Exodus: Bondage, Deliverance, and Passover: As Yet

How Easily We Forget

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: Old Testament Studies

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2018-05-11

Synopsis: John Weaver warns that forgetting God's works leads to forgetting His covenant and ultimately forgetting God Himself, resulting in idolatry and spiritual decline. Using Israel's rapid forgetfulness after the Exodus and the church at Ephesus leaving its first love, he calls believers to remember, repent, and return to their first love and works.

[John Weaver] so diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thine heart all the days of thy life, but teach them thy sons and thy sons' sons." How easily we forget. I suppose that probably some of the most famous words, or at least the ones most frequently spoken are, I forgot. We may use such similar phrases as it slipped my mind, or I guess I was just not thinking, but it all boils down to the simple thing that we actually forgot. And as we age, the tendency is that we forget a little more frequently.

[John Weaver] Now, most of you are not at the age that you have come to the realization that I do, because oftentimes I will think of something I need to do, I'll get up, go in the other room, I'm thinking two or three other things, and I get in the other room, I think, now why did I come in this room? What was I going to do? And I have to pause a few minutes, and finally it comes back, yes, and the truth is I just forgot.

[John Weaver] When Alice's mother, granny Doris was alive, she started getting very forgetful. And so Alice and I bought her some ginkgo biloba to take, which is supposedly help the memory. And so we were driving to church on Sunday morning, she was in the backseat. And she said, I think that stuff is really helping me. Well, I said, helping what granny, she said helping my memory. I said, well, what stuff is that?

[John Weaver] She says, I forgot, I don't know. And we laughed, but you know, that's just normal. That's natural in one sense of the word. One day, you have to understand that we forget not only little things at times, we forget important things as well. I guess one of my main concerns out of my 53 years of preaching was that I would forget a meeting, or I'd forget a preaching appointment.

[John Weaver] Thankfully, I never have, but it was always in the back of my mind. I sure would hate to do something like that. I would hate for that to slip up on me. But we forget all the time. One day, Alice and I were at the house, and our girls started calling us. And each one of them said, happy anniversary. And I looked at her, and she looked at me, We had both forgotten our anniversary.

[John Weaver] Now it would have been really bad had it just been me. But thankfully she forgot it as well. And then we just laughed and talked about how busy we've really been and hadn't even really thought about it. But I want you to look back at Deuteronomy chapter 4. I want you to look at verse 9 again and then verse 10 in connection with it. Deuteronomy chapter four verse nine.

[John Weaver] God says only take heed to thyself And keep my soul diligently now watch lest thou forget the things that thine eyes have seen Unless they depart from thine heart all the days of thy life, but teach them my sons and my sons sons specially or specifically the day that thou stoodest before the lord thy god in horah when the Lord said unto me, Gather me the people together, and I will make them hear my words, that they may learn to fear me all the days that they shall live upon the earth, and they may teach them their children. So I want to point out the fact that they were not to forget the things that their eyes had seen. This included not only the miracles of God, but the judgment of God.

[John Weaver] Let me just put it like this. It would include what you and I would call the works of God. And God says you want to pay close attention to this, that you will not forget those things which your eyes have seen. You're not only going to pass them on to your son, but to your son's sons as well.

[John Weaver] Now, here's an interesting thing. When God is warning us not to forget the things which we have seen, when He warns us not to forget His works, when we do forget His works, There is another step. I want you to look in Deuteronomy chapter 4 in verse 23. Note, if you would, very carefully, Deuteronomy 4 verse 23. In this verse, God says very simply, Take heed unto yourselves, lest you forget the covenant of the Lord your God, which he made with you, and make you a graven image or the likeness of anything which the Lord thy God hath forbidden thee. Now notice, if you would, in Deuteronomy chapter 4 in verse 9, he was warning us not to forget his works. Now, in Deuteronomy 4, verse 23, he's warning us not to forget his covenant. Now, when we think about a covenant, We normally think of the Old Covenant. But may I remind you that the word testament is identical to the word covenant. So when we talk about the Old Testament or the New Testament, we're actually talking about the Old Covenant and the New Covenant.

[John Weaver] And what happened in the Old Testament was Israel forgot the covenant of God. What is happening in the New Testament is that we as Christians are forgetting the New Covenant that we have in the Lord Jesus Christ. And the interesting thing there, he talks about idolatry. He says when you forget the covenant, you're going to make of yourself some kind of false god. But may I remind you again, you don't have to bow down before a graven idol to worship a false god, because Colossians 3 and verse 5 tells us that covetousness is idolatry. So whenever we do anything that is wicked and wrong, and we place ourselves and our desires above God, that is idolatry.

[John Weaver] So let me ask you this question. How often do you really think of the word of God? How about these questions? How often do you think of the promises of God? How often do you think of the blessings of God? How often do you think of the curses of God? How often do you think of the warnings of God? You see, the truth of the matter is, it is so easy for you and I to forget. We easily, readily, and quickly forget. We forget not only our profession of faith, we even forget our baptismal oath. You say, did I take an oath at my baptism?

[John Weaver] You probably did, you may not have realized it. Do you realize that in the New Testament, the original baptismal formula was three words in Greek. They would simply say, Jesus is Lord. That was the original confession, Jesus is Lord. Now, the point being, most people do not realize the importance of those words, but you have to remember back in those days, Caesar was claiming to be Lord.

[John Weaver] And by the way, Christians in the Roman Empire were not put to death for being Christians. Because in the Roman Empire, you could believe whatever you wanted to believe. If you wanted to worship Zeus, have at it. If you wanted to worship Harpo Marx, you could go for that too, if he had been alive back then. But whatever you believed and whoever you worship once a year, you would have to swear by the genius of Caesar and say, Caesar is Lord. That is, Caesar gives me the right to believe as I believe. And the early Christians refused to say that Caesar is Lord because they confessed that Jesus Christ is Lord. And consequently, it carried the death penalty because then Christians were viewed as traitors and treasonous individuals to the emperor cult. So when someone said in the New Testament, Jesus is Lord. They were basically signing their own death warrant because they were willing to deny that Caesar was Lord and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

[John Weaver] Today, usually when you talk about a baptismal service, most people just kind of skip it like, well, it's just a little simple. No, it's not just a little simple ordinance. You remember even Paul told Timothy, remember the good confession that you've made before so many witnesses. He's talking about the baptismal confession at Timothy's baptism because he confessed that Jesus Christ is Lord. So when we forget the works of God, the next step is that we forget the covenant of God. And then usually once you forget the works of God and the covenant of God, there is another step, and that is that you forget God. Like Demas, whom Paul said, has forsaken me, having loved this present evil world, individuals soon prefer their own flesh and their lusts over the grace and mercy and goodness of God. Let me show you.

[John Weaver] Look in Deuteronomy 6, if you would please, and verse 12. Now remember, he's already warned them about forgetting the works of God. He's warned them about forgetting the covenant of God. So now in Deuteronomy chapter 6 and verse 12, he says this, Then beware, lest thou forget the Lord who brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt from the house of bondage. Ah, look, if you would, Deuteronomy 8 and verse 11. Deuteronomy 8 and verse 11, he says it again, Beware that thou forget not the Lord thy God, in not keeping his commandments and his judgments and his statutes which I command thee this day. Notice if you would, these passages now are not just reminding you not to forget the works of God, the covenants of God, but they're saying don't forget God himself. Look in verse 14. Then thine heart be lifted up and thou forget the Lord thy God which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt from the house of Padish. And then verse 19. And it shall be, if thou do it all, forget the Lord thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them.

[John Weaver] I testify against you this day that you shall perish. So I want you to know there is a progress here. And the progress is you just simply forget all the works of God, his judgments, his miracles, his grace, his mercy. Then you begin to forget the covenant of God. You cease obeying his commandments. You cease following his law. And the ultimate end of that is you end up basically forgetting God. And anytime you forget God, you actually replace Him.

[John Weaver] That's what He's warning about. Now, you're going to say, well, I'm not going to replace the one true and the living God. I mean, I know that Jesus Christ is Lord. I know that there's only one God who's revealed Himself in Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. I understand that. But may I remind you again, and I'm gonna give you a scripture, that when we give in to the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of the life, we are idolaters. Did you know that the Apostle Paul spoke of individuals whose God was their belly? He said in Philippians chapter three in verse 19, whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things. In other words, God is absent from their thought. That's one of the charges that is made against the wicked there in Psalm 10. God is not in all of their thoughts. And so the progress is you forget the works of God, you forget the covenant of God, and you end up forgetting God himself, because now you're replacing him with your fancies and your whims and your desires.

[John Weaver] Now, let me ask you, do you remember how Israel was delivered out of Egypt? Do you recall reading in your Bibles all the mighty works and displays of God's power? Do you remember everything that God did to the Egyptians? And by the way, I want to take the time to show you just four verses. And I had to be selective because there are so many verses that talks about this, where God is calling his people to remember specifically his mighty works, his outstretched arm, and his power.

[John Weaver] So if you'll look in the book of Deuteronomy, first of all, chapter 4 and verse 34. Go back to Deuteronomy 4, verse 34, and look what God asks. Deuteronomy 4, verse 34. He asked, or hath God assayed to go and take him a nation from the midst of another nation by temptations, by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by a mighty hand, and by a stretched out arm, and by great terrors, according to all that the Lord your God did for you

[John Weaver] in Egypt before your eyes. Now note, if you would please, He talks about the temptations, the signs, the wonders, war, the mighty hand of God, the stretched out arm and the great terrors. And note, he says, according to all that the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes, you saw it. You remember those things. Look in your Bibles, if you would, the Deuteronomy chapter seven and verse 19. Deuteronomy 7 in verse 19. Again, he says it like this. The great temptations which thine eyes saw and the signs and the wonders and the mighty hand and the stretched out arm whereby the Lord thy God brought thee out, so shall the Lord thy God do unto all the people whom thou art afraid. But note again, he's talking about the great temptations, the signs, the wonders, the mighty hand, the stretch out arms. He said, which thine eyes saw. You were there. You were witnesses. Look at Deuteronomy chapter 26 and verse 8. Deuteronomy 26 and verse 8. Again, God says this, and the Lord brought us forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand and with an outstretched arm and with great terribleness and with signs and wonders.

[John Weaver] God brought them out. Note, if you would, in Deuteronomy chapter 34 and verse 12. Deuteronomy 34 and verse 12. There are many other verses that talk about this, but note Deuteronomy 34 and verse 12. He says, In all that mighty hand and in all the great terror which Moses showed in the sight of all Israel.

[John Weaver] Now stop and put all these passages together, because each one of these passages now happen to be talking about God's mighty power, his outstretched arm, his mighty hand, his wonders, his temptations, his signs, his terror, the war that he waged against the Egyptian. And he keeps saying over and over that your eyes have seen these things. Now, here's my question. How long do you think it would take for the Israelites to forget everything that they saw. How could they forget what they saw?

[John Weaver] Now, let me try to make this a little more personal. Okay. Let's forget about the Israelites right now. Let's just suppose that you are there. Everyone in this congregation is there. You are an Israelite, you're there. You see the 10 plagues. You see the mighty wonders. You see everything that God has done. So here's my question. How long would it take you to forget? Let me make it even more personal.

[John Weaver] I want you to hold Deuteronomy 4, but I want you to go back in your Bibles to the book of Exodus. And look, if you would please, at chapter 11. We'll be looking at a number of passages in Exodus. We'll look in Exodus chapter 11, if you would please. And let's begin reading there with verse 7. Look what God says. Exodus 11 and verse 7.

[John Weaver] Now, remember, you have witnessed the plagues, the mighty wonders of God. Verse seven, but against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue against man or beast. that you may know how the Lord doth put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel. Now, wait a minute. Not only do you see what God has done, and you've seen His mighty power, you have also experienced deliverance. You were exempted.

[John Weaver] None of this happened unto you. When the plagues hit, they did not hit upon the Israelites. The Israelites were not affected by any of those plagues. If you look in your Bibles to the book of Exodus chapter 9, here is the grievous rain. upon the cattle i'll show you a few other verses momentarily but look in exodus chapter 9 and let's begin reading there with verse 4 exodus 9 in verse 4 hear the word of god says very clearly and the lord shall sever between the cattle of israel and the cattle of egypt and there shall nothing die of all that is the children's of israel and the lord appointed a set time saying tomorrow the lord shall do this thing in the land And the Lord did that thing on the morrow, and all the cattle of Egypt died, but on the cattle of the children of Israel died not one. And Pharaoh said, and behold, there was not one of the cattle of the Israelites dead. And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people go."

[John Weaver] Isn't that amazing? Now, you're not only seeing these plagues, you're also seeing that you are exempted. They're not harming you. They're not touching you at all. Even when the plague of darkness hit, which I'll cover momentarily, but I want you to look in Exodus chapter 10. Look at verses 22 and 23. Exodus chapter 10, beginning there in verse 22. Here's the plague of darkness. And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven, and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days. Now notice it says a thick darkness. They saw not one another, neither rose any from his place for three days.

