The Chosen Key Word in this Chapter is “Strong and courageous” it comes from the Hebrew Word “chazaq amats” which means “be strong and courageous.”
At 120 years old, Moses hands leadership over to the man who will finally lead Israel into the land. Welcome to Bible Life Basics Chapter Reviews, I am Chris and this is Deuteronomy 31.
Moses tells Israel plainly that he is now 120 years old and can no longer go out and come in as their leader, and that he will not cross the Jordan, though the Lord Himself will go before them and destroy the nations ahead of them. He encourages the people directly. “Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee.” The Hebrew phrase for strong and courageous is “chazaq amats.” Moses calls Joshua before all Israel and repeats this same charge to him personally, “Be strong and of a good courage… for the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.”
Moses writes this entire law and delivers it to the priests and elders, commanding that it be read publicly before all Israel every seven years during the Feast of Tabernacles, including men, women, children, and strangers, so that they may hear, learn to fear the Lord, and observe all the words of this law. God then tells Moses that after his death, this people will turn away and break the covenant, provoking God’s anger, and instructs Moses to write a song that will serve as a witness against Israel when that unfaithfulness eventually happens.
God formally commissions Joshua, telling him to “be strong and of a good courage: for thou shalt bring the children of Israel into the land which I sware unto them: and I will be with thee.” Moses finishes writing the words of this law in a book, and instructs the Levites to place it beside the ark of the covenant as a witness against the people, since he already knows their rebellious tendencies and anticipates the difficulties still ahead of them even after his death.
Moses’ repeated charge, be strong and of good courage, was given not to someone naturally fearless, but to a man about to take on an enormous, intimidating responsibility. Courage, according to this chapter, was never about the absence of fear. It was about trusting God’s presence enough to move forward despite it.
Visit Us At: www.youtube.com/@BibleLifeBasics
Support Us On Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/BibleLifeBasics