“Be strong and courageous! For you will lead these people into the land that the Lord swore
to their ancestors he would give them…Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will
personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.”
Deuteronomy 31:7-8
Moses was 120 years old when he presented Joshua to the Israelites with these powerful words. After forty years in the wilderness it was time to move forward with a new leader…but with the same promises. GOD would be with them…GOD would destroy their enemies…and GOD would never abandon them.
However, God’s presence was not the only asset this family possessed. Moses wrote down in a book ALL the instructions God had given His people and gave it to the Levites. They were to place the Book beside the Ark of the Covenant which already housed the Ten Commandments. God’s Word was so vital to their future that Moses instructed the priests to read the entire Book of Instructions to the Israelites regularly. It was to be heard by ALL…men, women, and children, ensuring the young ones would keep learning to fear God and obey His instructions.
The Israelites’ way forward was to trust God’s Presence and trust God's Word. What about me? Jesus gave the same promise that Joshua had, “I am with you always!” (Matthew 28:20) And just as the Book of Instructions lay beside the Ark in the Temple, God’s Word is at the fingertips of my temple! I have God’s Presence, I have God’s Word…my only way forward is to trust in both!
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