What are the results of forgetting God?
(Deut. 4:9, 23, 32-39; 6:7; 8:7-18; Eph. 2:8-13) Blog: Nov. 28-Dec. 04, 2021
Prepared by Richard A. Marin: Present Truth PO Box 700, Fallbrook CA 92088-0700 USA
REVIEW: Deuteronomy is “the book of the covenant. God gave the Ten Commandments as his covenant of love to his people. It begins with a brief history of how he delivered them from bondage and proceeds to outline the good results that come to those who participate in it. This binding agreement of mutual love was soon broken by God’s people. It was then that God gave them a sanctuary that provided forgiveness of sins. Only through God’s grace and mercy could his people remain in covenant union with him. In that union God promised to care for them and to deliver them from every foe.
To Remember (See Present Truth V3 #2 < https://liferesearchinternational.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/PT.3-2.pdf> pp. 40-46)
1. For what reason does God say he set the rainbow in the sky? God set the rainbow in the sky as a token (sign) of his covenant with all living creatures – as a reminder to himself not to again destroy the earth with a flood (Gen. 9:12-15).
2. Does God need reminders of his promises? In order to understand the Bible, it is necessary to distinguish Hebrew thought from Greek thinking – for Hebrews, verbs are not abstract but rather “active,” so that “to remember” means to not just “think about” but “to act upon.” God remembers his covenant by being true to his promise (Gen. 9:15-16; Ex. 2:24; Num. 15:38-40; Acts 10:44; Rev. 18:5).
3. Although written in Greek, how does Revelation 18:5 illustrate Hebrew thinking? When God remembers Babylon’s sins it involves punishing her for them (Rev. 18:6-7).
4. What continual action were God’s people to take as they yearly remembered the Passover? Besides eating unleavened bread for a week, the children of Israel were to dedicate their firstborn to God as an act of remembering that God’s angel passed over their homes sparing the lives of their firstborn children (Ex. 12:12-14; 13:1-3; Deut. 16:3).
5. For what two reasons were God’s people to remember the Sabbath day (to keep it holy)? God’s people are to remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy as a memorial of creation & of redemption (Ex. 20:8-11; Deut. 5:12-15).
6. How were God’s people to overcome the fear of their mighty enemies? When afraid of their enemies, God’s people are to remember how God delivered them from slavery with signs & wonders (Deut. 7:17-21).
7. What did Moses want God to remember when pleading for the forgiveness of his people? Moses wanted God to remember his promises to Abraham, Isaac, & Jacob – not just bring to mind that he had made them, but to fulfill them by not destroying their descendants (Ex. 32:12-14; Lev. 26:40-45; Deut. 9:24-27).
8. How was the Feast of Pentecost to be celebrated as a form of remembrance? The whole family, together with Levites & strangers was to eat together in thankfulness for the harvest God blessed them with (Deut. 9:6-7; 15:12-15; 16:10-15).
9. Why were God’s people to remember Miriam’s leprosy? Miriam’s leprosy was to remind God’s people to follow the instruction given by the priests & Levites (Deut. 24:8-9).
10. What action was to result from remembering that God’s people had been strangers and slaves in Egypt? God’s people were to deal justly with & leave the gleanings of the harvest for the poor, the widows, & the strangers (Deut. 24:17-22).
11. When remembering how Amalek attacked them in the wilderness how were God’s people to act? God’s people were to utterly destroy (“blot out”) Amalek, not forgetting their treachery (Deut. 25:17-19).
To Forget
12. When Joseph named his firstborn son did he forget his parents and what his bothers and Potiphar had done to him? When Joseph named his firstborn son “Forgotten” (Manasseh) he was not referring to memory loss but to the joy of having a wife & children compared to the sorrow of being sold into slavery & serving time in prison (Gen. 41:51).
13. When is the most likely time that a person would forget God? The most likely time that a person would forget God is when they are greatly blessed by him (Deut. 6:10-12).
14. When blessed with prosperity, what were God’s people not to forget? God’s people are never to forget that it is he that gives power to get wealth (Deut. 8:7-18).
15. What are the sure results of forgetting God? The sure results of forgetting God are turning to worship idols & breaking God’s commandments, resulting in eternal death (Deut. 8:11, 19-20)
16. What would not forgetting their continuous rebellions help God’s people keep in mind? Remembering their constant sinning helps God’s people recognize that all God’s blessings are not due to their righteousness (Deut. 9:4-7).
To Instill
17. What would help God’s people not to forget the day and the words of the giving of his covenant Law? The sound of God’s voice accompanied by fire and trumpet blasts together with the act of teaching their children & surrounding their homes with remembrances would help God’s people not to forget the covenant made at Mount Sinai (Deut. 4:8-10; 6:7-9).
18. What would God never forget that Moses especially wanted God’s people never to forget? God would never forget the covenant he made with his people & Moses especially did not want God’s people to forget it (Deut. 4:23, 31).
19. Why does the Apostle Paul want God’s people to remember when they were unsaved? Paul wants us to rejoice in God’s grace that saves us from being outside of Christ & strangers from the covenant of promise (Eph. 2:8-14).
20. Who should we ask in order to understand God’s leading in our past history? We should ask the older brethren among us in order to better understand God’s leading in our past history (Deut. 32:7).
21. What does the Bible mean when it says that God and we will remember our sins no more? In the Bible to” remember no more” means not to relish or act upon (Isa. 65:17; Jer. 31:34; Acts 3:19; Heb. 8:12).
22. What did Moses emphasize in his closing song recorded in Deuteronomy 32? In his closing song Moses emphasized the name (character) of the Lord for he is like a great Rock, whose work is perfect, for all his ways are righteous, but his people, who are his precious inheritance, have corrupted themselves and forgotten how he led & fed them, so God was provoked & promised to punish them with hunger, exile, destruction & by making them jealous through offering his salvation to another people, for God will judge his people & be merciful to the faithful remnant who do not turn to other gods (Deut. 32:1-44; Rom. 10:19; 11:5, 32).