2.8.26 – Oops, I Forgot

Pentecost/Shavuot is going to be here before you know it! Huh? We have not even gotten to Passover (Pesach) 2026 yet.

In our Torah portion this past week, Yitro, we came to Pentecost/Shavuot—the first recorded Pentecost. With Pentecost just a few months away, I am anticipating an amazing move of the Spirit. As we move through these winter months, we have been experiencing increased sensitivity to the Father's leading, which often leads to more conviction! The Spirit has been speaking more intimately, and the pathway for us to walk is defined to a greater degree. It is not only a time of reflection, but it is also a time of preparation. As the nation and the world are going through birth pangs, we too in the mishpocheh (family) are in labor, as the Messiah is being formed inside of us. The lines are being drawn between good and evil. It is time to declare boldly to the world which side you are pitching your tent on!

During our Sabbath gathering yesterday, we examined the Ten Devarim (the Ten Commandments). We examined each of the ten individually, but took a very non-traditional approach to them (what's new with you, Mr. Obvious :-). In years past, we have compared each of them with one another to find the related principles (1–6, 2–7, 3–8, 4–9, 5–10). We then took those five principles and identified one central theme to simplify even more the thread that connects them all. When it was all said and done, it was made abundantly clear to me that I need to spend more intimate time allowing the Spirit to work inside of me in preparation for Pentecost/Shavuot 2026.

Moses gave to Israel a great word of advice when he said, in Deuteronomy 8:11:

"Be very careful lest you forget the Lord your God, by not keeping his commandments and his judgments and his statutes."
(Deut. 8:11)

I think we are all in the same boat when it comes to our spiritual focus. Personally, one minute I am on top of Mount Everest, closer to the Father than ever before! In tune with the Spirit. Following in the steps of the Messiah. The next minute, the simplest behavior pattern of who I am following goes out the window. Sometimes I lose that focus. Sometimes I drift. Sometimes I just forget. It is this reality that Moses is warning us about.

So, if I am not going to forget, what should I focus on? Remembering? That would sound logical, but that is only partially correct. There is more to forgetting than we imagine. The essence of forgetting is spelled out in this verse. It is the failure to keep the commandments. Forgetting is not a mental lapse. Forgetting is the failure to act in accordance with the new nature placed inside of us when we were born from above (2 Cor. 5:17). The antonym of "forget" is "obey." The synonym of "forget" is "pride."

The implications are unnerving. In the Bible's view of forgetting (shakach), it is completely possible to actually remember all the necessary facts about Yahweh and still forget Him. I can have all the doctrine committed to memory. I can quote Scripture. I can say the creeds and perform all the proper religious rituals. It means nothing. I have still forgotten Him if I do not act according to His commandments. My religious mental accumulation carries no weight if I lie, perform unfaithful acts, usurp His authority, attempt to use His name and power for personal gain, serve any other thing as greater than Him, or carry any inward motivation that could lead to illegitimate actions.

We should ask ourselves a serious question at this point: Why is forgetting a synonym of pride? Because when I forget Yahweh by failing to act in accordance with His character, I endorse my own self-sufficiency. I act as though my own efforts bring about my success. I assume an attitude of personal ability. And in the process, I violate the first Devarim.

May it not be said of us that we have forgotten the Almighty! Reality says: you might not know all the theology. You may not remember every Hebrew word or Greek nuance. But none of that determines the accusation of forgetfulness. Your life—your daily actions—demonstrate whether or not you have forgotten the King of glory. Your thoughts and desires reveal whether or not you serve the Lord of lords. Your attitudes display whether or not you bow down to idols.

Sometimes we go into "default setting," falling back into our old habits with new terminology, and call that "obedience." That happens when our daily behaviors include ignoring or betraying others (principles 1 & 6), betraying relationships (principles 2 & 7), violating His name and others' goods (principles 3 & 8), not safeguarding the truth (principles 4 & 9), and finally, not doing away with yourself (principles 5 & 10).

These five principles that link together the Ten Devarim are the keys to us not forgetting His mitzvot (commandments). Simply put, if you do not violate your body, your relationships, your possessions, your reputation, or yourself, you will have the fundamentals to not forget His commandments, judgments, and statutes.

It is a good day not to forget!

Enjoy living life! Remember, "don't forget!"

Shalom,
Alan

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

4.4.26 ~ Can You Count to Three?

Image
Today, Saturday 4/4/26, many will celebrate the day that Yeshua was visibly seen risen from the grave (John 20:1; Matt. 28:1–10; Luke 24:1–10)! The day after His resurrection, Yeshua would be out ministering to the doubts of His disciples, helping them realize that He is alive and that the purpose of His resurrection would be catalyzed by their lives. For the disciples closest to Yeshua and those who stood at a safe distance away, it was a time of doubt. The enemy was in hot pursuit. They were fearful for their lives, but just at the God-appointed time, their salvation appeared.  Does that sound vaguely familiar? It should. Earlier this week, on the day after Passover—the 15th of the first month—the natural-born Israelites and those who joined them through the blood of the Lamb exited Egypt and headed toward the sea. In just a few days, during the Feast of Unleavened Bread, Pharaoh would not be happy that he let the Israelites go; he felt betrayed, and he was hot (Ex. 14:5–9). Mose...
Read more

3.20.25

Good morning! Yesterday, we learned some essential truths about how to 'be still and know that He is God (Psa. 46:10). Today, I want to ask you a different question based on life's ability to throw a wide variety of circumstances at us!  One of the most difficult situations is when we are threatened by someone or some circumstance. Have you ever been threatened?  Oh, maybe no one came up to you with a gun, or shouted at you with malice, or told you that you were going to be tortured or punished.  Maybe all the threat you ever had was the innuendo of rejection, or the social snub or something much less violent than jail time.  But my guess is that if you are traveling the road with Yeshua, living a Torah lifestyle, you know what it means to be threatened. Every time the circumstances of your life look as though they are about to cave in, you are threatened.  It might not be a threat from a physical enemy, then again...but we all know that in one form or another t...
Read more

3.22.25

Good morning! Shabbat shalom! Although the portion of Vayakhel/and he assembled is almost entirely focused on the construction of the tabernacle, it begins by reminding the children of Israel that no work may be done on the Sabbath (Ex. 35:2,3). Why does it begin here rather than jumping right into how to construct the Tabernacle? Enquiring minds want to know :-) By placing the topic of the Sabbath against the construction of the Tabernacle it's God's way of defining the boundaries of the Sabbath...that even the most intimate work for the Lord needs to be put aside for His 'Date Day'. However, upon further investigation, there’s another layer to understand that connects us back to the golden calf (Ex. 32). As we know, while Moses was up on the mount getting the instructions from God the children of Israel decided to make an object that would replace Moses, their deliverer; The object, later known as the golden calf, originally intended as a 'necessary' means to ...
Read more