July 3, 2026
“Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; For the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.–Deuteronomy 31:6 NKJV
The Historical and Biblical Context-Deuteronomy 31
This book is Moses’ farewell sermon to the new generation of Israelites. He is 120 years old and has just broken the news that God will not permit him to cross the Jordan River with them-he is about to die. The people are taking the massive step of taking the Promised Land and now they are losing the only leader they have ever known.
Deuteronomy 31 represents a massive shift in Israel’s history-the transition of leadership from Moses to Joshua. Moses, speaking to the entire assembly of Israel, is publicly commissioning Joshua to take his place.
Deuteronomy 31:4 takes place at the very end of Israel’s 40-year wandering. They are camped on the plains of Moab, standing right at the edge of the Promised Land. Moses had just told them he wasn’t coming with them, turned leadership over to Joshua, and is preparing them for the challenge that lies ahead. They must prepare for physical warfare because they are about to face the terrifying, fortified cities and the giants of Canaan. But he tells them to not be afraid because the Lord will go with them. God promised this land to the Israelites, and He will be with them every step of the way. It is promised by God, so it will be.
Clause-by-Clause Breakdown: Deuteronomy 31
This verse is structured in a two-part format: a command to the people, followed by the divine rationale that makes the command possible.
The Human Command
“Be strong and of good courage…”: True biblical courage is not the total absence of fear; it is the deliberate choice to act in obedience to God despite feeling afraid. Moses commands them to brace their minds and spirits for the difficulty that is coming.
These two commands focus on the external action and the internal resolve. “Be strong (Hebrew-chazaq) means to bind fast, fasten, or fortify physically (the external action). “Good courage” (Hebrew-amats) means to be mentally alert, bold, and stout-hearted (the internal resolve). Moses is telling them to fortify their minds like the city walls before the battle even starts.
“…do not fear nor be afraid of them;”: Moses acknowledges the enemy (“them”-the Canaanites). He is covering all his bases by the way he stated this part of the verse: do not feel the emotion of fear, and do not let that fear turn into physical panic or retreat. He knows that even if he tells them not to fear they are going to. It’s a natural human response. But he goes on to tell them that when/if they do feel that fear, they cannot let it turn into a physical response like panic and retreat.
The Divine Rationale
“…for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you.”: In the original Hebrew context, this shows an image of a divine warrior marching out ahead of the camp to fight the battle for them. Israel’s confidence was never supposed to come from their own military strength, but from the identity of the One who goes before.
This clause is the logical reason why they can be strong and courageous. They are not marching into unknown territory alone.
The word “goes” implies the active, forward-moving leadership of the Divine. God isn’t just watching from heaven; He is the unbeatable warrior marching out ahead of their army.
“He will not leave you…”: The Hebrew word used here (n’tanam) means to drop, slacken, or let go of a safety line or hand. This is God is promising that He will never loosen His grip on His people or drop them in times of danger.
“…nor forsake you.”: “Forsake” (Hebrew-azab) means to completely desert, totally abandon, or leave someone behind in a helpless state. God is saying that even if the circumstances become painful or overwhelming, He vows that total abandonment is an impossibility for Him. God will never walk away, no matter how intense the battle becomes.
Main Takeaways-Deuteronomy 31
Our Strength is Borrowed: Biblical courage is not a self-generated, bold confidence. It is entirely dependent on knowing who is walking into the situation with you.
Unbreakable Grip: Human leaders (like Moses) are temporary, but God’s presence is a permanent, unshakable constant.
God Faces Our Giants: We can walk into intimidating situations with confidence because God has already crossed the border ahead of us.
The Proof in the Past-Deuteronomy 31
Facing a massive transition or a new season of uncertainty can naturally trigger anxiety. The Israelites stood on the edge of the Promised Land, mourning the upcoming loss of Moses, being challenged to put their trust in a new leader, and staring down fortified cities of “giants”. Naturally, they felt vulnerable and afraid.
In this moment, God did not just offer a generic promise of future success. Instead, He pointed them backwards and reminded them of the past. He brought to their memory, Sihon and Og.
Sihon and Og were two powerful and terrifying Ammorite kings that Israel had already defeated (Numbers 21 NKJV). They were living proof that God had already defeated the seemingly impossible opposition.
Moses used these past victories, not as happy memories, but as prophetic proof of God’s future faithfulness. The message was clear: Your future battles do not surprise the God of your past victories.
When tomorrow looks completely unpredictable, our best weapon is an accurate memory of yesterday. The same God who sustained us through previous heartbreaks, financial crises, and health scares is standing in our tomorrows.
