Orig: 10/26/02
DT 31:1 Then Moses went out and spoke these words to all Israel: 2 "I am now a hundred and twenty years old and I am no longer able to lead you. The LORD has said to me, `You shall not cross the Jordan.' 3 The LORD your God himself will cross over ahead of you. He will destroy these nations before you, and you will take possession of their land. Joshua also will cross over ahead of you, as the LORD said. 4 And the LORD will do to them what he did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, whom he destroyed along with their land. 5 The LORD will deliver them to you, and you must do to them all that I have commanded you. 6 Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you."
NOTE: This is our first in our word study on courage. If you look at they date of this entry you will note that is was written six months before I was offered the job in McMinnville (10/26/02). During this transitional time of my life I sensed God calling us to make a major move that would require great courage on the part of or family. Courage that eventually led to the Ramos family packing up, saying goodbye to 6 grandparents, 4 great grandparents, and our church family of a decade. Knowing something was up, I began a word study on courage and journaled every time it was mentioned in the Bible. So hang on as I take you and a personal journey of my faith dating back to 2002.
In this short passage Moses turns 120 years old and for his final birthday he empowers the Israelites with the gift of courage. Courage was something Moses lacked in his younger days (Exodus 3:1-22) but through God’s faithfulness he grew in humility, courage, and his ability to trust in his God. Then at his one hundred twentieth and final birthday party, he lists what I call The Seven Will’s of God.
Will #1: God will go “ahead of you (3).” There is no place in life that God will send us that he hasn’t been before. We can have courage on the mountain tops (Mathew 4:8, 17:1) and the valleys because God is with us (Psalm 23:1-6).
Will #2: He “will destroy (3)” all obstacles in our way. We can trust and “know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28).” Whether people, problems or pain God is faithful and will not lead us into destruction but “deliver us from evil (Matthew 6:13)”.
Will #3: He will point you to his promises. He will not lead you blindly. No matter how radical or impossible God’s plans may seem, rest assured God equips those He promises to “take possession of (new) land (3).” God will not ask you to swing blindly at His will but gives His men enough time to read the spin on the laces to determine the pitch.
Will #4: God will supply leadership whether that leader is you or someone else. God always, always, supplies leadership when He asks us to take new ground. The people must have wondered who would lead them into the promised land and their question came with the answer, “Joshua also will cross over ahead of you (3).”
Will #5 and #6: He will “deliver” our enemies before us. When we step into the unknown land of God’s will others will inevitably raise up a standard against us. Our human side wants to fight our own battles, but God promises to deliver in His time. When we face the ghosts of the past all we have to do is remember our past victories that God “will do to them what he did…whom he destroyed (4).” Vengeance is the Lord’s and not ours (Romans 12:9). What a wonderful privilege that we do not have to defeat our enemies. Remember God will “deliver them to you (5)”.
Will #7: “He will never leave you nor forsake you (6).” God will never set you up to fail for failure’s sake. He will never call you to take new ground and leave you hanging (Matthew 28:16-19, Hebrews 13:5). What a wonderful promise to come to grasp that God does not leave you outside of the house on a damp winter night in Oregon-alone.
