A Helpful and Needed Recollection

(Overcomer Wu)

“Remember the days of old, Consider the years of many generations. Ask your father, and he will show you; Your elders, and they will tell you.” -- Deuteronomy 32:7

When Moses had been told by God that it was nearing his time to depart from this this earth and God's people were on the verge of entering the Good Land of Canaan, the Land flowing with milk and honey prepared by God for His people, we read in the Book of Deuteronomy that Moses gathered the children of Israel and recounted to them the many lessons they have learnt, what they have gone through, and summarized for them the commandments God had given during the wanderings of the forty years in the wilderness. This was a new generation (for the older generation were strewn dead in the wilderness of Sinai peninsula) standing before Moses. Some had experienced firsthand little of God’s dealings with their fathers, although they had doubtlessly heard of the stories over and again. "Remember! Remember!" Moses recounted over and over to them. “And remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out from there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm...” (Deut 5:15). For he well knew well the rebellion in the hearts of many of them, and how they would easily depart from God after he was gone.

Moses continued to recount the mighty works of God on their behalf: Remember how God dealt with Pharaoh, causing him to let you go so you will know you need not fear the nations whose lands you are to possess (7:17-18). "And you shall remember that the LORD your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.” (8:2). Remember as you thrive in the new land of milk and honey, and your wealth increases, that it is God who prospers you and do not think it is your own doing (8:17-18). He also warned them about the consequences of disobedience such as Miriam: “Remember what the LORD your God did to Miriam on the way when you came out of Egypt!” (24:9). Remember and do not forget the times you rebelled against God, provoked His wrath and the consequences your ancestors would have suffered. God wanted to destroyed you, had Moses not fasted and interceded fervently and in agony on their behalf (9:7-29), deeply concerned that God forgive you and take you into the promised land, lest nations round about would disrespect the God who brought a people out but was unable to take them in. “You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God redeemed you; therefore I command you this thing today” (15:15). Why did Moses almost sound like a broken record in repeatedly exhorting God's people to “Remember”? Because as I believe it was Winston Churchill who said, “If we do not remember our history, we are condemned to repeat it (the mistakes of history) again.”

However, the earnest plea from the very depths of his shepherd heart, was for them to remember, and forget not the goodness and graciousness of the Lord our God who had chosen them as a special people and a holy nation through whom He can carry out His divine purpose on this earth and for them to not forget God's commands in His Word. God had made marvelous promises to them if they obeyed His law, if they exhibited to the rest of the world for all generations to come that He was a holy God, a righteous God, a faithful God, a merciful God, and a gracious God (just to name a few of His divine virtues).

In regards to God's command, Moses summarizes well for God's people as we read in Deuteronomy 10:12-13: "And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments of the LORD and His statutes which I command you today for your good?” Of course Moses’ exhortations to God's people in the Old Testament also applies to us modern-day Christians – God's people in the New Testament – as well. We too need to remember, and forget not the history of God's people both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament which are recorded for us mostly in the Bible. We can definitely benefit from remembering our church history as well since the 1^st century church up to this day. And we certainly need to “ fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments of the LORD and His statutes...”

Please note that one thing that Moses also repeated reiterated was: “And you shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and you shall be careful to observe these statutes” (Deut 16:12). The statutes in the Old Testament of course refers to God's written Word as it is used over and over in the book of Psalms and in other books of the Bible. And in Deuteronomy chapter 24:18 Moses said, “And you shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt; therefore I command you to do this thing.” (See also 24:22.) We also know that God's command or commandments is God's Word. This is even used synonymously by the Lord Jesus as shown in John 14:15, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments,” but in the same chapter in verse 14:23a, He said, “If anyone loves Me, He will keep My Word.” For this reason, some translations of the Bible even translated “My Word” in verse 15. Anyway, clearly we need to constantly read, meditate, assimilate, keep, and be richly indwelt by the Word of God for us to “remember” our divine heritage, the history of God's people which are recorded for us up to the 1^st century of God's people. In fact, the keeping of God's Word – God's command is so important because it is accompanied with God's promises and embodied with the inherent Grace that we need to possess the Land (typying the All-inclusive Christ in the N.T.), that Moses said, “Every commandment which I command you today you must be careful to observe, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land of which the LORD swore to your fathers” (Deut 8:1).

Most importantly, we need God's Word also as our daily spiritual bread. For this reason, Moses revealed one of the primary purposes of God in testing His people in the wilderness for these forty years: “And you shall remember that the LORD your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD” (8:2-3). Yes, in fact, when the Lord Jesus Himself was being tested by satan in the wilderness, He rebuffed the enemy by quoting this very verse in Matthew 4:4 and He passed the test, because He does realized that we need to live by “every Word that proceeds out from the mouth of God” (Matt 4:4)! Later, after Joshua had led the children of Israel into the Good land, he reminded them: “This Book of the Law (the Bible, which at that time, they only had the Law of Moses spoken by God through him. But praise the Lord! We now have the completed Word of God!) shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” (Josh 1:8).