[John Weaver] But all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings. You know, the old joke that I always heard as a kid was where was Moses when the lights went out? And the answer is in the dark. Well, that's not true, according to the Bible, because the children of Israel had light in their dwellings. all the Israelites had like remember, this is a thick darkness. And for three days, they did not even move.

[John Weaver] Years ago, Alice and I took two of our grandkids and we were out west and we stopped in Utah and went to Tim Pettigrew's cave had to walk a mile up a mountain to get into that cave. It was huge. And there was a ranger that took us and let us all around in the cave. And we got in this huge chamber. And of course, there are lights everywhere. And the ranger looked at us and said, Now, I'm going to show you something, but you must stand absolutely still. You cannot move. In fact, hold hands. Fine. And then the ranger reached over and turn the lights off. You talk about darkness.

[John Weaver] You could have held your hand here. You couldn't see anything. It was absolutely, totally, completely dark. That's what happened here. But God said the children of Israel had light in their dwellings. So let me put it to you like this. You're here in Egypt. You are experiencing these great deliverances. Everything that happens to the Egyptians does not happen to you. So let me just very quickly remind you of the 10 plagues. I want to remind you of what you personally have seen and what you have personally been exempted from.

[John Weaver] In fact, the very first plague, the waters were turned into blood, and all the fish died, and the river stank in Exodus chapter 7. You were there, but you had fresh water. and your fish certainly did not die if you had a separate pool. Secondly, you saw the frogs come out of the river and envelop the land in the book of Exodus chapter seven again. In fact, the Bible tells us that the frogs were so thick they were in their hands, in their houses, in their beds. Frogs everywhere. The third plague, of course, you saw the dust of the land turned into lice. There was lice upon man and lice upon beast, but you were spared. You can read about it in Exodus chapter eight.

[John Weaver] Did not touch the Israelites, but all the Egyptians were affected. And fourthly, you saw the swarms of flies that corrupted and destroyed everything in the land in Exodus chapter eight. But you were spared this corruption.

[John Weaver] Now, I don't know if this is true, But I read it. And to be absolutely honest, I despise flies. I hate flies. But I read that every time a fly lit, he spat. Whether that's true or not, I don't know. But flies are known for their corruption. And if you look very quickly in the book of Exodus chapter 8, look in Exodus chapter 8 at verses 22 and 23. Exodus chapter 8 verse 22. Look what God says to the Egyptians before he sends this great plague of flies. He said and I will sever in that day the land of Goshen in which my people dwell that no swarms of flies shall be there to the end that thou mayest know that I am the Lord in the midst of the earth and I will put a division between my people and thy people.

[John Weaver] Tomorrow shall this sign be. The Lord did so, and there came a grievous swarm of flies into the house of Pharaoh, into his servants' houses. And in all the land of Egypt, the land was corrupted by reason of the swarm of flies. But none were in the land of Goshen. So you're there. You see how all of these flies corrupt everything in the land of Egypt, but there are none in your house. You're there, and you see the grievous moraine upon the cattle, All the Egyptians cattled or died, but your cattle were spared, Exodus 9. You saw the boils breaking out upon man and beast, and yet you and your animals were spared in Exodus 9.

[John Weaver] You didn't go through that. You didn't suffer that. You saw that. And you saw and understood that when God sent that great thunderstorm of hail and fire, and you saw the destruction that followed, and God said that destruction was so great, there'd been nothing like that in the land of Egypt since it was a nation. In fact, look in your Bibles to Exodus chapter 9, verse 24. Here it is. God said, so there was hail and fire mingled with hail, very grievous, such as there was none like in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. So you were there and you saw that. Wow. And then the eighth plague, the plague of locusts, the myriad of locusts darkened the sky and they consumed and destroyed everything in the land of Egypt.

[John Weaver] But your garden was spared. Your fruit trees were spared. And then, of course, the ninth plague, darkness. But you had light in your dwelling. You were spared. And then there was that 10th plague, where the firstborn, a man and beast, died. And you, with your own ears, heard the anguished cries of men and women, even of animals. You heard the heart-wrenching, heartbreaking screams and cries when those people found their firstborn was dead. And yet your firstborn lived. You were there. You saw that. You experienced that.

[John Weaver] Moreover, there was one other thing that you really understood out of all of these plagues. I want you to look in Exodus chapter 12 and verse 12. Here is the impact of these plagues. Here was the point that God was making, and here is what you really understood. Exodus 12 and verse 12. God said, for I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, And I will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast and execute and against all the gods of Egypt. I will execute judgment. I am the Lord. What was God doing? He was destroying all the false gods of Egypt. Even Pharaoh claimed to be a god, but Pharaoh could not even save his own child.

[John Weaver] And all of those judgments were not just simply against the Egyptians. They were against the gods of Egypt. And so now you've seen all of these plagues. You've seen how that Pharaoh and none of those false gods could do anything. And now you are assured in your heart of one thing, that there's only one true and the living God. And that God is the one that has revealed himself. And that God is the one that you're to worship. You know that. You know that you were there.

[John Weaver] You saw these things with your own eyes. Let me go a bit further. You were there when you marched out of Egypt on Abib 15. You were there when Pharaoh chased you and bottled you up at the Red Sea. You were there. But Moses lifted that rod and the sea parted left and right, and you walked across on dry ground. You were there. And those men whom you feared, Pharaoh and all of his army, who were chasing you, followed you into the sea. And just as the last Israelite got out, Moses raised that rod and the sea comes in and drowns all. pharaoh's army in fact look in your Bibles the Exodus chapter 14 if you would please and let's begin reading there in verse 27 this is something that you have seen this is something that you experienced notice in Exodus chapter 14 verse 27 And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its strength when the morning appeared. And the Egyptians fled against it, and the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea.

[John Weaver] And the waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen and all the hosts of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them. There remained not so much as one of them. But the children of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea, and the waters were a wall unto them on the right hand and on the left. Thus the Lord saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the seashore. You were there. You not only saw the miracles and the power of God and the hand of God, the outstretched arm of God, you saw how he judged his enemies, how he judged their false gods. And how you were spared and you saw his final act against Pharaoh and his army, and you saw them all dead upon the seashore. So here's my question.

[John Weaver] How long is it going to take you to forget this? How long will this cease being an impact upon your mind? How long will this cease affecting your life? Nothing. You have seen all of this, you've experienced all of this. Let's go back to Exodus chapter 12. Because in Exodus chapter 12, you have the Passover. And I want you to call I want to call your attention to a certain truth here. Look at this. Exodus chapter 12, verse 1.

[John Weaver] And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, This month, which was Abib, which you will see momentarily, this month shall be unto you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year to you. Speak you and all the congregation of israel saying in the tenth day of this month They shall take to them every man and lamb according to the house of their fathers a lamb for a house If a household be too little for the lamb let him in his neighbor next to his house Take it according to the number of souls every man according to his eating Shall make your account for the lamb Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. You shall take it out from the sheep or from the goats, and you shall keep it up until the 14th day of the same month. And the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening. And they shall take of the blood and strike it upon the two side posts of the upper doorpost of the house, wherein they shall eat it."

[John Weaver] Note, if you would now, this is the Passover. They took that lamb, and they had to keep it up until the 14th day of the month. On the 14th day, they killed it. They put the blood on the lintel and the doorpost, and on the 15th, they marched out. So this is the 15th of Abib.

[John Weaver] Now, look what God says in Exodus 12 and verse 11. Watch carefully, Exodus 12, verse 11. And thus shall you eat it with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet and your staff in your hand. You shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord's Passover. So God says, once you put the blood on the doorpost, once you've eaten this lamb. You're leaving here, you're getting out.

[John Weaver] So they killed it on the 14th. And they left the morning of the 15th. because they had to eat it with their shoes on their feet, their loins girded, and the staff in their hands.

[John Weaver] Now, look, if you would, in Exodus chapter 13, and let's begin reading in verse 3, because I want you to understand what is happening here. Look, if you would, Exodus 13, verse 3. And Moses said unto the people, Remember this day, in which you came out from Egypt, out of the house of bondage, for by strength of hand the Lord brought you out from this place, there shall no leavened bread be eaten. This day came you out of the month Abib, and it shall be when the Lord shall bring thee into the land of Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, which he sware to thy fathers to give thee a land full of milk and honey, that thou shalt keep this service in this month. Seven days shalt thou eat unleavened bread and the seventh day shall be a feast unto the Lord. Unleavened bread shall be eaten seven days and there shall no leavened bread be seen with thee, neither shall there be leaven seen with thee in all thy quarters.

[John Weaver] Thou shalt show thy son in all that day saying this is done because of which the Lord did unto me when I came forth out of Egypt. And it shall be for a sign unto thee upon thine hand and for memorial between thine eyes. that the Lord's law may be in thy mouth or with a strong hand at the Lord brought thee out of Egypt. Thou shalt therefore keep this ordinance in his season from year to year. So this is the Passover ordinance.

[John Weaver] So they kill the lamb on the 14th of a bib. They walked out on the 15th of a bib. And God says, now, once you get into the land, you're to keep this feast for seven days. and it's to commemorate your deliverance from the land of Egypt.

[John Weaver] Now, please think with me. You have seen all of God's judgments and all of God's miracles, all of God's power with your own eyes. You have seen what he's done to his enemies. You have seen what he's done to his false gods. You have seen the Egyptians dead on the seashore. You have seen that you marched out of Egypt just exactly the way God has said.

[John Weaver] Now, here's that question again. How long will it take you to forget these things? You know, most people say, man, I'll never forget these things. Really? Well, let's look at our Bibles in Exodus chapter 15. Exodus chapter 15. I wanted you to begin to see how easily we forget. How easily we forget God's grace, God's mercy, God's power, God's provision, God's providence. I want you to see this. Exodus chapter 15, and let's begin reading there with verse 22. Exodus 15, verse 22.

[John Weaver] The Bible says, so Moses brought Israel from the Red Sea. Remember, that's where they crossed. That's where the Egyptians were killed. So Moses brought Israel from the Red Sea, and they went out in the wilderness of shore. And they went. Help me out. Three days in the wilderness and found no water. When they came to Mara, they could not drink of the waters of Mara, for they were bitter. Therefore, the name was called Mara. And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink? And he cried to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree, which when he had cast in the waters, the waters were made sweet. There he made for them a statute and ordinance, and there he proved them three days. And now they're murmuring. Notice they murmured, saying, what shall we drink? Three days. God had just showed them his mighty power. And in three days, they're whining and complaining and murmuring against God. Oh, let's go on.

[John Weaver] Look in Exodus chapter 16, beginning there with verse one. Pay attention. And they took their journey from Elam And all the congregation of the children of Israel came into the wilderness of sin, which is between Elam and Sinai on the 15th day of the second month. Wait a minute. The 15th day of the second. They left the 15th day of the first month. This is 30 days. And so on the 15th day of the second month, after they're departing out of the land of Egypt, and the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness, and the children of Israel said unto them, Would to God we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full, for you have brought us forth into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger. What? 30 days, and they're saying, Would to God we had died in Egypt. What? We remember the flesh pots.

[John Weaver] We remember the onions and the garlics and the leeks. We remember the fish. We want that. Within 30 days they were ready to go back to Egypt. They had rather be slaves in Egypt than the Lord's free men in the desert. Three days whining. 30 days ready to go back. How long did it take them to forget? Oh, that's not the end of it. I want you to look in your Bibles, if you would, please. Exodus chapter 17. Not only are they saying, would the God we had died in the land of Egypt in Exodus chapter 17, beginning there with verse one. Watch carefully.

[John Weaver] And all the congregation of the children of Israel journeyed from the wilderness of sin after their journey, according to the commandment of the Lord, and pitched in Rephidim. And there was no water for the people to drink.

[John Weaver] Now, God's already miraculously given them water. Watch. Wherefore the people did chide with Moses and said, Give us water that we may drink. And Moses said unto them, Why chide ye with me? Wherefore do you tempt the Lord? And the people thirsted there for water. And the people murmured against Moses and said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, but kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst? Wow.

[John Weaver] Now, according to context, In chapter 16, chapter 17 happens one week later. One week later. So within three days, they're complaining within 30 days. They want to go back because of the onions and the leeks and the garlic in Egypt. And in 37 days, again, they're complaining, saying, you brought us out here to kill us. Wow, how easily we forget how small an impact the work and the miracles and the mercies of God make upon our minds. Do you remember how God came down upon Mount Sinai with thunders and lightnings and earthquakes? Look in Exodus chapter 19. Exodus chapter 19. And the Bible says, beginning there with verse 16, and it came to pass on the third day in the morning that there was thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud upon the mount and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud so that all the people that was in the camp trembled. So now God has come down upon this mountain and there's thunderings and lightnings and a thick cloud and the voice of a trumpet exceeding loud.

