The book of Deuteronomy is kind of like a summary of everything God did with Israel up until they entered the promised land. Moses wrote it at the end of his life. Throughout the book he gives the nation a few warnings and a few new rules to follow, but mostly he reminds them of everything that has happened to them over the past 40 years since God brought them out of Egypt. Most of all he seems to warn the new generation to trust God and not doubt Him like their parents did.
Deuteronomy 1:17 (NASB20) 'You are not to show partiality in judgment; you shall hear the small and the great alike. You are not to be afraid of any person, for the judgment is God's. The case that is too difficult for you, you shall bring to me, and I will hear it.'
In this passage Moses is reminding Israel how he appointed judges and officers over them because he alone could not handle the burden of settling all the disputes between everyone.
Moses told the judges not to be afraid of anybody in their judgments because the judgment is God’s.
Why is it important for a judge not to be afraid of people? If the judge is afraid of the people he or she is judging then they are less likely to do justice and be much more susceptible to intimidation and corruption. If a judge can be coerced then they are not acting in a way that glorifies God.
A judge should not be afraid of people. What would make a judge afraid of people? Intimidation could certainly be one concern, but what comes to mind for me is if a judge takes a bribe. If a judge can be bribed then they would be indebted to the one who bribed them and, so, they would fear upsetting that person and losing their bribe.
In order for us not to be afraid of other people we must trust God for both protection and provision. True, people may do bad things and there is certainly reason to be afraid of what people might do to us, but our faith in God must be greater than our fear of people. We must follow God and fulfill our responsibilities in ways that glorify Him - no matter what people will think of us or do to us.
Deuteronomy 1:21 (NASB20) 'See, the LORD your God has placed the land before you; go up, take possession, just as the LORD, the God of your fathers, has spoken to you. Do not fear or be dismayed.'
In this passage Moses is reminding Israel how he wanted to lead them into the promised land and encouraged them not to fear, but they insisted on sending spies into the land and then they became afraid and disobeyed God’s orders to go up and take possession of the land.
This is in Deuteronomy, so, at this point, Moses is already old and knows that his time of leading Israel is coming to an end. He is reminding the new generation of everything that happened to them and their parents since they left Egypt. He really wants to impress upon this generation the importance of trusting God and not giving in to fear. We will see him repeat this sentiment over and over throughout this book.
Deuteronomy 1:29 (NASB20) "But I said to you, 'Do not be terrified, nor fear them.
Moses is still reminding Israel that he told them not to fear but to trust God and go up to take the promised land.
It’s as if he’s repeating it to the new generation and trying to really impress the need for fearlessness upon them so that they won’t back down once they get in position to enter the promised land.
Deuteronomy 3:2 (NASB20) "But the LORD said to me, 'Do not fear him, for I have handed him and all his people and his land over to you; and you shall do to him just as you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon.'
Here Moses is reminding Israel of the time God told them not to fear when they were about to battle against King Og of Bashan. He’s reminding them that even though they were in the wilderness they we still fighting and winning battles. It’s as if he’s telling them that they should not be afraid to fight battles in the promised land since they will have to fight them no matter where they go.
Moses goes on to remind them of how God gave them many victories and much success — taking sixty cities from King Og. I get the impression that Moses is almost desperate, pleading for Israel to trust God and not give in to fear.
Deuteronomy 3:22 (NASB20) 'Do not fear them, for the LORD your God is the One fighting for you.'
Here Moses is reminding Israel that he commanded Joshua to lead them into the promised land and not to be afraid of the people there. It’s as if he’s trying to bolster Israel’s confidence in Joshua as their leader, and, perhaps, encourage Joshua to be the fearless leader that Israel needs.
It’s not so much that Joshua is brave and fearless, which he very well may be, but it’s that Moses is telling them that they can, and should, trust in God and not be afraid to do His will.
Deuteronomy 7:18 (NASB20) you are not to be afraid of them; you shall remember well what the LORD your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt:
In this passage Moses has given Israel several warnings about what they are to do when they take over the promised land — obey God’s commands, utterly destroy the inhabitants of the land, and do not mix with the inhabitants and confuse their faith by taking on the customs of the people God is sending them to destroy.
He is, again, trying to impress upon Israel the importance of trusting and obeying God. He is also telling them to keep their eyes on God and persevere in their trust in Him — and not to give in to fear or temptation once they enter the land.
Along with the warnings he also tells them about all the blessings that God promises to give them if they are faithful to Him — such as removing infertility and sickness from them.
