Aids
to Memory
(Exhortation - June 2004)
Those of us who deal with children often find ourselves saying, “I know that, you know this, but…” We say this implying that, although the young person is cognizant of a particular fact, he/she is unlikely to act upon it in the required manner or might forget it altogether. If the situation causes irritation and exasperation, perhaps it would be helpful to stop and consider that on a spiritual plain we are guilty of a similar behavioral pattern.
Through the scriptures we have knowledge of the requirements of God, yet we fail to put them into practice and at times conveniently suppress or forget them. Why is it that although we have the scriptures to guide us, and it is in our best interests to obediently follow them, we neglect to do so? Even with the Lord Jesus Christ as our template and constant reminder, we fail miserably. The answer is provided by the apostle Paul; it is the principle of the sin potential in our nature: “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not; that I do” (Rom. 7:18-19).
Memory tools
Thankfully God understands our weakness, and at various times in history
He has provided memory aides to help overcome human proclivity to forgetfulness
in regard to His commandments. A good example is the blue fringes that
the Israelites were instructed to add to their garments:
Speak unto the children of Israel, and bid them that they make them fringes in the borders of their garments throughout their generations, and that they put upon the fringe of the borders a ribband of blue: and it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the Lord, and do them; and that ye seek not after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye use to go a whoring. That ye may remember, and do all my commandments, and be holy unto your God (Num. 15:38-40).
So earnest was God’s desire to see the nation remember His commandments, that He instructed the Israelites to bind symbols on their foreheads, hands and paint them on their doorframes:
These commandments …shall be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates (Deut. 6:6-8 NIV).
The great feast of Passover, compulsory for Jews throughout all generations, was specifically designed by God as a memorial of the deliverance from the angel of death. As a preliminary to the feast day, the people had to abstain from eating leavened bread as a reminder of the hasty departure from Egypt with unfinished bread in the pans. It also served as a stimulus to curiosity and questions:
On that day you will tell your son, ‘I do this because of what the LORD did for me when I came out of Egypt. This observance will be for you like a sign…and a reminder…that the Law of the Lord is to be on your lips (Ex. 13:8-9 NIV).
Perhaps the ultimate method chosen by the Lord God for memory enhancement was animal sacrifice. The graphic rite, when properly understood by the participants, was a somber reminder that sin could only be forgiven by the shedding of innocent blood, anticipating the lamb who would take away the sin of the world.
Remember the promises
Peter uses the same theme: “I know you know this but…”
when, prior to his imminent death, he exhorts the Christians to diligently
concentrate upon the great and precious promises given to their forefathers,
not as a passive academic process, but as a catalyst for transformation
of character with the resultant fruitfulness. Of course, Peter was aware
that his compatriots had been schooled in these promises since childhood
and, as followers of the gospel, understood their fulfillment in Christ.
The apostle however, understood from first-hand experience how easily
the fire of enthusiasm for Christ can be extinguished by the weakness
of the flesh:
Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth. Yes, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance… (II Peter 1:13).
The exhortation reaches down the centuries to us also, for the worries of this life can so quickly choke out the spirit of God in our lives. Perhaps the same message in the following chapter is even more pertinent, living as we do in the last days:
This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance: that ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets…that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of his coming? (II Peter 3:1-3).
Jude uses the same technique:
Though you already know all this, I want to remind you…the Lord delivered his people…but later destroyed those who did not believe(Jude 5 NIV).
What is the rationale for using the strategy of memory aids? The answer must be that the proponent presupposes that although the audience is cognizant of the particular subject, there is a very real danger that it will be suppressed and lost.
Learning from history
It is a paradox that irrespective of our dedication to the truths we hold
dear, we still need to be put in remembrance of them. One way of ensuring
that these things remain current in our minds is through the habit of
daily Bible reading. Absorbing and reflecting on the Good News of the
Kingdom of God is always a stimulant to hope and rekindles the feeling
of “inexpressible joy” we all experienced at baptism.
Another important factor is:
For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope (Rom. 15:4).
The spiritual failure of Israel happened in spite of the physical ‘aide-memoires’ we have considered. Tragically, these became testimonies to the character of a people focused on self, instead of God. The very things that God had decreed to be used as memory prodders led to blasphemy! Door posts that should have been marked to remind the Israelites of His commandments became associated with pagan symbols: “Behind your doors and doorposts you have put pagan symbols” (Is. 57:8 NIV). In Habakkuk and Haggai we are told how people brought imperfect sacrifices, and holy ordinances degenerated into orgies of feasting. As for the tassels and phylacteries, Jesus directed scathing criticism upon the wearers:
But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments, and love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues… (Matt: 23:5-6).
These divinely appointed customs became empty rituals
and the means for showing off.
All of us should be conscious that the shortcomings of Israel are easily
duplicated in the ecclesia today. It behoves us to ensure that the motivating
force for our actions is not just to be “seen of men”
or that the pagan symbols of this age are not hidden behind our doorposts.
The memorials
Now as we turn our thoughts to the emblems set before us, we recognize
the wisdom of the Lord. Like Israel of old we are privileged to have insight
and understanding of the ways of God through His word and we can identify
with the phrase, “I know that you know these things but…”
Aware of the flawed nature we bear with its consequent instability and limitations, our Savior instituted the memorial feast to ensure that his victory over sin and death may always be fresh in our memory.
And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it amongst yourselves: for I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come. And he took the bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. Likewise the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you (Lk. 22:17-20).
Reflection upon these profound blessings should produce the desire to change our behavior. The psalmist identifies the attitude that we can adopt immediately: “I will delight myself in your statutes: I will not forget your word” (Ps. 119:16).
Dana Kohlman