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Never Forget!

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Amos 1:9,11 ….because they [as middlemen] delivered up a whole [Jewish] population to Edom and did not [seriously] remember their brotherly covenant….11 because he pursued his brother Jacob (Israel) with the sword, corrupting his compassions and casting off all pity, and his anger tore perpetually and his wrath he kept and heeded forever.

Human nature is a funny thing. We are only a month and a few days to an event that happened twenty-four years ago: September 11, 2001. Never Forget was the common refrain used to remember the September 11th terrorist attacks and honor the victims, first responders, and all those affected by the tragedy. Fast forward twenty-four years later and the headlines read: Zohran Mamdani wins NYC mayoral primary over Andrew Cuomo. He is known as a Shia Muslim, and a democrat socialist. Never Forget? We can rest assured many have fallen back to sleep and have totally forgotten. In fact it’s an interesting parallel between the Scripture reference above, Esau and his descendants, who kept his wrath and heeded it forever.

Forgetfulness is a big deal to God. Some say we are to forgive and forget based on the Scripture in Micah 7:19 that states God hides our sin in the sea of forgetfulness. Isaiah 43:25 echoes this metaphor stating: “I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; and I will not remember your sins. One Biblical theologian from my teen years stated: It’s not that God forgets our sin – it’s that He chooses to not bring them up anymore. He chooses to release us from the debt He knows we owe Him. This is why forgiveness is an even bigger deal with God than forgetfulness. There is an interesting connection between forgetfulness and forgiveness. Dt. 4:23 Take heed to yourselves, lest you forget the covenant of the Lord your God which He made with you,… Dt. 6:12 states: …beware, lest you forget the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. Don’t forget where you came from, and don’t forget Who you have made covenant with. Jesus amplifies this in His Parable of the Unjust Servant. Matthew 18:23-30 Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24 And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. 25 But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made. 26 The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, ‘Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’ 27 Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt.28 “But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, ‘Pay me what you owe!’ 29 So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’ 30 And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt. 

We fail to forgive when we forget the debt that has been paid for our sins. It’s really that simple. Only those who aren’t aware of the depths of their sin can casually throw another in to the prison of their making. Sadly many a person have forged their own chains through unforgiveness being tormented by something far worse than a measly offense. Psalm 119:165 states: Great peace have those who love Your law, and nothing causes them to stumble. Those who know the Word know it’s Jesus. Jesus is the Word. Jesus is the Law or the Instruction or Teaching. Those who can’t remember, can’t forgive, stumble over the Stumbling Stone of the Chief Cornerstone, Jesus. Why? 1 Peter 2:7-8 explains: Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, “The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone,” 8 and “A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.”They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed. They stumble because of their disobedience, and their disobedience reveals what they consider to be precious.

Small Things

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2 Samuel 1:14-15 David said to him, Why were you not afraid to stretch forth your hand to destroy the Lord’s anointed? 15 David called one of the young men and said, Go near and fall upon him. And he smote him so that he died.

Throughout Scripture from the fall of Adam and Eve to the crucifixion of Christ, from the writings of Paul to the end of the Book of Revelation – one fact remains: the wages of sin is death! The Amalekites had proven themselves enemies of God since the Exodus as described by Moses in the Book of Exodus: And the Lord said to Moses, Write this for a memorial in the book and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under the heavens.…And he said, Because [theirs] is a hand against the throne of the Lord, the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation. (Exodus 17:14,16) On the surface David’s response against this messenger of doom seems to be a little extreme. But underneath this narrative lies a larger monster that hides beneath the shadows lurking along the edges like a ravenous wolf ready to pounce upon its prey. First of all, this Amalekite is lying. He did not slay King Saul. Saul had taken his own life. Secondly, the messenger had looted what belonged to King Saul and the people of Israel – Saul’s kingly crown, and the bracelet on his arm. Thirdly, this man exposed his greed and lust for more. It wasn’t enough that he had plundered the crown jewels. His plot was much more twisted and devious. He had reasoned that there must be an even greater reward for the one who would kill Saul. Rather than taking the crown and bracelet and cashing in on his prize. He chose to up the ante. Finally, this man failed to realize that David was God’s man – God’s anointed – and God’s enemies were his enemies. But there is an even greater story unfolding before our eyes and Exodus 17:14,16 gives us the clue: I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under the heavens.…And he said, Because [theirs] is a hand against the throne of the Lord…

Did you catch that last part? The Amalekites had not simply lifted their hand to destroy God’s people. They had actually lifted their hand against God Himself. Against His Throne, Kingdom, and Reign. Consciously or unconsciously, this Amalekite was participating in the sins of his fathers and mothers. Ultimately, he was reflecting the heart of his spiritual father – Satan himself. For you see, the Amalekites, and their descendants could be traced all the way to King Herod himself, an Idumean (a descendant of the Edomites from which Amalek had come). Amalek had come from Esau’s son who had married a descendant of the Horites – and they were descendants of the demonic hybrid of the Nephilim (half-demon, half human. Think Goliath)

King Herod sought to kill Jesus – God’s Anointed King of Israel. Why had God said that He would personally fight against Amalek? Because they represented an Anti-Christ spirit. An anti-Christ agenda.

But how does all of this apply? Romans 8:7 states the carnal mind is at enmity with God. The carnal mind being our soulish mind or our propensity to rely more on our thinking, will, emotions, and personality or temperament to have things our way. This way of doing things is an enemy to God and the things of God because it hearkens back to the Garden of Eden, and you shall be gods. In other words having it our way is not doing it God’s Way. God’s Way obviously being Jesus Himself – The Way. But rest easy: the Lord will have war with (it) from generation to generation.

In Mark 8 Jesus warns of the leaven or yeast of the Pharisees, Herod, and the Herodians. (Matthew 16 adds the Sadducees). Leaven is a small thing – but it’s the small things that lead either to the anti-Christ rising in our lives or Jesus, the Bread of Life. Question is, Are we utilizing the yeast of the Kingdom of God or the yeast of satan himself? Remember it’s the small things that make all the difference in the outcome of what’s reigning in your life. What we sow into will determine the “rain” that falls in our lives.