Tuesday, October 27, 2009

REFORMATION WEEK, part 3: God calls us to REMEMBER

[Please see Part 1 and Part 2 of the Reformation Week posts.]

Quick question: What did you eat for lunch last Thursday? You likely can't instantly remember this off the top of your head. As finite humans, we are inclined to forget. Just think of the last time you misplaced your car keys (or another item) and were annoyed by that question everyone seems to ask: "Where did you last have them?" After all, if you could remember where you last had them, they would not be lost!

We can present plausible explanations for forgetfulness. Our lives are busy. We get distracted. It's hard for some of us to stay organized and keep track of all the mundane details in everyday life. Yet, how often do we forget the big things? By this, I mean: How often do we forget God's wondrous works of providence in our lives as individuals, in our covenant communities, and in history?

The consistent message of Scripture could not be clearer:
We must not forget but must remember God's covenant and commandments, learning from our fathers and teaching future generations.
As God prepared to complete His final judgment and liberate His people from Egyptian captors who had enslaved them for generations, God delivered the Passover commandment to the Hebrews in Exodus 12, which reads in part:
[24] And ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons for ever. [25] And it shall come to pass, when ye be come to the land which the LORD will give you, according as he hath promised, that ye shall keep this service. [26] And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service? [27] That ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of the LORD'S passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses. And the people bowed the head and worshipped.
God had a reason for instituting this ceremony for His people to observe as a perpetual memorial throughout the generations: He wanted His covenant people to remember His mighty deeds in judging their enemies and delivering them from bondage. He wanted whole families to keep His commandments and maintain covenant faithfulness by remembering and celebrating His providential government over individuals, families, nations, covenant communities of the His chosen ones, and even over all of history.

Moses delivered God's commandments to the Hebrews in Deuteronomy 4, which reads in part:
[9] Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons' sons; [10] Specially the day that thou stoodest before the LORD thy God in Horeb, when the LORD said unto me, Gather me the people together, and I will make them hear my words, that they may learn to fear me all the days that they shall live upon the earth, and that they may teach their children. ... [23] Take heed unto yourselves, lest ye forget the covenant of the LORD your God, which he made with you, and make you a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, which the LORD thy God hath forbidden thee. ... [32] For ask now of the days that are past, which were before thee, since the day that God created man upon the earth, and ask from the one side of heaven unto the other, whether there hath been any such thing as this great thing is, or hath been heard like it?" (emphasis in italics)
From this passage and many others we will examine, we see that this duty of remembrance is to be discharged multi-generationally and covenantally. God works providentially through His ordained means toward His eternally decreed ends. We are to remember and celebrate, as families and covenant communities, God's mighty deeds of providence in His judgments upon wickedness and deliverance and preservation of His Word and people throughout history.

