DON'T FORGET GOD
Scripture: Deuteronomy 8 & 9
8:11 "Beware that thou forget not the LORD thy God, in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes, which I commanded thee this day:"
Define Beware: 08104 shamar (shaw-mar') a primitive root; TWOT - 2414; v
AV - keep 283, observe 46, heed 35, keeper 28, preserve 21, beware 9, mark 8, watchman 8, wait 7, watch 7, regard 5, save 2, misc 9; 468
1) to keep, guard, observe, give heed
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to keep, have charge of
1a2) to keep, guard, keep watch and ward, protect, save life
1a2a) watch, watchman (participle)
1a3) to watch for, wait for
1a4) to watch, observe
1a5) to keep, retain, treasure up (in memory)
1a6) to keep (within bounds), restrain
1a7) to observe, celebrate, keep (sabbath or covenant or commands), perform (vow)
1a8) to keep, preserve, protect
1a9) to keep, reserve
1b) (Niphal)
1b1) to be on one's guard, take heed, take care, beware
1b2) to keep oneself, refrain, abstain
1b3) to be kept, be guarded
1c) (Piel) to keep, pay heed
1d) (Hithpael) to keep oneself from
Define Forget
07911 shakach {(haw-kakh') or shakeach (shaw-kay'-akh) a primitive root; TWOT - 2383; v
AV - forget 61, forgotten 40, at all 1; 102
1) to forget, ignore, wither
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to forget
1a2) to cease to care
1b) (Niphal) to be forgotten
1c) (Piel) to cause to forget
1d) (Hiphil) to make or cause to forget
1e) (Hithpael) to be forgotten
We can start to backslide when we ignore and let spiritual things wither.
We can start to backslide when we cease to care.
I. FULLNESS CAN LEAD TO FORGETFULNESS
Proverbs 30:7 “Two things have I required of thee; deny me them not before I die: 30:8 Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me: 30:9 Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the LORD? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.”
A. Abundance of water (v. 7) [In comparison to the desert places they had been walking in.]
B. Abundance of fertile land producing great food crops (v. 8)
--- "bread without scarceness" --- scarcity, poverty (v.9)
C. Abundance of ores to produce tools, weapons, utensils and vessels of metals (v. 9)
D. Goodly houses (v. 12) [Compared to the tents they had lived in for 40 years.]
E. Multiplying herds (v. 13)
F. Wealth (v. 13)
1. God can't bless some people with abundance in the natural because he knows
their weakness.
2. "For the love of money is the root of all evil: while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows."
I Timothy 6:10
3. There are special temptations that come with riches.
How many people have you seen prosper and then forget where they came from?
"Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy." I Timothy 6:17
This is where America is at right now concerning prosperity. The numbers that indicate growth and wealth are astounding according to current news reports. We have never seen it better than we are seeing it today in the U.S.A.
II. SYMPTOMS OF FORGETFULNESS
A. Pride --- (v.14) "thine heart be lifted up"
Define "lifted up": 07311 ruwm {room} a primitive root; TWOT - 2133; v
AV - (lift, hold, etc...) up 63, exalt 47, high 25, offer 13, give 5, heave 3, extol 3, lofty 3,
take 3, tall 3, higher 2, misc 24; 194
1) to rise, rise up, be high, be lofty, be exalted
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to be high, be set on high
1a2) to be raised, be uplifted, be exalted
1a3) to be lifted, rise
1b) (Polel)
1b1) to raise or rear (children), cause to grow up
1b2) to lift up, raise, exalt
1b3) to exalt, extol
1c) (Polal) to be lifted up
1d) (Hiphil)
1d1) to raise, lift, lift up, take up, set up, erect, exalt, set on high
1d2) to lift up (and take away), remove
1d3) to lift off and present, contribute, offer, contribute
1e) (Hophal) to be taken off, be abolished
1f) (Hithpolel) to exalt oneself, magnify oneself
2) (Qal) to be rotten, be wormy
(Remember: forget means to ignore or wither)
B. Self-righteousness
1. Deut 9:4 "For my righteousness" [What they might think of themselves.]
2. Deut 9:5 "Not for thy righteousness"
"As it is written, there is none righteous, no not one:" Romans 3:10
3. Deut 9:6 "thou art a stiffnecked people" [The truth about them.]
4. Deut 9:7 "Remember, and forget not, how thou provokest the LORD thy God to
wrath in the wilderness: from the day that thou didst depart out of the
land of Egypt, until ye came unto this place, ye have been rebellious
against the LORD."
C. Arrogance --- (8:17) "My power and the might of mine hand"
When men grow rich they are tempted to think religion a needless thing. They are happy without it, think it a thing below them or too hard upon them. Their dignity forbids them to stoop, and their liberty forbids them to serve. M. H.
They move to formal, dignified, dried up churches.
III. FORGETFULNESS (The Natural/Carnal Response.) CAN LEAD TO FAILURE
A. The Israelites forgot about
1. the bondage of Egypt (v. 14)
2. the Red Sea
3. the manna (v. 16)
4. their leader Moses when he went upon the mountain (9:12)
[Some have experiences so shallow that they cannot last even forty days.]
The Result: Forty years of wandering; death to many, if not most, that started out.
B. Saul forgot to acknowledge God I Samuel 13 & 15
He entered into the prophet’s office.
