228. Do not be afraid: The Lord will be with us and will rescue us.

10 December 2021
Do not be afraid.

Deuteronomy 31
7 Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the presence of all Israel,
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.”

Jeremiah 1
8 “Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the Lord.

“Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them.
Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”Joshua 1:6-7, 9

These were the words of the Lord to Joshua after he succeeded Moses as the leader of the Israelites.

There was no mention in the Bible at what age Joshua succeeded Moses as leader of the Israelites.

It may be assumed Joshua was around the same age as Caleb or older, the two being among the 12 spies sent to explore the land of Canaan, the Promised Land.

Caleb was 40 when the spies were sent to Canaan. Joshua 14:7 (It was after the Israelites were in the wilderness for 2 years, then the Israelites would continue to spend another 38 years in the wilderness before entering the Promised Land).

So, it may be assumed that Joshua was around 78 when he succeeded Moses.

Caleb was 85 when Joshua gave Caleb Hebron as his inheritance. Joshua 14:6-13

One chapter earlier, the Lord said to Joshua who was already very old, that there are still very large areas of land to be taken over. Joshua 13:1

Around the next 25 years, Joshua would continue to lead the Israelites fighting against the inhabitants of Canaan, and then the Lord would give Israel rest from their enemies. 

Joshua would give his farewell to Israel's elders, and would die at the age of 110 and be buried in the land of his inheritance at Timnath Serah. Joshua 23:1-3; 24:28-30

Joshua in his farewell would tell the Israelites, that they have seen everything the Lord their God has done to all those nations for their sake; it was the Lord their God who fought for them.

That was about 17 years ago, my plans failed. I was afraid for myself and my family.

As for me, in my thoughts, it would be simple. Have a stable job, send children to school, work for retirement and enjoy life. Earn things just by hard work. Nothing wrong.

Wrong. 

Ecclesiastes 12
13 Now all has been heard;
    here is the conclusion of the matter:
Fear God and keep his commandments,
    for this is the duty of all mankind.





The Lord has chastened me severely,
    but he has not given me over to death.
I will not die but live,
    and will proclaim what the Lord has done. Psalm 118:18, 17

From that very day, to old age when my strength is gone, I have put my faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.


""The words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah, one of the priests at Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin.
The word of the Lord came to me, saying,
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew[a] you,
    before you were born I set you apart;
    I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”
“Alas, Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I do not know how to speak; I am too young.”
But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. 
Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the Lord.
Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, “I have put my words in your mouth. 
They will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the Lord." (Jeremiah 1:1, 4-9, 19). Lord, God of Jeremiah, I put my trust in You; this I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

26 February 2018"

May you be blessed with God's Word.

Maraming salamat.


Comments

  1. Laura MunsonDecember 10, 2021 at 2:00 AM

    Hello. Please pardon the intrusion, but I was wondering if you're the Christian Gonzales who released a record album in 1985 called Till the End of the Night on the Refuge record label. I was trying to find more information on that artist & discovered your interesting blog.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Christian GonzalesDecember 10, 2021 at 3:12 AM

      Hi Laura. Firstly, thank you for reading my blog, you may share it.
      Sorry, I am not the Christian Gonzales you are trying to reach. I am here in the Philippines.

      Delete
  2. mcgDecember 11, 2021 at 2:24 AM

    "Then he answered and spoke unto me, saying, “This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ saith the Lord of hosts." - Zechariah 4:6

    Blessed with your blog. The Lord Jesus has been revealing more of himself to me in the past days.

    Yes we need not be afraid. God with us.

    ReplyDelete

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