A Call to Remember
As I have been working on writing a paper on the power of Christ’s blood to total restoration for all peoples through the book of Romans, I came across and was very intrigued by chapters nine through eleven in Romans. In those chapters, Paul continues to use the Old Testament to affirm the workings of grace through Christ in the New Testament gospel. He cites the words of Moses in Deuteronomy on a number of occasions. So, in order to at least get a slight hold on the power of the message Paul is sending in Romans, I decided to reexamine the book of Deuteronomy.
There are so many amazing things that happen in Deuteronomy, but the main message that struck me is encapsulated in the word, “remember.” The Israelites are about to enter into the Promised Land. In the book of Genesis, God makes a promise to Abraham, a promise of blessing and reckoning (restoration). He confirms the promises to Abraham through a series of promises to people of God’s own choosing in the line of Abraham. Beginning with Abraham, God says, “I will make you into a great nation…and all the peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” (12:2-3). In Genesis 21:12, God says to Abraham again, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned,” affirming that blessing is accompanied by reckoning, and reckoning refers to the inclusion of a person, or group of people, into a larger group, that being the people of God. The Lord further expounds upon the promise by choosing the nation that would come from Jacob to be the line through which He fulfills the promises made to Abraham (25:23).
God continues to work out the process of fulfilling the promises to Abraham through Jacob. In chapter 28 verses fourteen through fifteen, the Lord speaks to Jacob saying, “Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring.” This clearly follows the promises made to Abraham of blessing and reckoning. These promises coincide with one overarching promise: that all peoples on earth will be blessed. What is important to note, and what Paul so clearly affirms in Romans, is that it is not Abraham the person who is the blessing. Nor is it Isaac. It is not even Jacob, or the patriarchs. But the fulfillment of the promise comes through a singular person forty-two generations after Abraham, after Isaac, after Jacob, after Judah, after David, and so on (Matthew 1:17). This person is Christ, the Messiah, “through whom we have now received reconciliation” (Rom. 5:11).
However, the book of Deuteronomy recounts a portion of intermediate time from the giving of the promise to Abraham to the fulfillment of the promise through Christ. It occurs at the end of a time of wandering and disobedience, but a time overflowing with the wonders of the merciful God heaven and earth, who continues to set his affection on his chosen people, his treasured possession. He gives countless blessings to His people—in victory over kings (Sihon King of Heshbon, 2:24-37; Og King of Bashan, Deut. 3:1-11), in the work that all His people do (2:7), in miracles, voices from heaven and out of fire, in the protection of His hand of might, and in awesome deeds (4:33-34). God blesses His people, who are reckoned to Him and included within the group called, the People of God.
At the time of Moses speaking in Deuteronomy, the people of God are on the brink of crossing into the land promised to them generations before. As Moses is unable to enter the Promised Land (1:37, Numbers 20:12), he leaves them guidance and wisdom prior to their entrance. He begins by recounting the works of the Lord for His people (through 4:43). This telling of the history of God’s people is absolutely paramount in the theme of Deuteronomy. Moses gives a basis for trust in the Lord in this new land. By retelling the work of the Lord for Israel, Moses bolsters the credibility of the Lord who led His people, even in the midst of persistent disobedience on the part of His people. Moses desires that God’s people remember their Lord.
Furthermore, Moses directly uses the word “remember” sixteen times with regard to what the Lord has done in leading His people. Not only that, but he also uses the word “forget” nine times to remind the people not to forget what God has done. The proclamation to remember by the time Moses was finished recounting the works of God and reciting the law is very clear. The works of God for His people all occur in accordance with the future fulfillment of the past promises made to Abraham, the promises of restoration for all peoples to be included within the people of God and for them to all be blessed abundantly because of that inclusion.
As the people of God, in Deuteronomy, are about to take another step in the direction of total fulfillment of the promises, Moses implores them to always remember and to never forget who God is. God is the one who is faithful to the promises He has made. And because the people of Israel are God’s “people, his treasured possession as he promised,” God will remain faithful to them (26:18). Moreover, He will set them apart as “a people holy to the Lord…as he promised” (26:19). All they have to do is remember.
And so must we remember. So often we get caught up in the busyness of life, and it is easy to forget. In the United States, we are predisposed to experience great material blessings in comparison to the rest of the world. It is easy to forget God. And even some who attempt to remember find themselves falling into the pitfalls and temptations of sin. Shame and guilt follow, and we are caught up in the belief of lies that we are not capable of holiness and that we cannot be victorious. We believe that we are unworthy of the promises of restoration and blessing. The truth is that, apart from God, we are unworthy.
But we must remember “that we are God’s children…heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ” (Rom. 8:16-17). We must remember that “once [we] were alienated from God and were enemies in [our] minds because of [our] evil behavior. But now he has reconciled [us] by Christ’s physical body through death to present [us] holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation” (Col. 1:21-22). We must remember who we are.
