"And The LORD shall do unto them as He did to Sihon and to Og, kings of the Amorites, and unto the land of them, whom He destroyed. And The LORD shall give them up before your face, that ye may do unto them according unto all the commandments which I have commanded you. Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for The LORD thy God, He it is that doth go with thee; He will not fail thee, nor forsake thee." [Deut 31:4-6]
When The Lord first saved us, sending us forth “out of the pit wherein is no water;” when He “delivered [our] soul from the lowest hell;” yes, when our good Lord did see our affliction and “[came] down to deliver [us],” thus “[lifting us] up…from the dunghill, to set [us] among princes,”it was then, that just as with Paul so too with us, “the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.” [Zech 9:11, Psa 86:13, Acts 7:34, 1 Sam 2:8, 1 Tim 1:14]
Our salvation, which was effected by God and graciously given to us “while we were yet sinners,” [Rom 5:8] and which was “not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us,” [Titus 3:5] was unto us, and unto any onlookers, a great and magnificent display of power and glory. As powerful a display as when Christ Jesus raised Lazarus and others to life, (the act for which cause “many of the Jews…[to believe] on Him,” and for which “the chief priests and Pharisees…took counsel together for to put Him to death,” [Jn 11:45, 47, 53]), so too the working of God was equally powerful in our lives, when He raised us up to new life in Christ, making “us alive together with Christ.” [Eph 2:5]
The power displayed in our salvation was like the glory of God descending upon the temple or the tabernacle. It was like the fire which consumed the sacrifices of old. Salvation is an event which causes the angels in heaven, who are continually occupied with the glories and beauties of God Almighty, to rejoice – as if they had never seen such a beautiful and good thing. As Jesus says, “…joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.” [Lk 15:7] Think of what power and glory of God, (yes of God, and certainly not of man), is displayed in salvation, to make even the angels rejoice and celebrate. The glories of God Almighty are continually before their face; they are always before His throne, as it says in Isaiah, crying out “unto another…’Holy, holy, holy, is The LORD of Hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory.’” [Isa 6:3] They are they whom The LORD speaks of in Job, saying rhetorically to Job, “where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth?…When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for Joy?” [Job 38:4, 7] They are they who dwell in God’s presence: a place so beautiful and good, so full of peace and joy and strength, that it is written, “for a day in thy courts is better than a thousand [anywhere else];” [Psa 84:10] and again, “[those who put their trust under the shadow of thy wings] shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house…” [Psa 36:8] And yet, though the angels are continually accustomed to such passions and pleasures, yet they are broken out of that rhythm when a man is saved. The glories and pleasures and entertainments of heaven, of that place where “every one doth speak of His glory,” [Psa 29:9] are not so bright as to outshine and overshadow the grand event of a man’s salvation. And that, truly because it only adds to The LORD’s glory. Our salvation is so entertained with joy, so gloried in by the angels, because by it The LORD is exceedingly magnified. As when a mighty warrior defeats a hard foe; as when a strong athlete wins the race; as when the mighty tempest blows fierce, or the volcano explodes; as when a man and wife are wed – so too God is utterly glorified in salvation, for it speaks of His power, His ability, His strength, His love, and His great person. And for that reason, at each salvation, wherein an exceeding amount of power is displayed, heaven erupts in praise.
Now, with all this being said, what of our verse for today? How does it fit in? Of what significance is it? My good Christian, look again at what The Spirit speaks: “The LORD shall do unto them, [that is, unto these new enemies], as He did unto Sihon and to Og, [to those whom He first defeated when you came out of Egypt]…” [Deut 31:4] The LORD encourages Israel through Moses, that He shall do unto all the enemies they come across just as He did to Sihon and Og: to those giants whom Israel defeated when they first came out of Egypt. Therefore, The LORD says through Moses,
“Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for The LORD thy God, He it is that doth go with thee; He will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.” [Deut 31:6]
And shall it not be equally true in your life, dear reader? For if the power and glory and goodness of God was so displayed in your salvation, as we have seen, if God exercised such force and power in your salvation, to redeem you and defeat those enemies which held you in tight bondage, what of the enemies that shall come after? Shall He not do so in equal measure? Defeating them and granting you a great victory, with the same force and might He displayed at salvation? Certainly He shall. And so therefore, take heart and be of a good courage: for The LORD, “He it is that doth go with thee; He will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.”
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