Do Not Forget Series

Virgil, the ancient poet, describes the river Lethe as flowing through a

tranquil landscape, and on its banks wandered a countless multitude who

drank of its waters which washed away all memory of the past. This

would seem to be an ideal situation for sinful creatures like we are, for we

are constantly blundering and falling short of the glory of God. If we

could just drink from the Lethe River and forget the passed, we could

begin life fresh with every drink instead of living with the guilt and regrets

of our former failures.

It is a known fact that it is the burdens of the past that cause so much

anxiety and frustration in life. The inability to forget can lead some people

to become nervous wrecks. Most of us have this problem to some degree,

and we look back and worry about why we said this, or why we did that.

We wish we had done things different. We go over every detail and let our

memory of the past rob the present of its peace. At times like this a drink

from Lethe would be welcome, for we know we cannot change what was,

and there is no sense to fret about it. As the proverb says, there is no use

crying over spilt milk. An unknown poet wrote,

There's many a trouble would break like a bubble,

And into the waters of Lethe depart,

Did we not rehearse it, and tenderly nurse it,

And give it a permanent place in our heart.

There's many a sorrow would vanish tomorrow,

Were we not unwilling to furnish it wings;

So sadly intruding, and quietly brooding,

It hatches all sorts of horrible things.

There is no doubt about it, a real river of Lethe could come in handy.

The only problem is that it would soon be discovered to be a curse, for

although the past can hold much to burden our life, it also holds much to

bless life. If in order to forget the evil we must also sacrifice the memory

of the good, the cost is too great. For every believer, the foundation has

already been laid in the past, and there is none other that can be laid. That

is why Jesus instituted the Lord's Supper and said, "Do this in

remembrance of me." If we ever forget the past and what Jesus did for us

on the cross, then we have no future. All that we build in the present and

hope for in the future is based on the work of Christ in the past. What is

true on this highest level is true on the lesser levels as well.

To build well in this life we must remember the past instructions and

warnings. Memory is a must to men of maturity, for he who forgets is as

bad off as he who never knew. Solomon is aware of all this, and so he

begins in chapter 3 with a plea to his son not to forget. All that has gone

before is for nothing if he does not remember it, and Solomon certainly

knew enough about the history of his people to know their tendency to

forget. The Old Testament is filled with examples of blessings turned to

curses because of forgetfulness. In Deut. 32:18 Moses rebuked the people

for going after other gods, and he said, "You were unmindful of the Rock

that begot you, and you forgot the God who gave you birth." It sounds

unbelievable, but the whole history of Israel is a record of God's battle to

keep His chosen people in remembrance of Him. They were urged to

diligently teach their children, and to observe great holidays like the

Passover in order that the past might never be forgotten. The mighty acts

of God in the past were to be the foundation for their future. They were to

look back to their deliverance out of Egypt for the same reason we are to

constantly look back to our deliverance on the cross.

Warnings are everywhere telling the people not to forget. Duet. 6:12

says, "Then take heed less you forget the Lord, who brought you out of the

land of Egypt." Again in 8:11 we read, "Take heed lest you forget the Lord

your God by not keeping His commandments and His ordinances and His

statutes, which I command you this day." In 8:19 he gives this solemn

warning, "And if you forget the Lord your God and go after other gods

and serve them and worship them, I solemnly warn you this day that you

shall surely perish." After all this we look ahead to see what happens. In

Judges 3:7 we read, "And the people of Israel did what was evil in the

sight of the Lord, forgetting the Lord their God." Imagine people