Can you imagine being an Israelite in the days of Moses and being an eyewitness to some of the most incredible acts of God in the history of mankind? What would that have done for your faith? After witnessing the plagues that He brought upon Egypt and after experiencing the miraculous events of the exodus, would you feel like a spiritual giant, whose faith in God could never be toppled? Could you imagine ever questioning God or turning away from Him?
Of course, if you’re like me, you would picture yourself as thoroughly enthralled with the Almighty and naturally inclined to follow and serve Him for the rest of your days. However, you know the history of the actual Israelites. You know how they quickly began to complain against Moses (and God) and to question the wisdom and the concern of the God of heaven. While we might “imagine” what we would have done “if” we were there, we read about what those who “actually were there” did do. They forgot about God!
That first generation of Israelites who came out of Egypt died in the wilderness after rejecting the Lord and His will. When the second generation arose and was on the verge of finally entering the Promised Land, Moses spoke to them in a series of messages (found in Deuteronomy), which were designed to prepare them to successfully serve the Lord, especially where their parents had failed. The word “remember” (found 14 times in the book) and the word “forget” (found 14 times in some form) are key words in Moses’ final words to his fellow Jews.
Moses pleaded to “remember the Lord your God” (8:18) and not to “by any means forget the Lord” (8:11, 19; 32:18). He told them to “remember” what the Lord had done for them (7:18; 8:2; 24:9). Specifically, He told them to “remember” that they were slaves (5:15; 15:15; 16:3, 12; 24:18, 22) and to not “forget the Lord who brought you out of [slavery]” (6:12; 8:14). Properly “remembering” the Lord involved being “careful to observe” His statutes (16:12) and “keeping His commandments” (8:11). As long as they would remember the Lord, remember His covenant, remember what He had done for them and submit to what He commanded them to do, then the Lord would “remember” (9:27) and “not forget” them (4:31).
While we might question the strength of the Israelites’ faith, what about our own faith? Do we allow the circumstances of life around us to influence our faith in, reliance upon and devotion to our God? Let us learn from the Israelites and do all we can to not emulate their lack of faith and obedience (Heb. 3:7-19)! That way, God will favorably remember us!