Let's remember. Let's not forget

Today while reading in the Psalms I was delighted by the summary history of Israel in Psalm 78 (I think it will be a memorized Psalm in a few years, after I finish 119 and the Gospel of John). The clarity and poignancy of the message struck my heart and compelled me to remember God's goodness. O that I would be a man who would desire the fruit and bounty of the Promised Land and the inheritance more than the captivity of Egypt. It's not just that the old land didn't have as good of bounty...but that the old land couldn't even stand against the King of the Promised land. The King of the Promised land plundered the old land and destroyed the strength of the old land and long-suffered some to survive because he's so gracious, but that's only for a time. While some might not find a problem with desiring trash over treasure, no one should ever desire to be slaughtered rather than saved. But that is what we do; we crave death and drink the wine of violence to ourselves when we dismiss God's faithfulness which endures to all generations. Unlike Abraham who believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness (that he acknowledged that God had been true to His word and would be true to His word in the future showed that Abraham accepted God as Who He is and so would rely upon God for what he needed, including atonement for his iniquity), Israel did not believe God. They wanted to go back rather than trust God at His word. He had never been unfaithful, and so what evidence did Israel have to be uncertain in His promises? None. Such is the rebellious heart of man that denies the truth because he doesn't like it and he doesn't want it.

As my earlier post from John Owen's writings declares to such as us who need to "remember" God's faithfulness that we might not "forget" God's mercy and grace and long-suffering and steadfast love and faithfulness and forgiveness and justness: call out to God, flee to Christ, and look for Him and His deliverance, for He will surely supply the need.