Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Remeber that you were slaves in Egypt... Deuteronomy 16:12


Knowing what we were helps us know better what we are. We are told when one is in the Lord the old is gone, the new has come. How is what is new different than what is old? Freedom rather than slavery.  As a noun slave refers to a person who is the legal property of another and is forced to obey; as a verb slave means having to work excessively hard. 

Yes, we are born 'free' and 'equal'. So it is NOT easy to admit that one used to be (maybe still is) a "slave" in a slave farm (of one sort or another). So some folks say, "We have 'never' been slaves to anyone." But the Lord says in effect, "Yes you were and still are, for anyone who sins is a slave to sin.... And a slave has no permanent place in the family." John 8

Brain of Chimpanzee [Wikipedia]

The command "remember" is suggestive of forgetfulness. In order not to forget one has to make consious efforts not to forget. According to Moses, remembering is not enough, for there is the call to celebrate, that is, celebrate "Feast of the Passover, Feast of the Firstfruits [resurrection], Feast of Tabernacles [practicing the life in the kingdom to come]", or according to the Apostle Paul celebrate "the life that is transformed with ever increasing glory", or according to Job, celebrate the life that waits for the renewal to come. Job 14:14 Or according to Solomon, celebrate the life that is upward mobile, for the path of life leads upward for the wise to keep him from going down to the grave. Pro 15:24 (+ Pro 12:28).

P.S.: We are told brain consists of five functional areas - Memory, attention, speed, flexibility and problem-solving. But do these functions involve only physical aspects like chemical reactions? Once Ronald Reagan said, "Never forget that we are one nation under God", and then he died of alzheimer's disease. And many of  us already have forgotten what he preached us NOT to do. So what is the remedy for the memory lapse? What can reverse the process?

1 comment:

dan said...

perhaps it is to be "hidden" in Christ.