Many of us spend the last days of the year looking back at it. Maybe that reminiscence is sparked by the Christmas letters we wrote loved ones, or by the pause before putting up our shiny new calendars for the new year.
There used to be a saying on memes that went something like, “Don’t look back—you’re not going that way.” However, though we shouldn’t live in the past, we benefit from considering it at times.
I jotted down for my own remembrance the ESV Study Bible note for Isaiah 44:21, where God pointed out the futility of idols and told Israel to remember certain things:
Remember. God calls his people to focused thought, in contrast to the muddled delusions described in vv. 9-20 about “these things,” both the all-sufficiency of the God who makes true promises to his people and the emptiness of the false gods with their lies (p. 1321).
The note on Isaiah 46:8 says something similar:
Mental focus on who God is must be renewed, for the idolatrous culture of the world erodes clarity (p. 1326).
God calls us to remember, to exercise “focused thought.” Verses came floating to mind about what God tells us to remember. So I did a quick word study, which resulted in four pages of references. I can’t put all of them here, but I’ll share several.
“Remember all the commandments of the Lord, to do them, not to follow after your own heart and your own eyes, which you are inclined to whore after. So you shall remember and do all my commandments, and be holy to your God.” (Numbers 15:39-40)
“Remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not.” (Deuteronomy 8:2)
“Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near of which you will say, ‘I have no pleasure in them’” (Ecclesiastes 12:1)
“Remember the days of old; consider the years of many generations; ask your father, and he will show you, your elders, and they will tell you”. (Deuteronomy 32:7). (The rest of the chapter details God’s gracious dealings in Israel’s history.)
Remember God’s provision: “Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’ You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day.” (Deuteronomy 8:17-18) (Jesus reminded his disciples, when they discussed having no bread, about his past provision of loaves and fishes. Matthew 16:5-12.)
“Remember the wondrous works that he has done, his miracles and the judgments he uttered.” (1 Chronicles 16:12)
“Remember and do not forget how you provoked the Lord your God to wrath in the wilderness. From the day you came out of the land of Egypt until you came to this place, you have been rebellious against the Lord.” (Deuteronomy 9:7). (It’s not that God wanted to hold their past rebellion over their heads forever, but they needed to remember their tendency to sin so that they might be humbled and appreciative of His grace.)
Remember how God dealt with other people’s sin, to learn from their example. “Remember what the Lord your God did to Miriam on the way as you came out of Egypt” (Deuteronomy 24:9); “Remember Lot’s wife” (Luke 17:32).
“Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.” (Revelation 2:5)
Remember his Word:
“Remember his covenant forever, the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations.” (1 Chronicles 16:15)
“This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved. In both of them I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles.” (2 Peter 3:1-2)
“But you must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Jude 17)
“Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you.” (Revelation 3:3)
Remember the nothingness of idols and the greatness of his salvation (Isaiah 44:9-26, “Remember these things,” v. 21; Isaiah 46, “Remember this and stand firm, recall it to mind, you transgressors, remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me,” vv. 8-9).
“Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body.” (Hebrews 13:3)
“Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.” (Hebrews 13:7)
Besides imperative sentences, I noticed some sweet examples of focused remembrance about God, his truth, his ways, his past provision, and the effect of this remembrance. Some were in Psalm 77, Psalm 78, and Isaiah 63. One was in Psalm 63:5-7:
“My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips, when I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night; for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy.”
Another is in Psalm 143:3-6:
“For the enemy has pursued my soul; he has crushed my life to the ground; he has made me sit in darkness like those long dead. Therefore my spirit faints within me; my heart within me is appalled.
“I remember the days of old; I meditate on all that you have done; I ponder the work of your hands. I stretch out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land.”
One more in Lamentations 3:19-26:
Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and the gall! My soul continually remembers it and is bowed down within me. But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope:
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.”
The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.
Any time is a good time to remember God’s character and dealings with us. But I hope that before the year ends, you’re able to have some “focused thought” on his particular provision and expressions of love in your life.
(Sharing with Inspire Me Monday, Hearth and Soul, Selah, Scripture and a Snapshot, Remember Me Monday, InstaEncouragement, Recharge Wednesday, Let’s Have Coffee, Grace and Truth)
Stray Thoughts 
Yes. I think we must not only remember God’s word but also remember how it applied to us. That is the way to understand the path that God wants us to walk now.
Yes. I think we must not only remember God’s word but also remember how it applied to us. That is the way to understand the path that God wants us to walk now.
Word studies can be impactful, but they are limited. When you look up all the occurrences of a particular word in the Bible, you might not get all of the verses about the concept. Sometimes the word is in a different form, sometimes a synonym is used. After writing this last night, this morning one of the biggest truths God wants us to remember came to mind. When Jesus instituted the Lord’s supper, or communion, he said, “This do in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:14-20).
It is good to look back and remember all God has taught us and the times we have seen him at work. I didn’t realise that instruction came up as many times as that though! An example that comes to mind is Joshua and the Israelites building up the pile of stones from the River once they reached the Promised Land to remember how God had rescued them and led them there. I love the idea of having a visual reminder so that we never forget,
Thanks for bringing that incident up, Lesley! That’s one of my favorite scenes in the OT and a good example of God’s desire for his people to remember how He has led and provided.
