Focal Passage: Isaiah 46:3-13
I forget stuff. Just ask my wife. She has to say, “Remember?” But we remember things in different ways and for different reasons. Some remembering is nostalgic. When I remember events from our 20th wedding anniversary trip to Jamaica, I smile and remember them fondly. I remember the birth of our children in the same way. Other remembering is practical. I can remember that I need to take the trash can to the street on Sunday evening. That kind of remembering simply helps me not to forget necessary tasks.
The people of Judah, and really all of Israel throughout her history, were forgetters. Read Deuteronomy and see how many times it says “Remember” or “Don’t forget.” But when God called His people to “Remember,” as He does in verse 8 through Isaiah, it is not simply nostalgic or practical, but theological. God is saying “Remember who I am and what I have done,” knowing that such remembering should lead them to faith and action today.
He is the God who existed before He formed them as a people and will be with them unto the end. He is not a god of wood or stone that has to be carried by men, but the almighty God who acts according to His sovereign plan and does all that He promises to do. As they remember, they can be confident He will act to fulfill His promise to deliver and restore them now as well.
God acted to bring redemption through His Son. God will act to one day make all things new. We can have faith and confidence in Him today.