Be strong and courageous, fear them not, neither be afraid of them; for Jehovah thy God, he it is that goeth with thee; he will not leave thee, nor forsake thee.
Moses is a hundred and twenty years old and near the end of his life. The people he leaves behind still face the kings of Canaan. His parting word to them is not a strategy but a Person: the LORD Himself goes over with them.
A farewell that points away from the speaker
Moses is leaving, yet his final concern is that Israel should trust the One who is not leaving. One writer notes how strong he still was, and how he turned the people to the Lord:
There he stood, a hundred and twenty years old, a witness to the grace of his God. His eye was still the eye of youth... He encouraged the people to trust in the Lord and assured them that the Lord would give them victory. "It is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you." Precious words these! And the same LORD is on our side, never to leave nor forsake His people.
Courage measured against God, not against the enemy
The command to be strong is not a demand to feel brave. It rests on what God has already done. Sihon and Og were two kings Israel had already beaten on the way, and they set the measure for every enemy still ahead:
What precious, soul-sustaining words are these... Knowing that the Lord is with us, and remembering His gracious ways with us in the past — this must always be the true secret of strength as we go on. The same mighty hand that had subdued Sihon and Og before them could subdue all the kings of Canaan. The Amorites were just as strong as the Canaanites; the LORD was more than a match for all.
"Do not fear" — a word God keeps repeating
This is not a one-off encouragement for one generation. The same call meets God's people at every stage of their history, from Egypt to the "lowest pit" of their distress:
This word meets the ears of the people of God every time they have to do with the enemy, whether in Egypt (Ex. 14:13) or in the borders of the wilderness (Num. 14:9; Deut. 1:21; Deut. 31:6, 8), or in Canaan under Joshua... And when Israel lay in the "lowest pit" and cried to God in their distress, the Lord answered, "Fear not" (Lam. 3:57).
The same assurance for the leader and for everyone else
Joshua receives a personal charge a few verses later. Its content is the same as what the whole nation has just heard. God gives the man at the front nothing extra:
Joshua needed a special word for himself, since he was called to a leading and honoured place among the people. But the word to him contains the same precious truth as the word spoken to the whole assembly. God assures him of His presence and power. This is enough for each, for all; for Joshua as for the least-known member of the assembly.
Confidence, not bravado
Being strong can be confused with something that only looks like it. One writer draws a sharp line, and warns against losing the real thing out of fear of the counterfeit:
Many sincere Christians go wrong here. They confuse good courage with presumption. They mistake confidence in the Lord for the lowest and proudest feeling of the flesh — mere boldness with no real trust in God. May God keep every one of His children from presumption! On the other hand, God forbid that any child of His should lose the true courage and simple confidence God is owed, just because something else counterfeits it.
Moses' certainty becomes God's promise
The New Testament quotes these words in Hebrews 13:5. Commentators differ on which passage Hebrews draws from. Some point to the promise given to Joshua. One writer traces it back here, and notes what the quotation does with it:
The readers of the letter surely knew this statement, and the closest words to it in Scripture are in Deut. 31:6 and 1 Chron. 28:20... Moses states it as a fact he was sure of. The writer of Hebrews brings it forward as God's promise to His people, because God inspired Moses to say it.
Words first spoken to one generation can therefore be claimed by any believer:
Any of us may take up the words given to Moses (Deut. 31:6, 8) and to Joshua (Joshua 1:5), with the holy boldness of faith. (Heb. 13:5-6)
Where the promise lands today
In Hebrews the promise is not about battle but about being content. That is worth pausing over, because our circumstances are often far from good:
They are so bad that God will sweep them all away the moment this age closes. Why then are we to be satisfied with them?... because He has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." That is it. We can be satisfied in our present circumstances, because God guarantees us the lasting presence of the One we thirst for.
Summary
- Presence first. Courage rests not on Israel's strength or Joshua's skill, but on God going with them.
- Presence proved. Yesterday's victories over Sihon and Og are the evidence that today's enemies are no larger than God.
- Presence for all. The leader gets no better promise than the least-known person in the camp; it is enough for each and for all.
- Presence claimed. Faith takes these words for itself. But real courage trusts God; it is never mere recklessness.
- Presence enough. Hebrews turns Moses' certainty into a lasting promise, and applies it to contentment. If He stays with us, we can bear our present circumstances.