Remember We are back in our series, working through the Old Testament Book of Deuteronomy. Today we’re taking on chapters 8-10, under the title: Remember.

We find a clear call to remember in these chapters.

I think we generally think of faith in terms of the future. We have faith for eternity, trusting our Savior Jesus to secure our place with Him forever. And we have faith for tomorrow… faith that God will provide, and heal, and deliver, and be there for us and our loved ones.

We have faith for the moment as well. These moments on Sunday mornings are, hopefully, moments when our faith is both celebrated and strengthened.

While we have faith for the future and for the moment, our faith has a great deal to do with remembering. For example, when Jesus ordained Communion, He taught us to remember with the bread and the cup. He said, “Do this in remembrance of me.”

We have faith for the future, and faith for the moment, largely because we look to God’s faithfulness in the past… both in our personal pasts and the pasts of those dear to us, and also the pasts of the ancients.

Remembering is among the best tools that we have to build our faith, along with the gifts given directly through the Holy Spirit, and the all that we find in God’s Word.

Here are key verses from Deuteronomy 8: 17 You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” 18 But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.1

1 The New International Version. (2011). (Dt 8:17–18). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

With the entire Book of Deuteronomy, Moses is speaking to God’s People before they entered the Promised Land. It was after 40 long years in the wilderness. And they would possess the Land without Moses. These words were his final instructions to those he led out of captivity in Egypt.

With all that was ahead, his stern word of warning was simply this: remember. Remember… not because of the adversity that was ahead, the battles or struggles or adversaries, but because of the prosperity that was ahead… the prosperity promised by God.

Moses prophesied that there would be many good years ahead, centuries actually, that would be prosperous for God’s People. And with the wisdom that came from the Holy Spirit, as well as the understanding Moses had about human nature, he warned his people about the danger that would come with prosperity. 17 You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.2

Apparently the People of God were good, Republican, capitalists.

They would enter the land, fight the battles, build their homes and farms and businesses, and enjoy the wealth. And once the wealth began to pile up, the temptation would naturally be to take credit for all they had accomplished. But…

“I made it so I own it” is never the bottom line of biblical economics3

The Bible clearly prizes hard work, wise stewardship, earning and such… so just as “I made it so I own it” is never the bottom line of biblical economics, neither is something like “I’m here so I deserve it.” But in moments when we think that we’ve made it, we need to remember the Lord.

remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth4

What we have we hold loosely because we must know that God is always, and ultimately, our provider.

In times of abundance we must remember that the Lord is our provider in plenty… just as He was in times of need.

2 The New International Version. (2011). (Dt 8:17). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan. 3 Wright, C. J. H. (2012). Deuteronomy. (W. W. Gasque, R. L. Hubbard Jr., & R. K. Johnston, Eds.) (p. 128). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books. 4 The New International Version. (2011). (Dt 8:18). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

Hear how chapter 8 starts: 2 Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. 3 He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.5

We are called to remember how the Lord has provided in the past.

God does not waste pain, or any opportunity to teach His People, to demonstrate His faithfulness. Even though it was disobedience and faithlessness that banished the people to the wilderness, it was there that the Lord taught vital lessons.

God demonstrated His faithfulness with miraculous provision, feeding His people with manna that they would harvest and prepare daily for their sustenance.

Perhaps the words of Moses sound familiar… because these are words that Jesus quoted at the end of His forty days in the wilderness.

I mentioned early in our series that there is a strong tie between Deuteronomy and the Gospel account of the temptation of Jesus, the 40 years in the wilderness of God’s People, and the forty days in the wilderness of God’s Son.

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted v by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”

4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” 6

In each case, the devil’s temptation was met with God’s Word… and in all three cases Jesus quoted the Book of Deuteronomy.

5 The New International Version. (2011). (Dt 8:2–3). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan. 6 The New International Version. (2011). (Mt 4:1–4). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

Jesus completed (entirely) in forty days what God’s People only completed in part in forty years.

Jesus calls us to remember that God provides, that we do not live on mere bread.

Jesus calls us to remember that God is not to be tested or challenged.

And Jesus calls us to remember that only our God is worthy of worship.

And in calling us to remember, these responses also teach us an important implied truth… that in order to remember God’s Word in the face of trial and temptation, we must first know God’s Word.

Starting in verse 10 of Deuteronomy 8 we are called to remember the Lord in thanksgiving and obedience. 10 When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the LORD your God for the good land he has given you.7

Do you pray at meal time? Anyone routinely pray after the meal? Most give thanks before the meal. Apparently we have it wrong?

We have a tradition at Thanksgiving to take some time around the table, after the meal, to give thanks… but for the most part when we give thanks at mealtime it is before. I wonder if that says something about us… that it is easy for us to forget to give thanks when our stomachs are full. 11 Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day.8

Here we see that the best testimony of our remembering is obedience… that by worshipping the Lord with our lives and behavior, we demonstrate that we remember.

It says, “be careful… not to forget the Lord.” In English we have one word forget; it is the same word for forgetting facts as it is for forgetting people.

7 The New International Version. (2011). (Dt 8:10). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan. 8 The New International Version. (2011). (Dt 8:11). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

Forgetting facts is frustrating. Sometimes it feels like I’m forgetting more facts as I age… but then I remember that my brain, as huge as it is, has limited capacity… and I have twice as much stuff to not forget than what I did when I was 26. I’m not forgetful… my brain is just so full.

In Hebrew, the original language of Deuteronomy, there is a word for forgetting facts, and there is a word for forgetting people. This word in Deuteronomy is about forgetting within the context of relationship, forgetting people.

The feeling of being forgotten is a terrible feeling, isn’t it? I don’t know that there is any way to determine what are the worst feelings… but I do know that the feeling of being forgotten is among the worst feelings. There is such a sense of loss with that feeling of being forgotten; it often feels intentional (it usually isn’t intentional, but if almost always feels intentional).

We don’t want to cause that feeling for anyone; we don’t want people to feel forgotten. And we certainly wouldn’t want to do that to our God.

We are called to remember for the sake of remembering… because in remembering we value and strengthen relationships, especially our relationship with God.

In chapter 9 we are called to do some difficult remembering… remembering failure, remembering where we came from. Here’s what Moses said to the people: 7 Remember this and never forget how you aroused the anger of the LORD your God in the wilderness. From the day you left Egypt until you arrived here, you have been rebellious against the LORD.9

Moses then detailed the failure, how while God first carved the Ten Commandments into the stone tablets, the people’s hearts quickly wandered away… longing for Egypt and fashioning their own god in the form of a golden calf. It was heartbreaking… both for Moses and for the God he served.

9 The New International Version. (2011). (Dt 9:7). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

We remember our failures, the places from which we’ve come, the ways from which we were delivered, not merely to remember the depravity of which we are capable… but we remember chiefly to celebrate the Lord’s great mercy and grace.

As depraved as their failures were that day, their sin was met and overwhelmed with God’s mercy. They failed time and again, including the failure to believe God and possess the Promised Land the first time… and each time their sin was met and overwhelmed with God’s mercy.

When we read the accounts in chapter 9, we see that God’s mercy was often accompanied by the intercession of Moses. Hear this prayer of Moses: I prayed to the LORD and said, “Sovereign LORD, do not destroy your people, your own inheritance that you redeemed by your great power and brought out of Egypt with a mighty hand. 27 Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Overlook the stubbornness of this people, their wickedness and their sin. 28 Otherwise, the country from which you brought us will say, ‘Because the LORD was not able to take them into the land he had promised them, and because he hated them, he brought them out to put them to death in the wilderness.’ 29 But they are your people, your inheritance that you brought out by your great power and your outstretched arm.” 10

Seeing what the people had done, God considered destroying them and starting over with Moses… making Moses a great nation. But Moses interceded… interceding by calling on God to remember His own promises.

We are called to remember that the Lord involves us in His work.

Many have asked, “Did Moses change God’s mind with prayers like these?”

I have a hard time thinking that any prayer by mere humans changes the mind of the all powerful, all knowing, omnipresent, immutable God that stands outside of time. Nevertheless, God calls us to pray and He answers. It is a marvelous mystery.

Whatever prayer is… it is also this: remembering. When we pray we remember what God has done and what He can do. We remember that He cares.

10 The New International Version. (2011). (Dt 9:26–29). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

I think prayers like this one Moses prayed are especially powerful because in reminding God (as if) we remember. Remembering changes us.

Remembering results in humility.

Moses humbled himself on behalf of those he led; he humbled himself before God. When we are good at remembering, it is hard not to be humble, especially humble before God.

When we remember what the Lord has done, that He saves, delivers, leads and provides… our only right response is humility.

This prayer of Moses brings to mind the prayer of the Prophet Daniel that came some 900 years later.

After Moses died, Joshua led the people into the Promised Land. Judges and prophets and kings led the people… some well, many poorly with evil motives, intents and ways. Eventually God used foreign armies to remove His people from the land.

Daniel was among those exiled. Daniel was a colleague of those three thrown into the furnace. Daniel was the one tossed into the lions’ den, all because they would not bow to any other God.

Daniel was righteous, yet after prophesying about what was to come, after speaking on behalf of God about God’s plans and ways… his response was humility. His response was to intercede, like Moses had done, on behalf of his people.

Friends, let us hear the call today to remember… and let that remembering lead us to humility.

And from that place of humility, let us pray… praying for ourselves, and praying for our people in our times.

“Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 5 we have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws. 6 We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes and our ancestors, and to all the people of the land.

7 “Lord, you are righteous, but this day we are covered with shame—the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, both near and far, in all the countries where you have scattered us because of our unfaithfulness to you. 8 We and our kings, our princes and our ancestors are covered with shame, LORD, because we have sinned against you. 9 The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him; 10 we have not obeyed the LORD our God or kept the laws he gave us through his servants the prophets. 11 All Israel has transgressed your law and turned away, refusing to obey you.

“Therefore the curses and sworn judgments written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against you. 12 You have fulfilled the words spoken against us and against our rulers by bringing on us great disaster. Under the whole heaven nothing has ever been done like what has been done to Jerusalem. 13 Just as it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come on us, yet we have not sought the favor of the LORD our God by turning from our sins and giving attention to your truth. 14 The LORD did not hesitate to bring the disaster on us, for the LORD our God is righteous in everything he does; yet we have not obeyed him.

15 “Now, Lord our God, who brought your people out of Egypt with a mighty hand and who made for yourself a name that endures to this day, we have sinned, we have done wrong. 16 Lord, in keeping with all your righteous acts, turn away your anger and your wrath from Jerusalem, your city, your holy hill. Our sins and the iniquities of our ancestors have made Jerusalem and your people an object of scorn to all those around us.

17 “Now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of your servant. For your sake, Lord, look with favor on your desolate sanctuary. 18 Give ear, our God, and hear; open your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears your Name. We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy. 19 Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, hear and act! For your sake, my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name.” 11

This is a prayer that God hears and answers. Let it be so in our day.

11 The New International Version. (2011). (Da 9:4–19). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.