What Does Deuteronomy 31:6 Mean?

Charging the people to "be strong and of a good courage" based on the promise that the Lord "will not fail thee, nor forsake thee" establishes the cognitive foundation of the covenantal peace. By identifying the divine accompaniment as the cure for the fear of the nations, the Law reveals that the Lord provides a presence that is the only antidote to the terror of the world. This verse reveals that the Lord considers the "companionship" of the Holy One to be the highest resource of the camp.

Divine accompaniment reveals the logic of the divine commitment that binds the presence of the Creator to the path of the creature. The Law reveals that the Lord detests the "cowardice" that trembles before the giants while neglecting the Giant of the Israel, providing a standard where the "Courage" is the reflex of the the "Faith." It teaches that the true security of the nation is found in the "Indwelling" of the Spirit, demonstrating that the goal of the community is the maintenance of a land where the loneliness is banished by the nearness of the Voice.

The promise to never fail nor forsake points toward the supreme "Immanuel" who is the God with us and who has promised to be with his people alway, even unto the end of the world. As the Gospel reveals a King who said, "I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you," the work of Christ provides the eternal presence. Through the victory of the Son, the believers find that "he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper," find their peace in the One whose "Unfailing Presence" has secured the eternal comfort for the assembly of the God.