When the Israelites were freed from the Egyptians they were in the wilderness for forty years before they would enter the promised land. A number of things occurred during their time in the wilderness, a major thing was Moses was not going to lead them into the promised land because he disobeyed God’s instructions. As they are preparing to go to the promised land, Moses gives his last speech to the people, which can be found in Deuteronomy.
Once the people knew Moses was not going to lead them, they became afraid, because he is the only leader they ever knew. The problem is the people were focusing on man and not on God. Moses was their leader, but God was the one responsible for them being removed from bondage. They heard Moses speak, but God was the One performing the actions. In Deuteronomy 31:6, Moses gives encouragement to the people and made them aware of the constant presence of God.
The first thing Moses says to them in this verse is to, “Be strong and bold”. When Moses tells them to “be strong”, he is saying they need to have the determination and self-control to trust God. They are not to allow what they see to overwhelm them. When he tells them to be bold, Moses wants the people to be confident in the power of God. Once they are strong and bold, they will not have, “fear or dread”. Moses knew the people would have fear because they were stepping into the unknown. This is why he wants them to “be strong and bold”, then they will not allow room for fear or dread. Moses also knew the people remembered what was told to them forty years prior when the twelve spies went and scouted out the promised land. Ten came back afraid of the people in the land and shared this with the Israelites, and the people were afraid to move forward.
Moses shared these words to change their mindset. Then he reminds them, “because it is the Lord your God who goes with you; He will not fail you or forsake you.” These were not just words Moses was sharing with the people. Moses was sharing with the Israelites, what he knew to be true. This is what the Lord told Moses when He called him in Exodus 3:12. However, Moses added the last statement, “He will not fail you or forsake you.” Moses added this because during the time he was leading the Israelites the Lord never failed to do what He said. Continue to walk in your blessings!