Moses reminds them of what God did for them in Egypt as a way of reassuring them that He can and will do many amazing things for them in the promised land too — if only they will not be afraid to trust Him.
Deuteronomy 18:22 (NASB20) "When the prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, and the thing does not happen or come true, that is the thing which the LORD has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you are not to be afraid of him.
This passage is a bit of a break from the narrative of Moses pleading with Israel to trust God. Here he is giving Israel a means of determining if someone who claims to be speaking on behalf of God is actually speaking on God’s behalf.
Why would they need this metric to measure a prophet by? Because God told Moses that He would raise up another prophet like Moses to lead Israel. In Deuteronomy 18:16 Moses reminds them that at Mt. Sinai they asked not to see God, but for Moses to speak to Him on their behalf, and so God said He will send another prophet after Moses to speak to Israel on God’s behalf.
Many people could claim to be that prophet. If someone gains enough popularity and influence to start leading people away from God’s will, the temptation will be strong for them to start saying that they are speaking for God, when, in fact, they are trying to make themselves like God.
These people may start to use force or coercion to get people to do what they want, so Moses tells them that the prophet’s anointing should be apparent and if it is not then the people should not fear — or follow — the person who is clearly not speaking the truth to them.
Here God says that the prophet who speaks falsely shall die. Ironically, Israel will eventually start listening to the false prophets and persecuting the ones God actually sends.
The prophet that God ultimately sent to fulfill this promise is Jesus, and instead of listening to Him Israel got it backwards and killed Him.
There is so much more to say about this passage, but, for the purposes of this study, the my main takeaway is that we do not have to be afraid of anyone who lies to us because God has not given them authority over us. Instead, we must keep our focus on following, and trusting, God.
Deuteronomy 20:1-3 (NASB20) "When you go out to battle against your enemies and see horses, chariots, and people more numerous than you, do not be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, who brought you up from the land of Egypt, is with you. When you are approaching the battle, the priest shall come forward and speak to the people. "He shall say to them, 'Hear, Israel, you are approaching the battle against your enemies today. Do not be fainthearted. Do not be afraid, or panic, or be terrified by them,
In this passage Moses is giving Israel Laws of Warfare. Rule number 1 of those laws is DO NOT BE AFRAID, for the LORD is with you.
God is not just telling Israel “don’t worry, everything is going to be OK,” He’s telling them that there is no place for cowards in His army. Furthermore, He gives responsibility to the priest to go out in front of the army and encourage them to bravery and valor. Why? Because God is going with them!
Typically we imagine the king as the one riding on horseback in front of the troops giving them a pep talk to fire them up for battle, but not in God’s army. In God’s army that’s the job of the priest.
Revelation 1:6 says that Jesus made us into priests before God, so that means we need to be ready not only to join in the battle, but to lead the charge against the enemy.
Do not fear for the Lord your God is with you!
Deuteronomy 31:6-8 (NASB20) "Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or in dread of them, for the LORD your God is the One who is going with you. He will not desert you or abandon you." Then Moses called to Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, "Be strong and courageous, for you will go with this people into the land which the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you will give it to them as an inheritance. And the LORD is the one who is going ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not desert you or abandon you. Do not fear and do not be dismayed."
This is Moses’s last effort to bolster Israel not to be afraid to trust God and enter the promised land. He tells them that God is going in front of them, and then he addresses Joshua in front of all of Israel — as if to leave no doubt in their mind — and tells him (and them) to be strong and courageous.
Moses really drives his point home, telling them repeatedly not to be afraid!
It can be hard to step out in faith. The reason it’s hard is because we don’t know what’s going to happen. If we knew what was going to happen, then we wouldn’t need faith in order to do it. But, since we need faith, and faith is a gift from God, we can only step out in faith if we are totally dependent on God. And it’s in those moments when God shows Himself in our lives by His guidance, provision, and protection.
Moses was there when God saved Israel from Egypt. He saw the way God provided for them as they traveled towards the promised land. He saw Israel’s faith evaporate when they heard that things weren’t going to be easy in the promised land. And he saw how God still took care of Israel and gave them victories as they wandered through the wilderness for 40 years. At the end of all of that he had one main point that he wanted to get across to Israel and that point was — do not fear because God is with you!
Don’t fear. Step out in faith, trusting in God. Step into God’s blessings in faith. No matter what happens God is going to take care of you — the only difference is whether you will be living in His blessings by faith or in the wilderness by fear.
Do not fear because God is with you!
με αγαπη,
BJ