Pastor’s Corner: “What to Remember and What to Forget”
Isaiah 46:9 (NIV) – Remember the former things …
Isaiah 43:18 (NIV) – Forget the former things…
“Which is it? Are we supposed to remember or are we to forget?” When people criticize the Bible, they often point to contradictions. “The Bible says this here, but says the opposite over here!” This proves, they say, that this cannot be God’s book; it’s no different from any other human book with the usual errors and mistakes. I notice two major reasons why some people adamantly believe that the Bible contradicts itself. They either read it out of context or they insert their own personal biases into scripture. Often it’s quite easy to show that these are only “seeming” contradictions. If we interpret God’s Word correctly, we will usually be able to show how both verses or passages are true.
Looking at the opening scriptures, in what on the surface seems to be contradictory; God is not saying one or the other. He is actually talking about two different things. Certain things we are called to forget and certain things we are called to remember. How do we know the difference?
These Isaiah texts get me thinking about our own “former things” — items from past eras — like 80s clothes (quite embarrassing) or that ornate mirror. How shall we view them? Old-fashioned or vintage? Useless or useful? Outdated clutter or treasures for future blessing? How we view our “former things” determines how we treat them: We’ll ditch them, or we’ll keep them. We’ll forget about them, or we’ll cherish them. These decisions require some wisdom so we won’t mistakenly trash treasures and hoard junk or remember what should be forgotten and forget what should be remembered. Often as Christians we hoard the junk and trash the treasures.
Isaiah could see that his people were trashing vintage treasure while hoarding useless junk. They were forgetting God and clinging to dead idols. God had become merely old-fashioned, so they saw no need to remember the vintage truths of God — like His promises, deeds, blessings, and judgments. The people preferred their religious icons which could do nothing that God could do. The time had come for serious reflection. So, through Isaiah, God called for a national review: Isaiah 43:26a (NIV) – Review the past for me, let us argue the matter together.
Surely that invitation still applies. We, too, must evaluate our “former things.” We, too, must choose what to forget and what to remember. Ancient Israel needed to leave behind former things like their humiliating history of idolatry and demise. God wasn’t holding them there: “I am he who … remembers your sins no more” (Isaiah 43:25 NIV). He said, “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.” (Isaiah 43:18 NIV) – Often as Christians the enemy reminds us of our past sins and behavior in order to keep us stuck in guilt and shame. While we focus so much on our sin, we miss how BIG, LOVING and FORGIVING our God is and we live disabled small Christian lives.
However, God called the Israelites to remember something else — the very “former things” that we ourselves must never forget: Isaiah 46:9 (NIV) – Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. In other words, cherish the living God in your hearts and lives! That same God who rose above the dead gods of ancient Egypt and Babylon now rises above the dead gods of western civilization. Modern idols of material things and human achievement cannot do what God has done. Never forget the God of those “former things” recorded in Scripture. Remember that the God of yesterday is the God of today and tomorrow — the One who can carry us forward with fresh new blessings: Isaiah 43:19a (NIV) – See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I love how Paul explains it in Philippians 4:8 (The Message): “Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse.”
Dear Jesus, empower us with courage to relinquish those useless “former things” so that we may wholeheartedly embrace the living and eternal God — for who You are and what You do….still today! Amen.
In His Grace,
Pastor Hamilton