THE THEME OF THIS DEVOTION IS:
God wants his people to be strong in every time of the world.
VA’YOMER MOSHE LI’HO’SHUA And Moses spoke to Joshua
VA’YO’MEYR EY’LAI’U LE’EI’NEI KOL-YISRAEL And said to him in the eyes of all Israel
CHA’ZAK VEH’EH’MATZ Be strong and courageous
KI ATAH TA’VO ET-HA’AM HA’ZEH for you will bring this people
EL-HA’ARETZ ASHER NISHBA Y’’H to the land that THE LORD
LA’A’VO’TAM LA’TEYT LA’HEM swore to give to them
VE’ATAH TAN’CHI’LEH’NA O’TAM and you shall cause them to inherit it.
(Deuteronomy 31:7)
God goes on to tell Moses that he will not abandon Joshua and that Joshua will accomplish God’s purpose for him in leading the people into the Land of Promise.
At the end of each book of the Torah, the Jewish people encourage each other with this charge:
CHAZAK! CHAZAK! VE’NIT’CHAZEK! Be strong! Be strong! And let us be strengthened!
The preamble of the book of Joshua is very significant along this line. I give it here in toto from verse 1 through verse 9 (KJV, updated):
“Now after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD
it came to pass, that the LORD spoke unto Joshua the son of Nun Moses’ minister, saying
“Moses my servant is dead;
now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel.
“Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said to Moses.
“From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast.
“There shall not any man be able to stand before you all the days of your life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with you: I will not fail you, nor forsake you.
“Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shall you divide for an inheritance the land, which I swore unto their fathers to give them.
“Only be thou strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do
According to all the Torah, which Moses my servant commanded you:
Turn not from it to the right hand or to the left,
That you may prosper withersoever you go.
“This book of the Torah shall not depart out of your mouth; but you shall meditate therein day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall have good success.
“Have not I commanded you? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD your God is with you whithersoever you go.”
NOTICE that God is the same to Joshua as he was to Moses. Our LORD will be the same to you as he has been to me, and to any other of his disciples throughout all the long centuries of man on earth. (Hebrews 13:8, “Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, and today, and forever.”)
As our beloved Apostle Paul wrote to us in Ephesians 6:10-14a:
“Finally, my brothers, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
“Stand therefore….”
You are not insufficient for the challenge of your life. Stand in the Word of God, which is the Messiah Jesus, and conquer through his inner strength. Remember Philippians 4:13,
“I CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST WHO STRENGTHENS ME.”
