Remember

You are to live in sukkot for seven days; every citizen of Isra’el is to live in a sukkah, so that generation after generation of you will know that I made the people of Isra’el live in sukkot when I brought them out of the land of Egypt; I am Adonai your God. Leviticus 23:42-43

Moshe said to the people, “Remember this day, on which you left Egypt, the abode of slavery; because Adonai, by the strength of his hand, has brought you out of this place. Do not eat hametz (leavened dough) Exodus 13:3

Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and Adonai your God redeemed you; that is why I am giving you this order today. Deuteronomy 15:15

Multiple times, Adonai admonished the people of Israel to remember and know that He delivered them out of the land of Egypt, out of slavery and bondage. He wanted each generation to remember that they were brought forth into freedom with Him, that He tabernacled with them in the wilderness, and that He went before them. It was why He set up the Feast of Sukkot to be an annual feast, a feast of remembrance of what only a sovereign God can do. A time to remember the victory of Egypt that He single handedly won. A time to remember that He led them by a pillar of cloud and fire. A time to remember that He gave them water when there was none, manna and quail when there was no food, but most importantly, a time to remember when He gave them His mitavah, His commandments, and of course, the tabernacle. It was when He separated them and made them His people through the covenant with Moses. We know from the Word however, that after the generation that dwelt in the desert, they forgot.

When that entire generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation arose that knew neither Adonai nor the work he had done for Isra’el. Judges 2:10

It is important that we do not forget that Yeshua brought us each out of our own Egypt. He delivered us each out of the hand of the enemy. We look at the Children of Israel and think, “I would never have grumbled against Moses or God after seeing all that He had done for them.” It is easy to judge them, after all they had huge physical manifestations of God’s presence with them day and night. How often do we repeat their mistakes? I prayed for “insert situation here”, but when we see that it is taking a long time for our prayer to be answered, just as they saw it was taking Moses a long time to come down off the mountain, do we create our own golden calf and say, “Here is God, who delivered me out of Egypt”? (Exodus 32:1-8) Do we quickly forget the miracles of manna and quail that He did for us yesterday when He doesn’t move as quickly as we feel He should and say, “I would be better off back in Egypt. At least I had ‘this’.”?

David penned in Psalm 103,

[1] Bless Adonai, my soul! Everything in me, bless his holy name! [2] Bless Adonai, my soul, and forget none of his benefits! [3] He forgives all your offenses, he heals all your diseases, [4] He redeems your l

life from the pit, he surrounds you with grace and compassion, [5] he contents you with good as long as you live, so that your youth is renewed like an eagle’s.

When we remember, we are to remember the work of God and what He did to deliver us and restore us unto Him. Our eyes are to be fixed on Him, not back in Egypt itself. If we focus more on remembering what was in Egypt rather than on how He saved us out of it, it becomes tempting to want to return, just as the Israelites did. While we should not live in the past, it is important to remember the works He does in our lives as they are a testimony to show forth His greatness.

David learned a most important lesson concerning remembering. When bringing the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem, He placed it on a new cart pulled by oxen. While dancing and celebrating the return, the oxen stumbled when they reached Nakhon’s threshing-floor, and Uzah, reached out to steady the ark to keep it from falling, and was struck dead instantly. David was upset, but also frightened and asked, “How can the ark of Adonai come to me?” (2 Samuel 6:1-9)

In the Torah (Numbers 4:1-20) it was told how the ark was to be moved, and why Uzah was struck down. When Aharon and his sons have finished covering the holy furnishings and all the holy utensils, when the camp is about to move forward, then the descendants of K’hat are to come and carry them. But they are not to touch the holy things, so that they won’t die. These things are the responsibility of the descendants of K’hat in the tent of meeting. (V. 15)

It was three months before the Ark made it into the city. David returned to the Torah and had the priests carry the ark as it had been instructed to Moses. When we do not remember, we run the danger of becoming prideful. We take the holiness of God a lot less serious than we should and we treat the things of God a bit carelessly. I say this from personal experience. There have been times that God has had to knock me down a few pegs and like the scene in The Lion King, He says, “Remember who you are!” It forces me to remember, because the truth is, I was and still am a sinner in need of a savior. 1 John 1:8-10 says, If we claim not to have sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we acknowledge our sins, then, since he is trustworthy and just, he will forgive them and purify us from all wrongdoing. If we claim we have not been sinning, we are making him out to be a liar, and his Word is not in us.

When we remember the Egypt that we have been brought out of, it leads us to a place of praise and thankfulness for our deliverance and salvation. When we come to the place of praise and thankfulness, we take our focus off ourselves and put it where it belongs, on Him. Psalm 100 reads:

1[0] A psalm of thanksgiving:

[1] Shout for joy to Adonai, all the earth! [2] Serve Adonai with gladness. Enter his presence with joyful songs. [3] Be aware that Adonai is God; it is he who made us, and we are his, his people, the flock in his pasture. [4] enter his gates with thanksgiving, enter his courtyards with praise; give thanks to him and bless his name. [5] For Adonai is good, his grace continues forever, and his faithfulness lasts through all generations.

While I do not physically celebrate the Feast of Sukkot, I do in my spirit. I remember what I’ve been brought from. I offer sacrifices of praise to Him, and tabernacle with Him. I spend time with Him in His Word and in prayer. And I remember what HE did on the cross for me. This fall, during the time that the Jewish people celebrate this feast, I will remember with them. I will remember what He did for them all those years ago and I will thank Him for what He is doing now. I will read the designated scriptures and look forward to the day that I will get to be with Him and tabernacle with Him for eternity. I will remember.