Forgive and Forget
June 18, 2023Pastor Patrick presented "Forgive and Forget." A video of the message is here.
Patrick discussed the ancient meaning of "remember;" it's more to decide to act than to recollect something forgotten. He gave a great example of God remembering Noah (Genesis 8:1).
Here are some other Torah examples...
In Genesis 9:15, "I (God) will remember my covenant." Here, the use of the same word remember (zakar, זָכַר) has an ongoing nature to it. God promises to continue acting according to the unilateral covenant to never again destroy mankind. God speaks of the rainbow in the same way in the next verse.
In Genesis 19:29, God was "mindful" of Abraham (in the Sodom and Gomorrah story). "Mindful" is translated from the same zakar, remember. Again, it's acknowledgement and action on God's part, not that He ever forgot in the way we think of remembering.
Exodus 2:23-25, "God remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." Same thing.
Genesis 30:22, "God remembered Rachel" (and opened her womb). God decided to act.
Genesis 40:14, "keep me in mind." Joseph is talking to the wine steward while in jail, asking him to "remember him" to the Pharoah when he gets out (he got the good dream). Joseph understood that you can't expect God to help you all the time, you have to act on your own. And as everyone being discussed here is human, the human understanding of "don't forget" is appropriate. Later in the same verse, the same word zakar is translated as "mention me," as in remember me to the Pharoah. And then in Genesis 40:23, zakar is used again to tell that the wine steward did not remember Joseph to Pharoah. But finally, in Genesis 41:9, the cupbearer finally remembers (zakar) Joseph to the Pharoah.
Exodus 20:8, "Remember the Sabbath Day" (in the Ten Commandments). This is clearly a command to observe, to act, to do the Sabbath every week.
Leviticus 26:42, "I will remember My covenant with Jacob and My covenant with Isaac and My covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land." Zakar is used three times in this one verse, all for God to say "I will act..."
Here are a few more Torah references should you wish to pursue. There are about 232 references in all in the Old Testament.
Exodus 6:5
Exodus 13:3
Exodus 20:24
Exodus 23:13
Exodus 32:13
Exodus 34:19
Leviticus 26:45
Numbers 5:15
Numbers 10:9
Numbers 11:5
Bonus
To the Glory of God
Johann Sebastian Bach wrote "To the Glory of God" on nearly all of his manuscripts. I don't think it's any coincidence that he was also the greatest composer that ever lived. He was properly focused.
As it happens, this same Sunday afternoon, four of us ventured up to Parker to hear the Forte Handbell Quartet. It was the last concert of their 2-week tour from here to the Pacific Ocean and back. They unabashedly play "To the Glory of God." And it shows.
As it turns out, the Forte Handbell Quartet is a Colorado Springs phenomenon that formed in 2007. From their website: "Forté is an advanced quartet marked by artistry, energy, and dedication to their craft. In pursuit of musical excellence, Forté strives to explore, innovate, inspire, and glorify God through the gift of music." It's an accurate description.
Here are two Torah references to the glory of God. The first is in Exodus 16:7, "And in the morning you will see the glory of the Lord." The second is in Exodus 24:17, "To the Israelites the glory of the Lord looked like a consuming fire on top of the mountain." The Hebrew word for glory is kabowd (כָּבוֹד).
Don't miss a chance to hear and watch them do their thing!
Speaking of innovation... Bowing handchimes.