 We read in Psalm 78:
[1] Give ear, O my people, to my law: incline your ears to the words of my mouth. [2] I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old: [3] Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us. [4] We will not hide them from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done. [5] For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children: [6] That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children: [7] That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments: [8] And might not be as their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation; a generation that set not their heart aright, and whose spirit was not stedfast with God. [9] The children of Ephraim, being armed, and carrying bows, turned back in the day of battle. [10] They kept not the covenant of God, and refused to walk in his law; [11] And forgat his works, and his wonders that he had shewed them. [12] Marvellous things did he in the sight of their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan [emphasis in italics].
Doug Phillips, during the July Reformation celebration in Boston this year, in his monumental speech, 500 Years of Liberty Birthed by the Reformation, points to the Ephraimites as an example of a people who forgot God's works and became cowards. Mr. Phillips says:
... [The] message of Psalm 78 ... [is] a powerful message. It's a message that says, teach them [your children] history because history teaches them to hope. And if you don't teach them history, they will become cowards. In fact, Psalm 78 points to a group called the Ephraimites, children whose arms were filled with the bows and the weapons of war, who in the day of trouble, though they should have had great confidence, ran away -- chicken! Why? Because they did not remember that great strength, true authority, true purpose, comes from having God stand beside you and fight your battles for you. And God has shown Himself faithful, this Psalm reminds us, in the lives of our fathers. Ladies and gentlemen, if you do not teach history to your children, they will be afraid when things get difficult. If you do not teach history to your children, they will lack perspective. If you do not teach history to your children, they will not know who they are because who they are, in part, has to do with where they came from -- not only through their physical genealogy but through the spiritual genealogy of fathers that stood before them.
Puritan author William Gurnall, as quoted in Spurgeon's The Treasury of David, writes of Psalm 78:4:
Thou must not only praise God thyself, but endeavor to transmit the memorial of his goodness to posterity. Children are their parents' heirs; it were unnatural for a father, before he dies, to bury up his treasure in the earth, where his children should not find or enjoy it; now the mercies of God are not the least part of a good man's treasure, nor the least of his children's inheritance, being both helps to their faith, matter for their praise, and spurs to their obedience.
Thomas Le Blanc, also quoted by Spurgeon, further affirms:
Children should earnestly hearken to the instruction of their parents that they themselves may afterwards be able to tell the same to their sons, and so a golden chain be formed, wherewith being bound together, the whole family may seek the skies. Whilst the father draws the son, the son the grandson, the grandson his children to Christ, as the magnet of them all, that they all may be made one.
Spurgeon quotes yet another Puritan, George Swinnock, concerning Psalm 78:
Thy duty is to acquaint thy children with the works of God. Teach them his doings as well as his sayings. ... God's wonders should be had in everlasting remembrance. ... The precept is here urged upon a double ground (Ps. 78:2-7), partly for God's praise, in the perpetuity of his worthy deeds: his words are of great weight, and therefore, as curious pictures or precious jewels, must in memory of him be bequeathed from father to son whilst the world continueth. ... But the duty is also urged, partly lot their own profit, Ps. 78:7, That they might set their hope in God, etc. Acquaintance with God's favour will encourage their faith; knowledge of his power will help them to believe his promise. Reader, obedience to this precept may tend much to thy own and thy children's profit. By teaching thy children God's actions, thou wilt fix them the faster, and they will make the greater impression, upon thy own spirit. A frequent mention of things is the best art of memory: what the mouth preacheth often the mind will ponder much. Besides, it may work for thy children's weal; the more they be acquainted with the goodness, wisdom, power, and faithfulness of God which appear in his works, the more they will fear, love, and trust him.
Swinnock also quotes from Deuteronomy 4:9 and Exodus 12:26-27 (both referenced above), as well as Psalm 111:4, "He hath made his wonderful works to be remembered: the LORD is gracious and full of compassion." We can multiply the biblical commandments to remember God's providence in history, to listen and learn from our fathers rather than ignoring and forgetting, and to teach future generations.

