The Danger of Forgetfulness | Sunday, January 31, 2021

And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. (Deuteronomy 6:6–9)

We are far more forgetful than we admit—and God knows it, which is why He commands us to build reminders of His faithfulness.

We Are Forgetful People

We may not want to admit it, but we are forgetful people. Several years ago I came across an article from researchers at the University of Notre Dame who termed something an "event boundary." We've all experienced its effects even if we didn't know it was an identifiable psychological phenomenon.

What is an event boundary? If you've ever entered a room and immediately forgotten what you came in to get, you've experienced one. I've gone upstairs to my room to get something, and the moment I arrive I've completely forgotten what I'm looking for. I go back downstairs, remember, and head up again, only to forget once more.

Psychology professor Gabriel Radvansky said of this: "Entering or exiting through a doorway serves as an event boundary in the mind, which separates episodes of activity and files them away." Recalling a decision made in a different room is difficult because it has been compartmentalized.

The challenge is that the older we get, the less access we seem to have to the "random access memory" of our brains—and there are no RAM upgrades available. A couple of days ago I sat in this chair trying to remember a small, ordinary word. It was right on the tip of my tongue, and I couldn't recall it for minutes. Some of you older than me are thinking, "Just wait, Pastor Miles—it gets worse," and that's somewhat frightening.

Why God Commands Reminders

Just as doorways seem to reset our memories, other things increase the likelihood that we'll forget important things. That is why it is so essential to create reminders and build reinforcing mechanisms for our memories. This is exactly why Moses, after giving the greatest commandment in Deuteronomy 6, immediately adds the words about keeping God's commands in our hearts, teaching them to our children, and writing them on our doorposts and gates.

The same reinforcing exhortation is given to Joshua, who would lead Israel after Moses' death:

This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. (Joshua 1:8)

Why does God want His words written on our hearts, in our minds, and all around us? So that we will think about them and meditate on them. And why does He want us to meditate on them and keep them?

...so that you may prosper wherever you go. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. (Joshua 1:7–8)

God desires that His people keep His law in their hearts and minds, teach it to their children and grandchildren, and surround themselves with reminders—so that they would walk in His ways, experience His presence and blessing, and have success.

"Lest You Forget the Lord"

Now look at the warning in Deuteronomy 6:

...lest you forget the LORD who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. (Deuteronomy 6:12)

You might think that's impossible—that no one could forget the God who delivered them from 400 years of slavery. If I had seen the plagues, the Passover, the Red Sea crossing on dry ground, the manna every morning, and water from the rock, surely I would never forget the Lord.

But that is exactly what happened. If you've read the Old Testament, you know it didn't take long for Israel to live as though they had forgotten God. How is that possible? Because we are prone to forget even the biggest events and the biggest lessons that come from them. Our memories are fungible—they can be lost, altered, and changed.

How Even "Flashbulb" Memories Fade

There is amazing research on the degradation of our memories around big events—what researchers call "flashbulb memories." These are the moments we think are indelibly imprinted on our minds. Yet even those fade over time.

NYU did research with almost 3,000 people following the September 11th terrorist attacks in 2001. Days after the attacks, these people wrote down exactly where they were, what they saw, and who they were with. Then they returned several times over more than ten years to recount their memories. The memories had completely changed. When researchers handed people their own handwritten accounts from days after the event, they were shocked—some read their own words and said, "That's not how it happened," even with their own handwriting in their hands.

If our memories can change that much, how can we even trust them? In some respects we can't—which is precisely why God wanted His people to write these things down, meditate on them often, and teach them to their children. People are sometimes amazed at my ability to recall passages of Scripture, but most of that comes from teaching them to others. When you teach something to other people, it gets imprinted more deeply on your heart. That is why God also gave annual festivals—Passover, Pentecost, Sukkot—so that Israel would remember, "lest you forget the LORD."

The Danger Comes with Easier Days

Here is the amazing thing. Difficult, eventful moments seem so great to us while they are happening that we think, "I will never forget this." But when the stress fades, the memory fades too—and so do the huge lessons we learned. Notice what Moses says:

So it shall be, when the LORD your God brings you into the land of which He swore to your fathers... to give you large and beautiful cities which you did not build, houses full of all good things which you did not fill, hewn-out wells which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant—when you have eaten and are full—then beware, lest you forget the LORD who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. (Deuteronomy 6:10–12)

Important lessons learned in the stress of hard times are often forgotten when better days come. God boils it all down to the great commandment: love Me with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. If you do that, you'll keep all the other commandments. But here is the problem: when you are no longer under the threat of bondage, no longer forced to trust Me daily for food and water in the wilderness, when you live in cities you didn't build and have wells full of water and vineyards full of fruit—that is when the opportunity to forget the Lord comes.

