Deut. 3-- Do Not Be Afraid of Them

Scripture: Deuteronomy 3 (especially verses 21-22)

In an interesting twist in Moses' story arc, he's not allowed to enter the Promised Land after decades of leading Israel toward it. It's a punishment for public insubordination and disrespect toward God (the story of which is here in Numbers 20 and, for a more thorough explanation, this article is what I found on Google). 


We won't be exploring that facet of the story today, but one point I find interesting: sin has consequences. Even for the spiritual superstars, the Moseses (Mosii?) and the Aarons of the world, making bad decisions leads to bad results. Lying to someone leads to a lack of trust. Betraying someone leads to a broken relationship. Publicly disrespecting God, in this case, led to not entering the Promised Land.

But what we will explore today is the encouragement Moses gives to his successor Joshua:

"You have seen with your own eyes all that the LORD your God has done to these two kings. The LORD will do the same to all the kingdoms over there where you are going. Do not be afraid of them; the LORD your God Himself will fight for you."

Moses isn't saying, "Remember what God did to rescue our people out of Egypt? He will do that again." He is instead saying, "Remember what God just did, like yesterday? He will do that again." He is encouraging Future Joshua to remember what God is doing right now.

This may be a good reminder to us when times are good. What has God done recently in your life? Maybe He has brought some teaching, feeling of love, empowerment, freedom from sin, or other blessing. 

In the future, we can be confident that He will be the same God He has been to us in the good times. Now, our story is different from Joshua's, so God may not act in the same way for us that He did before; but He is nevertheless the same God, so we can answer Moses' call-- "Do not be afraid."