[John Weaver] Now, what happened here? I'm going to come back in just a moment, but I'm going to run for just a minute. You remember, it was Moses who went up into Mount to get the law of God. How long was he up there the first time supposed to have been 40 days? Now, remember, These people hadn't been out of Egypt long. So I want you to look in your Bibles to the book of Exodus, chapter 32. Then we're going to come back. I want you to see what happened when Moses was up in that mountain the first time getting the law from the hand of God. Watch Exodus, chapter 32, beginning there with verse one. Moses is up in the mount. Verse one. And when the people saw that Moses is delayed to come down out of the mount, the forty days wasn't even up yet. They were just impatient. The people gathered themselves together into Aaron and said to him up, make us gods which shall go before us for us for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt.

[John Weaver] We want not or we know not what has become of him. And Aaron said to them, break off the golden earrings which are in the ears of your wives and your sons and your daughters and bring them unto me. And all the people break off the golden earrings which were in their ears and brought them unto Aaron. And he received of them at their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool after he'd made it a molten calf. And they said, These be thy God, so Israel which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made a proclamation and said, Tomorrow is a feast of the Lord.

[John Weaver] And they rose up early on the morning and offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings. And the people sat down to eat and to drink and arose up to play. And the word play there is a very soft word for it literally means they rose up to commit fornication, adultery. So now Moses is up in the mount receiving the law of God and before he can finish 40 days, they're making a molten calf and worshipping it and committing fornication as well as idolatry. Wow.

[John Weaver] Now go back to Exodus chapter 19. Watch this. This is absolutely astounding. Remember, in three days, they were murmuring. In 30 days, they wanted to go back. 37 days, they're still murmuring. Watch the first one of chapter 19 of Exodus. In the what? The third month. when the children of Israel were going forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day came they into the wilderness of Sinai, for they were departed from Rephidim, and were come to the desert of Sinai, and had pitched in the wilderness, and there Israel camped before the mount, and Moses went up unto God, and the Lord called on him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say unto the house of Jacob, Tell the children of Israel, You have seen what I've done to the Egyptians, how I'll bear you on eagles' wings and brought you unto Myself.

[John Weaver] Now, therefore, if you will obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a peculiar people or treasurer to Me above all people, for all the earth is Mine. And you shall be unto Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel." What? In the third month, before 90 days are up, They built themselves with golden calves.

[John Weaver] They become idolaters, warmongers, adulterers, fornicators. You can read about it in 1 Corinthians chapter 10. If you add another 30 days to Exodus chapter 19 and verse 1, because Moses had not even completed the 40 days in the mount, It means anywhere from three to four months. Probably three and a half. They were already committing idolatry, worshiping the dead.

[John Weaver] Now, let me ask you a question. How long did it take you to forget? You know, you and I can read this Bible and we can see all of this and we are absolutely astounded, we're flabbergasted. We say, we can't imagine how this could ever possibly happen. Note what God did for these people, note what they saw, note what they experienced. How could they turn their backs upon him so quickly, so easily, so readily?

[John Weaver] And the answer is, they forgot. They forgot his works. They forgot his covenant. and they forgot him. How easily, how quickly we forget our profession, our promises, and our obedience. How easily and how quickly we turn aside from the word of God. We turn aside from the worship of God. We turn aside from the promises and the blessings of God. We turn aside to do that whichever we want to do. We can look at these people and say, well, they forgot.

[John Weaver] You know, so have we. So have we. We forget God's provision. You know, it's God who has fed us, given us the ability to make money or to have things or to have food, and then even to be able to enjoy it. It's God who's given us life. The Bible says he holdeth our soul in life. David said, my times are in his hands. It's God who gives us help. It's God who sustains us. It's God who protects us. It's God who preserves us.

[John Weaver] There's a verse that I quote every day. Actually, it's two verses. Lamentations 3, 22 and 23. Listen. It is of the Lord's mercies that we're not consumed Because His compassions, they fail not. They're new every morning. Great is our faithfulness. The only reason you and I are alive today is because of God's compassions and God's faithfulness and God's tender mercies. They're new every morning. how often we just assume that God owes us life. We assume that God owes us health. We assume that God owes us work and a job. We assume that God owes us food. God doesn't owe us anything yet. Did you know the Bible tells you in the book of Romans chapter two, it's the goodness of God that leadeth us to repentance. And we forget the goodness of God.

[John Weaver] I could stand here tonight and tell you. Miracle after miracle, how God preserved me. Why? I don't know other than the fact other than his grace and mercy that is for sure. But we become an ungrateful, unthankful people who just take our Lord for granted and everything that he does for us and everything he gives for us. Let me show you something else. I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Revelation chapter 2. Revelation chapter 2. You see, this is what our Lord is talking about to the church of Ephesus. He's not talking to the heathen, he's talking to the church. Look in Revelation chapter 2 and verse 1. He says, unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write these things, saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks.

[John Weaver] I know thy works, and thy labor, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil. And thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them to be liars. And hast borne, and hast patient for my name's sake, and hast labored, and hast not fainted. And then he says this, you had all these good points. Nevertheless, I have somewhat against the because I was left by first love. Wait a minute, that has left by first love. What's that mean?

[John Weaver] And you don't have the warmness. You don't have the heart. You don't have the affection for the Lord that you used to have. You don't have the energy. You don't have the vitality. You don't have the desire to love him and serve him. Let me ask you a question. How long has it been since you've actually said to the Lord? I love you. How long has it been since you actually have said to the Lord?

[John Weaver] Thank you for first loving me. Thank you for sending the Lord Jesus Christ to be the propitiation for my sins and turning my heart to thee so that I could love thee. What about your service? What about your faithfulness? What about your love for the Word of God? The ministry? Well, look what he says. Revelation 2. Verse four. Nevertheless, I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do thy first works, or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent. Do you notice the very first thing our Lord calls us to do is to remember? Remember, remember, there's a picture that hangs on our bedroom wall of Alice and I, when we were young. And neither one of us can remember if that picture was taken before we were married, or right after we were married.

[John Weaver] It's been a long time. But oftentimes, and since it's on the wall on my side of the bed, I roll over and I look at that. And I remember, I remember how she chased me and begged me to marry her, you know, but I remember, I look at that, I think, wow. And you remember to And you remember how it was between you and the Lord when God saved you.

[John Weaver] And you were so on fire. You had such zeal and such a desire to honor him and glorify him. And now we live matter anymore. But what's he say? Remember? And then he said, repent. Or else I will remove. five candlestick out of his place. God can remove an individual and God can remove a church unless we remember from whence we are fallen and return back to our first love.

[John Weaver] I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Jeremiah chapter two. I want to show you a verse I hope And I pray that this verse will just break your heart. I hope that you will see it. And I pray tonight that it will haunt you. I pray that you'd even dream about it, that you'd think about it. Every time I read this verse, I get under conviction. Look in Jeremiah chapter two and verse 32.

[John Weaver] Here's the question that God asked. Look, Jeremiah two and verse 32. He asked, can a maid forget her ornaments? None of you young ladies forgot to put on your jewelry tonight, your earrings or your necklace or your ring. Can a maid forget her ornaments? Or a bride her attire? There's never been a bride that forgot to put on her wedding dress. Can a maid forget her ornaments? Can a bride forget her attire?

[John Weaver] Yet my people have forgotten me in days without number. How easily we forget. We forget God's words. We forget God's covenant. And we forget God. And we live our lives as if he did not exist. We totally ignore him. Remember from whence art fallen and repent. Turn back to your first love and your first words. For God says, I will remove you. Do not forget the God of our salvation. Do not be like the Israelites in the old covenant. You remember that God is our all in all.

[John Weaver] He may not need us. But we surely need him and may he have mercy upon us. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to thee. We thank you for your word. We thank you for your truth. And Lord, we confess we've forgotten thy works. We've forgotten everything that you've done for us. Lord, we just assume that we're going to have life and health and food and prosperity and happiness and preservation. We fail to thank thee, we fail to love thee. Lord, we've forgotten thy word. We've forgotten thy people. We've forgotten to pray. We've forgotten your works. We've forgotten your covenant. Lord, we've forgotten you. Days without number. Have mercy upon us. Awaken us.

[John Weaver] Call us back to thyself. Turn us, O God, and we shall be turned quick in us, O Lord. and we shall call upon my name. Give us your grace and your mercy. In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask and pray. Amen.

How Easily We Forget

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	613181959271
Subject	Old Testament Studies
Course	Exodus: Bondage, Deliverance, and Passover: As Yet
Genre	Sermon
Date	2018-05-11
Dictation Name
Book	Book 078: Exodus: Bondage, Deliverance, and Passover - Volume 1 — Chapter 18
Source Timed Segments	77

Formatted Transcript

Introduction: The Commonness of Forgetting

Weaver opens with humorous personal anecdotes about forgetfulness, establishing that forgetting is a universal human experience, from minor daily lapses to significant events like anniversaries.

"Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thine heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons' sons." How easily we forget. I suppose that probably some of the most famous words, or at least the ones most frequently spoken, are "I forgot." We may use such similar phrases as "it slipped my mind," or "I guess I was just not thinking," but it all boils down to the simple thing that we actually forgot. And as we age, the tendency is that we forget a little more frequently. Now, most of you are not at the age that you have come to the realization that I do, because oftentimes I will think of something I need to do, I'll get up, go in the other room, I'm thinking two or three other things, and I get in the other room, I think, "Now why did I come in this room? What was I going to do?" And I have to pause a few minutes, and finally it comes back, yes, and the truth is I just forgot.

When Alice's mother, Granny Doris, was alive, she started getting very forgetful. And so Alice and I bought her some ginkgo biloba to take, which is supposedly to help the memory. And so we were driving to church on Sunday morning, she was in the backseat. And she said, "I think that stuff is really helping me." Well, I said, "Helping what, Granny?" She said, "Helping my memory." I said, "Well, what stuff is that?" She says, "I forgot, I don't know." And we laughed, but you know, that's just normal. That's natural in one sense of the word. One day, you have to understand that we forget not only little things at times, we forget important things as well. I guess one of my main concerns out of my 53 years of preaching was that I would forget a meeting, or I'd forget a preaching appointment.

Thankfully, I never have, but it was always in the back of my mind. I sure would hate to do something like that. I would hate for that to slip up on me. But we forget all the time. One day, Alice and I were at the house, and our girls started calling us. And each one of them said, "Happy anniversary." And I looked at her, and she looked at me. We had both forgotten our anniversary.

Now it would have been really bad had it just been me. But thankfully she forgot it as well. And then we just laughed and talked about how busy we've really been and hadn't even really thought about it. But I want you to look back at Deuteronomy chapter 4. I want you to look at verse 9 again and then verse 10 in connection with it. Deuteronomy chapter 4, verse 9.

The Progression of Forgetting: Works, Covenant, God

From Deuteronomy 4:9, 23 and 6:12, Weaver traces a three-step decline: forgetting God's works leads to forgetting His covenant, which culminates in forgetting God Himself and replacing Him with idols.

God says, "Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, now watch, lest thou forget the things that thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thine heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons' sons; specially the day that thou stoodest before the Lord thy God in Horeb, when the Lord said unto me, Gather me the people together, and I will make them hear my words, that they may learn to fear me all the days that they shall live upon the earth, and that they may teach them their children." So I want to point out the fact that they were not to forget the things that their eyes had seen. This included not only the miracles of God, but the judgment of God.

Let me just put it like this. It would include what you and I would call the works of God. And God says you want to pay close attention to this, that you will not forget those things which your eyes have seen. You're not only going to pass them on to your son, but to your son's sons as well.

Now, here's an interesting thing. When God is warning us not to forget the things which we have seen, when He warns us not to forget His works, when we do forget His works, there is another step. I want you to look in Deuteronomy chapter 4 in verse 23. Note, if you would, very carefully, Deuteronomy 4 verse 23. In this verse, God says very simply,

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 4:23

"Take heed unto yourselves, lest ye forget the covenant of the Lord your God, which he made with you, and make you a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, which the Lord thy God hath forbidden thee."

Now notice, if you would, in Deuteronomy chapter 4 in verse 9, he was warning us not to forget his works. Now, in Deuteronomy 4, verse 23, he's warning us not to forget his covenant. Now, when we think about a covenant, we normally think of the Old Covenant. But may I remind you that the word testament is identical to the word covenant. So when we talk about the Old Testament or the New Testament, we're actually talking about the Old Covenant and the New Covenant.

And what happened in the Old Testament was Israel forgot the covenant of God. What is happening in the New Testament is that we as Christians are forgetting the New Covenant that we have in the Lord Jesus Christ. And the interesting thing there, he talks about idolatry. He says when you forget the covenant, you're going to make of yourself some kind of false god. But may I remind you again, you don't have to bow down before a graven idol to worship a false god, because Colossians 3 and verse 5 tells us that covetousness is idolatry. So whenever we do anything that is wicked and wrong, and we place ourselves and our desires above God, that is idolatry.

