Series: Flowers in the Desert
Deuteronomy 31:6 ESV
Deuteronomy 31:7-8 ESV
Deuteronomy 31:23 ESV
When I was praying, studying, and reading Deuteronomy 31 for this lesson it was late in the day and my eyes were tired.
I read Deuteronomy 31:6 which is the verse I chose weeks ago when I was doing pre-lesson planning.
Deuteronomy 31:6 tells us, “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.”
I continued to read Deuteronomy 31 to get the full context of this account of God, Moses, and the children of God.
When I came to Deuteronomy 31:7-8 I read, “Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the land that the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall put them in possession of it. It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”
I stopped, and I thought…wait I just read that. I went back and I realized that the words, “be strong and courageous” were repeated again.
What was strange is that I’ve read Deuteronomy 31 many times before in my lifetime. Why did I not notice until today that the words “be strong and courageous” were repeated to reiterate the importance of those words?
It was almost as if they were an important command.
They were a theme.
I continued to read.
Then, yet again the same words were repeated in Deuteronomy 31:23, “And the Lord commissioned Joshua the son of Nun and said, “Be strong and courageous, for you shall bring the people of Israel into the land that I swore to give them. I will be with you.”
I looked back at the previous verses and “be strong and courageous” weren’t the only words that were repeated.
There were several words and phrases used more than once.
I stopped and thought for a moment and I remembered my own children when they were young.
There were phrases and sentences I repeated over and over again.
Sometimes I repeated them so many times that they would get this ‘look’ on their faces and they would repeat it with me.
So, why did I repeat the same phrases and sentences over and over again?
Well, my dad used to repeat phrases and sentences to me when I was young. They were different phrases and sentences than those I repeated to my children, but they were ‘repeats’.
I realized that when I was young and something frightening would happen or when I was in a dangerous or troubling situation, those were the words that came to me.
So, I repeated key phrases and sentences to my children so when they were frightened or in a dangerous situation those words would come to them.
Today when I was reading Deuteronomy 31 and I realized the command “be strong and courageous” and other words and phrases were repeated, it was no accident.
The children of Israel were about to lose the man Moses who had been their guide out of Egypt the through the wilderness. They really counted on Moses.
God spoke directly to Moses on the mountain…and he didn’t die.
Now they would live in a new land. “Be strong and courageous.”
They would have a new leader in Joshua. “Be strong and courageous.”
They would have new battles to fight. “Be STRONG and courageous.”
They would need to take baby steps when it came to relying on God.
AND here’s the big one: They weren’t sure how to do that.
If you’ve ever taught or even watched a baby take those first deeps it’s a precarious thing. Working with a toddler teaching them how to walk is almost painful. The step and fall. They crawl to the couch and try to pull up to stand again. They step and fall.
Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.
That’s what the children of God were about to do and God knew that. God also knew (because He IS God that even though they would stumble and fall, they would learn to walk.
God knew with help and encouragement, a new generation of leaders would learn to listen and they would follow His direction.
Spiritual Practice: Listen
Learning to listen to God is not easy. The first thing you learn is that it’s a journey with God and it’s worth the ride! Take time today to listen to God.
In God, Deborah