Wednesday: Forgetfulness
Daily Lesson for Wednesday 15th of October 2025
Read Joshua 4:20-24 in the light of the following verses: Judges 3:7; Judges 8:34; Psalms 78:11; Deuteronomy 8:2,18; Psalms 45:17. Why was it so important to remember the mighty deeds of the Lord?
Notice the change in person in Joshua 4:23. The waters of the Jordan are referred to as having been dried up before “you,” that is, before all the Israelites who have just crossed the Jordan. In contrast, the Red Sea is said to had been dried up before “us,” those who were still present from the first generation and who experienced the Exodus.
Image © Bible Adventure Collection at Goodsalt.com
The two events experienced by two different generations were similar in significance, which enabled the second generation, through the testimony of their parents, to rediscover the same meaning of the Jordan crossing for themselves.
Generally, we perceive forgetfulness as a normal trait of all human beings. However, forgetfulness in the spiritual sense can lead to serious consequences.
Even today, if we want to maintain our identity as a people with a peculiar calling and mission, we will have to create occasions for refreshing both our individual and corporate spiritual memory in order to keep in focus where we are coming from, who we are, and what we are here for.
Read 1 Corinthians 11:24-25 and John 14:26. Why must we always remember what Christ did for us? What else really matters without it?
Ellen G. White clearly understood that without constantly guiding ourselves in the light of God’s past acts and revelation, we will surely lose the motivation to carry out our mission in the future: “We have nothing to fear for the future, except as we shall forget the way the Lord has led us, and His teaching in our past history.”—Ellen G. White, Life Sketches, p. 196.
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Though it is important to remember the past and how the Lord has worked in your life, why must you day by day have an experience with Him and the reality of His love and presence now? |
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When I was a kid in school there was a lot of emphasis on rote learning. We learned poetry, history facts, times tables, and yes even Bible texts. Then when it came to examinations, we regurgitated those facts to show how much we had learned. Some of that was good. My learned maths tables have served me in good stead and it helps catch keypress errors when I use a calculator. The rote learned Bible verses has served me too. I remember enough to find them useful for using search engines to find them today.
But rote learning has its limitations. Some of us are good at remembering and others have a lot of difficulty with it. And when it comes to the hard facts, it is not what you remember, it’s what you do with it that really counts. My youngest Grandson is sitting his high school finals, starting tomorrow. In the last few weeks, he has been learning a lot of stuff. We used to call it cramming. The examinations will be over in a couple of weeks and he will then have to continue his education towards the goal of becoming a useful citizen. The remembered stuff will be forgotten, but the processes of analysis will, if continued to be exercised should last him a lifetime
Which brings me to the point of this little exercise. We can remember a whole lot of facts about God and how he has done this and that. We can rote learn how good God is and recite it, as we often do to one another. I have a wry smile to myself when I hear the “God is good! All the time!” greeting in church because while it is cute and accurate, it would be more meaningful to demonstrate the goodness of God to one another. We can forget the cute little phrases but practising God’s goodness is what really counts
If you want to become a weightlifter, you do not spend time reading books about weight lifting so you can recite the facts to anyone who will listen. You practice lifting weights every day so that your muscles become trained to lift heavy weights. That is an entirely different kind of memory. Your muscles remember what to do when you put them to work lifting heavy weights and you only retain that memory if you put it into practice every day. And if you stop practicing, your muscles will quickly forget.
Spiritual memory is like weightlifting. It loses its fitness if you do not exercise it every day. And it is not about reading more, but putting it into practice.
In Joshua 4:20–24, the Israelites set up stones to remind future generations how God led them across the Jordan. But later, when they forgot His mighty acts (Judges 3:7; Psalm 78:11), they turned away from Him.
As Christians, we’re also called to remember — especially what Christ did for us on the cross (1 Corinthians 11:24–25). Forgetting God’s goodness weakens our faith, but remembering His leading keeps us strong, grateful, and focused on our mission.
“We have nothing to fear for the future, except as we shall forget the way the Lord has led us.” — E.G. White, Life Sketches, p. 196.
