Verses 7-20
Moses applied the lesson to Israel’s future in this section. When the people settled in the land and experienced God’s blessing of material wealth, they would face temptation to think they were responsible for it rather than God (Deuteronomy 8:17). The prophylactic to this spiritual delusion was to remember what God had taught them in the past. It had been He, not themselves, that had been responsible for their prosperity. [Note: See Eugene H. Merrill, "Remembering: A Central Theme in Biblical Worship," Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 43:1 (March 2000):27-36.]
"’To remember’ means literally to re-member the body, to bring the separated parts of the community of truth back together, to reunite the whole. The opposite of re-member is not forget, but dis-member." [Note: A. J. Heschel, Man Is Not Alone, p. 61.]
As God’s people move toward the realization of the inheritance that He has promised us, we need to remember His faithful provision in the past. If we do not remember, we may turn aside and stop following Him faithfully in the present. Failure to remember and follow faithfully will result in God’s punishment in the future (cf. 1 Corinthians 3:12-15).
"Always remember to forget
The troubles that passed your way,
But never forget to remember
The blessings that come each day." [Note: Anonymous.]
This section has great application value for Christians who enjoy material prosperity. God clearly revealed the essence of pride and humility here as well as the way to maintain a realistic outlook on material blessings.
Be the first to react on this!
