Do not forget

“Forget me knot” flowers (courtesy Wikipedia)

Friends in Christ,

“My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, for they will prolong your life many years and bring you peace and prosperity” (Prov 3:1–2). 

I am by nature quite forgetful. Frustratingly I can recall random facts and information about the most obscure things, but then obvious things like where I left the car keys, what time my meeting is, or even what day it is elude me.

Being forgetful does not always have consequences. Forgetting to respond to a text message or failing to remember a name or a date on the calendar will likely not get you fired. There are other things, however, that you must not forget as they do have consequences. If you forget what side of the road to drive on, where you live, or fail to remember your boss’s name, then it might not go so well for you. There are some things you must remember to get by in life.

In Proverbs 3:1–2, the sage highlights to his son what he must remember if he is to experience ‘peace and prosperity.’ The father begins with a prohibition, ‘do not forget my teaching.’ Out of love and wisdom the father warns his son not to ‘forget.’ The father is not chastising his son, or demeaning him, but lovingly warning him not to abandon the truth that is being passed on.

He is highlighting the reality that teaching can be heard, but not valued and remembered.

After the warning the father then gives how forgetfulness can be avoided as he says, ‘keep my commands in your heart.’ The solution to not forgetting is to positively ‘keep’ the commands. For the sage, it is not simply about hearing teaching but remembering teaching and reflecting on that teaching in one’s own heart.

In the busyness of the week, it is all too easy to forget God’s wisdom. With so many voices calling for our attention we, like the son in the proverb, can often be tempted to ‘forget’ the Scriptures. We can run head long into challenges of life neglecting our kind Father’s guidance. The solution to our forgetfulness is, of course, the same as that given by the sage in Proverbs, namely, to keep God’s commands in our hearts.

The Apostle Paul exhorts us,

‘Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts’ (Col 3:16).

For us to live wisely involves reflecting regularly upon the message of the gospel and encouraging others to do the same.

This week as you hear God’s word, whether at church or in personal Bible reading, ‘Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says’ (James 1:22). For when we respond this way we will see how wise and loving our heavenly Father really is. 

Warmly in Christ,

Rev. Dr. Malcolm Gill
Assistant Minister