Do You Have the Memory of an Israelite?
Ecclesiastes 1:9
“What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun.”
Phil goes to work and has gone to school, but he still feels he has a bad memory. All in all he only remembers a few things about his early life. We now live in a time where it’s easier to remember things thanks to technology. We can take photos, videos, have reminders, and so on. A good question to ask yourself when reading the bible is to see who you can relate to the most. Phil says he relates with the Israelites the most because he often forgets all the goodness God has done for them.
The Old Testament is full of relevant information. Although modern times move forward and bring about changes we should remember what Ecclesiastes says: that “there is nothing new under the sun.” Although it may be hard to understand parts of the bible, it’s important to know that there’s a purpose to everything in it. This is why we should learn what we can about it. (If there is one takeaway, you should checkout the Bible Project. It is helpful in getting a big picture understanding of the bible).
In the Old Testament, there is a story of Moses leading the Israelites away to escape Pharaoh. Pharaoh had a hardened heart and God saved the Israelites from slavery through Moses’s help. God also parted the red sea (there is a show on Netflix that goes over his life and can be helpful in visualizing how this happened). Israel praised God after this (Ex 15:2) and they enter the wilderness next (Ex 16:1-3). This is where they complain and say that they would rather have been in slavery than in the wilderness because they ate better. Israel’s heart had come to harden just like pharaoh’s. They complain again and again, even after seeing all the miracles God does for them.
Imagine if all this happened to you.
How many times have you experienced God?
How many times have you negotiated with God, saying “if you help me I’ll follow you even better”?
And when he helps you, you forget about God soon after?
God wanted to have Israel be his representatives to the world. This would have happened if Israel had been able to follow God’s laws. God made a covenant with them, but Israel broke it and made idols to worship, saying that those idols saved them from Egypt. But even with this God promises to forgive and to renew his covenant.
In Isaiah 43:25, God actually says he will not remember your sins. Why does God do this? He knows all things but chooses to forget our sins in the process of forgiving us. This is because it is impossible to forgive while also choosing to hold onto the memory of the sin.
Continuing on with Israel’s journey, in Deuteronomy 11:11 Israel is going to the promise land, which has hills and valleys. As we can see, valleys are part of the promised land. We can be in our own promised lands and still be in a valley. Life is not meant to be all roses – there are both hills and valleys. 1 Peter 4:12 says not to be surprised by trials. They are a normal part of life. It would be more surprising if we went through life without trials.
Another lesson we can learn from the Israelites is that although they were often in rebellion, God was always faithful. This serves as a warning: God will remain faithful to us, but he still allows his people to walk away in rebellion and to face the consequences of doing so.
But why is Israel so forgetful about what God has done for them? Why are they so prone to wander off even though God had been so faithful to them?
We often do the same thing. We often chase things that we think will give us life instead of choosing God. We forget that God would rather die for us instead of living apart from us.
What are you seeking for? What do you prioritize over Jesus? When we forget about God, we simply turn to other gods. Pray that God rids our hearts of things that aren’t from him and turn to him constantly.
In Deut 30:19-20, at the end of Moses’s life right before they enter the promised land, Moses begs his people to remember that obedience leads to blessings. Moses knows they will eventually rebel and end up in exile. He knows the pattern they have been falling into. But at any point, he knows they can turn back to God.
We are the Israelites. Something is fundamentally wrong with our hearts. We often don’t consider God to be truly important or to be the God of our lives. He is not some sort of mascot, he is the Messiah – he is to be the Lord of our lives in the present, for us to worship and focus on. We need to rid of ourselves all that we put over him.
Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to remind us of the things he told us. We can do this by worshipping – it realigns our hearts to who God is and who we are. We can worship better by remembering better.
When was the last time you were truly grateful to God? He will forgive us and choose to forget our unfaithfulness. We may think it’s hard to follow Gods commands, but it’s much harder to live without him.
What gets your attention more than God? Is it money, comfort, career, material, approval, or relationships?
Do you trust god after what he’s done in your life?
What will it take to prioritize him?
Let’s remember what God has done for us.
Discussion Questions:
How has this message spoken to you?
What are some things that you prioritize over God and how can you let them go?