Remembering simplifies life. Abundant life that Jesus speaks of in John 10:10 is not about adhering to strict and rigid principles, that are actually a regression to the Old Law, from which we have been freed (Rom. 8:1). This was the fault of the Pharisees and teachers of the Law that Jesus so adamantly opposed. It was the fault of Saul before his conversion, when he became Paul and also opposed those in Rome who would not embrace total restoration through Christ. It was also the fault of many others to whom he wrote. Unfortunately, it is also the fault of many of us.
Restored life, at its core, is not about not sinning. Although sin is awful and restrictive and destructive, restored life is about reigning as kings and queens, counting ourselves dead to sin, walking by the Spirit, and by embracing who we are in Christ. And the root of all this is remembering who God is. Total faith in Him necessarily leads to all of these things being definitive of who we are. It also leads to less and less sin. But our focus must always be to remember who God is and that it is He who promised. As Moses beseeches the people of God in Deuteronomy to remember, so we must remember who God is. For it is only by remembering that God, not ourselves, sets us apart as holy (Deut. 26:19, Col. 1:21-22).
Remember.
Some practical ways to remember the Lord:
- Prayer – Any believer knows cognitively that prayer is important. But I will admit that most of the times I used to pray it would be without regard to the unseen. We do not dwell merely within the world our eyes perceive, but within a world at war. And our fight is “not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Eph. 6:12). Pray for eyes to see. Pray for ears to hear. Pray for a heart to respond. Pray for awareness. But be warned: the world beyond our senses is real. There is victory in the realms of the spiritual and the physical, and that victory is in Christ. Just walk in it with boldness.
- Journal – Some people say that they can’t journal, that they aren’t disciplined enough or any number of reasons. I said the same thing. The most practical way to begin the discipline and sanctifying practice of journaling is to write out your prayers. Focus on the Lord when you write, and write your words to Him. Write everything, big and small. Then you will see how He answers the little things, giving you perspective on what He desires in the big things. Journaling your prayers is sure to encourage you to begin to journal everything. After all, God is before all things, and in Him all things hold together (Col. 1:17).
- Community – We were created for community. As it was not good for man to be alone in the Garden of Eden, so also we were not created to live this life alone (Gen. 1:18). Total restoration unto the Lord requires us to also be restored one to another. That being said, life as a part of the Body of Christ is vital. Not only is it a source of God’s glorification, but also a source of encouragement, love, truth, prayer, support, accountability, hope, edification, and all other good things in Christ. Study the Acts of the Apostles, and cling to your place in the Church. Read Romans 12, and immerse yourself in the love of Christ, found in communal fellowship with the Body.
To His Name and His glory,
mcm
There are so many amazing things that happen in Deuteronomy, but the main message that struck me is encapsulated in the word, “remember.” The Israelites are about to enter into the Promised Land. In the book of Genesis, God makes a promise to Abraham, a promise of blessing and reckoning (restoration). He confirms the promises to Abraham through a series of promises to people of God’s own choosing in the line of Abraham. Beginning with Abraham, God says, “I will make you into a great nation…and all the peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” (12:2-3). In Genesis 21:12, God says to Abraham again, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned,” affirming that blessing is accompanied by reckoning, and reckoning refers to the inclusion of a person, or group of people, into a larger group, that being the people of God. The Lord further expounds upon the promise by choosing the nation that would come from Jacob to be the line through which He fulfills the promises made to Abraham (25:23).
God continues to work out the process of fulfilling the promises to Abraham through Jacob. In chapter 28 verses fourteen through fifteen, the Lord speaks to Jacob saying, “Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring.” This clearly follows the promises made to Abraham of blessing and reckoning. These promises coincide with one overarching promise: that all peoples on earth will be blessed. What is important to note, and what Paul so clearly affirms in Romans, is that it is not Abraham the person who is the blessing. Nor is it Isaac. It is not even Jacob, or the patriarchs. But the fulfillment of the promise comes through a singular person forty-two generations after Abraham, after Isaac, after Jacob, after Judah, after David, and so on (Matthew 1:17). This person is Christ, the Messiah, “through whom we have now received reconciliation” (Rom. 5:11).
However, the book of Deuteronomy recounts a portion of intermediate time from the giving of the promise to Abraham to the fulfillment of the promise through Christ. It occurs at the end of a time of wandering and disobedience, but a time overflowing with the wonders of the merciful God heaven and earth, who continues to set his affection on his chosen people, his treasured possession. He gives countless blessings to His people—in victory over kings (Sihon King of Heshbon, 2:24-37; Og King of Bashan, Deut. 3:1-11), in the work that all His people do (2:7), in miracles, voices from heaven and out of fire, in the protection of His hand of might, and in awesome deeds (4:33-34). God blesses His people, who are reckoned to Him and included within the group called, the People of God.
