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AN UNPREACHED SERMON (155)
If you have tried over the years to be a regular and consistent reader of the Bible, it will not have escaped your notice that there are key promises, phrases and ideas that occur again and again. Scattered throughout the Bible, the context in which they occur can often give added meaning to how they are to be understood and applied.
An excellent example is the parting word of Moses to his designated successor, Joshua. After what can only be described as a life of incredible achievement, Moses seemed to sense that Joshua was understandably nervous about taking over from such a longtime capable leader as Moses had been.
Reassuringly he assures him with words that crop up so often at crisis moments in the life of the nation of Israel. It’s almost as if the impending change of personnel and circumstances brought on a feeling of anxiety for the future; an anxiety that had to be nipped in the bud. Certainly, from the days of Moses’ ministry right down to the present day this promise has stood the test of time. Believing people have relied upon it through thick and thin. Here it is in its fullest form: “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).
PROBABLY ORIGINALLY GIVEN DIRECTLY FROM GOD TO MOSES.
This is the only thing to account for Moses’ steadfastness through all he was called upon to accomplish. The task given him was beyond any man, yet he saw it through to the finish. Even after such a miraculous life, being rescued from the Nile, parting the Red Sea, receiving the Ten Commandments, providing manna in the wilderness and encountering God face to face, none of these things were the basis of his confidence. Rich and intimate as the experiences were, it was the simple, unadorned promise of God that kept him at it and kept him going. What a lesson for us! No matter how intimate and personal our dealings with God they are not in themselves the basis of our trust in Him. Reliance on His sure promise is the only ground of confidence. Experiences come and go; they fluctuate and are sometimes non-existent, but His promise never wavers.
MOSES PASSED ON THE PROMISE TO JOSHUA.
The fact that he uttered it four times over strongly suggests Joshua was shaking in his sandals at the prospect of taking over from Moses (Deuteronomy 31:7; Joshua 1:6, 9, 18). The questions in his mind are easily imagined; they are common to anyone finding themselves in similar circumstances.
• Why me?
• Who am I?
• What if I fail?
• Isn’t there someone else
It must have been the same feelings and questions the original disciples felt the day Jesus called them! But they were equally assured, “Come follow Me, and I will make you...” (Mark 1:17). When the Lord calls, He always equips. His purpose is always to shape us into instruments He can use. And as Joshua’s subsequent career showed, Moses was not wrong in appointing him.
JOSHUA PASSED ON THE PROMISE TO HIS SOLDIERS.
When they were faced with the grim task of routing and executing the Amalekite kings, and shrunk from what was their plain duty, Joshua reassured them with virtually the same words and promise (Joshua 10:25). Having brought the nation over the Jordan and on to the land of promise, all opposition was to be quelled if God’s purposes were to be achieved.
DAVID REMEMBERED AND REPEATED THE PROMISE TO SOLOMON
King David had cherished a longing that one day he would be privileged to rebuild the Temple. But, because of the amount of blood he had shed in warfare, the honour was denied him. Instead, the task delegated to Solomon his son (1 Chronicles 22:13). It really was a magnificent promise and surely has something to say to anyone engaged in the Lord’s work of building the church. “Be strong and courageous and do it! Do not be afraid or dismayed, for the Lord God, even my God, is with you. He will not leave you or forsake you, until all the work for the service of the house of the Lord is finished (1 Chronicles 28:30). Does that not chime in with the promise made by Jesus about Him building His church (Matthew 16:18) and ourselves being involved in its construction (1 Corinthians 3:10-16)?
THE PROMISE REACHES DOWN TO US.
It’s no use our thinking, “Well I will never be a Moses, a Joshua, a David or a Solomon”. The promise still stands and can be taken to heart by us in our day. When the Psalter was eventually compiled and finalised, a form of the promise formed a fitting conclusion to two of David’s much-loved Psalms. “Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord” (Psalm 27:4) and “Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the Lord” (Psalm 31:24). This unfailing promise is something to say and memorise, and a truth worth singing – which is always an almost infallible way to get things to lodge things in the mind. Scottish Presbyterians sing the promise as:
“Be of good courage, and He strength
Unto your heart shall send,
All ye whose hope and confidence
Doth on the Lord depend”
So, if you are like Moses, about to pass to your reward; or like Joshua, about to enter unchartered territory; or like David on the verge of passing on the rule to a successor; or like the Psalmist wanting to acknowledge God’s faithfulness in all circumstances, there is no better promise to take to heart.
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