As ancient Israel prepared to enter the promised land, they stood at the threshold of a greater danger than the one they left behind. It would seem nothing could be worse than slavery, however, in slavery they had physical bondage but spiritual freedom because they remembered God. Now, at the end of their wandering they faced physical freedom and the risk of spiritual bondage. As they prepared to embrace a life of ease, they also faced the danger of forgetting God and what he had done for them. Israel had already proven they had short memories. They had become complacent with miraculous ways that God took care of them during their 40 years in wilderness. Moses' last words to the Israelites were ones of admonishment to remember they were a covenant people and what God had done for them. Moses knew that nothing could make them forget better than prosperity and a life of ease. He described the Land of Promise as a land of "great and goodly cities, which thou buildedst not, and houses full of good things, which thou filledst not, and wells digged, which thou diggedst not, vineyards and olive trees, which thou plantedst not...." (Det. 6:10,11). As the Israelites overcame the land, they also inherited all that the conquered heathen nations left behind; houses and goods they never had to work for were given to them on a silver platter. Comfort breeds complacency and forgetfulness so Moses cautioned them:
"Then beware lest thou forget the Lord, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage". (Deut. 6:12)
Much of the book of Deuteronomy consists of instructions and observances given to ancient Israel to assist them to remember. Deuteronomy, or the Fifth Book of Moses is considered 'Second Law' or renewal of the covenant made at Mt Sinai. It is an exhortation to obey God out of love and reverence. It served to:
1. Teach obedience through love;
2. Teach significance of making covenants;
3. Look forward to Christ.
It is expected of us, the modern day Israel and members of the Saviour's Church to remember Him always and to cultivate that remembrance on daily basis. While ancient Israel had many outward, physical reminders of their status as the covenant people, our reminders tend to be more of a spiritual nature. While it is not required of us to build huts for us to live in for 7 days celebrating the Feast of the Tabernacles to remind us of our wilderness journey, it is required of us to step into the temple on ward temple night and be reminded that the earth was created for our sake. While it is not required of us to eat the bitter herbs and celebrate the Passover in Egypt, it is required of us to take the sacrament every Sunday in remembrance of His body and his blood which was shed for us. While it is not required of us to wear frontlets on our foreheads with the written law inside them, it is required of us to be spiritually born and have His image in our countenance (Alma 5:14)
The covenants that we make today with the God of Israel have the same objective as the covenants made anciently. They are intended to teach us obedience, the importance of making covenants and to look forward to the second coming of Christ. We also have the challenge to remember for we too have the trial of prosperity and a life of ease, more so now than ever before. Not many of us think of ourselves as being rich but perhaps we should. We have come a long way since the pony express, horse drawn carts and candle lit houses. We live in an age of instant gratification, advanced technology and conveniences beyond our forebears' wildest imaginations. For instance, by the world standards I would fall in the 'poor bracket' but by my grandmother's standards, I am rich. My grandmother never owned a washing machine or drove in an automobile and she never saw sliced bread. It's all in the perspective and we must have the correct one. In the midst of the Depression, Melvin J. Ballard warned of the danger of wealth and prosperity which has the potential to cause us to forget God:
"We are in the age of self-indulgence. It is not peculiar to this Church, it is in the world. The spirit of it is rampant everywhere. It beats upon our shores from all points. It enters into the midst of the people. It is a deadly siege in an attempt to destroy that which persecution, mob, violence, privation and hardship failed to destroy - the integrity of this people. I am not a pessimist either. While I recognize the storms that are raging against our standards, I am as sure as that I live that the promises of the Lord will be fulfilled, and that this work shall not fail, nor shall it be given to another people. I recognize however, with my brethren, that the sorest trials that have ever come to the Church in any age of the world are the trials of peace and prosperity. But we are not to do a new thing, a thing that never has before been done - we are to take the Church of Christ not only through the age of persecution and mob violence, but through the age of peace and prosperity. For we must learn to endure faithfully even in peace and prosperity.
I am not praying for the return of persecution and poverty. I am praying for peace and prosperity; but above all things for strength and power to endure this test. For it was not the design and the intention of the Lord to have this people always in suffering in bondage and distress. They shall come to peace and prosperity, but it is the sorest trial that will come to them. (Elder Melvil J. Ballard, April 1929 Conference Report, p. 66)"
We, of the household of God, are of the House of Israel. We are the covenant people of the Lord, given the fullness of the gospel in this last dispensation of times. Unlike the ancient Israel, we have all the keys and covenants that lead to exaltation and eternal life. Sometimes I wonder how many of us realise the significance of this. The gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored in its fullness. The Book of Mormon along with the holy priesthood and its sacred ordinances attest to that. We are a favoured people and we have been given much so that we will not forget: sacrament, family home evening, daily prayer, scripture study, church and temple participation and bi-annual General Conferences. All these religious practices keep us in remembrance of our God if we willingly partake. President Kimball said this regarding the need to remember:
"You will always be in your sacrament meetings so that you will remember. When you look in the dictionary for the most important word, do you know what it is? It could be remember. Because all of you have made covenants - you know what to do and you know how to do it - our greatest need is to remember. That is why everyone goes to sacrament meeting every Sabbath day - to take the sacrament and listen to the priests pray that they 'may always remember Him and keep His commandments which he has given them'. Nobody should ever forget to go to sacrament meeting. Remember is the word. Remember is the program."
(Kimball, Spencer W., "Circles of Exaltation", Charge to Religious Educators, Second Edition, Salt Lake City, UT: Published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints)
Resolve to so live that you will forget not.
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