“God’s Guarantee”
Then
Moses called to 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 which the Lord
has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall give it to them as an
inheritance. The Lord is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He
will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” (v.7-8)
Here Joshua
is being commissioned as Moses' successor by the command of God. Joshua had
proven his capacity for leadership by; successfully leading the military effort
against the Amalekites, showing courage when the twelve spies returned from
their exploratory mission to the Promised Land and demonstrating a faith/belief
that God's power would defeat the giants in the land. He had also seen God act
miraculously to bring them out of Egypt, and believed that God had the power to
bring the Israelites into the Promised Land.
Even with
this impressive resume Deuteronomy 31 reiterates that God (not Moses nor Joshua),
was ultimately the leader of the Israelites. He was the one going before them,
the one who ensured their victory. Moses had the confidence to lead the
Israelites based on the assurance that God was with him and would never leave
him and now this guarantee is being given to Joshua (v.8)
In a world
where we can’t always depend on guarantees, God’s promises will last through
all time and eternity. Because He is eternal, He can give us an eternal
guarantee.
The Truth
“For the
Lord will not forsake His people, for His great name’s sake, because it
has pleased the Lord to make you His people.” (1 Samuel 12:22)