In reading, assimilating, and partaking of the spiritual reality in God's Word, we should not forget not the victorious life that Christ has bequeated to us in His own last hours on this earth: “Indeed the hour is coming, yes, has now come, ... And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (Jn 16:32-33). Praise the Lord! We no longer have to live a defeated life, for God has provided for us an overcoming life through our Lord Jesus Christ! We are further assured in God's Word: “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (1 Jn 4:4). We can rejoice in this fact that we can triumph in Christ's victory over all of His and our enemies! Why should any of us, grovel around and be depressed or weighted down in defeat by worry over sad failures in our lives or pressing physical or financial matters or any matters? What a transcendent plain God has provided for and brought us to in Christ with an abiding peace and joy that no one and nothing in this world can rob us of!

Indeed, God would have us constantly remember and walk in the fullness of this victory He has provided for us in and through our resurrected, ascended, and enthroned and indwelling Christ. In these perilous days, not only sin, hardships, and wickedness, but also for some it is the occupation of being caught in the grind of Pharaoh's labor party, the pursuit of fame, fortune, pleasures are threatening to overwhelm God’s people from the little time we have left to spend quality time with God, in His Word, and in fellowship and meeting with His saints. We are surrounded and constantly being bombarded by this worldly system designed by satan to usurp our time away from God and to enjoy the riches of His Word (Jer 15:16) which accompanies great promises (Psalm 1). This worldly system permeates not only Hollywood with all of its entertainments and the politics of this world, but also if we are imbalanced, it could even be in our own families, our communities, and our religious duties. God counts on us to enter into His victory and take our place in advancing and bring in His kingdom on this earth today. May our Kingly Savior would lift our sights and living to His level that we may bring in God’s kingdom soon and His will to be done on earth as has already been accomplished in heaven!

I would like to share two of the stanzas of a recent hymn I have written in hope that it would be an encouragement to some:

All the years of pain, or the years of gain
To an hour with Thee at the throne of grace
Greater still my earnest hope

Thy full likeness You'll impart;

For we'll see Thee as Thou art.

May we faithful be; Stedfast to the end

To gain the crown.

Wealth and all-renown; None can drag us down

To lose our crown.

All our labor's not in vain;

And Thine image we'll attain

Our First-love to You maintain.

Hail our Coming King to reign!

Moses served as a great example for us for it was said of him: “By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king's anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible.” We too can persevere especially for us who are living in the New Testament times because we have the way open for us to approach the throne of Grace to behold our God each and every day as often as we want (Heb 10:19)! Hence we are exhorted in Hebrews 10:26: “You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.”

Perhaps he might try to convince us it is time to go into spiritual retirement. Either Satan would try to wear out the saints if he could with his insidious attacks one after the other, even we have been warned by the prophesy in Daniel 7:25, especially in the last days. At times, satan and his hosts are continually trying to convince us that we are no longer needed, unwanted and that our service and dedication are useless. We need to be on guard against the deadly fiery darts that he aims not only at ourselves, but also at our dear children and young people! Apathy (towards spiritual growth), profanity (not necessarily using bad words, but by even simply withholding praises and worship to God), occultism (by the tv introducing and inculcating the ideas to our young people that there is even such ridiculous things as good witches and sorcerers), drugs, alcohol, promiscuous sex, violence (not just fighting, but even shooting which we hear of several high schools random shootings becoming more and more prevalent) – all encountered at a younger and younger age.

If our prayer weaponries against the enemy (especially “the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God”) are packed away in storage with mothballs, it’s time to get them out and put them to use against the evils in our day. We must redeem the time not only because the days are evil, but also because the time is short! We must remember, that we are called in spite of the busyness of these days with our schooling or work or other family responsibilities, to live in Him and unto Him who has redeemed us and called us out of darkness into His marvelous Light, and into a divinely holy fellowship with Himself – a privilege we should never take for gratnted – with “an inheritance incorruptible, undefiled and unfading ...” (1 Pet 1:4)!

We need to constantly bring both ourselves and others into remembrance what God has spoken unto and done for us by getting into His Word and allowing His Word to richly indwell us (Col 3:16). When we thus remember the Lord daily and moment by moment by setting out mind on the things above and not on the things on this earth, then we shall be those whose names will be written in the “scroll of remembrance” as Malachi 3:16-17 says, “Then those who feared the LORD talked with each other, and the LORD listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the LORD and honored his name. 'They will be mine,' says the LORD Almighty, 'in the day when I make up my treasured possession'...” And to the young people, I would exhort with these words: “Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, "I find no pleasure in them.” (Eccl 12:1).