The two books of Chronicles in the Old Testament have never been my favorites, although there are some verses I cherish. But in my current read-through of the Bible in a year, something jumped out at me that hadn’t registered previously.
One of my favorite OT verses is God’s command to Joshua as Joshua prepares to lead the Israelites into the promised land. Here it is:
Joshua 1: 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go. Joshua 1: 9
That same admonition shows up over and over, and I had always found strength in the promise that God never forsakes one in a fight, be it against one’s personal weaknesses or external malicious intent.
When I ran across similar words in 1 Chronicles 28:20, it occurred to me that God’s command to Joshua refers to more than spiritual battles. In the Chronicles verse, King David announces that his son Solomon will be his successor as ruler. He charges Solomon with building the temple and says, in verse 20, “Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of the LORD is finished."
As an adult I grew to accept that God equips individuals for the work he calls them to do, and 1 Chronicles 28: 20 supplies a welcomed reminder of that facet of God’s character and his grace.
NOTE: Scripture verses are from New International Version. To see other versions click on verse below, choose another version then click update.
this is a favorite scripture for me and have you ever sung the praise song that is this verse over and over? one of my favorite songs to
ReplyDeleteI love this verse from the Bible - and need to remember it today. Thanks for sharing it.
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