So let me ask you this question. How often do you really think of the word of God? How about these questions? How often do you think of the promises of God? How often do you think of the blessings of God? How often do you think of the curses of God? How often do you think of the warnings of God? You see, the truth of the matter is, it is so easy for you and I to forget. We easily, readily, and quickly forget. We forget not only our profession of faith, we even forget our baptismal oath. You say, "Did I take an oath at my baptism?"

You probably did, you may not have realized it. Do you realize that in the New Testament, the original baptismal formula was three words in Greek. They would simply say, "Jesus is Lord." That was the original confession, "Jesus is Lord." Now, the point being, most people do not realize the importance of those words, but you have to remember back in those days, Caesar was claiming to be Lord. And by the way, Christians in the Roman Empire were not put to death for being Christians. Because in the Roman Empire, you could believe whatever you wanted to believe. If you wanted to worship Zeus, have at it. If you wanted to worship Harpo Marx, you could go for that too, if he had been alive back then. But whatever you believed and whoever you worshiped, once a year, you would have to swear by the genius of Caesar and say, "Caesar is Lord." That is, Caesar gives me the right to believe as I believe. And the early Christians refused to say that Caesar is Lord because they confessed that Jesus Christ is Lord. And consequently, it carried the death penalty because then Christians were viewed as traitors and treasonous individuals to the emperor cult. So when someone said in the New Testament, "Jesus is Lord," they were basically signing their own death warrant because they were willing to deny that Caesar was Lord and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

Today, usually when you talk about a baptismal service, most people just kind of skip it like, "Well, it's just a little simple." No, it's not just a little simple ordinance. You remember even Paul told Timothy, "Remember the good confession that you've made before so many witnesses." He's talking about the baptismal confession at Timothy's baptism because he confessed that Jesus Christ is Lord. So when we forget the works of God, the next step is that we forget the covenant of God. And then usually once you forget the works of God and the covenant of God, there is another step, and that is that you forget God. Like Demas, whom Paul said, "has forsaken me, having loved this present evil world," individuals soon prefer their own flesh and their lusts over the grace and mercy and goodness of God. Let me show you.

Look in Deuteronomy 6, if you would please, and verse 12. Now remember, he's already warned them about forgetting the works of God. He's warned them about forgetting the covenant of God. So now in Deuteronomy chapter 6 and verse 12, he says this,

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 6:12

"Then beware, lest thou forget the Lord, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage."

Ah, look, if you would, Deuteronomy 8 and verse 11. Deuteronomy 8 and verse 11, he says it again, "Beware that thou forget not the Lord thy God, in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes, which I command thee this day." Notice if you would, these passages now are not just reminding you not to forget the works of God, the covenants of God, but they're saying don't forget God himself. Look in verse 14.

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 6:12

"Then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the Lord thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage."

And then verse 19. "And it shall be, if thou do at all forget the Lord thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them."

"I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish." So I want you to know there is a progress here. And the progress is you just simply forget all the works of God, his judgments, his miracles, his grace, his mercy. Then you begin to forget the covenant of God. You cease obeying his commandments. You cease following his law. And the ultimate end of that is you end up basically forgetting God. And anytime you forget God, you actually replace Him.

That's what He's warning about. Now, you're going to say, "Well, I'm not going to replace the one true and the living God. I mean, I know that Jesus Christ is Lord. I know that there's only one God who's revealed Himself in Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. I understand that." But may I remind you again, and I'm gonna give you a scripture, that when we give in to the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of the life, we are idolaters. Did you know that the Apostle Paul spoke of individuals whose God was their belly? He said in Philippians chapter 3 in verse 19, "Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things." In other words, God is absent from their thought. That's one of the charges that is made against the wicked there in Psalm 10. God is not in all of their thoughts. And so the progress is you forget the works of God, you forget the covenant of God, and you end up forgetting God himself, because now you're replacing him with your fancies and your whims and your desires.

Israel's Witness of God's Mighty Works

Weaver reviews the ten plagues and the Exodus, emphasizing that the Israelites personally saw God's power, were exempted from judgment, and witnessed the destruction of Egypt's false gods.

Now, let me ask you, do you remember how Israel was delivered out of Egypt? Do you recall reading in your Bibles all the mighty works and displays of God's power? Do you remember everything that God did to the Egyptians? And by the way, I want to take the time to show you just four verses. And I had to be selective because there are so many verses that talk about this, where God is calling his people to remember specifically his mighty works, his outstretched arm, and his power.

So if you'll look in the book of Deuteronomy, first of all, chapter 4 and verse 34. Go back to Deuteronomy 4, verse 34, and look what God asks. Deuteronomy 4, verse 34. He asked, "Or hath God assayed to go and take him a nation from the midst of another nation, by temptations, by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by a mighty hand, and by a stretched out arm, and by great terrors, according to all that the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes?" Now note, if you would please, He talks about the temptations, the signs, the wonders, war, the mighty hand of God, the stretched out arm and the great terrors. And note, he says, "according to all that the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes," you saw it. You remember those things. Look in your Bibles, if you would, at Deuteronomy chapter 7 and verse 19. Deuteronomy 7 in verse 19. Again, he says it like this.

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 7:19

"The great temptations which thine eyes saw, and the signs, and the wonders, and the mighty hand, and the stretched out arm, whereby the Lord thy God brought thee out: so shall the Lord thy God do unto all the people of whom thou art afraid."

But note again, he's talking about the great temptations, the signs, the wonders, the mighty hand, the stretched out arm. He said,

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 7:19

"which thine eyes saw."

You were there. You were witnesses. Look at Deuteronomy chapter 26 and verse 8. Deuteronomy 26 and verse 8. Again, God says this, "And the Lord brought us forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with great terribleness, and with signs, and with wonders."

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 26:8

God brought them out. Note, if you would, in Deuteronomy chapter 34 and verse 12. Deuteronomy 34 and verse 12. There are many other verses that talk about this, but note Deuteronomy 34 and verse 12. He says, "And in all that mighty hand, and in all the great terror which Moses shewed in the sight of all Israel."

Now stop and put all these passages together, because each one of these passages now happen to be talking about God's mighty power, his outstretched arm, his mighty hand, his wonders, his temptations, his signs, his terror, the war that he waged against the Egyptians. And he keeps saying over and over that your eyes have seen these things. Now, here's my question. How long do you think it would take for the Israelites to forget everything that they saw? How could they forget what they saw?

Now, let me try to make this a little more personal. Okay. Let's forget about the Israelites right now. Let's just suppose that you are there. Everyone in this congregation is there. You are an Israelite, you're there. You see the 10 plagues. You see the mighty wonders. You see everything that God has done. So here's my question. How long would it take you to forget? Let me make it even more personal.

I want you to hold Deuteronomy 4, but I want you to go back in your Bibles to the book of Exodus. And look, if you would please, at chapter 11. We'll be looking at a number of passages in Exodus. We'll look in Exodus chapter 11, if you would please. And let's begin reading there with verse 7. Look what God says. Exodus 11 and verse 7.

Now, remember, you have witnessed the plagues, the mighty wonders of God. Verse 7, "But against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue, against man or beast: that ye may know how that the Lord doth put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel." Now, wait a minute. Not only do you see what God has done, and you've seen His mighty power, you have also experienced deliverance. You were exempted. None of this happened unto you. When the plagues hit, they did not hit upon the Israelites. The Israelites were not affected by any of those plagues. If you look in your Bibles to the book of Exodus chapter 9, here is the grievous murrain upon the cattle. I'll show you a few other verses momentarily, but look in Exodus chapter 9 and let's begin reading there with verse 4. Exodus 9 in verse 4. Hear the word of God says very clearly, "And the Lord shall sever between the cattle of Israel and the cattle of Egypt: and there shall nothing die of all that is the children's of Israel. And the Lord appointed a set time, saying, Tomorrow the Lord shall do this thing in the land. And the Lord did that thing on the morrow, and all the cattle of Egypt died: but of the cattle of the children of Israel died not one. And Pharaoh sent, and, behold, there was not one of the cattle of the Israelites dead. And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people go."

Scripture Reading — Exodus 9:4-7

Isn't that amazing? Now, you're not only seeing these plagues, you're also seeing that you are exempted. They're not harming you. They're not touching you at all. Even when the plague of darkness hit, which I'll cover momentarily, but I want you to look in Exodus chapter 10. Look at verses 22 and 23. Exodus chapter 10, beginning there in verse 22. Here's the plague of darkness. "And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven; and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days." Now notice it says a thick darkness. "They saw not one another, neither rose any from his place for three days."

"But all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings." You know, the old joke that I always heard as a kid was, "Where was Moses when the lights went out?" And the answer is, "In the dark." Well, that's not true, according to the Bible, because the children of Israel had light in their dwellings. All the Israelites had light. Remember, this is a thick darkness. And for three days, they did not even move. Years ago, Alice and I took two of our grandkids and we were out west and we stopped in Utah and went to Timpanogos Cave. Had to walk a mile up a mountain to get into that cave. It was huge. And there was a ranger that took us and led us all around in the cave. And we got in this huge chamber. And of course, there are lights everywhere. And the ranger looked at us and said, "Now, I'm going to show you something, but you must stand absolutely still. You cannot move. In fact, hold hands." Fine. And then the ranger reached over and turned the lights off. You talk about darkness.

You could have held your hand here. You couldn't see anything. It was absolutely, totally, completely dark. That's what happened here. But God said the children of Israel had light in their dwellings. So let me put it to you like this. You're here in Egypt. You are experiencing these great deliverances. Everything that happens to the Egyptians does not happen to you. So let me just very quickly remind you of the 10 plagues. I want to remind you of what you personally have seen and what you have personally been exempted from.

In fact, the very first plague, the waters were turned into blood, and all the fish died, and the river stank in Exodus chapter 7. You were there, but you had fresh water, and your fish certainly did not die if you had a separate pool. Secondly, you saw the frogs come out of the river and envelop the land in the book of Exodus chapter 8 again. In fact, the Bible tells us that the frogs were so thick they were in their hands, in their houses, in their beds. Frogs everywhere. The third plague, of course, you saw the dust of the land turned into lice. There was lice upon man and lice upon beast, but you were spared. You can read about it in Exodus chapter 8.

Did not touch the Israelites, but all the Egyptians were affected. And fourthly, you saw the swarms of flies that corrupted and destroyed everything in the land in Exodus chapter 8. But you were spared this corruption. Now, I don't know if this is true, but I read it. And to be absolutely honest, I despise flies. I hate flies. But I read that every time a fly lit, he spat. Whether that's true or not, I don't know. But flies are known for their corruption. And if you look very quickly in the book of Exodus chapter 8, look in Exodus chapter 8 at verses 22 and 23. Exodus chapter 8 verse 22. Look what God says to the Egyptians before he sends this great plague of flies. He said, "And I will sever in that day the land of Goshen, in which my people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there; to the end thou mayest know that I am the Lord in the midst of the earth. And I will put a division between my people and thy people."

"Tomorrow shall this sign be." And the Lord did so; and there came a grievous swarm of flies into the house of Pharaoh, and into his servants' houses, and into all the land of Egypt: the land was corrupted by reason of the swarm of flies. But none were in the land of Goshen. So you're there. You see how all of these flies corrupt everything in the land of Egypt, but there are none in your house. You're there, and you see the grievous murrain upon the cattle. All the Egyptians' cattle died, but your cattle were spared, Exodus 9. You saw the boils breaking out upon man and beast, and yet you and your animals were spared in Exodus 9.

You didn't go through that. You didn't suffer that. You saw that. And you saw and understood that when God sent that great thunderstorm of hail and fire, and you saw the destruction that followed, and God said that destruction was so great, there'd been nothing like that in the land of Egypt since it was a nation. In fact, look in your Bibles to Exodus chapter 9, verse 24. Here it is. God said, "So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, very grievous, such as there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation." So you were there and you saw that. Wow. And then the eighth plague, the plague of locusts, the myriad of locusts darkened the sky and they consumed and destroyed everything in the land of Egypt.

But your garden was spared. Your fruit trees were spared. And then, of course, the ninth plague, darkness. But you had light in your dwelling. You were spared. And then there was that 10th plague, where the firstborn, of man and beast, died. And you, with your own ears, heard the anguished cries of men and women, even of animals. You heard the heart-wrenching, heartbreaking screams and cries when those people found their firstborn was dead. And yet your firstborn lived. You were there. You saw that. You experienced that.

Moreover, there was one other thing that you really understood out of all of these plagues. I want you to look in Exodus chapter 12 and verse 12. Here is the impact of these plagues. Here was the point that God was making, and here is what you really understood. Exodus 12 and verse 12. God said,

Scripture Reading — Exodus 12:12

"For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord."

What was God doing? He was destroying all the false gods of Egypt. Even Pharaoh claimed to be a god, but Pharaoh could not even save his own child.

