Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Deuteronomy 31:6
When Moses exhorts the Israelites, he is reminding them not just of God’s presence with them, but of His active work on their behalf. Moses uses azab, we translate leave, and is to go away or even abandon. It is a physical separation. Raphah, translated forsake, implies an intentional letting go and even hints at dropping or falling. This declaration means that not only will God stay with them, but He will hold onto them and not ignore their need.
The writer of Hebrews quotes Moses with a renewed reminder.
“Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5
It’s not just that God will be with us, but will be with us in benevolence. He will not stand idly by, present but passively watching with indifference. He will not look upon us and refuse our cry. The Greek here, egkataleipo, encompasses all of that – forsake, abandon, leave behind.
This promise becomes more powerful when I think of the words of Jesus on the cross. "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Jesus experienced abandonment by God. The Father left Him physically and then turned His back on Jesus as He took on our sin, unwilling to intervene. Jesus was forsaken on the cross so we would never be.
When facing difficulty, it is comforting not to be alone, especially if that person is trustworthy and will act on our behalf. God has promised not only to be with us but to hold us tightly. And He has the power to never let us slip.
