Strong and Courageous

Deuteronomy 31-32

            Taken together, chapters 31 and 32 can seem a little inconsistent. On the one hand, Joshua is told to be strong and courageous—no less than three times in chapter 31! On the other hand, the song of chapter 32 warns of the dire consequences when Israel becomes strong and starts to trust in her own strength. How are God’s people to live?

            First, we are not to trust our own strength and resources. We’ve seen this a number of times already, as, for instance, in chapter 18, when the king was not supposed to accumulate horses. Horses were a measure of military power, and Israel’s king was supposed to rely on the Lord to deliver. We’ll see examples of this in the books of Judges and Samuel.

            But relying on the Lord does not mean that we are to be fearful and quaking. It takes a different kind of strength to trust the Lord, especially when your strength seems insufficient. Can you imagine the knot in Joshua’s stomach when his only weapon against the walls of Jericho was a set of trumpets? That takes courage, too. I’m reminded of scene in the last Harry Potter book, where Harry walks through the Forbidden Forest alone, approaching his own death. (Apparently, J.K. Rowling is a Christian, and the echoes of the story of Jesus approaching His own death are pretty strong.)

            I have come to look at Ephesians 6 differently than I did was I was young. Ephesians 6 contains the famous passage about putting on the whole armor of God. It’s a very martial image, very military. But I’ve come to realize that all the armor is defensive, and the only weapon assigned is the sword, which is the Word of God. Then there’s this sentence: “Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand” (Ephesians 6:13). We’re not called to charge the field, to engage the enemy, to cast him down. No, we are called (twice) to stand. Consider this from Exodus 14:13-14, “Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” You need only be still. The Lord has got this.

            Strong and courageous, not in our own strength, but in the Lord’s.