And all of those judgments were not just simply against the Egyptians. They were against the gods of Egypt. And so now you've seen all of these plagues. You've seen how that Pharaoh and none of those false gods could do anything. And now you are assured in your heart of one thing, that there's only one true and the living God. And that God is the one that has revealed himself. And that God is the one that you're to worship. You know that. You know that you were there.

The Red Sea Deliverance and Passover Memorial

The crossing of the Red Sea and the death of Pharaoh's army are recounted as climactic displays of God's salvation, followed by the institution of the Passover as a perpetual reminder.

You saw these things with your own eyes. Let me go a bit further. You were there when you marched out of Egypt on Abib 15. You were there when Pharaoh chased you and bottled you up at the Red Sea. You were there. But Moses lifted that rod and the sea parted left and right, and you walked across on dry ground. You were there. And those men whom you feared, Pharaoh and all of his army, who were chasing you, followed you into the sea. And just as the last Israelite got out, Moses raised that rod and the sea comes in and drowns all Pharaoh's army. In fact, look in your Bibles to Exodus chapter 14 if you would please, and let's begin reading there in verse 27. This is something that you have seen. This is something that you experienced. Notice in Exodus chapter 14 verse 27. "And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to his strength when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled against it; and the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea."

"And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; there remained not so much as one of them. But the children of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea; and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left. Thus the Lord saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea shore." You were there. You not only saw the miracles and the power of God and the hand of God, the outstretched arm of God, you saw how he judged his enemies, how he judged their false gods. And how you were spared and you saw his final act against Pharaoh and his army, and you saw them all dead upon the seashore. So here's my question.

How long is it going to take you to forget this? How long will this cease being an impact upon your mind? How long will this cease affecting your life? Nothing. You have seen all of this, you've experienced all of this. Let's go back to Exodus chapter 12. Because in Exodus chapter 12, you have the Passover. And I want to call your attention to a certain truth here. Look at this. Exodus chapter 12, verse 1.

"And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, This month, which was Abib, which you will see momentarily, this month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you. Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house: And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats: And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening. And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it."

Note, if you would now, this is the Passover. They took that lamb, and they had to keep it up until the 14th day of the month. On the 14th day, they killed it. They put the blood on the lintel and the doorpost, and on the 15th, they marched out. So this is the 15th of Abib.

Now, look what God says in Exodus 12 and verse 11. Watch carefully, Exodus 12, verse 11.

Scripture Reading — Exodus 12:11

"And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the Lord's passover."

So God says, once you put the blood on the doorpost, once you've eaten this lamb, you're leaving here, you're getting out. So they killed it on the 14th. And they left the morning of the 15th, because they had to eat it with their shoes on their feet, their loins girded, and the staff in their hands.

Now, look, if you would, in Exodus chapter 13, and let's begin reading in verse 3, because I want you to understand what is happening here. Look, if you would, Exodus 13, verse 3.

Scripture Reading — Exodus 13:3-10

"And Moses said unto the people, Remember this day, in which ye came out from Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand the Lord brought you out from this place: there shall no leavened bread be eaten. This day came ye out in the month Abib. And it shall be when the Lord shall bring thee into the land of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, which he sware unto thy fathers to give thee, a land flowing with milk and honey, that thou shalt keep this service in this month. Seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, and in the seventh day shall be a feast to the Lord. Unleavened bread shall be eaten seven days; and there shall no leavened bread be seen with thee, neither shall there be leaven seen with thee in all thy quarters.

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. 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. Thou shalt therefore keep this ordinance in his season from year to year." So this is the Passover ordinance. So they kill the lamb on the 14th of Abib. They walked out on the 15th of Abib. And God says, now, once you get into the land, you're to keep this feast for seven days, and it's to commemorate your deliverance from the land of Egypt.

Now, please think with me. You have seen all of God's judgments and all of God's miracles, all of God's power with your own eyes. You have seen what he's done to his enemies. You have seen what he's done to his false gods. You have seen the Egyptians dead on the seashore. You have seen that you marched out of Egypt just exactly the way God has said.

Now, here's that question again. How long will it take you to forget these things? You know, most people say, "Man, I'll never forget these things." Really? Well, let's look at our Bibles in Exodus chapter 15. Exodus chapter 15. I wanted you to begin to see how easily we forget. How easily we forget God's grace, God's mercy, God's power, God's provision, God's providence. I want you to see this. Exodus chapter 15, and let's begin reading there with verse 22. Exodus 15, verse 22.

The Bible says, "So Moses brought Israel from the Red Sea." Remember, that's where they crossed. That's where the Egyptians were killed. "So Moses brought Israel from the Red Sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water. And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called Marah. And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink? And he cried unto the Lord; and the Lord shewed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet: there he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them." Three days. And now they're murmuring. Notice they murmured, saying, "What shall we drink?" Three days. God had just showed them his mighty power. And in three days, they're whining and complaining and murmuring against God. Oh, let's go on.

How Quickly Israel Forgot

Within three days of the Red Sea, Israel murmured at Marah; within 30 days they longed for Egypt; within 37 days they complained again; and within three to four months they worshiped the golden calf.

Look in Exodus chapter 16, beginning there with verse 1. Pay attention. "And they took their journey from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came unto the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departing out of the land of Egypt." Wait a minute. The 15th day of the second. They left the 15th day of the first month. This is 30 days. "And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness: And the children of Israel said unto them, Would to God we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger." What? 30 days, and they're saying, "Would to God we had died in Egypt." What? We remember the flesh pots.

We remember the onions and the garlics and the leeks. We remember the fish. We want that. Within 30 days they were ready to go back to Egypt. They had rather be slaves in Egypt than the Lord's free men in the desert. Three days whining. 30 days ready to go back. How long did it take them to forget? Oh, that's not the end of it. I want you to look in your Bibles, if you would, please. Exodus chapter 17. Not only are they saying, "Would to God we had died in the land of Egypt," in Exodus chapter 17, beginning there with verse 1. Watch carefully.

"And all the congregation of the children of Israel journeyed from the wilderness of Sin, after their journeys, according to the commandment of the Lord, and pitched in Rephidim: and there was no water for the people to drink." Now, God's already miraculously given them water. Watch. "Wherefore the people did chide with Moses, and said, Give us water that we may drink. And Moses said unto them, Why chide ye with me? wherefore do ye tempt the Lord? And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?" Wow.

Now, according to context, in chapter 16, chapter 17 happens one week later. One week later. So within three days, they're complaining; within 30 days, they want to go back because of the onions and the leeks and the garlic in Egypt; and in 37 days, again, they're complaining, saying, "You brought us out here to kill us." Wow, how easily we forget. How small an impact the work and the miracles and the mercies of God make upon our minds. Do you remember how God came down upon Mount Sinai with thunders and lightnings and earthquakes? Look in Exodus chapter 19. Exodus chapter 19. And the Bible says, beginning there with verse 16, "And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled." So now God has come down upon this mountain and there's thunderings and lightnings and a thick cloud and the voice of a trumpet exceeding loud.

Now, what happened here? I'm going to come back in just a moment, but I'm going to run for just a minute. You remember, it was Moses who went up into the mount to get the law of God. How long was he up there the first time? Supposed to have been 40 days. Now, remember, these people hadn't been out of Egypt long. So I want you to look in your Bibles to the book of Exodus, chapter 32. Then we're going to come back. I want you to see what happened when Moses was up in that mountain the first time getting the law from the hand of God. Watch Exodus, chapter 32, beginning there with verse 1. Moses is up in the mount. Verse 1. "And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount," the forty days wasn't even up yet. They were just impatient. "The people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt,

we wot not what is become of him. And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me. And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron. And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, To morrow is a feast to the Lord." "And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play." And the word "play" there is a very soft word for it literally means they rose up to commit fornication, adultery. So now Moses is up in the mount receiving the law of God and before he can finish 40 days, they're making a molten calf and worshipping it and committing fornication as well as idolatry. Wow.

Now go back to Exodus chapter 19. Watch this. This is absolutely astounding. Remember, in three days, they were murmuring. In 30 days, they wanted to go back. 37 days, they're still murmuring. Watch the first verse of chapter 19 of Exodus. "In the third month, when the children of Israel were gone forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day came they into the wilderness of Sinai. For they were departed from Rephidim, and were come to the desert of Sinai, and had pitched in the wilderness; and there Israel camped before the mount. And Moses went up unto God, and the Lord called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel; Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself."

"Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel." What? In the third month, before 90 days are up, they built themselves a golden calf. They become idolaters, warmongers, adulterers, fornicators. You can read about it in 1 Corinthians chapter 10. If you add another 30 days to Exodus chapter 19 and verse 1, because Moses had not even completed the 40 days in the mount, it means anywhere from three to four months. Probably three and a half. They were already committing idolatry, worshiping the dead.

Now, let me ask you a question. How long did it take you to forget? You know, you and I can read this Bible and we can see all of this and we are absolutely astounded, we're flabbergasted. We say, we can't imagine how this could ever possibly happen. Note what God did for these people, note what they saw, note what they experienced. How could they turn their backs upon him so quickly, so easily, so readily?

Application: Our Own Forgetfulness

Weaver applies the pattern to modern believers, noting how easily we forget God's provision, mercy, and goodness, and become ungrateful, taking God for granted.

And the answer is, they forgot. They forgot his works. They forgot his covenant. And they forgot him. How easily, how quickly we forget our profession, our promises, and our obedience. How easily and how quickly we turn aside from the word of God. We turn aside from the worship of God. We turn aside from the promises and the blessings of God. We turn aside to do that which ever we want to do. We can look at these people and say, "Well, they forgot."

You know, so have we. So have we. We forget God's provision. You know, it's God who has fed us, given us the ability to make money or to have things or to have food, and then even to be able to enjoy it. It's God who's given us life. The Bible says he holdeth our soul in life. David said, "My times are in his hands." It's God who gives us help. It's God who sustains us. It's God who protects us. It's God who preserves us.

There's a verse that I quote every day. Actually, it's two verses. Lamentations 3, 22 and 23. Listen. "It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness." The only reason you and I are alive today is because of God's compassions and God's faithfulness and God's tender mercies. They're new every morning. How often we just assume that God owes us life. We assume that God owes us health. We assume that God owes us work and a job. We assume that God owes us food. God doesn't owe us anything. Yet, did you know the Bible tells you in the book of Romans chapter 2, it's the goodness of God that leadeth us to repentance. And we forget the goodness of God.

I could stand here tonight and tell you miracle after miracle, how God preserved me. Why? I don't know other than the fact other than his grace and mercy, that is for sure. But we become an ungrateful, unthankful people who just take our Lord for granted and everything that he does for us and everything he gives for us. Let me show you something else. I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Revelation chapter 2. Revelation chapter 2. You see, this is what our Lord is talking about to the church of Ephesus. He's not talking to the heathen, he's talking to the church. Look in Revelation chapter 2 and verse 1. He says, "Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks."

The Church at Ephesus: Leaving First Love

Revelation 2:1-5 is cited to show that even a doctrinally sound church can leave its first love; Christ's call is to remember, repent, and return to first works.

"I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted." And then he says this, you had all these good points. "Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love." Wait a minute, thou hast left thy first love. What's that mean? And you don't have the warmness. You don't have the heart. You don't have the affection for the Lord that you used to have. You don't have the energy. You don't have the vitality. You don't have the desire to love him and serve him. Let me ask you a question. How long has it been since you've actually said to the Lord, "I love you"? How long has it been since you actually have said to the Lord,

"Thank you for first loving me. Thank you for sending the Lord Jesus Christ to be the propitiation for my sins and turning my heart to thee so that I could love thee." What about your service? What about your faithfulness? What about your love for the Word of God? The ministry? Well, look what he says. Revelation 2, verse 4. "Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent." Do you notice the very first thing our Lord calls us to do is to remember? Remember. Remember, there's a picture that hangs on our bedroom wall of Alice and I, when we were young. And neither one of us can remember if that picture was taken before we were married, or right after we were married.

It's been a long time. But oftentimes, and since it's on the wall on my side of the bed, I roll over and I look at that. And I remember. I remember how she chased me and begged me to marry her, you know, but I remember. I look at that, I think, wow. And you remember too. And you remember how it was between you and the Lord when God saved you.

And you were so on fire. You had such zeal and such a desire to honor him and glorify him. And now we live like it doesn't matter anymore. But what's he say? Remember? And then he said, repent. Or else I will remove thy candlestick out of his place. God can remove an individual and God can remove a church unless we remember from whence we are fallen and return back to our first love.

Jeremiah's Haunting Question and Final Plea

Jeremiah 2:32 contrasts a bride's inability to forget her attire with God's people forgetting Him 'days without number.' Weaver urges remembrance and repentance, closing in prayer.

I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Jeremiah chapter 2. I want to show you a verse. I hope and I pray that this verse will just break your heart. I hope that you will see it. And I pray tonight that it will haunt you. I pray that you'd even dream about it, that you'd think about it. Every time I read this verse, I get under conviction. Look in Jeremiah chapter 2 and verse 32.

