Remembering God’s deliverance is something the Lord wants for all of us. Because, in doing so, we grow in thankfulness and praise for what He has done. There are several times in the Bible when God called people to remember.
God delivered the Israelites from slavery from the Egyptians, and they were always to remember. The Lord gave the Jews the Passover feast, an annual celebration to remember God’s deliverance. Exodus 13:3 So Moses said to the people, “This is a day to remember forever—the day you left Egypt, the place of your slavery. Today, the Lord has brought you out by the power of his mighty hand.[1]
Purim Remembers God’s Deliverance
By God’s intervention in the days of Queen Esther of Persia, God prevented the Jewish people from being killed. The Jewish people created a time of remembrance called Purim to remember what God did. Esther 9:23 So, the Jews accepted Mordecai’s proposal and adopted this annual custom. 24 Haman, son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews, had plotted to crush and destroy them on the date determined by casting lots (the lots were called purim). 25 But when Esther came before the king, he issued a decree causing Haman’s evil plot to backfire, and Haman and his sons were impaled on a sharpened pole. 26 That is why this celebration is called Purim, because it is the ancient word for casting lots. [2] The Jewish people still celebrate Purim thousands of years later to remember and thank the Lord for His deliverance.
Jesus Calls Us to Remember
The most remarkable deliverance of the Lord came when Jesus died on the cross for our sins. When Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper the day before He was crucified, He wanted us to remember because we soon forget. Luke 22: 19 He took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 20 After supper, he took another cup of wine and said, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood, which is poured out as a sacrifice for you. [3]
It is essential for all of us to regularly remember what the Lord has done for us, especially His death on the cross. As people, we are forgetful; when we forget, we complain. When we remember what Jesus has done, we look up to Him and give thanks because He changed our lives and eternity. Thinking about one day going to heaven always brings a smile to my face and lifts my spirit. That is the power of remembering God’s deliverance and love for us.
To learn more, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/triumph-of-the-jews
[1-3] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation . Tyndale House Publishers.