Memories of a Former Time 

ISAIAH 46:8-9 

          The 46 chapter of Isaiah is a portion of scripture where God is contrasted with idols.  God challenged the people to know and understand who he was and is.  In verse 8 he says to Israel “remember who he is and act like men.  In other words they were to throw away their childish playing with idols and return to God.  He says to them “remember past times where I have shown myself to be God, when none else could.  I have shown you that I am God and there is none like me”.  God said this to Israel to encourage them to turn to and trust Him in their time of distress.  They were to turn to Him, not to idols that could accomplish nothing for them.  They were to remember what God had done for them in the pass and draw strength from those memories.

          As I grow older I am finding that my memory is not as keen as it once was.  Though part of my difficulty is associated with age, I am convinced that part of it is connected to the pace at which life appears to be zooming by.  It seems like before we start the year good we are already at the end of it.  If years are rushing by then days must be zooming.  Often the days go so quickly that we can’t remember events that happen from one day to the next.  Everything is just crowded together and it seems that we have no time to ponder or reflect on today’s events before it is time to start tomorrow.

          But remembering is important, especially when we are remembering the working of God in our lives. It is in remembering God’s past victories that we draw strength to walk into the next battle.  For we as Christians walk into the battle not alone, but rather with a victorious God leading the way.  If I fail to stop and remember former things like battles that have been won, temptations that have been conquered, struggles that have been overcome and times of crisis that have been endured, then I will lack the strength and patience needed to successfully overcome current trials.  Recognizing the importance of remembering, God gave instructions to the Children of Israel that would help in motivating them to remember.

JOSHUA 4:1-3, 19-24

          When crossing the Jordan River to go into the promise land the Children of Israel were told to carry stones from the river bed to the other side.  These stones were to be set up and later used by the Children of Israel as reminders and teaching tools for generations to come of the great event that happened on that day and in that place.  Today we would just see that pile of rocks as a landmark, not at all understanding why the pile had been stacked in that place.  We would probably use it to help provide directions from one place to another but that was not its original purpose.  It’s original purpose was to help the people remember and teach their children about the workings of God on their behalf.

          As we walk through the Old Testament we can find many occasions where people marked special events in their lives so that they would remember them.

GENESIS 22:7-14

          Having received the command to take Isaac and sacrifice him as a burnt offering unto God, Abraham set out to do just that.  He went to the place that God pointed out, built there an altar, laid the wood in order, strapped down Isaac and raised the knife.  He fully intended to obey the command of God and slay Isaac whom God described in verse 2 as “Abraham’s only son, the one that Abraham loved”.  I can imagine the pain and agony that Abraham was going through as he stood there with knife raised looking down on Isaac.  I can see his eyes start to water and that first one lone tear leaves his eye and slowly trickles down his face.  But then he got the word to stop and Abraham spotted the ram in the thicket.  This ram and not his son was to be his offering to God.  Now look closely at verse 14.  What did Abraham do?  He called the place Jehovah-Jireh.  He named the altar the place where God became a provider for me.  We say that God is Jehovah-jireh and that he is.  He is a God who provides.  But it was the place, the altar that Abraham named.  In other words Abraham marked this great event in his life by naming the altar.  Every time Abraham passed that way he would always remember that day when God became a provider for him.  Every time he had a great need in his life he would remember Jehovah-jireh, the place where God became his provider, and he would then have peace. 

          This place that Abraham called Jehovah-jireh is where God became “the God who provides” for Abraham.  Have you named the place or have you marked the memory where God became Jehovah-jireh for you.  If you have not marked that place, then I believe that each time your needs becomes pressing you will waver in you confidence in how God will respond on your behalf.  It is not that you think God is unable to provide.  But rather you question will He provide for you.  If I mark the place (or event) where He became Jehovah-jireh I can go back to that place as many times as needed and remind myself that yes God will provide for me.  I can have confidence that He will provide for me because I remember the former times. I remember the event, the need, the place where God became the God who provides for me.

EXODUS 17:8-16

          Here Israel faces its first military conflict after coming out of Egypt.  Keep in mind that the majority of these people both male and female had been brick makers and pyramid builders in Egypt.  They had not been taught the art of warfare or how to properly use weapons.  At the end of this battle God instructs Moses to make a note in his book of records and also to tell Joshua that God said “He would wipe out the remembrance of Amelek”  To celebrate this victory and make memory of the proclamation of God, what did Moses do?  He built an altar and named it Jehovah-nissi which means the Lord our banner.  It is here that Moses, Joshua          and all of Israel learn that God goes before them to lead them into victory.  But marking the event and naming it is not enough.  We must remember to go back to the event each time we are challenged as we walk the route God leads us on.  This is where Israel failed.