Good point about some limitations on word studies, but I really found these meaningful. Excellent to “remember” all God’s blessings as we finish out 2020.
Thank you for letting all of us benefit from your word study, Barbara. I need the reminder toward “focused thought”. I love the verses from 2 Peter – my mind often needs to be stirred up with reminders.
Amen Barbara, thank you for all the wonderful reminders. What a great word study. Blessings to you.
Visiting from Inspire Me Monday
Thank you Barbara,
Blessings,
Jennifer
So often in the Old Testament, God chides his children, “You have forgotten me – what I have done for you, for your fathers before you.” He so wants us to remember Him – and what He has done for us. I’ve had so much more joy and peace in my life remembering what He has done for me, how He has stood with me. Thank you for reminding us to remember! Shalom, Barbara! Praying God’s Shalom in 2021! ~ Maryleigh
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What a great list! I am printing this list out to go through with my daughter!
Barbara, Thank you for this post. Earlier today I read a blog about Stones of Remembrance in Biblical times. This was a perfect complement to that reading.
I appreciate the points you used. I will include them in my journal reflecting on each and how it’s applicable to my 2020.
I focus on blessings each day, not only to honor God but as a method to live well with disability that changed my active life as an RN.
Thank you again,
Barb Paton
I was just confessing to God this morning how easily I forget. Thank you for these reminders to remember, especially as a new year begins!
My brain is like a magnet for the negative, but this is a new and refreshing list of things to dwelll on in 2021.
You have no idea how much I benefited from your word study and will continue in the future. Somehow, I have to tuck this one away to refer back to it. I am a big believer in looking back to gain wisdom to move forward. My husband and I had a long drive on Wednesday, and together we worked through my goal packet, which has a significant amount to pondering the past. It was so helpful.
The next day, God gave me the idea to start a remembering journal with all that God has done in my life and those I love. The memories have been flooding my mind.
Thank you for sharing.
Maree
Hi Barbara, I am featuring your post tomorrow. Maree
Thanks so much, Maree.
So good, Barbara. Thank you for this excerpt of your word study. Roomie and I are looking at ways to tackle Scripture memory for the memory challenged! Maryleigh is so right — how often we forget.
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Barbara, I love all your “remember’s.” Because we serve a remember-me, God. And we read in the Bible how many times God’s people forgot how God parted seas, moved mountains, sent mana, performed miracles, and provided for His people over and over and over again! And He’ll do it again. We just need to REMEMBER!
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I love that I have found your list, as I am compiling something similar. As important as they all are, I can’t help noticing though, that the obvious one, the one entrenched in the Commandments, the one that says,”Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy….”is not remembered here. I can’t help wondering why that is – which is exactly why God put it in the Commandments.
There may be a number of “remembers” from Scripture that I missed–this wasn’t an exhaustive list. Many believe that the OT Sabbath was a sign given to Israel and it is not repeated as a command in the NT like the other nine commandments are. The example of one day in seven as a day of rest began with creation, but the specifications of OT law about the Sabbath are not repeated in the NT. But the NT does have a lot to say about rest, so remembering what the Sabbath represents is a good practice.
Hi Barbara, thanks for yr response. I could give a long reply, but suffice to say, that God said not one jot or tittle can be changed from His law. I, like many, would be satisfied if Sunday keepers could indicate where the Commandment was changed, so that a particular 1 out of 10, is the only one no longer applicable. In Mark 2:27, Jesus says the Sabbath was made for man; and in the next verse He claims He is Lord of the Sabbath. My prayer is that people will come to know and follow the guidance of scripture rather than the traditions of man, and we need to be very careful of deception parading as truth.
At the time Jesus lived on Earth, people were still under the OT economy. Jesus said “One jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled” (Matthew 5:18). It WAS fulfilled when Jesus lived a perfect life, died on the cross, was buried, and rose again. He kept the law in our place that none of us could. The whole book of Galatians, as well as other NT passages, teach us that we are no longer under the OT law given to Israel, though we’re always under God’s moral law. And even if Jews who believed in Jesus still had to keep the law (which Paul definitely says they do not), Gentiles would not be required to according to the council that met in Acts 15.
“Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith” (Galatians 3:23-26).
“Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ” (Colossians 2:16-17).
“One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God” (Romans 14:5-6).
I very much agree with your last two sentences. But I think the Scriptures teach that Sabbath-keeping as taught in the OT is no longer required.
However, people have been arguing over these things for centuries, and I doubt we’re going to settle anything to each other’s satisfaction in this space. So I don’t see the need to continue this conversation any further.
Thank you. I value yr contribution to the discussion. I don’t regard it as an argument. You are no doubt aware of the history and claims of the Catholic Church who unashamedly say they are responsible for changing the day of worship. Everything since has been an attempt by Sunday keepers to be subject to that and forgo the protest started by Luther. So, it’s not only about a ‘day’.
John, it looks like the reply buttons ran out, so I can’t link this to your previous comment. Acts 20:7 and 1 Corinthians 16:2 both mention Christians meeting on the first day of the week.