“Whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed” (James 1:25).
There are certain things that must be remembered and never forgotten. “My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments” (Proverbs 3:1). Not only does James warn concerning those who were in danger of becoming a forgetful hearer of the word of God, but so does Peter (II Peter 3:1,2).
Believers had to remember the pure word of God in order to counter the teachings of false prophets, false teachers, and scoffers who would bring in damnable heresies (II Peter 2:15; 3:2). “Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth” (II Peter 1:12).
The Book of Deuteronomy is a book of remembrance. Moses constantly instructed God’s people to “remember, and forget not” (Deuteronomy 9:7). “Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart” (4:9). “Take heed unto yourselves, lest ye forget the covenant of the LORD your God” (4:23). “Beware lest thou forget the LORD, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage” (6:12).
One of the reasons for the destruction of the Northern Kingdom was due to their forgetting God’s word. “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee . . . Seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God. I will also forget thy children” (Hosea 4:6).
David said, “I will not forget thy word” (Psalm 119:16). May that be the prayer of each of us. NPS
