Is God Forgetful?

Readings for today: Exodus 2-4, Matthew 16:5-28

“And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. God saw the people of Israel—and God knew.” (Exodus‬ ‭2:24-25‬)

My family has a history of dementia. Early onset Alzheimer’s. Diseases that rob us of our precious memories and make strangers of those we love. My grandfather died in his middle thirties due to this disease. My aunt when she was in her early sixties. My grandmother on my mother’s side spent the last few years of her life in an almost catatonic state. So I know the journey. I know the pain of watching someone you love slip away from you while they are still living.

I’m also a pastor. As such, I’ve spent countless hours with people who wonder if they’ve been forgotten by God. They go through incredible hardship and pain. They face great tragedy in their lives. They wrestle with deep depression and demonic powers. And they feel all alone. They cry out to God in their suffering and they wonder if He hears their cries. I often take them back to these verses from Exodus.

Surely the people of Israel must have wondered if God had forgotten them. Remember, God has not yet revealed Himself on Sinai. He has not yet given them the Law nor the plans for the Tabernacle. They have not seen His presence. They have not witnesses His miracles. The Red Sea. The wilderness wandering. The journey to the Promised Land. All of that is still in the future. All they have to go on is a few stories that have been handed generation after generation about a God who chose the family of Abraham to be His people. That’s it. And now they’ve lived in Egypt for many years. They’ve multiplied greatly. They’ve been enslaved. They’ve been abused. They’ve even suffered genocide as Pharaoh attempted to kill all their male children. Such is life when one serves a man who sets himself up as a god-king.

Thankfully, the Bible says, God “remembers” His covenant promises. God “hears” the groaning of His people. God “sees” their suffering and pain. God “knows” what’s happening. These words are what’s known as “anthropomorphisms.” They are human attempts to describe God. Due to our limited, finite understanding, we human beings often project onto God our own human attributes. It’s our way of trying to make sense of things. In the fullness of time, God calls Moses to deliver His people. In the fullness of time, God sends Moses and Aaron to confront Pharaoh. In the fullness of time, God will make Himself known not only to His own people but to all people everywhere. He will clearly demonstrate for the world who is God and who is not. He will do this by bringing the world’s mightiest empire and the world’s mightiest ruler to their knees. He will harden Pharaoh’s heart. Not allowing him to escape until God has had His way. He will rain down plague after plague until all the magicians in Egypt are exhausted and spent. He will defend and protect His people from any and all harm. In this way, they will know and come to understand their special place His chosen, set apart ones.

Friends, God still remembers His covenant promises. It’s why He sent His one and only Son. Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of all God has promised. He is the Second Adam. The Faithful Israelite. He lives a life of perfect obedience. He is the perfect Passover lamb who is sacrificed on our behalf. He delivers us from the powers of sin and death and evil by dying on the cross. He parts the Temple curtain so that we might gain access to God. He clearly demonstrates His authority over Satan and all his demonic forces by rising from the dead. All this He does for us. All this He does to deliver us. All this He does to save us. Yes, in this world we will face suffering. In this world, we will face trials and temptations. In this world, we will experience pain but we look to Jesus and take heart. In Christ, we know God sees us. God hears us. God remembers us. And God answers us.

Readings for tomorrow: Exodus 5-6, Matthew 17