I’ve been reading the Old Testament again. It’s been a few years since I went back to the beginning of the biblical narrative: the family drama of Genesis, the power of God in Exodus, the holiness of God in the Law, the heroes and villains of the old familiar stories.
Then I came across this little verse at the beginning of Judges that broke my heart.
After that generation died, another generation grew up who did not acknowledge the LORD or remember the mighty things He had done for Israel (Judges 2:10, NLT).
I immediately felt angry. I don’t understand. How could they forget God? After everything He did for them?
The God who sent the plagues on Egypt. The God who parted the Red Sea. The God who led them by a pillar of fire by night and cloud by day, sent manna from heaven for their food and made springs of water gush from dry rock. The God who brought the walls of Jericho down with the sound of the trumpet blast so they could enter the Promised Land.
How could they forget God? It’s unthinkable!
And then God convicted me. How often do I remember what God has done in my family, even just a generation ago? Do I consider the God of history when I am making decisions about my life right now? Does my life honor the archive of the past? Or, do I focus on current events and look ahead to the future?
I am rarely a student of history. The things that God did in generations past do not inform my future plans. I am in danger of becoming just like the Children of Israel, forgetting the mighty things that God has done.
Because God has always been at work. He has been at work through history, He has been at work in my family, and He continues to work today.
In a world that tends to disregard history as irrelevant to the struggles we face in our changing modern world, let us never forget our God—His power and holiness, His love and grace, His sovereign plan. Let us remember His faithfulness:
Understand, therefore, that the Lord your God is indeed God. He is the faithful God who keeps His covenant for a thousand generations and lavishes His unfailing love on those who love Him and obey His commands (Deuteronomy 7:9, NLT).
And let us boldly share how God is working in us:
Let each generation tell its children of Your mighty acts; let them proclaim Your power (Psalm 145:4, NLT).
Let us be students of history and remember the things that God has done.
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