Confession- I’m a forty five year old with a poor short term memory- yes I’m seeing a doctor for the problem. So not long ago I realized I’d forgotten to write a post. Oops! Considering I usually post 5 or 6 days a week and have since Mar. 2011, it really shouldn’t be something I forget, but… Anyway, I thought I’d write about that issue today.
Forgetting is not all bad- for me anyway. I forget movies so watching them again is almost as good as the first time. Sometimes I forget the bad things that happen and you can’t be mad at someone if you don’t remember what they did or said. Rereading books always brings up new material. Stress isn’t so bad when you don’t think of the stressful problems because you don’t remember them. So you see, it is not all bad!
There are far too many things written in the Bible about forgetting so I won’t write about them all, but here are a few I think are interesting.
…For God, said he, hath made me forget all my toil, and all my father's house. Gen. 4:51 Joseph said God helped him to forget the hard times he’d been through. I guess that’s a good thing we would also want as well.
Then beware lest thou forget the LORD… Dt. 6:12 Warning, warning. Deut. states at least four times not to forget God. Why? “…if thou do at all forget the LORD thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish.” Dt. 8:19 Jer. 2:32 is about God’s people forgetting Him days without number! Do we do that?
Remember, and forget not, how thou provokedst the LORD thy God… Dt. 9:7 It is good to note that we should remember all the wrongs we’ve done to our God- I would hope it keeps us repentant and humble.
The womb shall forget him; the worm shall feed sweetly on him; he shall be no more remembered; and wickedness shall be broken as a tree. Job 24:20 In referring to sinners, Job speaks about their fate- dead, forgotten and worm bait. That’s bad!
The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God. Ps. 9:17 Um… this one worries me a bit. How about you?
That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments: Ps. 78:7 Sometimes I forget the things God has done in my life, and that is not good. I really should write them down so I can look back at how far He’s brought me.
Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Ps. 103:2 There are many benefits to being in the Lord’s family, and we should not forget them- especially in difficult times- or hope will be lost.
Forget not His Word, statutes, precepts, law, commandments (7x in Ps. 119) His Word brings life to our lives- without it we die.
Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Is. 19:15 If it were even possible for the mom of a newborn babe to forget the babe, it is not possible for God to forget us. Woohoo!
For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister. Heb. 6:10 Good to know that if we are in His will doing His work, that He doesn’t forget it. Truly, I am glad His mind is so good.
But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased. Heb. 13:16 The word communicate means participate/ fellowship and we aren’t supposed to forget to do this and to do good. Sounds to me like we should remember to be like Jesus!
I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins. Is. 43:25 As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. Ps. 103:12 The Bible does not say God forgets our sins- forgetting implies no memory left of the event and logically He can’t be all knowing if He forgets. What it does say is He won’t remember them- in other words, He won’t recall them to the forefront of His mind- they are an infinite distance away from His thoughts of us. He chooses to not remember- for those who are His children.
Thank You Lord that You do not forget us, yet choose not to remember our sins!