Deuteronomy 31:8 – 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.
After forty long years in the wilderness, the people of Israel are on their way to the Promised Land. They have seen miraculous provision and protection as well as justice and discipline. But after Moses passes on, they will need to rely upon the Lord their God to lead them into the promised land.
The Book of Deuteronomy is filled with the promise of God’s presence and power. As Moses lays out the plan for conquering their enemies, he also reminds them that they should be strong and courageous, because God will be with them.
Joshua will be the new leader of Israel, and he is charged by Moses to take on the task of leading the nation into the land of Canaan. Then, in verse 8, the word of instruction to him begins: Be strong and of good courage, for ye must go with this people into the land which the LORD hath sworn unto their fathers to give them.
This is an extremely solemn scripture. Often one finds this book of the Bible being quoted and used in sermons, especially when people have fear and are worried about the future.
There are a number of reasons why this is important to remember.
The first reason is that it teaches us that we can never do anything by our own strength. The second is that it reminds us that we have a great God who has given His people a great commission to go into the world and make it a place where He is honored. The third is that it teaches us to trust that He will provide for our needs in this world, even as we await the day when we will see Him face to face and have Him face to face (Jn 14:3).
