“But do not be afraid of them, remember well what the Lord God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt.” (Deuteronomy 7:18 NIV)
We can fight fear with remembrance but it’s going to take some effort.
God knew that His people would be concerned when they encountered the inhabitants of Canaan. He anticipate their fear and handed them hope in advance: Remember well – don’t forget what I did in Egypt. This would be an ongoing mental battle because the terminal generation had already passed; the people who had witnessed the plagues firsthand, observed the original passover and walked out of slavery with the wealth of Egypt. Only Moses, Joshua and Caleb remained from that great throng of people – everyone else had passed on because of their blatant rejection of the Promised Land and their children had taken their place.
We read this instruction- remember well – and we realize remembrance includes two factors: a re-teller and a receiver. We wonder, how well did the original Israelies do with re-telling? Had they entrusted their sacred story to the next generation or were they too busy grumbling about living conditions and leadership. (this is a convicting reminder for me with my kids amidst quarantine)
The other half of the remembering equation is the receiver. How well did the next generation listen? Did they value the experiences and insights of their elders or did they maintain the more usual young person posture of know-it-all?
Remembering as a people group or as an individual person will always require these two roles: a re-teller and a receiver. Re-tellers may be an older, more experienced generation or they may be a prior version of ourselves; either way re-telling requires a capable voice and determination to tell their story. Receiving is a struggle, also. Active listening assumes there is something to be learned, an insight to be gained. Culturally, it’s a challenge to get one generation to hear another. Individually, we may be tempted to reject the lessons from our past, they are sometimes painful to hear and today is quite loud all on it’s own.
God reminds us, though, that remembering His past performance record is the means by which we build faith for today. We resist His presence in our own story, but also the stories of those who have gone before us and we gain confidence for His next victory.
“You saw with your own eyes the great trials, the signs and wonders, the mighty hand and outstretched arm, with which the Lord brough you out. The Lord your God will do the same…” (Deuteronomy 7:19 NIV)
Lord, help us participate in both parts of remembering. Let us be re-tellers and receivers. May we have esteem for the generations before us, may we listen well and may we be eager to share our own stories of Your great faithfulness. Stoke our faith in these stories, build up our belief in Your next victory. Amen.