Teaching from Deuteronomy 31:8
God assures his people of his sovereign presence and steadfast faithfulness, calling them to live courageously in obedience to his covenant.
Introduction
Deuteronomy 31:8 in the New King James Version reads:
“And the LORD, He is the one who goes before you. He will be with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.”
This promise comes at a pivotal moment in Israel’s history, as Moses transfers leadership to Joshua and the people prepare to enter the Promised Land. This verse anchors our confidence in God’s unchanging providence and covenant faithfulness.
Context of Deuteronomy 31[i]
Moses stands on the plains of Moab, aware that at one hundred and twenty years of age he will not cross the Jordan into Canaan. In chapters 29–30 he rehearses the covenant and in 31:1–7 he commissions Joshua. Verses 9–13 establish the regular public reading of the Law to guard against forgetfulness. Deuteronomy 31:8 sits at the heart of this farewell address, reassuring Israel of divine accompaniment and protection as they face new challenges.
Exegetical Analysis of Deuteronomy 31:8
The LORD Goes Before You
The phrase “the LORD, He is the one who goes before you” affirms that God precedes his people into every unknown territory. This highlights God’s sovereignty over circumstances and his active direction of history for his covenant-people.
Divine Presence: He Will Be With You
“He will be with you,” recalls God’s promise in Exodus 33:14 to accompany Israel in the wilderness. This divine presence secures our spiritual nourishment and growth, since Christ promises to abide with the Church until the end of the age.
Unfailing Faithfulness: He Will Not Leave You Nor Forsake You
The double negative underscores absolute certainty: God will never abandon his people. This ties closely to the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints; God’s power upholds the elect to the end.
Command: Do Not Fear Nor Be Dismayed
Having affirmed God’s guidance, presence and faithfulness, Moses issues a pastoral charge: fear and discouragement have no place where God leads. Christian piety sees this as a call to trust God’s promises, not our feelings, in times of trial.
Theological Insights
- God’s providential leading means no step of faith is taken in vain.
- Divine presence secures both individual sanctification and corporate mission.
- Unfailing faithfulness confirms the believer’s eternal security.
- Courageous obedience flows from reliance on God rather than self-reliance.
Application to Modern Christian Living
- When facing vocational or relational transitions, recall that God prepares the way before us and walks beside us.
- In seasons of doubt or anxiety, meditate on God’s promise never to depart, anchoring your soul in Scripture rather than circumstances.
- Church leaders can strengthen congregations by echoing this promise in preaching and pastoral care.
- Families and small groups can memorise Deuteronomy 31:8 together, fostering communal courage and hope.
Further reflection might explore how Deuteronomy 31:8 prefigures New Testament assurances (e.g. Hebrews 13:5–6) and its resonance with Joshua 1:9 in the life of the early Church.
[i] Deuteronomy 31
New King James Version
Joshua the New Leader of Israel
31 Then Moses went and spoke these words to all Israel. 2 And he said to them: “I am one hundred and twenty years old today. I can no longer go out and come in. Also the Lord has said to me, ‘You shall not cross over this Jordan.’ 3 The Lord your God Himself crosses over before you; He will destroy these nations from before you, and you shall dispossess them. Joshua himself crosses over before you, just as the Lord has said. 4 And the Lord will do to them as He did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites and their land, when He destroyed them. 5 The Lord will give them over to you, that you may do to them according to every commandment which I have commanded you. 6 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.”
7 Then Moses called Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, “Be strong and of good courage, for you must go with this people to the land which the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall cause them to inherit it. 8 And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.”
The Law to Be Read Every Seven Years
9 So Moses wrote this law and delivered it to the priests, the sons of Levi, who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and to all the elders of Israel. 10 And Moses commanded them, saying: “At the end of every seven years, at the appointed time in the year of release, at the Feast of Tabernacles, 11 when all Israel comes to appear before the Lord your God in the place which He chooses, you shall read this law before all Israel in their hearing. 12 Gather the people together, men and women and little ones, and the stranger who is within your gates, that they may hear and that they may learn to fear the Lord your God and carefully observe all the words of this law, 13 and that their children, who have not known it, may hear and learn to fear the Lord your God as long as you live in the land which you cross the Jordan to possess.”
Prediction of Israel’s Rebellion
14 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, the days approach when you must die; call Joshua, and present yourselves in the tabernacle of meeting, that I may [a]inaugurate him.”
So Moses and Joshua went and presented themselves in the tabernacle of meeting. 15 Now the Lord appeared at the tabernacle in a pillar of cloud, and the pillar of cloud stood above the door of the tabernacle.
16 And the Lord said to Moses: “Behold, you will [b]rest with your fathers; and this people will rise and play the harlot with the gods of the foreigners of the land, where they go to be among them, and they will forsake Me and break My covenant which I have made with them. 17 Then My anger shall be aroused against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide My face from them, and they shall be [c]devoured. And many evils and troubles shall befall them, so that they will say in that day, ‘Have not these evils come upon us because our God is not among us?’ 18 And I will surely hide My face in that day because of all the evil which they have done, in that they have turned to other gods.
19 “Now therefore, write down this song for yourselves, and teach it to the children of Israel; put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for Me against the children of Israel. 20 When I have brought them to the land flowing with milk and honey, of which I swore to their fathers, and they have eaten and filled themselves and grown fat, then they will turn to other gods and serve them; and they will provoke Me and break My covenant. 21 Then it shall be, when many evils and troubles have come upon them, that this song will testify against them as a witness; for it will not be forgotten in the mouths of their descendants, for I know the inclination of their behavior today, even before I have brought them to the land of which I swore to give them.”
22 Therefore Moses wrote this song the same day, and taught it to the children of Israel. 23 Then He inaugurated Joshua the son of Nun, and said, “Be strong and of good courage; for you shall bring the children of Israel into the land of which I swore to them, and I will be with you.”
24 So it was, when Moses had completed writing the words of this law in a book, when they were finished, 25 that Moses commanded the Levites, who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord, saying: 26 “Take this Book of the Law, and put it beside the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, that it may be there as a witness against you; 27 for I know your rebellion and your stiff neck. If today, while I am yet alive with you, you have been rebellious against the Lord, then how much more after my death? 28 Gather to me all the elders of your tribes, and your officers, that I may speak these words in their hearing and call heaven and earth to witness against them. 29 For I know that after my death you will become utterly corrupt, and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you. And evil will befall you in the latter days, because you will do evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke Him to anger through the work of your hands.”
The Song of Moses
30 Then Moses spoke in the hearing of all the assembly of Israel the words of this song until they were ended:
Footnotes
Deuteronomy 31:14 commission
Deuteronomy 31:16 Die and join your ancestors
Deuteronomy 31:17 consumed
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