Deuteronomy 1:19-46 NKJV
19 “So we departed from Horeb, and went through all that great and terrible wilderness which you saw on the way to the mountains of the Amorites, as the Lord our God had commanded us. Then we came to Kadesh Barnea. 20 And I said to you, ‘You have come to the mountains of the Amorites, which the Lord our God is giving us. 21 Look, the Lord your God has set the land before you; go up and possess it, as the Lord God of your fathers has spoken to you; do not fear or be discouraged.’
22 “And every one of you came near to me and said, ‘Let us send men before us, and let them search out the land for us, and bring back word to us of the way by which we should go up, and of the cities into which we shall come.’
23 “The plan pleased me well; so I took twelve of your men, one man from each tribe. 24 And they departed and went up into the mountains, and came to the Valley of Eshcol, and spied it out. 25 They also took some of the fruit of the land in their hands and brought it down to us; and they brought back word to us, saying, ‘It is a good land which the Lord our God is giving us.’
26 “Nevertheless you would not go up, but rebelled against the command of the Lord your God; 27 and you complained in your tents, and said, ‘Because the Lord hates us, He has brought us out of the land of Egypt to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us. 28 Where can we go up? Our brethren have discouraged our hearts, saying, “The people are greater and taller than we; the cities are great and fortified up to heaven; moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakim there.” ’
29 “Then I said to you, ‘Do not be terrified, or afraid of them. 30 The Lord your God, who goes before you, He will fight for you, according to all He did for you in Egypt before your eyes, 31 and in the wilderness where you saw how the Lord your God carried you, as a man carries his son, in all the way that you went until you came to this place.’ 32 Yet, for all that, you did not believe the Lord your God, 33 who went in the way before you to search out a place for you to pitch your tents, to show you the way you should go, in the fire by night and in the cloud by day.
34 “And the Lord heard the sound of your words, and was angry, and took an oath, saying, 35 ‘Surely not one of these men of this evil generation shall see that good land of which I swore to give to your fathers, 36 except Caleb the son of Jephunneh; he shall see it, and to him and his children I am giving the land on which he walked, because he wholly followed the Lord.’ 37 The Lord was also angry with me for your sakes, saying, ‘Even you shall not go in there. 38 Joshua the son of Nun, who stands before you, he shall go in there. Encourage him, for he shall cause Israel to inherit it.
39 ‘Moreover your little ones and your children, who you say will be victims, who today have no knowledge of good and evil, they shall go in there; to them I will give it, and they shall possess it. 40 But as for you, turn and take your journey into the wilderness by the Way of the Red Sea.’
41 “Then you answered and said to me, ‘We have sinned against the Lord; we will go up and fight, just as the Lord our God commanded us.’ And when everyone of you had girded on his weapons of war, you were ready to go up into the mountain.
42 “And the Lord said to me, ‘Tell them, “Do not go up nor fight, for I am not among you; lest you be defeated before your enemies.” ’ 43 So I spoke to you; yet you would not listen, but rebelled against the command of the Lord, and presumptuously went up into the mountain. 44 And the Amorites who dwelt in that mountain came out against you and chased you as bees do, and drove you back from Seir to Hormah. 45 Then you returned and wept before the Lord, but the Lord would not listen to your voice nor give ear to you.
46 “So you remained in Kadesh many days, according to the days that you spent there.
In Deuteronomy 1:19–46, Moses recounts the Israelites’ journey from Horeb to the edge of the Promised Land—and their tragic failure to enter because of fear and disobedience. God had told them, “Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged,” but instead of trusting His promise, the people grumbled, refused to go up, and insisted on their own way.
This passage confronts us with the reality of our sinful nature. Like Israel, we often fear the giants in our lives more than we trust the promises of God. We see obstacles instead of the One who overcame death itself. Even when God shows us the way forward, we often retreat, choosing comfort over courage, and human wisdom over divine instruction.
But Deuteronomy also shows us God’s heart. He carried Israel as their Father just “as a man carries his son” (v. 31), tenderly, faithfully, despite their rebellion. Even in judgment, His love did not waver.
As Confessional Lutherans, we are reminded that salvation is not earned by our obedience, but received by grace through faith. The Israelites’ failure to enter the land points us to our need for a Savior who would succeed where we have failed. Jesus is that faithful Son who never grumbled, never turned back, and fully obeyed the Father—even to the cross. In Him, the promises of God are yes and amen. When we face fear, let us look not to ourselves, but to Christ. When we fall, let us repent and return, trusting that God’s mercy is greater than our failures.
Let us pray: Gracious and merciful Father, Father, forgive us for the times we’ve let fear drown out Your promises. Strengthen our faith to follow You, even when the path looks uncertain. Help us to trust that You are going before us, fighting for us, and leading us into the good things You have prepared. In Jesus’ name, Amen.