"Remember to remember"

Part 4 of a series titled "To Know Him: The Book of Hosea"

 

The BIG Idea:

 

Israel's prideful actions led them to forget that God is the one and only Savior. To know God as

our Savior requires us to continually remember who God is, what God has done, and how much

God loves us. God's primary remedy for the Hebrews is to "remember" God's goodness and

provision for the Hebrews throughout their history.

 

A Prayer to Begin the Message:

 

"Even without understanding, amid confusion and trials, our ancestors in faith looked to God for strength. Let us follow in their obedient ways and not their rebellious ways. The world needs the peace of God too badly for us to become mired in despair caused by the false gods. With our ancestors in faith before us, we will offer our hope, our dreams, and our trust that God's love lives and transforms even now. We will participate in the life-saving work of Christ, our Lord. We pray this in the sacred and holy name of Jesus the Christ. Amen."

 

Part 1 Recap:

 

Whenever we choose to draw near to God, God promises that God will draw near to us.

 

Part 2 Recap:

 

Genuine repentance requires words and actions.

 

Part 3 Recap:

 

Making promises we do not intend to keep is a BIG problem. Knowing God requires our hearts and minds to be engaged in worship too!

 

Today s Focus:

 

Followers of Jesus are not immune from forgetfulness.

 

God spoke through Hosea to remind Israel of God's faithfulness.

 

-        God delivered Israel from slavery.

o   Ten miraculous plagues against Egypt to win their freedom

o   Parting of the Red Sea

-        God provided all their needs during their 40 years in the wilderness.

o   God brought forth water from rocks (Exodus 17:6; Numbers 20:11)

o   Quail when they craved meat (Exodus 16:13)

o   Manna from Heaven (Exodus 16:14-15)

 

God truly knew and cared for God's people--demonstrating God's love for them through God's blessing, presence, patience, and provision.

 

Israel quickly forgot about God being the source of their provision during the countless good times that followed.

 

"God was their Savior in the adversity of the wilderness, but with prosperity in the Promised Land they proudly and thanklessly forget their God." --Charles F. Kraft, 'The Book of Hosea,' Interpreter's Commentary on the Bible

 

⁴ Yet I have been the Lord your God since the land of Egypt; and you were not to know any god except Me, for there is no savior besides Me. ⁵ I cared for you in the wilderness, In the land of drought. ⁶ As they had their pasture, they became satisfied, and as they became satisfied, their heart became proud; therefore they forgot Me. --Hosea 13:4-6 (NASB)

 

Israel forgot that it was God who safely planted them in a bountiful land and increased their wealth, trade, numbers, and influence.

 

Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. --James 1:17 (NASB)

 

When we fail to keep our relationship with Jesus as the central priority in our lives it can lead to dangerous spiritual consequences.

 

"The time we forget about God are often when we give in to fear, distrust, and unbelief as if God were neither willing nor able to help us, leaving us with no option but to trust ourselves." --('Don't Forget God: 5 Surprising Symptoms of Godlessness,' Deep Spirituality, March 3, 2021)

 

Trusting ourselves and our own moral judgements over God's can lead us down a dangerous path of idolatry where our view of God is shaped by our own desires and experiences.

 

² 'I know your deeds and your labor and perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil people, and you have put those who call themselves apostles to the test, and they are not, and you found them to be false; ³ and you have perseverance and have endured on account of My name, and have not become weary. ⁴ But I have this against you, that you have left your first love. ⁵ Therefore, remember from where you have fallen, and repent, and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and I will remove your lampstand from its place--unless you repent. --Revelation 2:2-5 (NASB)

 

God's remedy to spiritual amnesia is to remember.

 

Questions for Reflection:

 

Have you gone through a season where you have forgotten God?

 

When in the history of Israel did they forget God?

 

How was God known to respond to God's people when they did forget about God?

 

Why does Jesus challenge the Ephesian Church in Revelation 2 not to forget about their first love?

 

Why is remembering Jesus regularly a crucial component of knowing Him more?