“Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life; but teach them thy sons , and thy sons’ sons;” (Deuteronomy 4:9, KJV)
I use several tools to help me remember birthdays, meetings, and events. An electronic calendar is my favorite reminder tool. But I also use sticky notes, a paper calendar, and a kitchen timer! If one fails then I have back ups ready. Remembering was also important for the Israelites.
“Lest thou forget” is a solemn warning to the Israelites from Moses. The Israelites did not have a good track record of remembering things. As they stumbled their way to the Promised Land from Egypt, the Israelites frequently forgot God’s mighty acts of rescue on their behalf. Moses had to constantly remind the forgetful Israelites of the Lord’s faithfulness. So, again, Moses reminded the Israelites of the importance of remembering the Lord’s words and works.
“Lest thou forget” suggests that the Israelites needed to be on their guard. Memory can fade quickly if it is not renewed. Learning a new language depends heavily on a successful review process of new grammar, new words, and new sentence structures. Without constant review, new vocabulary slips from memory. The Israelites were learning a new language of faith. Without constant review, they slipped back into the old language of unbelief.
“Lest thou forget” was not only intended for Moses’s immediate audience, but for the next generation of Israelites as well Memories needed to be preserved to pass them down to their children and grandchildren. Later on in Deuteronomy 6, Moses would teach the Israelites about creating physical reminders in order to retain people’s sacred traditions. These tactile reminders kept their sacred stories fresh in their minds and hearts. They were devices to jog the memory.
Someone has pointed out that when Moses spoke these words in Deuteronomy, the first generation of Israelites were already dead. Their eyes had not seen the wilderness miracles of the Lord. So what did Moses mean? An astronomical analogy might help. When we look at the stars, we see light that is millions of year old. The light has been traveling light years. That is, we witness light from the past, not the present. In the same way, the Israelites see God’s works of salvation from a distance. The effects of the Lord’s salvation is present: they have the law, they see the Promised Land before them, they see the tabernacle, Moses’s staff, and the relics of the Exodus. They see through the eyes of faith.
As Christians, we, too, are in danger of forgetting. Unless we intentionally act to remember, our memory slips and we begin forgetting what the Lord has done for us through Jesus. How do we remember? We observe Holy Communion, gather for corporate worship. We refresh our memories by singing hymns and sacred songs. We hear the Word proclaimed. We read the Bible. We pray. “Lest thou forget.”
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