NUMBERS 13:26-33, 14:6-9

          It seems to me that not all Israel caught the vision of God as the one who leads them to victory at Rephidim.  The altar the Moses called Jehovah-nissi did not have meaning for all.  When faced with the challenge of fighting the nations occupying the promise land, the people forgot to look back at Jehovah-nissi the altar where God became the one who leads them into victory.  Look at verse 29.  The Amalekites lived in the land to the south.  Who was it that God promised to wipe out?  Amalek the linage of the Amalekites.  It seems to me that Israel should have marched right down to the land of the south and jumped on the Amalekites.  They had already seen God bring them out victoriously before against these people and he had already sworn to wipe them out.  They forgot to look back and remember the Jehovah-nissi altar and why it was constructed.  Rather than looking back and remembering what God had already done on their behalf and what he had promised to do, they looked in the face of the enemy, and became afraid.

          Sometimes I believe that though we have established a heart relationship with God we operate on a head relationship with Him.  We know who the Bible teaches that He is and we know what the Bible says He can do.  But these are the testimonies of others telling what God has done for them.  Much of what David wrote in Psalms tells of David’s experiences with God.  That is not to say that he will not do the same things for us.  Because He will and does do for us also.  However, we fail to write it down.  We don’t build altars, or set up landmarks.  Many of us treat God’s work as so trivial in our lives that we don’t even make a point to remember it.  We testify about it the next Sunday and then we file events away rarely ever to think of them again.  As we walk this road with God there should be an event and even a string of events that we can look back on and draw strength and encouragement as we press towards the mark set by God.  We should set up mental altars along they way; memories of former things that give us hope and strength in our present encounters.

JUDGES 6:22-24

          This is during a time when Israel was being oppressed by the Medianites.  The condition of Israel had become a troubling issue to Gideon. 

JUDGES 6:11-13

          When greeted by the angel with “the Lord is with you”, Gideon saw an opportunity to release the frustration, disappointment, mental and physical anguish that he and the people were experiencing because of God’s in-activity on their behalf.  Gideon was having one of those periods that we all experience in life.  God is taking his time about doing what we all know he is more than capable of doing and he is not even bothering to explain why or respond to our cries for help.  Not only is your need not being met but there is also the mental anguish of not knowing and understanding what God is doing and why.  It is painful when you believe that you are trying as best you can to do as God ask you to do and yet life is falling apart for you at every turn.  Looking at the condition of Israel, Gideon asked “where is God with all his miracles now” and sometime we want to ask the same thing.

          But God met Gideon there in that spot at Ophrah and in that interaction Gideon received the inner peace that he needed.  There at Ophrah Gideon meets the God who sends peace.  Keep in mind he was not at peace because his outward circumstances had changed, but rather because his inward turmoil had ceased.  He now knew that God was for him.  He had a personal encounter with God and in that encounter he received peace.  Many times we look for peace in the wrong place.  Our peace or lack thereof is associated with outward circumstances.  I am sure that you can see the failure in linking peace and outward circumstances.  There are very few days in life where our outward circumstances are perfect and many more days where our circumstances look dreadful.  But as Christians we are not to focus on our circumstances but rather we are to focus on the God who sends peace.  Of course when our circumstances are slapping us in the face, it is hard not to focus on them.  At those times we need to force ourselves to look back at other troubled times in our lives and remember that God brought us out then and He is still able to bring us out now.  We are to go back to that mental altar where we found the God of peace before and know that His peace is still available to us.

ISAIAH 26:3-4

          Perfect peace can only be found and maintained by keeping a constant focus on God.   Keeping a constant focus on God does not simply mean praying, reading your Bible and staying away from that which is unholy.  It means that one must develop an attitude and way of life that has as its only focus knowing and fulfilling the will of God.  Our peace is disturbed when we are not properly focused.  Yes we have bill, and job, and families, and other responsibilities.  But Matt 6:33 tells us “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”  If and when God’s will take first and center place in our lives, God promises to add on to our lives whatever else is needed.  He can become for us the God who sends peace when we become the people who truly seek His will.  

PHILIPPIANS 4:6-7  

“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”  

          The point I wanted to make today is that as Christians and humans we will as long as we live be facing a variety of struggles and attacks from the enemy and from life itself.  We will be more successful in overcoming those times if we look back and draw strength from former times in our lives.  Men of old built altars and named them to remind themselves of the works of God in there lives.  Have you built and named any altars recently?  If not what will you remember in the day of trouble.  I pray that you will remember the former times and draw strength from them.  I encourage you to make memories with God for they will serve you well in times to come.