forgetting

1 Kings 10, Hosea 13, 2 Timothy 2

by

Read 1 Kings 10, Hosea 13, and 2 Timothy 2.

This devotional is about Hosea 13.

Temptations await us at every point in our lives, in every circumstance in our lives. When we are discouraged or suffering or just discontent, we will be tempted to blame God or to reject him completely.

But when we are prosperous, thriving, excited about the future, and happy with the present, the temptation we face is to forget God. Israel faced all of these temptations and vast numbers of people in the nation surrendered to them throughout the history of the nation. 

Although the people of Israel complained a lot about the Lord, the truth is that God was very good to his people. He led them out of Egypt  and called them to worship him exclusively (v. 4). He provided for them in the desert—a place hostile to human life (v. 5). Yet verse 6 says, “When I fed them, they were satisfied; when they were satisfied, they became proud; then they forgot me.” Ungrateful for what the Lord did, forgetful of how badly they needed his divine intervention, they took credit for surviving on their own for verse 6 says, “they became proud.”

When we think we have succeeded on our own, we think we can continue to succeed on our own. We buy into the myth of self-sufficiency, so we do not praise God for what he’s done and is doing in our lives, we do not worship God based on what he has revealed to us about himself, we do not ask God for help to serve him today, we do not look to God for wisdom in the decisions we make, and we do not think about God and what he wants to do in the future. That is the temptation we face when times are good. 

Israel and Judah encountered these temptations as unbelievers, for the most part. There were people who worshipped the Lord from the heart but most of God’s chosen people forgot him because they never knew him in the first place. This is why God brought severe judgment on them (vv. 7-16). Although they had his word and his covenant, they rejected him and put their faith in other gods. Although we have come to know God by faith, we still encounter the temptation that verse 6 described. It happens when our prayer life diminishes during good times; we stop praying altogether or pray token prayers only. It is a good time for us to remember the Lord and evaluate our relationship to him. We need God far more than we realize and it glorifies God when we live in dependence on him.

2 Samuel 15, Ezekiel 22

by

Read 2 Samuel 15 and Ezekiel 22.

This devotional is about Ezekiel 22.

This chapter in Ezekiel details many of the sins that Jerusalem (a representative of the whole nation) committed against God. These sins were the reasons for God’s judgment that would fall on them through the Babylonian empire. Their sins can be put into three stacks:

  1. The leaders used their power selfishly. The main power that any government has that nobody else has is the power to use physical force–including death–without accountability for it. The leaders of Jerusalem were guilty of this according to verses 6 and 25.
  2. The people in general mistreated people who needed protection (vv. 7, 12), thought very little of God and his worship (v. 8), were violent (v. 9a), idolatrous (v. 9b), and committed many kinds of sexual sins (vv. 9c-11).
  3. The priests and prophets refused to lead God’s people to worship and obey him (vv. 26-28).

These are all symptoms of the same problem: “…you have forgotten me, declares the Sovereign Lord.” This is listed last, in verse 12, in the long list of sins in verses 6-12. For us, the last thing on the list is usually the least important but in ancient societies, the last thing on a list was the MOST important thing. The most important thing was placed last so that it would be remembered. In this passage, then, God is complaining that his people have forgotten him and, because of that they were guilty of many other sins against him.

When believers like you and me neglect our spiritual life and choose not to walk with God daily, we deviate in many ways from God’s will. Our sins are symptoms of how we live life on our own terms rather than obeying God because we love him and worship him daily.

How is your spiritual life? I hope these daily devotionals have helped you walk with God and build a habit of meeting with him daily. It is possible, however, to read the word daily and still not fellowship with God in prayer and worship. What’s the state of your heart? How is your relationship with God? Have you forgotten him? Is that starting to show up in sinful choices you make with your daily life?

Deuteronomy 6, Isaiah 34, Psalm 147

by

Read Deuteronomy 6, Isaiah 34, and Psalm 147.

This devotional is about Deuteronomy 6.

In this chapter, Moses taught the people of Israel the central idea of God’s law: love him (v. 5). Anyone who loves God will keep his commandments (hmmm… sounds like John 14:15). Alternatively, anyone who does not love God will have a hard time obeying the commandments with any consistency. This truth, from this chapter, is probably the best known thing about Deuteronomy 6. If you know any verse in Deuteronomy by heart, you almost certainly know Deuteronomy 6:5.

But notice verses 10-12. In that paragraph, Moses looked forward to the days when the people in front of him will finally have the land God promised them. After wandering impoverished in the desert since they were children, they would finally have prosperity and physical comforts. When that happens, Moses said, “…be careful that you do not forget the Lord, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.”

One of the biggest challenges we face in our walk with God is forgetfulness. We forget the truths of God’s word we once knew so well. We forget to keep following the Lord when life is good. We forget how much God has done for us. We forget the promises and warnings of scripture. Once we forget, we become complacent about our lives, stop fearing God (v. 13) and become enamored with idols (v. 14). If you’ve ever found yourself doing sinful things you thought you’d never do or questioning doctrines you once believed wholeheartedly, you’ve experienced what it means to “forget the Lord.”

The only defense against forgetting and the only way back from it is to consciously remind yourself of and review God’s truth (vv. 7b-9)–who he is and what he’s done for us (v. 12b). We have the Word, the Lord’s supper (“in remembrance of me”), and the people of God to help remind us to keep following the Lord. These are the channels of God’s grace to us; if we ignore them or cut off their influence in our lives, we will soon find ourselves adrift in forgetfulness.

Have you forgotten what the Lord has said and done? After repentance, what steps or methods can you bring in to help you remember the Lord our God?

Leviticus 20, Ecclesiastes 3, Psalm 106

by

Today’s readings are Leviticus 20, Ecclesiastes 3, and Psalm 106.

This devotional is about Psalm 106.

This song asks for God’s help (vv. 4-5) and his re-gathering of the people of Israel from other nations (v. 47) in the context of praising God for his work by reviewing all he had done for Israel. As he recounted how God worked for his people, he noted that the ancient Israelites (v. 7) and his own contemporary Israelites (v. 6) were guilty of forgetting God’s works. Verse 7 put it this way, “they gave no thought to your miracles; they did not remember your many kindnesses, and they rebelled by the sea, the Red Sea.” Later in verse 13 we read, “But they soon forgot what he had done and did not wait for his plan to unfold.” Also, verse 21 says, “They forgot the God who saved them, who had done great things in Egypt….”

When we forget what God has done for us, we stop trusting him to do anything for us and rebel against his word. Could this be going on in your life? Are you entertaining faithless thoughts about the Lord or even acting outside of his will because you’ve forgotten about all that he has done for you?

Despite our failures to remember God and his works, God is merciful to us. Right after verse 7 said “they did not remember your many kindnesses….” verse 8 followed with, “Yet he saved them for his name’s sake, to make his mighty power known.” We often faithless, but God is faithful. He desire to work in your life so that you will glorify him and others will see how glorious he is.

So, if you have forgotten God’s work in your life, here’s an opportunity to change your mind (aka, “repent”). Think back over your life of instances where God showed his goodness to you even when you didn’t deserve it. Write it down, even. Then praise the Lord for his faithfulness as the Psalmist did in verses 1 and 48 and ask him to help you wherever you need it (vv. 4-5, 47).