed. Notice what is not said. God does not say, “It’s all in your head. There’s nothing to worry about.” No, there’s plenty to worry about! They do have powerful enemies. Their leader will be dead. What God does say is, “I will be with you every step of the way, and I will fight for you. Don’t fear because you have me.”
The church in Chicago doesn’t face military threats, but we do face plenty of other threats. We too have a God who goes before us and who will not forsake us. Jesus Christ isn’t just our priest who gives the ultimate sacrifice. He’s not just our teacher who leads us along the way of life and truth. He’s our King who defeats all of our enemies.
Your King will never forsake you. He’d even die for you! So don’t fear.
Kyle Edwards