A Life in Exile

We have turned a corner in our study on the need to remember. We addressed how God remembers and forgets certain things, and we’ve looked at verses that reveal man’s forgetful nature. We are so prone to forget. It’s a painful reality I’d like to forget, but thankfully, God’s Word is a constant reminder for me. That said, I can now say, we’re now going to use the remainder of our weeks in this study to focus on how God helps us to remember that which is important to him and for our good.

We’ll look today at some of the how, and then in the coming weeks, talk about the people and things we are called to remember. I hope you can join me in gratitude for the full counsel of God’s Word. We have the Bible in our hands. It’s the complete story of God and his plan for mankind. It’s full of wisdom and guidance. This is the book that shows us all we need to remember in this world.

Today’s passages are all from the Torah, the first five books of the Bible. They set the foundation for the entirety of God’s plan for mankind.

Special acts helped the people remember.

The act of circumcision:

God made a covenant with Abraham. He promised to make him the father of many nations and to give his offspring the land of Canaan as a possession. He would be the God of Abraham and of his offspring. What was the sign of that covenant? Circumcision.

“You must circumcise the flesh of your foreskin to serve as a sign of the covenant between me and you. Throughout your generations, every male among you is to be circumcised at eight days old—every male born in your household or purchased from any foreigner and not your offspring. Whether born in your household or purchased, he must be circumcised. My covenant will be marked in your flesh as a permanent covenant. If any male is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that man will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.” (Genesis 17:11-14 CSB)

Though the word remember is not used in this passage, the implication is clear that the physical mark of circumcision would serve as a reminder that this people was not their own, they were chosen and set apart by God. Circumcision is not required for Christ-followers, as we have another sign that God has chosen and set us apart—circumcised hearts.

For a person is not a Jew who is one outwardly, and true circumcision is not something visible in the flesh. On the contrary, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is of the heart—by the Spirit, not the letter. That man’s praise is not from men but from God. (Romans 2:28-29)

And to his letter to the church in Colosse, Paul wrote:

You were also circumcised in him with a circumcision not done with hands, by putting off the body of flesh, in the circumcision of Christ, when you were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead. (Colossians 2:11-12)

We have the mark of the Holy Spirit as our reminder of God’s covenant with us in Christ.

The redemption of the firstborn son.

The book of Exodus tells us of another act that the people were to perform upon entering the Land of Promise.

“When the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites, as he swore to you and your ancestors, and gives it to you, you are to present to the Lord every firstborn male of the womb. All firstborn offspring of the livestock you own that are males will be the Lord’s. You must redeem every firstborn of a donkey with a flock animal, but if you do not redeem it, break its neck. However, you must redeem every firstborn among your sons.” (Exodus 13:11-13)

Redemption of the firstborn was an important visual reminder to the Hebrews of how, by God’s strength, he had brought them out of Egypt, and not just out of Egypt but out of slavery. An animal was to be sacrificed for every firstborn son in Israel. The Egyptians had refused to allow the Hebrews to leave, and they paid the price for their rebellion. While their firstborn sons and animals would die, God would save those of the Israelites. They needed to remember this as they entered the new land—they must remember all their God had done for them and pass it down to their children.

When we, as Christ-followers, participate in the Lord’s Supper, we remember our redemption. God sacrificed his own Son, his only Son, that we might be saved from slavery to death and sin.

Sound the trumpets.

While they were in the wilderness, the Lord gave Moses a special commission: the making of two silver trumpets to be used to call the people for gatherings, to war, and on special occasions. The sound of the trumpets would be an audible reminder to the people.

“You are to sound the trumpets over your burnt offerings and your fellowship sacrifices and on your joyous occasions, your appointed festivals, and the beginning of each of your months. They will serve as a reminder for you before your God: I am the Lord your God.” (Number 10:10)

The sound of the trumpets is not for the Jews alone, but serve as a reminder for Christians as well. What do you think of when you hear a trumpet blast? Do you think of God? Does it cause you to look to the sky? Jesus told us about it:

Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the peoples of the earth will mourn; and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. He will send out his angels with a loud trumpet, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other. (Matthew 24:30-31)

As did Paul:

For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the archangel’s voice, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are still alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words. (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18)

Keep your ears alert to the sound of the trumpet call. Don’t forget.

Forget idols, remember God and His Law.

I’ll close this look at reminders in the Torah with this admonition given to the people by Moses.

For what great nation is there that has a god near to it as the Lord our God is to us whenever we call to him? And what great nation has righteous statutes and ordinances like this entire law I set before you today? Only be on your guard and diligently watch yourselves, so that you don’t forget the things your eyes have seen and so that they don’t slip from your mind as long as you live. Teach them to your children and your grandchildren. 

Be careful not to forget the covenant of the Lord your God that he made with you, and make an idol for yourselves in the shape of anything he has forbidden you. For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God. (Deuteronomy 4:7-9, 23-24)

These words of Moses ring true for us today. What other people can claim that their god is near to them, as the Lord our God is near to us? Not only that, but in Christ, we have the Spirit of God living in us, to guide and protect us. What other people has the Word of God, the Bible, which guides our lives and gives us hope? Just as the Israelites were to remember God and his Law, we too, must remember God and his Word, teaching it to our children and grandchildren.

Idols remain a hindrance to Christians today. As we remember the words of Moses, may we also remember those John wrote to the church:

And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding so that we may know the true one. We are in the true one—that is, in his Son, Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.

Little children, guard yourselves from idols. (1 John 5:20-21)

Remembering the acts of God for his people and their fulfillment in Christ is crucial to keeping us on the path of righteousness, living to the glory of God.  

Grace and Peace

If you missed the last Friday Focus post, click HERE, or start from the Beginning.