“And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.”
My Notes
What Does Deuteronomy 31:8 Mean?
Moses speaks this to Israel just before his death, and the words are nearly identical to what God will say to Joshua (Joshua 1:9). The LORD goes before you. He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Therefore: do not fear.
The double assurance — "he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee" — eliminates both competence concerns and companionship concerns. He won't fail: his power is sufficient. He won't forsake: his presence won't leave. Both are guaranteed.
"He it is that doth go before thee" means God is already in your future. He's not behind you pushing. He's ahead of you preparing. Whatever you're about to walk into, he arrived there first.
This is a farewell speech from a dying leader. Moses can't go with them. But God can. The comfort isn't "I'll always be there" from Moses. It's "he will always be there" from a man who is about to not be there. The redirect from human leader to divine leader is the whole point.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What transition are you facing where you need to hear 'he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee'?
- 2.How does knowing God 'goes before you' change how you approach the unknown?
- 3.Moses couldn't go with them but God could. What human support have you lost that God is replacing with his own presence?
- 4.What's the difference between not being afraid and being courageous even while afraid?
Devotional
Moses is about to die, and he knows it. The people he's led for forty years will enter the Promised Land without him. And his final gift isn't a strategy. It's a promise about God's character.
He will not fail thee. Whatever you face on the other side of this transition — whatever challenge, whatever enemy, whatever unknown — God's capacity is sufficient. He has never failed anyone who trusted him. That track record is your security.
Neither forsake thee. He won't leave. Not when it gets hard, not when you stumble, not when you wonder if you were ever called in the first place. His presence is permanent.
Fear not, neither be dismayed. Moses can say this confidently because it's not based on circumstances. It's based on who goes before you. The unknown is only unknown to you. God is already there.
If you're in a season of transition — a new chapter, a loss, a change that feels like everything is shifting under your feet — these are words for you. The leader may change. The circumstances may change. The one who goes before you doesn't.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
And Moses wrote this law,.... The book of Deuteronomy, or the Pentateuch, the five books of Moses, which he had now…
Moses hands over to Joshua that office as leader of the people, to which he had already been designated Deu 1:38; Num…
Loth to part (we say) bids oft farewell. Moses does so to the children of Israel: not because he was loth to go to God,…
See on Deu 31:31. On the phrase fear not, neither be dismayed, characteristic of the Sg. passages, see on Deu 1:21.
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture