And when the LORD your God brings you into the land that he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you—with great and good cities that you did not build, and houses full of all good things that you did not fill, and cisterns that you did not dig, and vineyards and olive trees that you did not plant—and when you eat and are full, then take care lest you forget the LORD, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
- Deuteronomy 6:10-12
Take care, or "beware" in the KJV, that you do not forget the LORD. Surely Israel could remember that they had been brought out of Egypt, that they had been rescued from slavery? Surely it would not be difficult to follow the law Moses handed to the people from their God? Surely this God could never be forgotten...
But the scriptures tell us He was forgotten; Moses' warning is itself within the context of the Israelites finally coming unto the land promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This land had been offered to the Israelites forty years prior, but they had forgotten the LORD. They had forgotten that He was in control. They had forgotten His promise, and all they could foresee was their destruction at the hands of those who inhabited the lands they were promised. So God led them into and through the wilderness for forty years because of their disobedience.
Flashing forward, the Israelites are victorious over the inhabitants of the land, and they settle as God's people. But it doesn't take long for them to again forget the LORD who had brought them out of Egypt and out of slavery. In fact, the rest of the Old Testament writings (for the most part) describe the unfaithfulness of Israel and the faithfulness of God. While they often forget, He never does. What a shameful people, those Israelites!
But wait, was my bondage to sin any less brutal than the burden of the Egyptians upon the backs of Israel? Was I too not rescued from slavery? Was I not suffering night and day under sin? Am I too not under a promise, am I not living in a grace that I have not produced? Yes, without a doubt, the freedom granted us in Christ has replaced the most suffocating bondage any man can endure.......and yet how quickly we forget? How often we cry out to return to "Egypt" as the Israelites did...we long for the bondage of our past. We seek to be slaves again to idleness, to idolatry, to pride, to coveting, to theft, to lying.....to food, to loneliness and depression, to lust, to hate, to fear. But let us not waiver in this truth, God is faithful.
Therefore, let us remember the Lord as we enjoy the blessings of His grace. Just as the promised land was not created by the Israelites, our blessed state in Christ was not our own creation, but is the promise of our God. Yes, let us enjoy our status as sons and daughters of the Almighty, but let us do so by remembering that He is the one who has called us. "While we were still sinners, Christ died for us" says Paul. God was faithful to His promises to the people of Israel, and He is faithful to His promises to us on the other side of the cross.
Lord, forgive me for my forgetfulness that flaunts a false feeling of pride that I am okay on my own. Remind me that I have been brought out of bondage and owe everything to you, the LORD who has freed me from slavery. You, oh Lord, brought your people out of Egypt, and it was you, oh Lord, that called me out of my bondage to sin. What a terrible thing to forget who YOU are. Thank you Father for your scriptures, for Moses and the people of Israel who went before, that you could use them in drawing the world back into your arms. Thank you for reminding me that you are faithful, now and forever. In the name of Christ, who is the greatest sign of your faithfulness.
