October 27, 1999
FAMILY BIBLE SERIES:
Remembering the past can
give hope to the future
___Deuteronomy 8:1-20
___By Susan Pigott
___Logsdon School of Theology, Abilene
___After our son Nathaniel was born, I started filling out his baby book. You know the type of stuff--first smile, first burp, first laugh, first step, first tooth. I was quite diligent to keep track of his first year. I wrote a summary of each month, noting the milestones he reached and the cute things he was doing. And I took pictures--lots of pictures. But I wanted to have a record of every momentous event and the joy I felt experiencing each one. And I wanted to provide Nathaniel with memories of a year he won't be able to recall first-hand.
___The book of Deuteronomy is in some ways like Israel's baby book. It records the events that led to the birth of the nation, it reviews Israel's first "baby steps" and milestones of faith, it airs out Israel's "dirty diapers" and it recalls the "terrible twos." Deuteronomy 8, in particular, is a call to remembrance.
___In verses 1-6, the people were admonished to remember the wilderness wanderings.The second generation of Israelites had endured 40 years of wandering because of a mistake their parents made (Numbers 13-14). They could have felt bitter when they looked back on these difficult years. But God reminded them that being God's people did not ensure them a life of ease.
___On the contrary, in order to take the land God was about to give to them, the people of Israel had to demonstrate they were willing to obey God's commands. The unruly band of distrustful ex-slaves who failed at Kadesh-Barnea never could have taken the land. Now, 40 years later, the group who stood at the entrance of the Promised Land was an army disciplined by hardship and testing.
___In contrast to the wilderness experience, verses 7-10 depict a hopeful future. Whereas in the wilderness the people had been faced with a dearth of water and food, in the Promised Land they would find "a land where you shall eat food without scarcity, in which you shall not lack anything ..." (Deuteronomy 8:9).
___However, in the midst of all this bounty was a threat--the threat of forgetfulness (verses 11-20). The Israelites were about to inherit a bountiful land where they would build houses and shepherd their flocks and become prosperous. But all of this could be threatened by a careless act of forgetfulness and self pride. Once the Israelites were settled in their land, they might be tempted to think they had somehow earned their own prosperity. The only remedy for such egotism was remembering the past and God's faithful provisions.
___Have you taken the time recently to remember your spiritual past--to leaf through your spiritual "baby book?" Sometimes in times of testing or uncertainty, it is helpful to think through one's spiritual journey and recall those milestones of faith. Remembering God's faithfulness in the past is one means of assuring ourselves God will be faithful in the future, no matter how uncertain that future may be.
Contents/ Masthead / Why We're Here / Links / Archive / E-mail us/ SUBSCRIBE!