Originally posted: 07/23/2019
“Remember Your servants, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; do not look at the stubbornness of this people or at their wickedness or their sin,” (9:27).
I admit I much prefer seeing the grace side of God. I dare say we all do. We are desperate for His grace and mercy, for we are no different than His stubborn rebellious children who wandered through the wilderness intent on provoking Him to wrath.
As uncomfortable and frightening as it is to dig into the wrath side, we cannot ignore the truth. The truth is our own righteousness is worthless and empty, and accomplishes nothing. The truth is we deserve His wrath.
And in the midst of all the stubbornness and rebellion, and yes, His wrath, our hope emerges… He Remembers.
Consider Him Who Remembers
- He Remembers His Oath.
- “Do not say in your heart when the Lord your God has driven them out before you, ‘Because of my righteousness the Lord has brought me in to possess this land,’ but it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord is dispossessing them before you. 5 It is not for your righteousness or for the uprightness of your heart that you are going to possess their land, but it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord your God is driving them out before you, in order to confirm the oath which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,” (9:4-5).
- He Remembers His Servants.
- “I prayed to the Lord and said, ‘O Lord God, do not destroy Your people, even Your inheritance, whom You have redeemed through Your greatness, whom You have brought out of Egypt with a mighty hand. 27 Remember Your servants, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; do not look at the stubbornness of this people or at their wickedness or their sin,’” (9:26-27).
How do we respond to Him Who Remembers?
We too must remember… We cannot appeal to the LORD for His favor based on our own righteousness.
“Know, then, it is not because of your righteousness that the Lord your God is giving you this good land to possess, for you are a stubborn people. 7 Remember, do not forget how you provoked the Lord your God to wrath in the wilderness; from the day that you left the land of Egypt until you arrived at this place, you have been rebellious against the Lord,” (9:6-7).
We must remember, we are no different than His people in the wilderness. All of us our stubborn and intent on going our own way. And if left to ourselves, we will wither in our sin.
For all of us have become like one who is unclean,
And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment;
And all of us wither like a leaf,
And our iniquities, like the wind, take us away, (Isaiah 64:6).
- We must remember… He Who Remembers will judge wickedness.
- “I will pronounce My judgments on them concerning all their wickedness, whereby they have forsaken Me and have offered sacrifices to other gods, and worshiped the works of their own hands,” (Jeremiah 1:16).
- We must remember… He Who Remembers sent His Promised Son, that we might be saved from our sins.
- “She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” 22 Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us,” (Matthew 1:21-23).
- “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. 18 He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God,” (John 3:17-18).
- “Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins,” (John 8:24).
- We must remember… Our only hope is in Him Who Remembers His Oath. He has promised our deliverance from sin and eternal inheritance in Christ Jesus.
- For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord, (Romans 6:23).
- We must remember… We can draw near to Him Who Remembers His Servant, Jesus Christ. As Moses prayed for the children of Israel, our Redeemer lives to ever make intercession for us.
- Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; 34 who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us, (Romans 8:33-34).
- Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them, (Hebrews 7:25).
Though we deserve His wrath, when we come in faith to His Servant, the Savior Who went to the cross not for any wrong He had done, but only for our sins, we can ask Him to Remember us. And He Who Remembers has promised that we will be with Him forever in Paradise!
“And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” 42 And he was saying, “Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!” 43 And He said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise,” (Luke 23:41-43).