He Will Never Leave You
Devotional for November 5 · Deuteronomy 31:6 · 12-minute read
1When Moses had finished speaking these words to all Israel, 2he said to them, “I am now a hundred and twenty years old; I am no longer able to come and go, and the LORD has said to me, ‘You shall not cross the Jordan.’ 3The LORD your God Himself will cross over ahead of you. He will destroy these nations before you, and you will dispossess them. Joshua will cross ahead of you, as the LORD has said. 4And the LORD will do to them as He did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, when He destroyed them along with their land. 5The LORD will deliver them over to you, and you must do to them exactly as I have commanded you. 6Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid or terrified of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.” 7Then Moses called for Joshua and said to him in the presence of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you will go with this people into the land that the LORD swore to their fathers to give them, and you shall give it to them as an inheritance. 8The LORD Himself goes before you; He will be with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid or discouraged.” 9So Moses wrote down this law and gave it to the priests, the sons of Levi, who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and to all the elders of Israel. 10Then Moses commanded them, “At the end of every seven years, at the appointed time in the year of remission of debt, during the Feast of Tabernacles, 11when all Israel comes before the LORD your God at the place He will choose, you are to read this law in the hearing of all Israel. 12Assemble the people—men, women, children, and the foreigners within your gates—so that they may listen and learn to fear the LORD your God and to follow carefully all the words of this law. 13Then their children who do not know the law will listen and learn to fear the LORD your God, as long as you live in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess.”
Context
Deuteronomy gathers Moses' final speeches on the plains of Moab, east of the Jordan River, probably in the late fifteenth or the thirteenth century BC, depending on the date one adopts for the Exodus. The people have spent forty years in the wilderness. The promised land is in sight, across the river. Moses is a hundred and twenty years old and knows he will not cross over (v. 2). Chapter 31 is a farewell and a handing over of leadership.
For those listening, the fear was concrete. There were strong nations and fortified cities on the other side. The text speaks of war and conquest, something that troubles the modern reader and must be read within that unique moment in Israel's history, not as a model for today. The point of verse 6 is something else: the leader who had walked with them for forty years was about to leave the scene. The question hanging in the air was simple and distressing: who goes with us now?
What the text says
- v. 3: Before speaking of Joshua, Moses speaks of God: “The LORD your God Himself will cross over ahead of you.” The human leader changes; the One who goes ahead remains the same.
- v. 6: The command to be courageous comes with a reason, not a technique: “for it is the LORD your God who goes with you.” The courage asked of them rests on God's presence, not on the people's strength.
- v. 8: The same promise made to the whole people is repeated to Joshua, now addressed to him personally: “He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid or discouraged.” The leader receives the same word as those he leads.
Reflection
There is a kind of fear that shows up when someone important goes away. A father who dies, a mentor who moves, a pastor who leaves the church, a marriage that ends. Israel knew that fear that day. Moses had been God's voice to them for forty years. Now he was saying, in no uncertain terms, that he would not cross the Jordan. It is precisely into that emptiness that verse 6 is spoken.
What stands out is that Moses does not try to make himself indispensable. He could have said: without me you will get lost. Instead, he points beyond himself: “it is the LORD your God who goes with you.” God's presence did not depend on Moses' presence. The courage he asks for is not a personality trait, as if the strong were those who feel the least fear. The text commands them not to be afraid and, in the same sentence, gives the reason: someone is going with them.
Now read verses 16 to 18 of the same chapter. God tells Moses that this people would be unfaithful, would chase after other gods and break the covenant. In other words, the promise that God would not abandon them was given to people He knew would fail. The text is also honest about the consequences: there would be days when God would hide His face because of their sin (v. 17-18). The promise is not a license for disobedience. But it shows that God's faithfulness did not begin with the people's faithfulness.
This promise did not stay stuck at the Jordan. The letter to the Hebrews takes up these words and applies them to Christians, in a passage about contentment and the temptation of the love of money (Heb 13:5). The author understands that the God who went with Israel is the same God who goes with the church. And Jesus, as He said goodbye to His disciples, promised to be with them always (Matt 28:20). The presence Moses announced has reached us in Christ.
This does not mean the crossing will be easy or that there will be no battles. Israel would still have to cross a river and face stronger nations. The promise does not remove the road; it guarantees company on the road. So perhaps today's question is not whether you have enough courage, but whether you are looking at the One who goes ahead of you. Biblical courage is born when our eyes move off the size of the problem and turn toward God's presence.
Connections
- Hebrews 13:5 (stated in the text): The author of Hebrews quotes this promise and applies it to Christians, linking it to contentment and to freedom from the love of money.
- Joshua 1:9 (cross-reference): After Moses' death, God repeats to Joshua the command to be strong and courageous, with the same reason: His presence.
- Matthew 28:20 (editorial reading): In His farewell, Jesus promises to be with the disciples always, echoing the promise of company made to Israel.
To apply
- Heart: What loss, change or goodbye has been making me feel that I will face the next stretch alone?
- Relationships: On whom have I been depending as if that person were the source of my security, and how can I honor them without putting them in God's place?
- Today: Take one concrete step you have been putting off out of fear, and before you take it, read verse 8 out loud.
Prayer
Lord, You are the God who goes ahead of Your people and does not abandon Your own. I worship You because Your faithfulness does not depend on mine. I confess that I often place my security in people, in places and in plans, and I become afraid when they change. I also confess that I lose heart before the size of things. Today I hand over to You the crossing that lies ahead of me. Give me courage that comes from Your presence and not from my own strength. Walk with me and teach me to trust. In Jesus' name, Amen.
To memorize: Deuteronomy 31:6
Today's step: In the next 24 hours, identify one decision that fear is holding back and take the first practical, small and concrete step toward it.
To go deeper: read Deuteronomy 31–34 and get to know Joshua.