David Bahn – Reflections

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These devotions are part of the Follow the Word Bible reading program at St. John Lutheran Church in Cypress, Texas. This year we are reading through the Scriptures together, listening for how God speaks through his Word day by day. I hope you will join me on this journey.

Today’s readings are Deuteronomy 34, Joshua 1-2, Psalm 89.

Deuteronomy 26:16-19

After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, ² “Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel. ³ Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses. ⁴ From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun shall be your territory. ⁵ No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you. ⁶ Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. ⁷ Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. ⁸ This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. ⁹ Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

God must be serious about Joshua’s need to be strong and courageous. Three times in these opening verses the command is repeated. “Be strong and courageous,” God tells Joshua, “for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them” (v. 6). Then again: “Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you” (v. 7). And once more: “Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (v. 9).

Moses is dead. The words land with a jarring finality. The great leader who brought Israel out of Egypt, through the Red Sea, and across the wilderness now stands at the edge of the Promised Land no longer. He endured complaints and rebellion, stood between God and the people, and spoke with the Lord face to face. But now he is gone. Joshua is the anointed leader. He is in charge. And into that moment comes God’s command: be strong and courageous.

The very next verse adds another dimension. Joshua must be strong and courageous not only to lead, but to remain faithful – to do all that Moses had commanded according to God’s Word. Following the Lord’s ways – especially as a leader – is no small task. Jesus himself speaks of the narrow way. Faithfulness requires strength of heart and courage of spirit. Sometimes that means resisting temptation; other times it means standing firm against pressure. Such courage is essential, especially for those who lead God’s people.

Then comes the third command – this time anchored in a promise: “Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” This is the foundation of it all. The call to courage is never given apart from the promise of God’s presence. Just as the Lord was with Moses, so he will be with Joshua (v. 5). The command and the promise belong together.

God is at work in each of us. Some are called to visible and demanding vocations – soldiers, EMTs, firefighters, police officers. As a pastor, I have needed strength and courage to lead God’s people. But all of us are called, in our own places, to stand firm and act faithfully. Whether resisting the temptation to drift from God’s mission or standing against pressures that pull us away from his ways, we hear these words and take courage from his promise: he is with us wherever we go.

And above all, we look to Jesus. He faced every temptation, yet without sin. Though he is the Son of God, he did not turn inward in self-preservation, but gave himself fully – even to the suffering of the cross. Where we falter and fail, he stands firm for us. He is our true and faithful leader, who has gone before us and now leads us into the Promised Land of life with God.