Here's the question that God asked. Look, Jeremiah 2 and verse 32. He asked, "Can a maid forget her ornaments?" None of you young ladies forgot to put on your jewelry tonight, your earrings or your necklace or your ring. "Can a maid forget her ornaments? Or a bride her attire?" There's never been a bride that forgot to put on her wedding dress. "Can a maid forget her ornaments? Can a bride forget her attire?"

"Yet my people have forgotten me days without number." How easily we forget. We forget God's words. We forget God's covenant. And we forget God. And we live our lives as if he did not exist. We totally ignore him. Remember from whence thou art fallen and repent. Turn back to your first love and your first works. For God says, I will remove you. Do not forget the God of our salvation. Do not be like the Israelites in the old covenant. You remember that God is our all in all.

He may not need us. But we surely need him and may he have mercy upon us. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to thee. We thank you for your word. We thank you for your truth. And Lord, we confess we've forgotten thy works. We've forgotten everything that you've done for us. Lord, we just assume that we're going to have life and health and food and prosperity and happiness and preservation. We fail to thank thee, we fail to love thee. Lord, we've forgotten thy word. We've forgotten thy people. We've forgotten to pray. We've forgotten your works. We've forgotten your covenant. Lord, we've forgotten you. Days without number. Have mercy upon us. Awaken us.

Call us back to thyself. Turn us, O God, and we shall be turned. Quicken us, O Lord, and we shall call upon thy name. Give us your grace and your mercy. In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask and pray. Amen.

Study Guide

Major Themes

The Progression of Spiritual Forgetfulness

Summary: Forgetting God's works leads to forgetting His covenant, which ultimately results in forgetting God Himself and replacing Him with idols.

Evidence: Weaver traces this progression from Deuteronomy 4:9 (works) to 4:23 (covenant) to 6:12 (God), and illustrates it with Israel's rapid decline after the Exodus.

The Danger of Idolatry as a Consequence of Forgetting

Summary: When God is forgotten, people inevitably create substitutes—whether graven images or modern idols like covetousness and fleshly desires.

Evidence: Weaver cites Deuteronomy 4:23, Colossians 3:5, and Philippians 3:19 to show that idolatry follows forgetting God, and that anything placed above God is idolatry.

The Swiftness of Human Forgetfulness

Summary: Despite witnessing miraculous deliverances, Israel forgot God within days, demonstrating how quickly humans can turn from God.

Evidence: Weaver details Israel's murmuring at Marah (3 days), longing for Egypt (30 days), and golden calf worship (3-4 months) after the Exodus.

The Call to Remember and Repent

Summary: Christ's message to Ephesus in Revelation 2 emphasizes remembering from where we have fallen, repenting, and returning to first love and works.

Evidence: Weaver reads Revelation 2:4-5, stressing that the first step to restoration is remembering, followed by repentance and renewed obedience.

God's Faithfulness Despite Human Unfaithfulness

Summary: God's mercies are new every morning, and His goodness leads to repentance, yet people often take His provision for granted.

Evidence: Weaver quotes Lamentations 3:22-23 and Romans 2:4, contrasting God's constant faithfulness with human ingratitude and forgetfulness.

Key Arguments

Forgetting God's works is the first step toward spiritual decline.

Summary: Deuteronomy 4:9 warns against forgetting the things seen, and Israel's example shows that forgetting miracles leads to covenant-breaking and idolatry.

Evidence: Weaver points to Deuteronomy 4:9 and the rapid sequence of Israel's complaints and golden calf worship after witnessing the plagues and Red Sea.

Forgetting God's covenant leads to idolatry.

Summary: Deuteronomy 4:23 links forgetting the covenant with making graven images, and New Testament parallels show that covetousness and fleshly desires are modern idolatry.

Evidence: Weaver cites Deuteronomy 4:23, Colossians 3:5, and Philippians 3:19 to argue that abandoning God's covenant results in worshiping false gods.

Forgetting God Himself is the ultimate outcome.

Summary: Deuteronomy 6:12 and 8:11-19 warn against forgetting the Lord, which leads to perishing; this is the final stage of spiritual amnesia.

Evidence: Weaver reads Deuteronomy 6:12, 8:11, 14, 19, showing that forgetting God brings judgment and destruction.

Israel's history proves how quickly people forget God.

Summary: Within three days of the Red Sea, Israel murmured; within 30 days they wanted to return to Egypt; within months they worshiped a golden calf.

Evidence: Weaver traces Exodus 15:22-24 (Marah), Exodus 16:1-3 (flesh pots), Exodus 17:1-3 (Rephidim), and Exodus 32:1-6 (golden calf).

The New Testament church faces the same danger.

Summary: The church at Ephesus left its first love, and Christ's remedy is to remember, repent, and do the first works, or face removal of its lampstand.

Evidence: Weaver expounds Revelation 2:1-5, emphasizing that even doctrinally faithful churches can lose their love for Christ.

Modern believers are equally guilty of forgetting God.

Summary: We forget God's provision, mercy, and goodness, living as if He does not exist, and need to heed Jeremiah 2:32's haunting question.

Evidence: Weaver applies the message personally, citing Lamentations 3:22-23, Romans 2:4, and Jeremiah 2:32 to convict hearers of their own forgetfulness.

Scripture References

Deuteronomy 4:9

Context: Warning to take heed lest they forget the things their eyes have seen; the starting point of the progression of forgetfulness.

Deuteronomy 4:10

Context: Reference to the day at Horeb when God spoke, emphasizing the need to teach future generations.

Deuteronomy 4:23

Context: Warning against forgetting the covenant, which leads to idolatry.

Deuteronomy 4:34

Context: God's mighty works in Egypt described as temptations, signs, wonders, war, mighty hand, stretched out arm, and great terrors.

Deuteronomy 6:12

Context: Warning not to forget the Lord who brought them out of Egypt.

Deuteronomy 7:19

Context: Recounting the great temptations, signs, wonders, mighty hand, and stretched out arm which their eyes saw.

Deuteronomy 8:11

Context: Warning not to forget the Lord by not keeping His commandments.

Deuteronomy 8:14

Context: Warning that when the heart is lifted up, they will forget the Lord who brought them out of Egypt.

Deuteronomy 8:19

Context: If they forget the Lord and walk after other gods, they will surely perish.

Deuteronomy 26:8

Context: The Lord brought them out of Egypt with a mighty hand, outstretched arm, great terribleness, signs, and wonders.

Deuteronomy 34:12

Context: Reference to the mighty hand and great terror which Moses showed in the sight of all Israel.

Exodus 11:7

Context: God put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel; not a dog moved its tongue against Israel.

Exodus 9:4-7

Context: The Lord severed between the cattle of Israel and Egypt; none of Israel's cattle died.

Exodus 10:22-23

Context: Thick darkness in Egypt for three days, but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.

Exodus 12:12

Context: God executed judgment against all the gods of Egypt through the plagues.

Exodus 14:27-30

Context: The Red Sea returned and drowned the Egyptians; Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore.

Exodus 12:1-7

Context: Instructions for the Passover lamb, its selection, keeping, and killing on the 14th of Abib.

Exodus 12:11

Context: The Passover was to be eaten in haste with loins girded, shoes on, and staff in hand.

Exodus 13:3-10

Context: Moses commands them to remember the day they came out of Egypt and keep the feast of unleavened bread as a memorial.

Exodus 15:22-24

Context: Three days after the Red Sea, Israel murmured at Marah because the waters were bitter.

Historical References

The Ten Plagues of Egypt

Context: Weaver lists the plagues (water to blood, frogs, lice, flies, murrain, boils, hail, locusts, darkness, death of firstborn) as witnessed by Israel and demonstrating God's judgment on Egypt's gods.

The Exodus and Red Sea Crossing

Context: Israel's departure from Egypt on Abib 15, the parting of the Red Sea, and the destruction of Pharaoh's army are recounted as foundational acts of deliverance.

The Golden Calf Incident

Context: While Moses was on Sinai receiving the law, Israel made and worshiped a golden calf, combining idolatry with immorality, within months of the Exodus.

Roman Emperor Cult and Christian Confession

Context: Weaver explains that early Christians were executed for refusing to say 'Caesar is Lord,' because they confessed 'Jesus is Lord,' which was viewed as treason.

Early Christian Baptismal Formula

Context: The original baptismal confession was 'Jesus is Lord,' a politically dangerous statement in the Roman Empire.

Important Quotes

Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thine heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons' sons.

Significance: This is the foundational text for the entire sermon, establishing the command to remember God's works and pass them on.

Take heed unto yourselves, lest ye forget the covenant of the Lord your God, which he made with you, and make you a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, which the Lord thy God hath forbidden thee.

Significance: Shows the link between forgetting the covenant and falling into idolatry, a key step in the progression.

Then beware, lest thou forget the Lord, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.

Significance: Highlights the final stage of forgetting God Himself, completing the downward spiral.

Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.

Significance: Christ's call to the church to remember and repent, central to the application of the sermon.

It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

Significance: Emphasizes God's constant faithfulness and mercy, contrasting with human forgetfulness.

Discussion Questions

What are some 'works of God' in your own life that you have seen or experienced, and how can you actively remember them?

Context: Weaver stresses the importance of not forgetting the things our eyes have seen, as Israel was commanded.

In what ways might we be forgetting God's covenant today, and what modern 'idols' can result from that forgetfulness?

Context: Weaver links forgetting the covenant to idolatry, including covetousness and fleshly desires.

Why do you think Israel forgot God's mighty works so quickly, and what does that reveal about human nature?

Context: The sermon details Israel's murmuring within days and idolatry within months after the Exodus.

What does it mean to 'leave your first love,' and what are some signs that this has happened in a believer's life?

Context: Weaver expounds Revelation 2:4, describing loss of warmth, affection, energy, and desire for the Lord.

How can we practically 'remember from whence we are fallen' and return to our first works?

Context: Christ's command in Revelation 2:5 includes remembering, repenting, and doing the first works.

How does Jeremiah 2:32 challenge your view of your relationship with God?

Context: The verse contrasts a bride's inability to forget her attire with God's people forgetting Him days without number.

Applications

Cultivate Active Remembrance of God's Works

Summary: Believers should intentionally recall and recount God's past deliverances, provisions, and answered prayers to prevent spiritual amnesia.

Evidence: Weaver repeatedly emphasizes the command to remember and not forget the things seen, using Israel's failure as a warning.

Guard Against Gradual Spiritual Decline

Summary: Recognize that forgetting God's works can lead to neglecting His Word and ultimately replacing Him with idols; vigilance is required.

Evidence: The progression from Deuteronomy 4:9 to 4:23 to 6:12 shows a dangerous slope that believers must avoid.

Repent and Return to First Love

Summary: If you have lost the warmth and devotion you once had for Christ, follow the Ephesian church's example: remember, repent, and resume your first works.

Evidence: Revelation 2:4-5 is directly applied as a call to personal and corporate repentance.

Acknowledge God's Daily Mercies

Summary: Instead of taking life, health, and provision for granted, believers should daily thank God for His compassions that are new every morning.

Evidence: Weaver quotes Lamentations 3:22-23 and notes how we assume God owes us these things.

Teach the Next Generation

Summary: Part of not forgetting is passing on the knowledge of God's works to children and grandchildren, as commanded in Deuteronomy 4:9.

Evidence: The text itself includes 'teach them thy sons, and thy sons' sons,' and Weaver mentions this in the opening.

