Remember

(Today's reading - Deut. 1:1 - 4:40)

A few years back, my daughter Caitlen and I made a week long trip to West Virginia and Kentucky. We enjoyed a few days at Pipe Stem, visited Cane Ridge (site of the beginning of the Restoration Movement), Lexington, Kentucky (horse farms) and on over to Louisville, Kentucky. We had been left alone at home by her mother and brother (they went to Europe) and so we decided to have a trip of our own.
I will never forget that trip as long as I live. We took the time to make a "trip book" and plan our journey, but still leave room for some spontaneous side trips (we got to see a white Buffalo). I occasionally take our that trip book and remind myself of that special time that I was blessed to spend with my daughter. She and I still talk about that trip often. Remembering the journey makes our relationship all the more special. What we shared in the car, on the backs of horses, around the table (had one really special meal) drew us closer together than ever before. I really came to understand just how special Caitlen truly is.
The Israelites are just before crossing the Jordan River and taking the promised land. Moses uses this opportunity to address the people and bring to their remebrance all that they had been through together and what God had done for them. He talks about the good times and the bad. He reminds them of their cowardice and their valor. He reminds them of what God had done for them and through them and how He had stayed with them and cared for them. He calls their attention to the Law that God had given to the nation. He warns them of the greatest threat to them as a nation and tells them that when they go astray, that they serve a merciful God who will hear their pleas.
Remembering history is important for a nation. Here in the United States, we study the founding of our nation and those men and women that played an important role in it's creation. We celebrate special days to remind us of those that have gone on before us and made it possible for us to have the country that we live in. Israel is no different. God knows they need to be reminded of all that has happened. It is important for them to have a shared history, it will bind them together as a people. Also, by knowing the past, people are less likely to repeat the same mistakes again (hopefully). So, God gives them a reminder of all that He has done for them and that they have shared in before He will let them enter the land. In closing, He reminds them of the honor and privilege it is that they should be chosen by God to be His special people, His special nation.
Good stuff? Good stuff! As Christians today, it is equally important that we know our story. That we understand relationship between the Old and New Testaments. How even though most of us cannot trace our lineage to the twelve tribes, God has provided a way for us to be part of His chosen people. It is important for us to understand that the passover was pointing to Jesus. It is important for us to know that the serpent lifted up on the staff was pointing to Jesus. It is important that we grasp that the offering of bulls and goats as sacrifices was pointing to Jesus. Those were all pictures pointing to the reality that is found in Christ.
Equally important is that we "remember" what God has done for us individually. You and I were slaves to sin and Jesus freed us. You and I were wandering in the wilderness and God brought us into the promised land. You and I were in need of a sacrifice and Jesus stepped in and took our place. Daily our lives are touched by the Creators hands. We have gifts that we use on our jobs and  in our homes. We have most of our wants and all of our needs. We have access to the throne of God at any time.
It is also important for us to remember our unfaithfulness. We don't need to dwell on this, but we must remember that God is always faithful and we are not. That many times we will choose wrong instead of the right. And then remember with lifted hands and bowed heads, that our wonderful, kind, loving Father is there to lift us up and forgive our every trespass.
May we today remember the journey that our people have been on for these thousands of years and then think on our personal travels in the Lord. May we learn from these trips and stumble all the less. We have found the best tour guide in Jesus. He will never lead us astray and in the end, He will see to it that we get home.