Burunche’s Blog

Deuteronomy 31:1 – 8 “When Moses had finished speaking these words to all Israel, he said to them, “I am now a hundred and twenty years old; I am no longer able to come and go, and 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 dispossess them. Joshua will cross ahead of you, as the LORD has said. And the LORD will do to them as He did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, when He destroyed them along with their land.

The LORD will deliver them over to you, and you must do to them exactly as I have commanded you. Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid or terrified of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.” Then Moses called for Joshua and said to him in the presence of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you will go with this people into the land that the LORD swore to their fathers to give them, and you shall give it to them as an inheritance. The LORD Himself goes before you; He will be with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid or discouraged.”

Look at Joshua! All this time, Joshua has been shadowing Moses and spending time in the tabernacle with the Lord. Joshua and Caleb were the only two spies who brought back a good report of the Promised Land; their faith saved them while the other spies and all the faithless Israelites died in the Wilderness. Now Joshua has been appointed to succeed Moses and lead the Israelites into the Promised Land. But how do you succeed a living legend?

Moses fully understands the arduous task Joshua is facing; after all, Moses has spent forty years herding more than two million Israelites through the wilderness. There must have been times when Moses wished that he was still herding sheep because the sheep would behave better! But no assignment lasts forever, and now it is time for Moses to hand over to Joshua.

Notice how Moses is encouraging Joshua:

1. “The LORD your God Himself will cross over ahead of you. He will destroy these nations before you, and you will dispossess them. Joshua will cross ahead of you, as the LORD has said. And the LORD will do to them as He did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, when He destroyed them along with their land.” God will take the lead, weakening the nations so that Joshua and the Israelites can conquer them.
2. “The LORD will deliver them over to you, and you must do to them exactly as I have commanded you.” Joshua must follow God’s orders implicitly if he is to succeed.
3. Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid or terrified of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.” “The LORD Himself goes before you; He will be with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid or discouraged.” Moses keeps repeating these assurances because he knows that Joshua is probably shaking in his sandals. Joshua must remember that God is the One who will conquer and give victories. God has promised to be with Joshua, so Joshua’s role is to remain faithful and refuse to become discouraged.

APPLICATION: Anybody who has ever been a leader can sympathize with Joshua! There is nothing more daunting than taking over from a living legend like Moses. Joshua knows that as soon as he begins taking tough decisions, somebody is going to start drawing unfavorable comparisons. “But when Moses was leading us, we didn’t do it this way!” And yet…. God has firmly told Moses that he is to step down and that Joshua is to take over.

Moses is doing his very best to reinforce to the Israelites the fact that Joshua is God’s choice as Moses’ successor. To that end, Moses repeats the fact that God has selected Joshua and that God will be with Joshua, going before him, leading him, and protecting him.

Moses’ final statement is perhaps the most important one. “He (the Lord) will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid or discouraged.” In King Henry IV part 2, Shakespeare wrote, “uneasy is the head that wears a crown.” Moses knows the agonies of leadership, the sleepless nights, the self – examinations, the anxieties, the despair when one’s followers misbehave. Discouragement is one of the most insidious tools of the Devil because we so easily fall into discouragement. But discouragement doesn’t accomplish anything positive; it only digs an increasingly deep hole into which our spirits can fall if we let them.  

Today you may find yourself in the same situation as Joshua. You are taking over from someone who has been highly successful and you feel totally inadequate! Rest assured that if God has allowed you to come to this point, then God will also be with you just as He was with Joshua. The encouragement from Moses is for you also. “The LORD Himself goes before you; He will be with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid or discouraged.”

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Help us to take heart, realizing that when You call us to something difficult, You are already there before us and that You will strengthen and guide us. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

This entry was posted on January 17, 2022 at 12:01 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.