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T21:38:02Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T13:31:50Z

Clean Transcript

How Easily We Forget

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

"Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thine heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons' sons." How easily we forget. I suppose that probably some of the most famous words, or at least the ones most frequently spoken, are "I forgot." We may use such similar phrases as "it slipped my mind," or "I guess I was just not thinking," but it all boils down to the simple thing that we actually forgot. And as we age, the tendency is that we forget a little more frequently.
#1 | 0:00 to 0:46 | cleaned
Now, most of you are not at the age that you have come to the realization that I do, because oftentimes I will think of something I need to do, I'll get up, go in the other room, I'm thinking two or three other things, and I get in the other room, I think, "Now why did I come in this room? What was I going to do?" And I have to pause a few minutes, and finally it comes back, yes, and the truth is I just forgot.
#2 | 0:47 to 1:12 | cleaned
When Alice's mother, Granny Doris, was alive, she started getting very forgetful. And so Alice and I bought her some ginkgo biloba to take, which is supposedly to help the memory. And so we were driving to church on Sunday morning, she was in the backseat. And she said, "I think that stuff is really helping me." Well, I said, "Helping what, Granny?" She said, "Helping my memory." I said, "Well, what stuff is that?"
#3 | 1:13 to 1:42 | cleaned
She says, "I forgot, I don't know." And we laughed, but you know, that's just normal. That's natural in one sense of the word. One day, you have to understand that we forget not only little things at times, we forget important things as well. I guess one of my main concerns out of my 53 years of preaching was that I would forget a meeting, or I'd forget a preaching appointment.
#4 | 1:43 to 2:11 | cleaned
Thankfully, I never have, but it was always in the back of my mind. I sure would hate to do something like that. I would hate for that to slip up on me. But we forget all the time. One day, Alice and I were at the house, and our girls started calling us. And each one of them said, "Happy anniversary." And I looked at her, and she looked at me. We had both forgotten our anniversary.
#5 | 2:11 to 2:40 | cleaned
Now it would have been really bad had it just been me. But thankfully she forgot it as well. And then we just laughed and talked about how busy we've really been and hadn't even really thought about it. But I want you to look back at Deuteronomy chapter 4. I want you to look at verse 9 again and then verse 10 in connection with it. Deuteronomy chapter 4, verse 9.
#6 | 2:40 to 3:02 | cleaned
God says, "Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, now watch, lest thou forget the things that thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thine heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons' sons; specially the day that thou stoodest before the Lord thy God in Horeb, when the Lord said unto me, Gather me the people together, and I will make them hear my words, that they may learn to fear me all the days that they shall live upon the earth, and that they may teach them their children." So I want to point out the fact that they were not to forget the things that their eyes had seen. This included not only the miracles of God, but the judgment of God.
#7 | 3:02 to 3:44 | cleaned
Let me just put it like this. It would include what you and I would call the works of God. And God says you want to pay close attention to this, that you will not forget those things which your eyes have seen. You're not only going to pass them on to your son, but to your son's sons as well.
#8 | 3:45 to 4:04 | cleaned
Now, here's an interesting thing. When God is warning us not to forget the things which we have seen, when He warns us not to forget His works, when we do forget His works, there is another step. I want you to look in Deuteronomy chapter 4 in verse 23. Note, if you would, very carefully, Deuteronomy 4 verse 23. In this verse, God says very simply, "Take heed unto yourselves, lest ye forget the covenant of the Lord your God, which he made with you, and make you a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, which the Lord thy God hath forbidden thee." Now notice, if you would, in Deuteronomy chapter 4 in verse 9, he was warning us not to forget his works. Now, in Deuteronomy 4, verse 23, he's warning us not to forget his covenant. Now, when we think about a covenant, we normally think of the Old Covenant. But may I remind you that the word testament is identical to the word covenant. So when we talk about the Old Testament or the New Testament, we're actually talking about the Old Covenant and the New Covenant.
#9 | 4:04 to 5:13 | cleaned
And what happened in the Old Testament was Israel forgot the covenant of God. What is happening in the New Testament is that we as Christians are forgetting the New Covenant that we have in the Lord Jesus Christ. And the interesting thing there, he talks about idolatry. He says when you forget the covenant, you're going to make of yourself some kind of false god. But may I remind you again, you don't have to bow down before a graven idol to worship a false god, because Colossians 3 and verse 5 tells us that covetousness is idolatry. So whenever we do anything that is wicked and wrong, and we place ourselves and our desires above God, that is idolatry.
#10 | 5:14 to 5:56 | cleaned
So let me ask you this question. How often do you really think of the word of God? How about these questions? How often do you think of the promises of God? How often do you think of the blessings of God? How often do you think of the curses of God? How often do you think of the warnings of God? You see, the truth of the matter is, it is so easy for you and I to forget. We easily, readily, and quickly forget. We forget not only our profession of faith, we even forget our baptismal oath. You say, "Did I take an oath at my baptism?"
#11 | 5:57 to 6:40 | cleaned
You probably did, you may not have realized it. Do you realize that in the New Testament, the original baptismal formula was three words in Greek. They would simply say, "Jesus is Lord." That was the original confession, "Jesus is Lord." Now, the point being, most people do not realize the importance of those words, but you have to remember back in those days, Caesar was claiming to be Lord.
#12 | 6:41 to 7:14 | cleaned
And by the way, Christians in the Roman Empire were not put to death for being Christians. Because in the Roman Empire, you could believe whatever you wanted to believe. If you wanted to worship Zeus, have at it. If you wanted to worship Harpo Marx, you could go for that too, if he had been alive back then. But whatever you believed and whoever you worshiped, once a year, you would have to swear by the genius of Caesar and say, "Caesar is Lord." That is, Caesar gives me the right to believe as I believe. And the early Christians refused to say that Caesar is Lord because they confessed that Jesus Christ is Lord. And consequently, it carried the death penalty because then Christians were viewed as traitors and treasonous individuals to the emperor cult. So when someone said in the New Testament, "Jesus is Lord," they were basically signing their own death warrant because they were willing to deny that Caesar was Lord and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.
#13 | 7:17 to 8:19 | cleaned
Today, usually when you talk about a baptismal service, most people just kind of skip it like, "Well, it's just a little simple." No, it's not just a little simple ordinance. You remember even Paul told Timothy, "Remember the good confession that you've made before so many witnesses." He's talking about the baptismal confession at Timothy's baptism because he confessed that Jesus Christ is Lord. So when we forget the works of God, the next step is that we forget the covenant of God. And then usually once you forget the works of God and the covenant of God, there is another step, and that is that you forget God. Like Demas, whom Paul said, "has forsaken me, having loved this present evil world," individuals soon prefer their own flesh and their lusts over the grace and mercy and goodness of God. Let me show you.
#14 | 8:21 to 9:15 | cleaned
Look in Deuteronomy 6, if you would please, and verse 12. Now remember, he's already warned them about forgetting the works of God. He's warned them about forgetting the covenant of God. So now in Deuteronomy chapter 6 and verse 12, he says this, "Then beware, lest thou forget the Lord, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage." Ah, look, if you would, Deuteronomy 8 and verse 11. Deuteronomy 8 and verse 11, he says it again, "Beware that thou forget not the Lord thy God, in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes, which I command thee this day." Notice if you would, these passages now are not just reminding you not to forget the works of God, the covenants of God, but they're saying don't forget God himself. Look in verse 14. "Then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the Lord thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage." And then verse 19. "And it shall be, if thou do at all forget the Lord thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them."
#15 | 9:16 to 10:22 | cleaned
"I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish." So I want you to know there is a progress here. And the progress is you just simply forget all the works of God, his judgments, his miracles, his grace, his mercy. Then you begin to forget the covenant of God. You cease obeying his commandments. You cease following his law. And the ultimate end of that is you end up basically forgetting God. And anytime you forget God, you actually replace Him.
#16 | 10:22 to 10:55 | cleaned
That's what He's warning about. Now, you're going to say, "Well, I'm not going to replace the one true and the living God. I mean, I know that Jesus Christ is Lord. I know that there's only one God who's revealed Himself in Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. I understand that." But may I remind you again, and I'm gonna give you a scripture, that when we give in to the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of the life, we are idolaters. Did you know that the Apostle Paul spoke of individuals whose God was their belly? He said in Philippians chapter 3 in verse 19, "Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things." In other words, God is absent from their thought. That's one of the charges that is made against the wicked there in Psalm 10. God is not in all of their thoughts. And so the progress is you forget the works of God, you forget the covenant of God, and you end up forgetting God himself, because now you're replacing him with your fancies and your whims and your desires.
#17 | 10:57 to 12:04 | cleaned
Now, let me ask you, do you remember how Israel was delivered out of Egypt? Do you recall reading in your Bibles all the mighty works and displays of God's power? Do you remember everything that God did to the Egyptians? And by the way, I want to take the time to show you just four verses. And I had to be selective because there are so many verses that talk about this, where God is calling his people to remember specifically his mighty works, his outstretched arm, and his power.
#18 | 12:05 to 12:44 | cleaned
So if you'll look in the book of Deuteronomy, first of all, chapter 4 and verse 34. Go back to Deuteronomy 4, verse 34, and look what God asks. Deuteronomy 4, verse 34. He asked, "Or hath God assayed to go and take him a nation from the midst of another nation, by temptations, by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by a mighty hand, and by a stretched out arm, and by great terrors, according to all that the Lord your God did for you
#19 | 12:44 to 13:16 | cleaned
in Egypt before your eyes?" Now note, if you would please, He talks about the temptations, the signs, the wonders, war, the mighty hand of God, the stretched out arm and the great terrors. And note, he says, "according to all that the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes," you saw it. You remember those things. Look in your Bibles, if you would, at Deuteronomy chapter 7 and verse 19. Deuteronomy 7 in verse 19. Again, he says it like this. "The great temptations which thine eyes saw, and the signs, and the wonders, and the mighty hand, and the stretched out arm, whereby the Lord thy God brought thee out: so shall the Lord thy God do unto all the people of whom thou art afraid." But note again, he's talking about the great temptations, the signs, the wonders, the mighty hand, the stretched out arm. He said, "which thine eyes saw." You were there. You were witnesses. Look at Deuteronomy chapter 26 and verse 8. Deuteronomy 26 and verse 8. Again, God says this, "And the Lord brought us forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with great terribleness, and with signs, and with wonders."
#20 | 13:16 to 14:44 | cleaned
God brought them out. Note, if you would, in Deuteronomy chapter 34 and verse 12. Deuteronomy 34 and verse 12. There are many other verses that talk about this, but note Deuteronomy 34 and verse 12. He says, "And in all that mighty hand, and in all the great terror which Moses shewed in the sight of all Israel."
#21 | 14:45 to 15:07 | cleaned
Now stop and put all these passages together, because each one of these passages now happen to be talking about God's mighty power, his outstretched arm, his mighty hand, his wonders, his temptations, his signs, his terror, the war that he waged against the Egyptians. And he keeps saying over and over that your eyes have seen these things. Now, here's my question. How long do you think it would take for the Israelites to forget everything that they saw? How could they forget what they saw?
#22 | 15:08 to 15:50 | cleaned
Now, let me try to make this a little more personal. Okay. Let's forget about the Israelites right now. Let's just suppose that you are there. Everyone in this congregation is there. You are an Israelite, you're there. You see the 10 plagues. You see the mighty wonders. You see everything that God has done. So here's my question. How long would it take you to forget? Let me make it even more personal.
#23 | 15:52 to 16:35 | cleaned
I want you to hold Deuteronomy 4, but I want you to go back in your Bibles to the book of Exodus. And look, if you would please, at chapter 11. We'll be looking at a number of passages in Exodus. We'll look in Exodus chapter 11, if you would please. And let's begin reading there with verse 7. Look what God says. Exodus 11 and verse 7.
#24 | 16:36 to 16:58 | cleaned
Now, remember, you have witnessed the plagues, the mighty wonders of God. Verse 7, "But against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue, against man or beast: that ye may know how that the Lord doth put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel." Now, wait a minute. Not only do you see what God has done, and you've seen His mighty power, you have also experienced deliverance. You were exempted.
#25 | 17:00 to 17:29 | cleaned
None of this happened unto you. When the plagues hit, they did not hit upon the Israelites. The Israelites were not affected by any of those plagues. If you look in your Bibles to the book of Exodus chapter 9, here is the grievous murrain upon the cattle. I'll show you a few other verses momentarily, but look in Exodus chapter 9 and let's begin reading there with verse 4. Exodus 9 in verse 4. Hear the word of God says very clearly, "And the Lord shall sever between the cattle of Israel and the cattle of Egypt: and there shall nothing die of all that is the children's of Israel. And the Lord appointed a set time, saying, Tomorrow the Lord shall do this thing in the land. And the Lord did that thing on the morrow, and all the cattle of Egypt died: but of the cattle of the children of Israel died not one. And Pharaoh sent, and, behold, there was not one of the cattle of the Israelites dead. And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people go."
#26 | 17:29 to 18:32 | cleaned
Isn't that amazing? Now, you're not only seeing these plagues, you're also seeing that you are exempted. They're not harming you. They're not touching you at all. Even when the plague of darkness hit, which I'll cover momentarily, but I want you to look in Exodus chapter 10. Look at verses 22 and 23. Exodus chapter 10, beginning there in verse 22. Here's the plague of darkness. "And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven; and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days." Now notice it says a thick darkness. "They saw not one another, neither rose any from his place for three days."
#27 | 18:32 to 19:17 | cleaned
"But all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings." You know, the old joke that I always heard as a kid was, "Where was Moses when the lights went out?" And the answer is, "In the dark." Well, that's not true, according to the Bible, because the children of Israel had light in their dwellings. All the Israelites had light. Remember, this is a thick darkness. And for three days, they did not even move.
#28 | 19:19 to 19:50 | cleaned
Years ago, Alice and I took two of our grandkids and we were out west and we stopped in Utah and went to Timpanogos Cave. Had to walk a mile up a mountain to get into that cave. It was huge. And there was a ranger that took us and led us all around in the cave. And we got in this huge chamber. And of course, there are lights everywhere. And the ranger looked at us and said, "Now, I'm going to show you something, but you must stand absolutely still. You cannot move. In fact, hold hands." Fine. And then the ranger reached over and turned the lights off. You talk about darkness.
#29 | 19:52 to 20:40 | cleaned
You could have held your hand here. You couldn't see anything. It was absolutely, totally, completely dark. That's what happened here. But God said the children of Israel had light in their dwellings. So let me put it to you like this. You're here in Egypt. You are experiencing these great deliverances. Everything that happens to the Egyptians does not happen to you. So let me just very quickly remind you of the 10 plagues. I want to remind you of what you personally have seen and what you have personally been exempted from.