Baker Green from biblical preaching illustrations narrates a story of an old farmer who had lived on the same farm all his life. It was a good farm, yet as the years went by, he grew tired of it and began longing for something “better.” Each day he found a new reason to complain about his old place. Finally, he decided to sell it and asked a realtor to list it. The realtor wrote a glowing advertisement describing the farm’s fertile land, ideal location, healthy livestock, and fine equipment. When the ad was read back to the farmer for approval, he suddenly exclaimed, “Hold everything! I’ve changed my mind. I’m not going to sell for I've been looking for a place like that all my life!” It wasn’t until he heard his blessings spoken aloud that he realized how much he already had.
We easily forget and miss on what the Lord has done for us before. When we forget the goodness of God, we start focusing on what we don’t have instead of what we do. God warned Israel in Deuteronomy 8:11–14, “Beware that thou forget not the Lord thy God… lest when thou hast eaten and art full… then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the Lord thy God.” Forgetting leads to discontentment, but remembering brings gratitude and peace. Paul expressed this truth in Philippians 4:11–12, “I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.” Like the farmer, we must pause to remember God’s faithfulness. When we do, our eyes open to see that what we already have, how the Lord has dealt with us, where God has already placed us and it is at that point we realise that He has done more than enough for us.
Great message! Lots of blessing
In the old Appalachian folktale, "Soap! Soap! Don't Forget the Soap," Tom Birdseye's adaptation for children follows Plug, a young boy with a poor memory, on his quest to buy soap. The tale is a comedic exploration of how Plug mixes up his mission with the things he encounters, only to finally remember the soap. While the story is entertaining, forgetfulness is no laughing matter, especially when it concerns important matters that require remembrance. Forgetfulness can be seen as a weakness of memory, but remembering is the cure for this problem.
The Bible emphasizes the importance of remembrance, with numerous instances where God commands His people to "remember" (Exodus 20:8, Deuteronomy 8:18). Remembering or forgetting can lead to vastly different outcomes - success or calamity (Deuteronomy 4:23-24). It's no wonder God emphasizes the study and keeping of His laws in our hearts, making remembrance applicative, not just theoretical. A combination of faith in God, passion for God, purpose for God, yearning for God, reverence for God, and love for God, coupled with a thirst to walk in God's ways daily, makes it possible to counter forgetfulness (Psalm 119:16, 145:20).
We see examples of this in Daniel (Daniel 9:4-19), Ezra (Ezra 7:10), and even Job (Job 23:12). As we journey with the children of Israel in the book of Joshua, let's not be too quick to judge, recognizing that we too have similar tendencies today - perhaps even worse. Just like "Plug", at the end, we should reach our mission if we only practice and live in accordance with God's will (Deuteronomy 29:9).
Can one forget God’s Grace after it was written on our heart and mind? It is the Holy Spirit’s work to remind and prompt our new heart and mind to live our life in Jesus Christ. Do we dare reject Him who directs and enables us to live our new life pointing to the kindness, longsuffering, merciful God of Creation?
It was and always will be His unforgettably Love and Grace God has for His children which, when truly received and accepted, is the new life we now live in Christ Jesus – 2.Cor.5:17; Eph.2:8-10; Rom.5:2; 1 Peter 5:9-11.
The more consistently you spend time with Christ the less you forget what He has done, is doing, and will do for you. Christ said: "If you abide in my word, you are truly My disciples." John 8:31. He also said: "Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son." 2 John 1:9. I do believe that just as a CPU has a section to refresh its memory many times a second, so we need to refresh in Christ daily. Who is going to remind us to have daily time spent with Christ? The Holy Spirit. Now, abiding in Him is a relationship with Him, through prayer, meditation on Christ and His Word. Would you believe helping others is another form of abiding in Him, thus helping others is a relationship builder with Christ? Matthew 26:40..
Lets also not forget God's character of love and justice. And remember to have faith in God my friends
Yes the Israelites forgot God many times, yet as long as they turned back to Him with rep,the testimonies in the Bible show us God forgives. And yes, another reminder God gave was: Joshua 3:7. "that they may know, that I
am with you, as I was with Moses."
Remembering past experiences with the Lord strengthens our faith because it reminds us of His faithfulness, power, and love. Just as Israel was encouraged to recall how God delivered them from Egypt and provided in the wilderness, we too are called to “remember” — for memory builds trust.
When we reflect on what God has already done, our confidence grows that He will act again in our present and future challenges. Each remembrance becomes a testimony that fuels new experiences with Him. In essence, remembrance is the bridge between past mercies and future victories.
Remembering the blessings in the PAST is essential to practicing the sense of PRESENT, here and now. We have received much more than we expected.