God doesn’t want us to conjure up self-made confidence or rely on our own strength. He wants us to anchor our hearts to His track record. When you can’t see how the next chapter will unfold, look back at the chapters He’s already written. The same God who provided for you in the wilderness of past trials is the exact same God marching ahead of you into the next chapter. Your history with God is the ultimate proof that He will not fail you now. He has already defeated the “Sihon and Og” in your life-now, trust Him to handle what lies across the Jordan.
Modern Application of Deuteronomy 31
Applying this verse today requires shifting your focus from the size of your current problems to the track record of God.
Build a “Faith Portfolio” for Big Life Transitions
When you are facing major, intimidating life changes-like altering your career, a medical diagnoses, moving to a new city, or sending a child off to college-it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the unknown.
The Application: Use this verse as a prompt to actively and intentionally write down your own history of survival and victory. Before tackling the new challenge, make a list of your personal “Sihon and Og”- the bill that somehow got paid, the toxic situations you successfully survived and got out of, or the grief you made it through. Reviewing your history and God’s proven track record, proves that your current “mountain” is completely conquerable.
Combat Financial and Professional Anxiety
In the ever-changing economy of today, people fear layoffs, business failures, and mounting debt. The kings mentioned in Deuteronomy 31, today, represent the massive, physical roadblocks and obstacles to our security and prosperity.
The Application: Use this verse to shift your mindset from self-reliance to divine provision. Remind yourself that your ultimate security does not come from the stock market or corporate decisions, but from the God who has already sustained you through the past dry spells and professional hardships.
Break Generational Cycles and Mental Strongholds
Many of us struggle against deeply rooted personal battles, such as addiction, anxiety, generational trauma, or a persistent negative mindset. These can feel like the “kings of the fortified cities” ruling over your life.
The Application: Look at this verse as a spiritual guarantee that strongholds can be completely torn apart. If God gave you the strength to break a bad habit or survive a toxic relationship in the past, use that memory as the fuel to attack the next emotional or spiritual barrier holding you back today.
Overcome Imposter Syndrome
When stepping into a new promotion, a leadership role, or a new phase of life (like becoming a parent), people often feel unqualified and/or terrified of failing.
The Application: Recognize that the Israelites were ordinary people facing professional warriors. God didn’t give them victory because they were elite soldiers; He gave it to them because they trusted Him. When you feel unqualified, let this verse remind you that the outcome of your work depends on God’s consistency, not our perfection.
For this Sticky Note Minute, find a sticky note, index card, or piece of paper and write the following statement on it. Put it on your mirror, computer, or someplace you have access to it throughout the day. Read it whenever you feel the grip of anxiety, fear, or stress trying to grab ahold of you. Let it remind you that God is with you, supporting you, and giving you His strength. With God’s strength you can get past any obstacle.
Sticky Note Minute: I will face today’s giants with yesterday’s victories.
Remember the Past-The Exhortation:Deuteronomy 31
Friends, look closely at the battlefield stretching out before you today. The modern giants of financial stress, shifting life transitions, and unexpected hardships love to whisper that this is the trial that will finally break you. They want you to look at your current obstacles and completely freeze.
But Deuteronomy 31:4 demands a holy pause. Before you can step forward in courage, you must intentionally look backward. Moses did not tell a trembling nation to just “pull themselves together”. He pointed directly to the fallen kingdoms of Sihon and Og-the terrifying and seemingly unbeatable forces that God had already utterly crushed on their behalf.
Stop measuring the size of your problems against your own small size. Instead, measure them against the hugely proven track record of your King. If He sustained you through the wilderness of past grief, He will sustain you now. If He broke the chains of past strongholds; He can easily tear down the walls currently blocking your way. Let your history with God fuel your hostility against doubt. Stand firm, look your giant in the eye, and declare that the God of your past is the Lord of your future. The battle belongs to Him!
To the God of Tomorrow-The Doxology:Deuteronomy 31
To Him who is the Alpha and the Omega, the Sovereign Lord who goes out before us to level every high place-the One whose grip never loosens and whose faithfulness endures through every passing generation-be all glory and honor.
To Him who infuses His strength into us, provides His peace with His presence, and removes the obstacles in our way. To the Father who dearly loves His children and has the best planned for us, be all praise and dominion forever. Amen.
Heavenly Father, we confess that our hearts are quick to panic when the future looks uncertain. Right now, we bring the heavy anxieties of this day and lay them at Your feet. Open our eyes to remember our own history with You. Remind us of the modern-day “Sihon and Og” that You have already cleared out of our paths. Thank You that You never change, You never compromise, and You never let go of the safety rope. We chose to step forward into this day resting entirely on Your perfect track record. In Jesus’ mighty name we pray, Amen.
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