Faith & Reflection: Voices from the Black Church and Beyond
We are quickly moving toward the end of this Friday Focus on the importance of remembering, and our final section has many passages. Why? Because these verses will talk about the importance of remembering the most important thing—God’s Word. It is God’s grace that we have in our hands his written Word as evidence of who he is, his work in the history of mankind, and as a guide for life. Will we remember it?
Make his Word permanent in your hearts and minds
I can think of no better place to begin this final section than in the book of Deuteronomy. This journey for me started there, after all. Moses is appealing to God’s people to hold fast to the commands the Lord has given them. If they are faithful to obey his Word, the Lord will bring blessings in the land where he is leading them. The only way the people can remember them is to find permanent ways to put the Lord’s Word always before them.
“Imprint these words of mine on your hearts and minds, bind them as a sign on your hands, and let them be a symbol on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your city gates, so that as long as the heavens are above the earth, your days and those of your children may be many in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors.” (Deuteronomy 11:18-21 CSB)
Do you have ways to put the Word of God before your eyes? Do you have verses posted in your home or in your car? How are we doing at talking about God’s Word with our children and grandchildren? Ask the Lord how to make his Word a more permanent part of your life.
Singing God’s Word helps
Joshua had hard shoes to fill. At the end of Deuteronomy, I’m sure he was wondering how to keep this rebellious people unified once Moses died. The great leader had one more suggestion. Take the song that I’m going to give you and teach the people to sing it. So much theology and Scripture is found in our Christian hymns and music. This is where we get the idea. Listen to what Moses tells them.
Therefore write down this song for yourselves and teach it to the Israelites; have them sing it, so that this song may be a witness for me against the Israelites. When I bring them into the land I swore to give their ancestors, a land flowing with milk and honey, they will eat their fill and prosper. They will turn to other gods and worship them, despising me and breaking my covenant. And when many troubles and afflictions come to them, this song will testify against them, because their descendants will not have forgotten it. For I know what they are prone to do, even before I bring them into the land I swore to give them.” So Moses wrote down this song on that day and taught it to the Israelites. (Deuteronomy 31:19-22)
Music is a great way to share history and teach truths to others. I’m so thankful for the music of the Church. Are you singing God’s Word on a regular basis? What music fills your house and heart?
Get back into God’s Word and remember
The last two passages are simple reminders that this concept of remembering is important. The Word is written for us. Israel had the scrolls left them by Moses. The prophets were faithful to also write down all that God had spoken through them. Even when anger led to a scroll being burned (Jeremiah 36), the prophet Jeremiah was faithful to write it all out once again.
As Isaiah tells God’s people the wonders of the One True God, the Lord’s desire is made known.
Remember these things, Jacob, and Israel, for you are my servant; I formed you, you are my servant; Israel, you will never be forgotten by me. (Isaiah 44:21)
The God who never forgets us wants us to remember him and his Word.
In the final book of the Old Testament, the Lord, through the prophet Malachi, reaches all the way back to his words through Moses and calls the people to remember them.
“Remember the instruction of Moses my servant, the statutes and ordinances I commanded him at Horeb for all Israel. Look, I am going to send you the prophet Elijah before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers. Otherwise, I will come and strike the land with a curse.” (Malachi 4:4-6)
We may be New Testament followers of Christ, but God’s Word is from Genesis to Revelation. Not one part is more important than the other. All point to the God of Creation, the work of the Trinity, and Christ’s atonement for our sins. As Christ-followers, we no longer live under the letter of the law, but by the spirit of the Law of Christ. The Word of God is profitable, whether it’s in Genesis, Leviticus, the Psalms, John, or Galatians. We need it all. We need to imprint it all on our hearts and minds, living in obedience to it to the glory of God until the day of his return.
Grace and Peace
If you missed the last Friday Focus post, click HERE, or start from the Beginning.
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