At the time of Moses speaking in Deuteronomy, the people of God are on the brink of crossing into the land promised to them generations before. As Moses is unable to enter the Promised Land (1:37, Numbers 20:12), he leaves them guidance and wisdom prior to their entrance. He begins by recounting the works of the Lord for His people (through 4:43). This telling of the history of God’s people is absolutely paramount in the theme of Deuteronomy. Moses gives a basis for trust in the Lord in this new land. By retelling the work of the Lord for Israel, Moses bolsters the credibility of the Lord who led His people, even in the midst of persistent disobedience on the part of His people. Moses desires that God’s people remember their Lord.
Furthermore, Moses directly uses the word “remember” sixteen times with regard to what the Lord has done in leading His people. Not only that, but he also uses the word “forget” nine times to remind the people not to forget what God has done. The proclamation to remember by the time Moses was finished recounting the works of God and reciting the law is very clear. The works of God for His people all occur in accordance with the future fulfillment of the past promises made to Abraham, the promises of restoration for all peoples to be included within the people of God and for them to all be blessed abundantly because of that inclusion.
As the people of God, in Deuteronomy, are about to take another step in the direction of total fulfillment of the promises, Moses implores them to always remember and to never forget who God is. God is the one who is faithful to the promises He has made. And because the people of Israel are God’s “people, his treasured possession as he promised,” God will remain faithful to them (26:18). Moreover, He will set them apart as “a people holy to the Lord…as he promised” (26:19). All they have to do is remember.
And so must we remember. So often we get caught up in the busyness of life, and it is easy to forget. In the United States, we are predisposed to experience great material blessings in comparison to the rest of the world. It is easy to forget God. And even some who attempt to remember find themselves falling into the pitfalls and temptations of sin. Shame and guilt follow, and we are caught up in the belief of lies that we are not capable of holiness and that we cannot be victorious. We believe that we are unworthy of the promises of restoration and blessing. The truth is that, apart from God, we are unworthy.
But we must remember “that we are God’s children…heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ” (Rom. 8:16-17). We must remember that “once [we] were alienated from God and were enemies in [our] minds because of [our] evil behavior. But now he has reconciled [us] by Christ’s physical body through death to present [us] holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation” (Col. 1:21-22). We must remember who we are.
Remembering simplifies life. Abundant life that Jesus speaks of in John 10:10 is not about adhering to strict and rigid principles, that are actually a regression to the Old Law, from which we have been freed (Rom. 8:1). This was the fault of the Pharisees and teachers of the Law that Jesus so adamantly opposed. It was the fault of Saul before his conversion, when he became Paul and also opposed those in Rome who would not embrace total restoration through Christ. It was also the fault of many others to whom he wrote. Unfortunately, it is also the fault of many of us.
Restored life, at its core, is not about not sinning. Although sin is awful and restrictive and destructive, restored life is about reigning as kings and queens, counting ourselves dead to sin, walking by the Spirit, and by embracing who we are in Christ. And the root of all this is remembering who God is. Total faith in Him necessarily leads to all of these things being definitive of who we are. It also leads to less and less sin. But our focus must always be to remember who God is and that it is He who promised. As Moses beseeches the people of God in Deuteronomy to remember, so we must remember who God is. For it is only by remembering that God, not ourselves, sets us apart as holy (Deut. 26:19, Col. 1:21-22).
Remember.
Some practical ways to remember the Lord:
- Prayer – Any believer knows cognitively that prayer is important. But I will admit that most of the times I used to pray it would be without regard to the unseen. We do not dwell merely within the world our eyes perceive, but within a world at war. And our fight is “not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Eph. 6:12). Pray for eyes to see. Pray for ears to hear. Pray for a heart to respond. Pray for awareness. But be warned: the world beyond our senses is real. There is victory in the realms of the spiritual and the physical, and that victory is in Christ. Just walk in it with boldness.
- Journal – Some people say that they can’t journal, that they aren’t disciplined enough or any number of reasons. I said the same thing. The most practical way to begin the discipline and sanctifying practice of journaling is to write out your prayers. Focus on the Lord when you write, and write your words to Him. Write everything, big and small. Then you will see how He answers the little things, giving you perspective on what He desires in the big things. Journaling your prayers is sure to encourage you to begin to journal everything. After all, God is before all things, and in Him all things hold together (Col. 1:17).
- Community – We were created for community. As it was not good for man to be alone in the Garden of Eden, so also we were not created to live this life alone (Gen. 1:18). Total restoration unto the Lord requires us to also be restored one to another. That being said, life as a part of the Body of Christ is vital. Not only is it a source of God’s glorification, but also a source of encouragement, love, truth, prayer, support, accountability, hope, edification, and all other good things in Christ. Study the Acts of the Apostles, and cling to your place in the Church. Read Romans 12, and immerse yourself in the love of Christ, found in communal fellowship with the Body.
To His Name and His glory,
mcm
posted by mcm at 18:29
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