The Result: Disobedience concerning Agag. Suicide for himself (I Sam 31:4).
Death for his sons (I Sam 31).
C. David forgot that Israel was in a battle
The Result: Adultery with Bathsheba. Murder of Uriah. Death of child.
Raping of his daughter. Death of Amnon. Becoming a refugee (From the throne to
hiding in the woods). Death of Absalom.
IV. GOD'S JUDGMENT ON FORGETFULNESS
A. (v. 19) "Ye shall surely perish"
06 'abad {aw-bad'} a primitive root; TWOT - 2; v
AV - perish 98, destroy 62, lose 10, fail 2, surely 2, utterly 2, broken 1, destruction 1,
escape 1, flee 1, spendeth 1, take 1, undone 1, void 1; 184
1) perish, vanish, go astray, be destroyed
1a) (Qal)
1a1) perish, die, be exterminated
1a2) perish, vanish (fig.)
1a3) be lost, strayed
1b) (Piel)
1b1) to destroy, kill, cause to perish, to give up (as lost), exterminate
1b2) to blot out, do away with, cause to vanish, (fig.)
1b3) cause to stray, lose
1c) (Hiphil)
1c1) to destroy, put to death
1c1a) of divine judgment
1c2) object name of kings (fig.)
B. (v. 20) "As the nations which the LORD destroyeth before"
Destroy = perish, vanish, go astray, be destroyed, be lost
Perish and Destroyeth are the same word in Hebrew --- Strong's 06 'abad {aw-bad'}
V. THINGS THAT HELP US REMEMBER
A. Drought helps us remember (v. 15)--- People start praying when it stops raining
The Israelites might remember the desert when the waters dry up.
B. Hunger helps us remember (v. 16)
C. Poverty (v. 18) and lack of shelter helps us remember
D. Tragedy helps us remember
Just look at our schools (Read poem about school violence.)
E. War helps us remember --- Our nation starts praying when our soldiers go to war.
"The wicked shall be turned into hell and all the nations that forget God." Psalms 9:17
VI. REMEMBER (The Spiritual Response.) Lest God must by chastisement bring you to
remembrance.
Define Remember: 02142 zakar {zaw-kar'} a primitive root; TWOT - 551; v
AV - remember 172, mention 21, remembrance 10, recorder 9, mindful 6, think 3,
bring to remembrance 2, record 2, misc 8; 233
1) to remember, recall, call to mind
1a) (Qal) to remember, recall
1b) (Niphal) to be brought to remembrance, be remembered, be thought of, be brought to mind
1c) (Hiphil)
1c1) to cause to remember, remind
1c2) to cause to be remembered, keep in remembrance
1c3) to mention
1c4) to record
1c5) to make a memorial, make remembrance
A. The way ("all the way") --- Lest you find yourself in another wilderness. (v. 2)
Define way: 01870 derek {deh'-rek} from 01869; TWOT - 453a; n m
AV - way 590, toward 31, journey 23, manner 8, misc 53; 705
1) way, road, distance, journey, manner
1a) road, way, path
1b) journey
1c) direction
1d) manner, habit, way
1e) of course of life (fig.)
1f) of moral character (fig.)
God reached way below the bottom for me that night.
B. The manna (8:3)---Lest you go hungry. --- Define manna
04478 man {mawn} from 04100; TWOT - 1208,1209; n m
AV - manna 14; 14
1) manna
1a) the bread from Heaven that fed the Israelites for 40 years of wilderness wanderings
1b) means 'What is it?'
C. The raiment --- Lest you go naked.(8:4)
Define wax old: 01086 balah {baw-law'} a primitive root; TWOT - 246; v
AV - wax old 9, become old 2, consume 2, waste 1, enjoy 1, non translated variant 1; 16
1) to wear out, become old
1a) (Qal) to wear out
1b) (Piel)
1b1) to wear out
1b2) to wear out by use, use up completely
1b3) to enjoy, use to the full
“the strong and pointed terms which Moses here uses (see also Deu 29:5 ) indicate
a special or miraculous interposition of their loving Guardian in preserving them amid the wear and tear of their nomadic life in the desert.” JFB
D. The chastisement --- Lest you must endure more of the same. (8:5)
E. The Lord thy God --- Lest ye perish. (v. 20)
Psalms 33:12"Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance."
CONCLUSION
"When thou hast eaten and art full (satisfied), then thou shalt bless the LORD thy God for the good land
which he giveth to thee. (v. 10)
Define Bless
01288 barak {baw-rak'} a primitive root; TWOT - 285; v
AV - bless 302, salute 5, curse 4, blaspheme 2, blessing 2, praised 2, kneel down 2, congratulate 1, kneel 1, make to kneel 1, misc 8; 330
1) to bless, kneel
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to kneel
1a2) to bless
1b) (Niphal) to be blessed, bless oneself
1c) (Piel) to bless
1d) (Pual) to be blessed, be adored
1e) (Hiphil) to cause to kneel
1f) (Hithpael) to bless oneself
2) (TWOT) to praise, salute, curse
Psalm 103
(v. 1) Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.
(v. 2) Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.
(v. 3) Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all they diseases;
(v. 4) Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth they with lovingkindness and tender mercies.
(v. 5) Who satisfied thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's.
Deut. 8:11 "Beware that thou forget not the LORD thy God, in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes, which I commanded thee this day:"