A Generation That Did Not Know the Lord

You may think, "No way—we'll never forget the Lord and all He's done." But after Moses preaches Deuteronomy, he dies. Joshua takes over, and right after Joshua comes the book of Judges:

So the people served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the LORD which He had done for Israel... When all that generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them who did not know the LORD nor the work which He had done for Israel. (Judges 2:7, 10)

It hardly seems possible that they would forget so quickly. But to the generation that came after, God's works were just stories. Paul says in the New Testament:

Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. (1 Corinthians 10:11–12)

We are incredibly forgetful. So in Judges 2 and 3 we read that Israel "did evil in the sight of the LORD," forgot the Lord their God, served Baal and Asherah—the foreign gods of the peoples around them—and provoked the Lord to anger. As soon as those who had seen God's works were gone, a generation arose that did not know Him and forsook Him.

A Jealous God Calling Us to Himself

We must be careful not to underestimate our capacity for forgetfulness. Take heed when you think you stand, lest you fall. There was a time I was amazed at my own recall—and it's still good—but there are moments I sit here for minutes trying to come up with a single small word. We are prone to forget. So Moses says:

Then beware, lest you forget the LORD... You shall fear the LORD your God and serve Him... You shall not go after other gods... for the LORD your God is a jealous God among you. (Deuteronomy 6:13–15)

I hope that through the challenges of the last year you've learned important things about God—and about yourself—and that you've grown closer to Him, establishing new patterns of prayer, devotion, and trust. Better days will come. The trials of 2020 and 2021 will one day be behind us. And here is the danger: when more prosperous, easier days come, the lessons, patterns, and habits built during these challenging times can easily be forgotten.

It is often easier to maintain closeness with God in difficult times than in calm ones. When there's no work, we cry out for help. When there's no money, we pray for provision. When there's illness, we draw near to Him and to the body of Christ. But when there's too much work to finish, when the bank account is full, there's little pressure to live by faith and prayer. Our great danger is becoming foul-weather followers of God and fair-weather heathens.

I can't help but think of a certain book—The Giving Tree. We can fall into treating God like our giving tree, coming to Him only when things are hard. But the Lord our God is a jealous God—not jealous of us, but jealous for us, for our affection, our devotion, our time. Just as a married person would rightly be bothered to see someone flirting with their spouse, God is jealous for our affection.

Maintaining the Memory of God

So God says:

You shall not tempt the LORD your God as you tempted Him in Massah. You shall diligently keep the commandments of the LORD your God... And you shall do what is right and good in the sight of the LORD, that it may be well with you. (Deuteronomy 6:16–18)

The only way we guard against becoming foul-weather followers and fair-weather heathens is by diligently maintaining closeness to God and His Word. The result of that closeness is the blessing of His presence—and in His presence is His blessing: "that it may be well with you."

How do we maintain such closeness? Moses tells the people:

When your son asks you in time to come, saying, "What is the meaning of the testimonies, the statutes, and the judgments which the LORD our God has commanded you?" then you shall say to your son: "We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, and the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand... Then He brought us out from there, that He might bring us in, to give us the land of which He swore to our fathers." (Deuteronomy 6:20–23)

I love that—"He brought us out, that He might bring us in." We must create and maintain memory of God and the essential lessons of His law. In many ways, the Old Testament is the sobering story of God, His people, and their perpetual forgetfulness. All these things happened as examples, written for our instruction. So take heed when you think you stand, lest you fall. Beware, lest you forget the Lord who brought you out of your trials and burdens.

My prayer is that during this last year you've drawn nearer to the Lord, learned more of His faithfulness, and seen Him provide—financially, in work, emotionally, and spiritually—and that you've built new patterns of devotion, prayer, and community. Do not let those things go by the wayside. There will come a time when things are easier, when there isn't the same burden or stress—and it is in those times that we are prone to drift. So set up routines. Create and maintain the memory of God and the lessons of His law, so that you will keep drawing near to Him and walking with Him.

Closing Prayer

Father God, I pray that You would cause these things to be deep in our hearts, that we would not soon forget them. Whatever mechanisms or patterns we need to develop, help us to be more apt to spend the time we need with You—in Your presence, in prayer, and in fellowship with others in the body of Christ. Sometimes, Lord, it is so much more difficult to maintain devotion to You and closeness with others when everything is good; when times and weather are good, we so easily drift. I pray You would not allow that to happen. Help us take advantage of this challenging time to draw near to You and grow close in our relationship with You. Do that work in me, and do that work in my brothers and sisters. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.