Thou shalt not be affrighted at them: for the LORD thy God is among you, a mighty God and terrible.
The verse stands in Deuteronomy 4-8, which lays out what God required of ancient Israel in order that they might be a holy people to Himself. It is a command not to be frightened at enemies, because the Lord God is among His people as a mighty and awesome protector. That assurance belongs with His leading and protecting of Israel in the wilderness, and with His power to relieve their troubles and heal them.
What was spoken to ancient Israel is spoken also to God's people now, who are to trust His presence and keep His commandments. The passage is to be studied with profit now because the day of God's great final review is near, when the people of the world must stand before the Judge of all the earth to answer for their deeds. The present is the time of investigation, when every character is examined and every case is decided for eternity. Keeping His commandments, statutes, and judgments brings His covenant mercy, love, blessing, increase, and the taking away of sickness.
The verse stands in Deuteronomy 4-8, which lays out what God required of ancient Israel in order that they might be a holy people to Himself. It is a command not to be frightened at enemies, because the Lord God is among His people as a mighty and awesome protector. That assurance belongs with His leading and protecting of Israel in the wilderness, and with His power to relieve their troubles and heal them.
What was spoken to ancient Israel is spoken also to God's people now, who are to trust His presence and keep His commandments. The passage is to be studied with profit now because the day of God's great final review is near, when the people of the world must stand before the Judge of all the earth to answer for their deeds. The present is the time of investigation, when every character is examined and every case is decided for eternity. Keeping His commandments, statutes, and judgments brings His covenant mercy, love, blessing, increase, and the taking away of sickness.