Title: Be Strong and Courageous — God Is With You
In the final days of his life, Moses spoke words of hope and command to the people of Israel. Though he himself would not enter the Promised Land, he pointed them to the God who goes before His people and never forsakes them. These same truths steady us today as we face the battles of the Christian life.
Human Leaders Are Incomplete — But God Is Not
Moses stood before Israel at one hundred twenty years old. After decades of faithful service, the crowning achievement of entering the land of rest was denied him because of his earlier disobedience at the rock. He would climb a mountain and die, leaving the work unfinished.
This is the pattern with even the greatest human leaders. Moses left the conquest to Joshua. David left the building of the temple to Solomon. And in each case, the successor still fell short. Joshua could not give Israel lasting rest. Solomon could not build an everlasting temple. Both point beyond themselves to Someone greater.
Only Jesus gives true rest. Only Jesus builds the true temple—His own body. At the end of Moses’ life we feel a longing for what is greater. Yet right here stands a promise: “The Lord your God himself will go over before you. He will destroy these nations before you… and Joshua will go over at your head” (Deuteronomy 31:3).
The Lord and Joshua — A Picture of Christ
Notice the beauty in these words for us as Christians. “The Lord” is the name so often applied to Jesus in the New Testament. “Joshua” is the Hebrew form of the name Jesus—the Savior. Who will bring the people into the land of promise? The Lord and Jesus.
This is more than wordplay. In the grand sweep of God’s redemptive history, Jesus is the fully human Savior (like Joshua) and the fully divine Lord and Savior who leads His people—those who believe in His name—into the heavenly Promised Land. He has already gone before us and won the victory, not merely over earthly enemies, but over sin, death, and the devil themselves through His death and resurrection.
When we read Moses’ words to Israel, we must hear the gospel. Victory over sin, death, and Satan is assured for anyone who repents and trusts in Jesus Christ. Sin and death have been thrown down as surely as Sihon and Og. The way into the heavenly Promised Land stands open.
The Battle Still Remains
Yet God in His wisdom does not leave us merely trusting from a distance. He calls us to cross our own Jordan into enemy territory and trust Him in the fight. Everything has been secured—Christ has won the victory—but we are not yet in full possession of the land. The battle continues daily in our hearts, families, workplaces, ministries, and the world around us. God is making war against sin, death, and Satan on the battleground of our lives.
The Command: Be Strong and Courageous
This brings us to the central command of the text:
“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.” (Deuteronomy 31:6)
This is not optional. God commands us to live with strength and courage in every sphere—family, church, work—relying on His strength, knowing that He works in us. Do not fear your enemies. Sin, death, and Satan are dreadful foes, yet we are not to dread them. The world feeds on our fears through social media and the news. Too often our hearts latch onto fear when we should be looking to the God who is truly with us.
Three Promises That Empower the Command
God never issues a command without supplying the grace to obey it. An old hymn captures this well: “Run, run, the law commands, but gives me neither feet nor hands. Better news the gospel brings: it bids me fly and gives me wings.” In this text God gives three solid promises so that we can obey.
1. The Lord goes with you.
“It is the Lord your God who goes with you.” When you turn to Christ in faith, the Lord Almighty is with you. Christ in you is the hope of glory. If you have believed in Jesus and see even small fruit—sorrow for sin, love for God—then Christ is with you. This is true because God said it, not because your feelings rise and fall throughout the day.
Being a Christian is like being pregnant: you either are or you are not. There is no partial Christianity. Yet just as a woman can be eight weeks or eight months pregnant, so a believer may feel weak or backslidden at times. That does not make you any less a Christian. The Holy Spirit will complete what He began. Christ is with you to defeat sin, death, and the devil so that you may be strong and courageous.
2. Christ has already secured the victory.
“The Lord your God himself will go over before you. He will destroy these nations before you.” God has completely secured the victory in Christ. Just as the Lord went before Joshua into Canaan, Jesus went before us. He faced the devil’s temptation in the wilderness and overcame. He endured rejection, betrayal, and the cross. He faced the last enemy—death—and on the third day threw that ancient foe down. “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”
Jesus defeated sin, death, and Satan long before any of us were born so that we may enter the fight with confidence, knowing the battle is already won. This is no mere pep talk. Satan is still scary, but he is defanged and defeated. Death is a black hole, but Christ has shone His light into it. Even our remaining sin—so often the most frustrating part of the Christian walk—has been defeated. He who began a good work in you will complete it. One day we will live without hearts drawn to sin. Therefore we make war as victors, never as the defeated.
Think of the trenches of World War I. Climbing out of a foxhole into gunfire would be nearly impossible—unless you knew with absolute certainty that victory was already assured. Then you could stand and advance. Christian, what can the bullets do? Even death cannot defeat you. Be strong and courageous. Christ has already won.
3. God will never leave or forsake you.
“He will not leave you or forsake you.” If you struggle with anxiety and fear, hear this clearly: God will not leave you. You may fall short. Life may be dreadfully difficult. But God will not abandon you. Human promises fail—even the most sincere ones. God’s promises never do. Jesus Christ is always faithful. No one can snatch His children out of His hand.
Living in the Strength of These Promises
We spend far too much time worrying about how we will handle the giant problems of life, forgetting that those problems are as ants before our God. Is any problem too large for our Father in heaven? Does the Lord of hosts tremble before any enemy? Is there any concern that our compassionate Savior does not carry?
Christ has won the battle so that you can be strong and courageous this week—whether you are fighting a besetting sin, finding energy for ministry, caring for aging parents, or patiently loving frustrating toddlers. God is with us. Therefore we can be strong and courageous.
Christ has won the battle. You will never be abandoned to any enemy, for Christ is with you. So let us press forward in all our callings with confidence, knowing that God has won the battle and God will win the battle. God fights for us, and we will have the victory.
Amen.