Psalm 44:1 says, "We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us, what work thou didst in their days, in the times of old." Spurgeon writes:
Schoolmasters are well enough, but godly fathers are, both by the order of nature and grace, the best instructors of their sons, nor can they delegate the sacred duty. It is to be feared that many children of professors could plead very little before God of what their fathers have told them. When fathers are tongue tied religiously with their offspring, need they wonder if their children's hearts remain sin tied? Just as in all free nations men delight to gather around the hearth, and tell the deeds of valour of their sires "in the brave days of old," so the people of God under the old dispensation made their families cheerful around the table, be rehearsing the wondrous doings of the Lord their God.
Dr. Joe Morecraft shared a monumental presentation at the 2007 Jamestown Quadricentennial Celebration, and the following summarizes some of his statements on monuments and remembrance:
Today’s western culture has broken down the barriers, like Hosea’s long ago, between right and wrong, between our true God and false gods. Our culture is murdering Western Civilization. The removal of ancient landmarks has been the goal of humanistic education and politics in the 20th and 21st Centuries. The landmarks are seen as relativistic, so there is no fixed standard anymore. Scripture calls us not only to resist the removal of the old landmarks, but also to work diligently to preserve them in our generation. We must preserve them as a foundation on which posterity can build. We must declare for generations the greatness of God's works throughout history.
Dr. Morecraft cited Psalm 105 in his speech:
[1] O give thanks unto the LORD; call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people. [2] Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him: talk ye of all his wondrous works. [3] Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the LORD. [4] Seek the LORD, and his strength: seek his face evermore. [5] Remember his marvellous works that he hath done; his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth; [6] O ye seed of Abraham his servant, ye children of Jacob his chosen. [7] He is the LORD our God: his judgments are in all the earth. [8] He hath remembered his covenant for ever, the word which he commanded to a thousand generations. [9] Which covenant he made with Abraham, and his oath unto Isaac; [10] And confirmed the same unto Jacob for a law, and to Israel for an everlasting covenant: [11] Saying, Unto thee will I give the land of Canaan, the lot of your inheritance: [12] When they were but a few men in number; yea, very few, and strangers in it.
Spurgeon writes concerning verse 5:
Memory is never better employed than upon such topics. Alas, we are far more ready to recollect foolish and evil things than to retain in our minds the glorious deeds of Jehovah. If we would keep these in remembrance our faith would be stronger, our gratitude warmer, our devotion more fervent, and our love more intense. Shame upon us that we should let slip what it would seem impossible to forget. We ought to need no exhortation to remember such wonders, especially as he has wrought them all on the behalf of his people. His wonders, and the judgments of his mouth—these also should be had in memory. The judgments of his mouth are as memorable as the marvels of his band. God had but to speak and the enemies of his people were sorely afflicted; his threats were not mere words, but smote his adversaries terribly. As the Word of God is the salvation of his saints, so is it the destruction of the ungodly: out of his mouth goeth a two edged sword with which he will slay the wicked.
Spurgeon also writes concerning verse 8:
Here is the basis of all his dealings with his people: he had entered into covenant with them in their father Abraham, and to this covenant he remained faithful. The exhortation to remember (Ps 105:5) receives great force from the fact that God has remembered. If the Lord has his promise in memory surely we ought not to forget the wonderful manner in which he keeps it. To us it should be matter for deepest joy that never in any instance has the Lord been unmindful of his covenant engagements, nor will he be so world without end. O that we were as mindful of them as he is. The word which he commanded to a thousand generations.
We read in Psalm 145:
[1] I will extol thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever. [2] Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever. [3] Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable. [4] One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts. [5] I will speak of the glorious honour of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works. [6] And men shall speak of the might of thy terrible acts: and I will declare thy greatness. [7] They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall sing of thy righteousness. [8] The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. [9] The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works. [10] All thy works shall praise thee, O LORD; and thy saints shall bless thee. [11] They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power; [12] To make known to the sons of men his mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of his kingdom. [13] Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations.
Concerning verse 4, Spurgeon writes: "We look back upon the experience of our fathers, and sing of it; even thus shall our sons learn praise from the Lord's works among ourselves. Let us see to it that we praise God before our children, and never make them think that his service is an unhappy one." Spurgeon also cites Simon De Muis: "The tradition of praise! Each generation catches the strains from the last, echoes it, and passes it along to the next. One generation declares what it has seen, and passes on the praise to the generation which has not seen as yet the wonders celebrated."

As we consider all these words, may we be faithful to hear and declare, multi-generationally, God's providence, His judgments, and His mighty deeds of deliverance in history. Though we are so prone to forget, may we remember that God is faithful to His covenant promises and has called us to a glorious salvation in Christ. God has preserved His Word, delivered His people, and brought judgment upon the ungodly, as His Kingdom has advanced toward victory in history.

This week we remember and celebrate and declare and express gratefulness to God for the Protestant Reformation when God providentially worked through Martin Luther, those who came before, and those who came after him. This movement, blessed of God throughout the nations, restored the glorious truths of salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, for the glory of God alone, which we learn from God's infallible, inspired Scripture alone -- our final rule of faith and practice. Next month we will remember God's providence in the lives of the Pilgrims as we celebrate Thanksgiving. Although our culture neglects and despises such times of remembrance and, more importantly, the covenant-keeping God Who blesses His people and curses the ungodly; let us celebrate and declare His wondrous works in all ages of history, to all generations, and throughout all nations: "I will make thy name to be remembered in all generations: therefore shall the people praise thee for ever and ever" (Psalm 45:17).

We conclude with the words of John Howie, author of The Scots Worthies:
We find that it has been the constant practice of the Lord's people in all ages, to hand down and keep on record what the Lord had done by and for their forefathers in former times. We find the royal Psalmist, in name of the Church, oftener than once at this work ... (Ps. xliv. I ; lxxviii. 4).

...

It is usual for men to keep that well which was left them by their fathers; and for us either to oppose or industriously conceal any part of these their contendings, were not only an addition to the contempt already thrown upon the memories of these renowned sires, but also an injury done to posterity.

posted by C.S. Hayden @ 6:10 PM