If there was anything the Lord wanted his people to remember, it was that they had been slaves. I know we have short memories as humans, but you would think that a person would remember that he had been enslaved. Not only is it a horrible condition to be in, but it leaves its marks on a person, physically and psychologically. Would they be so quick to forget—really?
There are two passages that give us an indication that God knew best all along and would lead Moses to use the word remember to move the Israelites to recall their history.
The first is found in the chapter of Exodus that gives a description of their route from Egypt.
When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them along the road to the land of the Philistines, even though it was nearby; for God said, “The people will change their minds and return to Egypt if they face war.” (Exodus 14:17 CSB)
The second comes a chapter later as Pharaoh’s army is coming after the people just before they cross the sea.
As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up and there were the Egyptians coming after them! The Israelites were terrified and cried out to the Lord for help. They said to Moses, “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Isn’t this what we told you in Egypt: Leave us alone so that we may serve the Egyptians? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.” (Exodus 15:10-12)
The Lord knew that though these enslaved people had cried out to him for help, they would quickly return to the known slavery over an unknown future of following the God of their ancestors, no matter what they had seen him do to the Egyptians.
God is giving you rest. Remember you were slaves.
This call to remembrance comes a mere fifty days after their exit from Egypt. Moses writes of this part of their history in the book of Deuteronomy, where we will stay today. The call to remember comes within the giving of the Ten Words.
Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out of there with a strong hand and an outstretched arm. That is why the Lord your God has commanded you to keep the Sabbath day. (Deuteronomy 5:15)
What is their call to remember linked to? The giving of the Sabbath. Why was this important? Because the God of the Universe, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, was different from all other gods in that he was the God who gave his people rest. Yes, they would work, but not as slaves. The people and the gods of the nation they left and the nations that would surround them knew no rest. Those who followed Jehovah God would know rest—a day of ceasing all activity in order to worship the Lord.
That Sabbath rest would not only benefit them but also the people and animals they were in charge of. Unlike slaves, who were never set free and never rested from labor, God’s people were to remember what it had been like for them, and they were to free their fellow Hebrews who had been sold to them as servants.
“If your fellow Hebrew, a man or woman, is sold to you and serves you six years, you must set him free in the seventh year. When you set him free, do not send him away empty-handed. Give generously to him from your flock, your threshing floor, and your winepress. You are to give him whatever the Lord your God has blessed you with. Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt and the Lord your God redeemed you; that is why I am giving you this command today.” (Deuteronomy 15:12-15)
Be kind to those who serve you. Remember, you were slaves.
Allowing rest through the Sabbath and the freeing of slaves was just one aspect of how God wanted his people to be different, while remembering their previous life. Remembering the pain of enslavement should also move his people to a deeper kindness to others. Look at these verses given through Moses.
In establishing the Feast of Weeks, God tells the people that even their slaves are to celebrate with them.
Rejoice before the Lord your God in the place where he chooses to have his name dwell—you, your son and daughter, your male and female slave, the Levite within your city gates, as well as the resident alien, the fatherless, and the widow among you. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt; carefully follow these statutes. (Deuteronomy 16:11-12)
They were to treat others with justice—something they had not known as slaves.
Do not deny justice to a resident alien or fatherless child, and do not take a widow’s garment as security. Remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and the Lord your God redeemed you from there. Therefore I am commanding you to do this. (Deuteronomy 24:18)
They were to leave a gracious amount in the harvest fields and vineyards for those in need. They had been deprived much as slaves.
When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, do not glean what is left. What remains will be for the resident alien, the fatherless, and the widow. Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt. Therefore I am commanding you to do this. (Deuteronomy 24:21-22)
Remembering what they suffered as slaves should move the people of God to be more gracious to those around them.
God was with them in the wilderness. They should not be afraid and remain humble.
Remembering that they had been slaves brought out by the mighty hand of God should have kept fear at bay in the lives of the Israelites, but it did not. God would need, through Moses, to remind them over and again just what his presence with them meant.
“If you say to yourself, ‘These nations are greater than I; how can I drive them out?’ do not be afraid of them. Be sure to remember what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and all Egypt: the great trials that you saw, the signs and wonders, the strong hand and outstretched arm, by which the Lord your God brought you out. The Lord your God will do the same to all the peoples you fear. (Deuteronomy 7:17-19)
The work of the Lord should have kept them courageous and also loyal to the keeping of his commands.
“Carefully follow every command I am giving you today, so that you may live and increase, and may enter and take possession of the land the Lord swore to your ancestors. Remember that the Lord your God led you on the entire journey these forty years in the wilderness, so that he might humble you and test you to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands.” (Deuteronomy 8:1-2)
They needed to remember where they came from and remain humble before the Lord.
Understand that the Lord your God is not giving you this good land to possess because of your righteousness, for you are a stiff-necked people. Remember and do not forget how you provoked the Lord your God in the wilderness. You have been rebelling against the Lord from the day you left the land of Egypt until you reached this place. (Deuteronomy 9:6-7)
Refusal to follow God’s commands would come with consequences. They must remember that God would punish, as he had in the wilderness.
“Be careful with a person who has a case of serious skin disease, following carefully everything the Levitical priests instruct you to do. Be careful to do as I have commanded them. Remember what the Lord your God did to Miriam on the journey after you left Egypt.” (Deuteronomy 24:8-9)
Remember the Days of Old
In this, God’s people were to remember the events of their past days. They must remember where they had been and the condition of their lives. They must remember that God had been at work in great and marvelous ways, proving he is worthy to be worshiped and obeyed.
In his final song, Moses declares the works of the Lord their God and reminds the people of their disobedience in the wilderness. They must remember, for they were the Lord’s own.
Isn’t he your Father and Creator? Didn’t he make you and sustain you? Remember the days of old; consider the years of past generations. Ask your father, and he will tell you, your elders, and they will teach you. When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance and divided the human race, he set the boundaries of the peoples according to the number of the people of Israel. But the Lord’s portion is his people, Jacob, his own inheritance. (Deuteronomy 32:6b-9)
We, too, have a past. Enslaved by sin, we have been set free in Christ Jesus our Lord. Will we forget all that he has done for us, or remember that he has purchased us out of slavery by the greatest of prices—his life? Remember and live free to his glory.
Grace and Peace
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