108. No Fear
Deuteronomy 7:18-20 Thou shalt not be afraid of them: But shalt well remember what the Lord thy God did unto Pharaoh, and unto all Egypt; The great temptations which thine eyes saw, and the signs, and the wonders, and the mighty hand, and the stretched out arm, whereby the Lord thy God brought thee out: so shall the Lord thy God do unto all the people of whom thou art afraid. Moreover the Lord thy God will send the hornet among them, until they that are left, and hide themselves from thee, be destroyed.
The Lord, through the encouragements of Moses, is preparing the hearts of the people for the spiritual warfare they are about to enter into. Under Joshua, the people of God will have to wage war against the enemies of God in order to possess the land that God promised to give them.
This whole story is a physical metaphor for spiritual truth: we have been given the kingdom of God, but now we must daily possess it and dislodge the spiritual enemies from their strongholds in the soul. Metaphors abound: God will send hornets to drive them out; if we do not completely remove sin and the devil from the kingdom of God in the soul, then they will remain as thorns in the side; one faithful man of prayer can drive back ten thousand. God sends the hornets; we trust the Lord. The thorns in the side are irritants that disrupt life, and if they are allowed to fester, they will destroy life in time.
Therefore, we join Joshua (Jesus, Yeshua) in spiritual warfare through repentance of sin and faith in the gospel. Through His Word and Sprit, by the power of the Gospel, the Lord fights for us while we take up the “Sword of the Spirit.” Therefore, we believe this awesome promise; “You will not be afraid of the Enemy.” Fear, doubt, worry, anxiety, frustration, despair, desertion, giving up, resigning and lazing are always going to assail us tempting us to be afraid. Fears come in many shapes and sizes, but we are not deceived. We have the Word and the Promise. We wield the Sword, believe the Gospel, and enjoy life in the Land.