The “key” words today … “They remembered not.”

Israel, dissatisfied with the Lord, “forgot” all His Benefits.

Out Text continues to be Psalm 78.

Now we’ve arrived at verses 42-51, a unity, a paragraph.

“THEY REMEMBERED NOT … his hand, nor the day when he delivered them from the enemy. How he had wrought his signs in Egypt, and his wonders in the field of Zoan: and had turned their rivers into blood; and their floods, that they could not drink. He sent divers sorts of flies among them, which devoured them; and frogs, which destroyed them. He gave also their increase unto the caterpiller, and their labour unto the locust. He destroyed their vines with hail, and their sycomore trees with frost. He gave up their cattle also to the hail, and their flocks to hot thunderbolts. He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, and indignation, and trouble, by sending evil angels among them. He made a way to his anger; he spared not their soul from death, but gave their life over to the pestilence; and smote all the firstborn in Egypt; the chief of their strength in the tabernacles of Ham.” Wow, a lot to sinfully “forget!”!

The Hebrew verb “to remember” is “zakar,” meaning “to call to mind.” But also “to mention!” Then 6 times it is translated “to think.” Ponder, re-live God’s goodness!

But Israel “let them slip,” those great deliverances God effected on her behalf.

By the way, we too often do the same thing.

Let’s notice the list, proving God did not forget!

They forgot God’s Hand, His Power!

Essentially in this Text, they forgot the “plagues” God poured upon Egypt.

The word used for those miracles, “signs,” means “signals.” Or “tokens.”

Such as … the rivers being turned into blood!

The flies and frogs, which did not infest the area where the Jews lived!

They did not remember the locusts and the hail either!

Apparently they also failed to recall the “deaths” of Egypt’s firstborn boys!

Ten plagues, all from the Hand of God … to defend the Nation of Israel … no longer emphasized in the national psyche. Historical revisionism!

By the way, as is often the case in Bible “parallel” accounts, we learn some new things here. For example, Moses in Exodus did not write about the frost! Psalm 78:47 I mean: “He (the Lord God) destroyed their sycomore trees with frost.” Amazing!

Also verse 49 tells us that God sent … “evil angels among them.”  We might call them “guardian angels,” further shielding Israel!

How could they forget?

Psalm 103:2-5 adds to the chorus: “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and FORGET NOT ALL HIS BENEFITS: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”

Precious!

Hebrews 2:1 warns us too, New Testament Christians … “Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, LEST AT ANY TIME WE SHOULD LET THEM SLIP.”

Enough has been said, surely!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

Don’t forget!