Do Not Forget The Lord Your God

One year ago, we woke up to the fact of a pandemic; the devastation from COVID-19 was no longer deniable. God could warn us not to forget that fact and the fact that we are alive today only because of His kindness. He could and He does ask us to not forget that as well as all His other benefits. However, when He cautions us to “Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God, He takes us higher.

The bible writes it in such stern terms for one reason only. Human beings have a tendency not only to forget benefits but also to forget the giver of those benefits. We are like a man coming home, appreciating the clean house, the docile children, the good food, and the well-made bed. He gets into bed and turns his back on the wife who had made all the enjoyment possible and soon starts to snore.

He is taking her for granted. And because we tend to take God for granted, to totally forget God, He issued this stern warning in our text today. Please note the warning applies to you only if you desire to grow in the things of God. He says you must not forget the Lord your God, starting with “beware.”

The reason we know God is talking here only to mature Christians is that last word. Can you imagine a baby Christian taking kindly to God telling him to beware? He would be out of there like a shot; who does He think he is telling me to beware? Babies cannot abide such stern words but God wants us to grow into maturity. It is a choice and I hope you are desirous of maturity.

How To Ensure You Do Not Forget The Lord Your God

With the mature ones, God shares His strategy. Do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments. That sentence has two meanings. One, a failure to keep God’s commandments is a sign that a believer is starting to forget God. Secondly, it is a cause; when God begins to recede from your mind, you start to break His commandments.

Naturally, both are related as cause and effect. Nevertheless, it is important to consider them separately so you see how easy it is to fall. You break one of God’s commandments today and you do not feel sorry. You fail to recall that God warned that you do not forget the Lord your God. That is the beginning of the fall because the next thing is that God fades slightly from your mind.

You move slightly away from the caution that you do not forget the Lord your God. Guess what happens next. Breaking the next commandment becomes easier. You must not suppose that murderers were born as babies determined to kill others.

They get to that point one tiny step at a time; there is the first tiny sin, perhaps a little lie. Next comes the ignoring of God and then a bigger sin, perhaps pilfering. Before his parents know it, there is a murderer in their house, often starting with those same parents.

So, God prescribes His extremely simple preventive strategy. Do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments and judgments and statutes. He is saying that whenever you break His commandments, you are well on the way to forgetting Him. Therefore, in order that you do not forget the Lord your God, do not break His rules.

We All Fall Into Sin

And when you fall into sin, do not remain there; rapidly acknowledge it and repent. As you probably know, repentance means turning back from the path on which you have been traveling. In effect, you are agreeing with God when He says do not forget the Lord your God.

Yesterday, I was listening to a man of God, and part of what he said stayed with me. He opined that while we may be daily improving in Christ-likeness, no one will ever be perfect. That is so true but it should not become an excuse to wallow in sin.

We all fall into sin from time to time but staying remaining there flies in the face of God’s commandment. Do not forget the Lord your God, He warns and the best way is to quickly repent of your sin. And then, it becomes easier for you to remember your God.

The Dangers Of Forgetting God

In case we think His strategy tedious, God follows up with the dangers of forgetting him. The first one is that our hearts are lifted up, which simply means we become arrogant or proud. And you know that pride always goes before a fall. And that is because we forget God; we become our own god, claiming to be a self-made man or woman.

So, He says again, do not forget the Lord your God who did so and thus for you in the past. Your list could include being saved alive from the ravages of COVID-19. While addressing this warning that you do not forget the Lord your God to the Israelites, he had a list.

It included deliverance from bondage, guidance through the wilderness, protection from snakes, thirst, and hunger. I love that He ended His list with “to do you good in the end.” For the mature Christian who remembers that you do not forget the Lord your God, the end is always sweet.

Always; remember that. It may take a while to get to that end but all of God’s warnings are geared toward one end. God’s goal in warning that you do not forget the Lord your God is to do you good in the end. Hallelujah!

Maranatha!