«Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God» (Deuteronomy 8: 11).
LET US IMAGINE THE SCENE. The people of Israel were about to possess the Eland promised to Abraham and his descendants. Because of their lack of faith, they had wandered through the wilderness for forty years; and now, as they camped on the plains of Moab, Moses prepared the people for the occupation of Canaan.
What was Moses talking to them about, knowing that there was only a little time left for him as the leader of the people? He spoke about God’s faithfulness to the promises of the covenant made to their fathers. He told them about how God had freed them from Egyptian bondage and the miraculous way He had led them during their march through the wilderness. In other words, he exhorted them not to forget.
Why that call not to forget? In order to respond, we must first understand what the words forget and remember mean in the Old Testament. In Lawrence O. Richards’s opinion, in the Hebrew mindset, «forgetting» was equivalent to not giving the facts of the past a meaningful application in the present.’ That is, it means not learning from our mistakes.
In the same way, the call to «remember» implied much more than the simple act of bringing to mind facts of the past. According to Richards, it included «focusing their memory on what God was and what He had done for Israel»; which should result in a life of obedience. t Something like «counting our blessings.»
What, according to Moses, were the people of Israel not to forget? Let us see what the book of Deuteronomy has to say: «Beware, lest you forget the Lord who brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage» (6:12).
«You shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness . . . Your garments did not wear out on you, nor did your foot swell these forty years» (8:2, 4).
«Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments, His judgments, and His statutes which I command you today» (8:11).
In short, the Israelites had to remember what neither you nor I can afford to forget: that God is not only our Liberator, but also our Sustainer; and that, out of love for the One who loved us first, we must keep His commandments.
Have you been freed from the bondage of sin? Do you have health, work, and food on the table? If this is the case, what if you were to bow your head right now and raise a prayer of gratitude to our kind heavenly Father?
Thank you, Father, because You have forgiven me, because so far, You have helped me and because I have lacked nothing. You are my Provider and my Redeemer. What more could I ask for?
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Taken from: Devotional Readings for Adults 2022
“GREAT IS OUR GOD!”
From: FERNANDO ZABALA
Colaboradores: Xiomara Perdomo & Angelica Cuate
