Virtues over Vices - Encouragement

 

“And the LORD heard your words and was angered, and he swore, ‘Not one of these men of this evil generation shall see the good land that I swore to give to your fathers, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh. He shall see it, and to him and to his children I will give the land on which he has trodden, because he has wholly followed the LORD!’ Even with me the LORD was angry on your account and said, ‘You also shall not go in there. Joshua the son of Nun, who stands before you, he shall enter. Encourage him, for he shall cause Israel to inherit it. And as for your little ones, who you said would become a prey, and your children, who today have no knowledge of good or evil, they shall go in there. And to them I will give it, and they shall possess it. But as for you, turn, and journey into the wilderness in the direction of the Red Sea.’” (Deuteronomy 1:34–40 ESV).

 

It is never easy being replaced by someone younger and less experienced, even if they are more knowledgeable and capable. I find the most common experience of this in our lives happens when we see our children grow up, marry, and have children. Somehow making the transition from parent to grandparent is a challenge. It is difficult to stop being a mom or dad, even though you clearly are not the mom or dad. This is that moment when we need to transition to a great encourager rather than an instructor. We see some of this principle in our reading today.

 

Moses had led God’s people out of Egypt and across the Red Sea (Exodus 1-15). He had received God’s law and taught it to the people (Exodus 20-50), and by God’s grace he had brought them to the edge of the promised land. But the people had rebelled, and God had turned them back to wander in the wilderness for forty years (Numbers 13-14). Now they were about to enter the promised land again, but Moses would not be leading them in. God had chosen Joshua to do that instead.

 

In Deuteronomy, Moses gives his farewell address, and here he says God told him to “encourage” Joshua. More literally, this means “strengthen.” This seems counterintuitive at first, but it is actually a great gift to Moses to be the one to strengthen or encourage Joshua. As Moses empowers Joshua in front of everyone, Joshua steps in to continue Moses’ success rather than just being his replacement. Joshua’s success becomes part of Moses’ legacy. Encouragement is a virtue to develop!