Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 13:8-10

8 And thou shalt shew thy son in that day, saying, This is done because of that which the Lord did unto me when I came forth out of Egypt.

9 And it shall be for a sign unto thee upon thine hand, and for a memorial between thine eyes, that the Lord’s law may be in thy mouth: for with a strong hand hath the Lord brought thee out of Egypt.

10 Thou shalt therefore keep this ordinance in his season from year to year.

Once again the Israelites were instructed to point their children to the miracles in Egypt whenever they held their yearly Passover. Constantly reinforcing the reasons for the tradition in this way would help to prevent any adulteration of the practice, such as co-opting it for pagan rituals.

This idea of teaching and reminding the rising generation is continued in verse 9. Here we have the first reference to the phylacteries, small boxes with rolls of scripture that could be bound to the back of the hand or across the forehead. The wearing of the phylacteries would be the literal fulfillment of God’s commandment, and recalling His instructions in every thought and action would be the metaphorical fulfillment.

The notion of teaching the next generation what God had done previously and instilling faith in those past events has always been an essential element of discipleship. As I mentioned yesterday, the Israelites in Moses’s time were already far removed from the miracles that Abraham saw; they only had stories of those events. Of course, now they had seen their own set of miracles in Egypt, but their children would again only have the stories. Eventually, those children would see the parting of the Jordan River and the falling of Jericho, but the children’s children would again only have the stories. And so on and so on. Now and again, God’s people do see incredible signs and wonders, but in between those special moments, the belief is preserved by faith in the stories of old. We believers operate by trust and hope, living our lives in anticipation and reflection, only receiving a surety when we pass to the other side.

Posted on by Abe Austin

The Virtue of Remembering- Hebrews 10:17; Alma 36:17, 19

And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.

And it came to pass that as I was thus racked with torment, while I was harrowed up by the memory of my many sins, behold, I remembered also to have heard my father prophesy unto the people concerning the coming of one Jesus Christ, a Son of God, to atone for the sins of the world.
And now, behold, when I thought this, I could remember my pains no more; yea, I was harrowed up by the memory of my sins no more.

COMMENTARY

And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more
Thus far we have spent a great while discussing the need for constant remembrance. But here we come to a very interesting verse, one where God attests to His own selective remembrance. One of the most encouraging things that we can ever remember is that God doesn’t have to.
Of course the assumption is not that God loses a piece of His infinite knowledge, but rather that when we are willing to repent, He does not care to hold on to the offense anymore. “Remembering no more” means being able to release the guilt and condemnation of it.

While I was harrowed up by the memory of my many sins, I remembered also to have heard concerning the coming of one Jesus Christ
And now, behold, when I thought this, I could remember my pains no more; yea, I was harrowed up by the memory of my sins no more
And, thankfully, this isn’t a miracle that is exclusive to God. We, too, can let go the remembrance of our own damnation. Yes, we will still remember our actions, but we do not have to live in our guilt and our shame once we have had them taken from us. The lively terror of being cast off can be surrendered forever.
Alma illustrates this beautifully in his account of how he was kept in a horrible remembrance of pain, which he was then able to replace with the remembrance of Jesus’s atonement. And just like that a bitter memory was turned into something beautiful.

Posted on by Abe Austin

The Virtue of Remembering- Exodus 13:16, Hebrews 10:16

And it shall be for a token upon thine hand, and for frontlets between thine eyes: for by strength of hand the Lord brought us forth out of Egypt.

This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;

COMMENTARY

And it shall be for a token upon thine hand, and for frontlets between thine eyes
The Ancient Israelites took strips of paper, wrote scriptures upon them, and bound them to their hands and foreheads. Yes, this practice was to help them remember the words, but the exact placement chosen by the Lord was meant to suggest something further. Upon the forehead to imply seeing the will of God wherever you look. Upon the hand to imply doing the work of God in all that you do.
The Israelites were being told to not just remember the words, but by the remembering be moved by them. Remembering God’s words is meant to color every aspect of our life, not be sequestered into a single meeting at church.

I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them
In this verse we are promised that God’s law will be written into our minds, suggesting that we remember the words of it always. But as with the Israelites of old, if we stop at remembering the words only we have only received half of the promise. For also we are told that the law is to be put into our hearts as well. We need to know the law, but we need to feel it, too. We need to remember its injunctions, but also its intent. We need to consider its structure, but also its joy.