A lot of people think that some of the early books like Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy are, well, boring. It's a lot of laws and names and things that we don't think really apply to us anymore. And, yes, in reality, most of those laws don't apply to us.
Not only are most of us not Jewish, but we're also no longer under the Old Covenant and under the Law. As such, we are not bound by the Levitical code. Jesus said in Scripture that He came to fulfill the Law, not to abolish it, but under the New Covenant, we no longer have to live under that Law. Jesus' sacrifice fulfilled the Law so that we don't have to deal with the legalism anymore. We are no longer under the Law but under Grace.
As I've been reading through these early books, there's one thing that I've noticed more than all of the seemingly miniscule rules that the Israelites had to follow for hundreds of years. Most of the things written in these early books, particularly in Leviticus and Deuteronomy are repeated. A lot.
In fact, at the beginning of Deuteronomy, the Israelites are just about to end their 40 years of wandering in the desert. Moses knows that he won't be entering the Promised Land with them, so as they prepare to enter the land promised to them hundreds of years before, he begins to remind them of all they've experienced for the last 40 years.
He starts with their time in Egypt and moves on through all of the 40 years. He reminds them of all the things that the Lord did for them. He reminds them of all of the laws that have been put in place. He reminds them of all of the things put in place specifically to remind them.
So what have I learned through reading all of these laws over and over and over again?
There's a reason some of the things written in Scripture are stated over and over and over again. There's a reason Jesus reinforces the same concept with multiple different parables. There's a reason that there's so many things restated so many ways in the Scripture.
It's because we forget. A lot.
I don't know about you, but that's definitely true about me. In actuality, I have a really good memory. Like, a scary good memory sometimes. It freaks people out. But while I have no issue remembering every single meal I ate last week and a word-for-word conversation from six years ago, I epic fail at remembering the things that are the most important for me to remember.
I forget the same kinds of things that the Israelites forget. I forget who I am in Christ. I forget all of the amazing things that God has done in my life. I forget all the ways He blesses me. I forget, or rather ignore, all of the ways that He romances me each and every day.
Now, if you're like me, you remember things better when you see a reminder. It could be a post-it note on your computer saying, "Do this!" It could be a pop-up on your phone reminding you about an event. It could be something you put on your wrist or leave out on the breakfast table.
Visual reminders are one of the most effective means of keeping the important things in our life in the forefront of our thoughts.
It's for that reason that I have several visual reminders in place in my life. When I see specific things, I look at them and immediately reminded of what they mean for me. Most of the things I wear on a daily basis are pieces of jewelry. To most people, they just look like pretty pieces of jewelry, but for me, they mean so much more than that. They remind me of important things that my heart forgets.
Reminders keep us constantly aware of who we are and what we're here for.
In the Old Testament, many of the feasts and sacrifices were set in place to keep the Israelites from forgetting who God is and what He'd done in their lives and who they were in relation to Him. Passover (also known as the Feast of Unleavened Bread) was established to remind the Israelites of how God freed them from slavery in Egypt.
In Joshua 4, the Israelites had just finished crossing the Jordan river. God parted the waters for them, just like He did with Moses at the Red Sea, and allowed them to cross on dry ground into the Promised Land. The Lord spoke to Joshua and told him to have one man from each tribe choose one stone from the middle of the Jordan that they put in the place where they stayed that first night in the Promised Land. Why?
"Let this be a sign among you, so that when your children ask later, saying, 'What do these stones mean to you?' then you shall say to them, 'Because the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD; when it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off.' So these stones shall become a memorial to the sons of Israel forever." (4:6-7, NASB)During their weekday morning prayers, Jewish men would wear a tefillin or a phylactery, which were small leather boxes that contained verses from the Torah. This was done as a literal translation of God's instruction to remember the words of the Law and "impress [them] on your heart and on your soul."
In the New Testament, we still have reminders, but of a different nature. We take Communion as a reminder of the sacrifice Christ made on the cross. Peter tells us about the importance of reminding ourselves of the Gospel.
So much of Scripture tells us how important reminders and how vital they are to our continual growth as believers.
And that is why constantly reading Scripture is so very important. That is why it is so vital that we immerse ourselves in the Word. We forget so easily and the Scripture reminds us. It reminds us of the grace and beauty and wonder of our Lord. It reminds us how loved we are. It reminds us of all of the things we need to be reminded of each and every day.
May we not forget. May our hearts ever be reminded of how wonderful our Lord is. May I someday be rid of this forgetful heart of mine.
What are the things that you forget? How does the Lord remind you of those things?
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The post Forgetful Heart of Mine. appeared first on Shades of Shayes.
