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.” 7 Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the presence of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you must go with this people into the land that the Lord swore to their ancestors to give them, and you must divide it among them as their inheritance. 8 The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” (Deuteronomy 31:1-8)
Today's scripture records the man of God Moses’, last instructions to the people of Israel before he died.
At that time, the entire nation of Israel was encamped in the land of Moab, east of the Jordan River, and was preparing to cross the Jordan River into the Promised Land of Canaan. However, some Israelites were hesitant and scared because the upcoming battle with the Canaanites for the land. The previous generation of Israelites have noted that the Canaanites were giants of immense stature; in comparison, the people of Israel were as small as grasshoppers, ready to be devoured (Num 13:32-33). However, this was not the most frightening for the people of Israel. What was more frightening was that their leader, Moses, was leaving them at this critical juncture. How could they march into Canaan without this godly leader? How could they drive their enemies out of God's Promised Land? At the sight of these giants, their hearts melted.
And Moses exhorted them, saying, "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." (Deut. 31:3) If we look closely, we will notice that the name "the Lord" appears eight times in just eight verses. Why did Moses keep referring to "the Lord"? Because Moses wanted the Israelites to know who they were following and who they were to depend on.
The people of Israel respected Moses because this man of God led them across the Red Sea; he asked God for manna and quails for food, and struck the rock for water; he led them to victory over the Amalekites, and presented the Ten Commandments to them as God's spokesman. During the 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, Moses led the people of Israel every step of the way, giving them ideas to solve their problems. Moses is therefore the spiritual pillar of the people of Israel. Now, Moses was going to leave them forever. The people of Israel were dismayed, so Moses reminded them with great emphasis that the true leader of the people of Israel was not himself, nor Joshua, but the Lord, the God who had saved them from Egypt. Moses wanted the people of Israel to know clearly that they were following and relying on God, not man.
Today, it is also easy for us to make the mistake that the people of Israel made: mistaking a "Moses" as the one to follow and rely on. This "Moses" can be an important person in our lives, such as a family member (parent, spouse or child), a leader in the workplace or church; these "Moses" can lead us through difficult times. When problems arise, we seek their advice, and we do what they say to solve them. Apart from the people around us, "Moses" can also be an external object that we have always relied on, such as money, career, family, etc. These "Moses" lead gives us purpose and direction in our lives, and also a sense of security and fulfillment. They become the pillars of our lives that we rely on without us even recognizing it.
In this world, no one rejoices in adversities. But it is because of these adversities that we realize that we have changed from relying on the Lord to relying on the "Moses" in our hearts. In the midst of adversity, when the "Moses" that we rely on disappears, we feel overwhelmed and lost, even despondent and desperate. This is the warning sign: We have gone astray. We are relying on "Moses", not following God! Through adversities, God will correct our errors. He promises, "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.” (Deut 31:6) Even though we have lost the "Moses" we have always relied on, do we still need to fear when we have the God who created heaven and earth with us? God promises that He will never leave us or forsake us under any circumstances. Therefore, we can be strong and courageous to walk the path of our lives, and even more so to face any adversity without fear, because God is our shield and is always ready to help us. Amen.