#30 | 20:42 to 21:32 | cleaned
In fact, the very first plague, the waters were turned into blood, and all the fish died, and the river stank in Exodus chapter 7. You were there, but you had fresh water, and your fish certainly did not die if you had a separate pool. Secondly, you saw the frogs come out of the river and envelop the land in the book of Exodus chapter 8 again. In fact, the Bible tells us that the frogs were so thick they were in their hands, in their houses, in their beds. Frogs everywhere. The third plague, of course, you saw the dust of the land turned into lice. There was lice upon man and lice upon beast, but you were spared. You can read about it in Exodus chapter 8.
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Did not touch the Israelites, but all the Egyptians were affected. And fourthly, you saw the swarms of flies that corrupted and destroyed everything in the land in Exodus chapter 8. But you were spared this corruption.
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Now, I don't know if this is true, but I read it. And to be absolutely honest, I despise flies. I hate flies. But I read that every time a fly lit, he spat. Whether that's true or not, I don't know. But flies are known for their corruption. And if you look very quickly in the book of Exodus chapter 8, look in Exodus chapter 8 at verses 22 and 23. Exodus chapter 8 verse 22. Look what God says to the Egyptians before he sends this great plague of flies. He said, "And I will sever in that day the land of Goshen, in which my people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there; to the end thou mayest know that I am the Lord in the midst of the earth. And I will put a division between my people and thy people."
#33 | 22:36 to 23:29 | cleaned
"Tomorrow shall this sign be." And the Lord did so; and there came a grievous swarm of flies into the house of Pharaoh, and into his servants' houses, and into all the land of Egypt: the land was corrupted by reason of the swarm of flies. But none were in the land of Goshen. So you're there. You see how all of these flies corrupt everything in the land of Egypt, but there are none in your house. You're there, and you see the grievous murrain upon the cattle. All the Egyptians' cattle died, but your cattle were spared, Exodus 9. You saw the boils breaking out upon man and beast, and yet you and your animals were spared in Exodus 9.
#34 | 23:30 to 24:15 | cleaned
You didn't go through that. You didn't suffer that. You saw that. And you saw and understood that when God sent that great thunderstorm of hail and fire, and you saw the destruction that followed, and God said that destruction was so great, there'd been nothing like that in the land of Egypt since it was a nation. In fact, look in your Bibles to Exodus chapter 9, verse 24. Here it is. God said, "So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, very grievous, such as there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation." So you were there and you saw that. Wow. And then the eighth plague, the plague of locusts, the myriad of locusts darkened the sky and they consumed and destroyed everything in the land of Egypt.
#35 | 24:17 to 25:09 | cleaned
But your garden was spared. Your fruit trees were spared. And then, of course, the ninth plague, darkness. But you had light in your dwelling. You were spared. And then there was that 10th plague, where the firstborn, of man and beast, died. And you, with your own ears, heard the anguished cries of men and women, even of animals. You heard the heart-wrenching, heartbreaking screams and cries when those people found their firstborn was dead. And yet your firstborn lived. You were there. You saw that. You experienced that.
#36 | 25:11 to 26:06 | cleaned
Moreover, there was one other thing that you really understood out of all of these plagues. I want you to look in Exodus chapter 12 and verse 12. Here is the impact of these plagues. Here was the point that God was making, and here is what you really understood. Exodus 12 and verse 12. God said, "For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord." What was God doing? He was destroying all the false gods of Egypt. Even Pharaoh claimed to be a god, but Pharaoh could not even save his own child.
#37 | 26:07 to 26:55 | cleaned
And all of those judgments were not just simply against the Egyptians. They were against the gods of Egypt. And so now you've seen all of these plagues. You've seen how that Pharaoh and none of those false gods could do anything. And now you are assured in your heart of one thing, that there's only one true and the living God. And that God is the one that has revealed himself. And that God is the one that you're to worship. You know that. You know that you were there.
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You saw these things with your own eyes. Let me go a bit further. You were there when you marched out of Egypt on Abib 15. You were there when Pharaoh chased you and bottled you up at the Red Sea. You were there. But Moses lifted that rod and the sea parted left and right, and you walked across on dry ground. You were there. And those men whom you feared, Pharaoh and all of his army, who were chasing you, followed you into the sea. And just as the last Israelite got out, Moses raised that rod and the sea comes in and drowns all Pharaoh's army. In fact, look in your Bibles to Exodus chapter 14 if you would please, and let's begin reading there in verse 27. This is something that you have seen. This is something that you experienced. Notice in Exodus chapter 14 verse 27. "And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to his strength when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled against it; and the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea."
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"And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; there remained not so much as one of them. But the children of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea; and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left. Thus the Lord saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea shore." You were there. You not only saw the miracles and the power of God and the hand of God, the outstretched arm of God, you saw how he judged his enemies, how he judged their false gods. And how you were spared and you saw his final act against Pharaoh and his army, and you saw them all dead upon the seashore. So here's my question.
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How long is it going to take you to forget this? How long will this cease being an impact upon your mind? How long will this cease affecting your life? Nothing. You have seen all of this, you've experienced all of this. Let's go back to Exodus chapter 12. Because in Exodus chapter 12, you have the Passover. And I want to call your attention to a certain truth here. Look at this. Exodus chapter 12, verse 1.
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"And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, This month, which was Abib, which you will see momentarily, this month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you. Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house: And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats: And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening. And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it."
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Note, if you would now, this is the Passover. They took that lamb, and they had to keep it up until the 14th day of the month. On the 14th day, they killed it. They put the blood on the lintel and the doorpost, and on the 15th, they marched out. So this is the 15th of Abib.
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Now, look what God says in Exodus 12 and verse 11. Watch carefully, Exodus 12, verse 11. "And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the Lord's passover." So God says, once you put the blood on the doorpost, once you've eaten this lamb, you're leaving here, you're getting out.
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So they killed it on the 14th. And they left the morning of the 15th, because they had to eat it with their shoes on their feet, their loins girded, and the staff in their hands.
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Now, look, if you would, in Exodus chapter 13, and let's begin reading in verse 3, because I want you to understand what is happening here. Look, if you would, Exodus 13, verse 3. "And Moses said unto the people, Remember this day, in which ye came out from Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand the Lord brought you out from this place: there shall no leavened bread be eaten. This day came ye out in the month Abib. And it shall be when the Lord shall bring thee into the land of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, which he sware unto thy fathers to give thee, a land flowing with milk and honey, that thou shalt keep this service in this month. Seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, and in the seventh day shall be a feast to the Lord. Unleavened bread shall be eaten seven days; and there shall no leavened bread be seen with thee, neither shall there be leaven seen with thee in all thy quarters.
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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. 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. Thou shalt therefore keep this ordinance in his season from year to year." So this is the Passover ordinance.
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So they kill the lamb on the 14th of Abib. They walked out on the 15th of Abib. And God says, now, once you get into the land, you're to keep this feast for seven days, and it's to commemorate your deliverance from the land of Egypt.
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Now, please think with me. You have seen all of God's judgments and all of God's miracles, all of God's power with your own eyes. You have seen what he's done to his enemies. You have seen what he's done to his false gods. You have seen the Egyptians dead on the seashore. You have seen that you marched out of Egypt just exactly the way God has said.
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Now, here's that question again. How long will it take you to forget these things? You know, most people say, "Man, I'll never forget these things." Really? Well, let's look at our Bibles in Exodus chapter 15. Exodus chapter 15. I wanted you to begin to see how easily we forget. How easily we forget God's grace, God's mercy, God's power, God's provision, God's providence. I want you to see this. Exodus chapter 15, and let's begin reading there with verse 22. Exodus 15, verse 22.
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The Bible says, "So Moses brought Israel from the Red Sea." Remember, that's where they crossed. That's where the Egyptians were killed. "So Moses brought Israel from the Red Sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water. And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called Marah. And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink? And he cried unto the Lord; and the Lord shewed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet: there he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them." Three days. And now they're murmuring. Notice they murmured, saying, "What shall we drink?" Three days. God had just showed them his mighty power. And in three days, they're whining and complaining and murmuring against God. Oh, let's go on.
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Look in Exodus chapter 16, beginning there with verse 1. Pay attention. "And they took their journey from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came unto the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departing out of the land of Egypt." Wait a minute. The 15th day of the second. They left the 15th day of the first month. This is 30 days. "And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness: And the children of Israel said unto them, Would to God we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger." What? 30 days, and they're saying, "Would to God we had died in Egypt." What? We remember the flesh pots.
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We remember the onions and the garlics and the leeks. We remember the fish. We want that. Within 30 days they were ready to go back to Egypt. They had rather be slaves in Egypt than the Lord's free men in the desert. Three days whining. 30 days ready to go back. How long did it take them to forget? Oh, that's not the end of it. I want you to look in your Bibles, if you would, please. Exodus chapter 17. Not only are they saying, "Would to God we had died in the land of Egypt," in Exodus chapter 17, beginning there with verse 1. Watch carefully.
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"And all the congregation of the children of Israel journeyed from the wilderness of Sin, after their journeys, according to the commandment of the Lord, and pitched in Rephidim: and there was no water for the people to drink."
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Now, God's already miraculously given them water. Watch. "Wherefore the people did chide with Moses, and said, Give us water that we may drink. And Moses said unto them, Why chide ye with me? wherefore do ye tempt the Lord? And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?" Wow.
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Now, according to context, in chapter 16, chapter 17 happens one week later. One week later. So within three days, they're complaining; within 30 days, they want to go back because of the onions and the leeks and the garlic in Egypt; and in 37 days, again, they're complaining, saying, "You brought us out here to kill us." Wow, how easily we forget. How small an impact the work and the miracles and the mercies of God make upon our minds. Do you remember how God came down upon Mount Sinai with thunders and lightnings and earthquakes? Look in Exodus chapter 19. Exodus chapter 19. And the Bible says, beginning there with verse 16, "And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled." So now God has come down upon this mountain and there's thunderings and lightnings and a thick cloud and the voice of a trumpet exceeding loud.
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Now, what happened here? I'm going to come back in just a moment, but I'm going to run for just a minute. You remember, it was Moses who went up into the mount to get the law of God. How long was he up there the first time? Supposed to have been 40 days. Now, remember, these people hadn't been out of Egypt long. So I want you to look in your Bibles to the book of Exodus, chapter 32. Then we're going to come back. I want you to see what happened when Moses was up in that mountain the first time getting the law from the hand of God. Watch Exodus, chapter 32, beginning there with verse 1. Moses is up in the mount. Verse 1. "And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount," the forty days wasn't even up yet. They were just impatient. "The people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt,
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we wot not what is become of him. And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me. And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron. And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, To morrow is a feast to the Lord."
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"And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play." And the word "play" there is a very soft word for it literally means they rose up to commit fornication, adultery. So now Moses is up in the mount receiving the law of God and before he can finish 40 days, they're making a molten calf and worshipping it and committing fornication as well as idolatry. Wow.
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Now go back to Exodus chapter 19. Watch this. This is absolutely astounding. Remember, in three days, they were murmuring. In 30 days, they wanted to go back. 37 days, they're still murmuring. Watch the first verse of chapter 19 of Exodus. "In the third month, when the children of Israel were gone forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day came they into the wilderness of Sinai. For they were departed from Rephidim, and were come to the desert of Sinai, and had pitched in the wilderness; and there Israel camped before the mount. And Moses went up unto God, and the Lord called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel; Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself."
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"Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel." What? In the third month, before 90 days are up, they built themselves a golden calf.
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They become idolaters, warmongers, adulterers, fornicators. You can read about it in 1 Corinthians chapter 10. If you add another 30 days to Exodus chapter 19 and verse 1, because Moses had not even completed the 40 days in the mount, it means anywhere from three to four months. Probably three and a half. They were already committing idolatry, worshiping the dead.
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Now, let me ask you a question. How long did it take you to forget? You know, you and I can read this Bible and we can see all of this and we are absolutely astounded, we're flabbergasted. We say, we can't imagine how this could ever possibly happen. Note what God did for these people, note what they saw, note what they experienced. How could they turn their backs upon him so quickly, so easily, so readily?
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And the answer is, they forgot. They forgot his works. They forgot his covenant. And they forgot him. How easily, how quickly we forget our profession, our promises, and our obedience. How easily and how quickly we turn aside from the word of God. We turn aside from the worship of God. We turn aside from the promises and the blessings of God. We turn aside to do that which ever we want to do. We can look at these people and say, "Well, they forgot."
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You know, so have we. So have we. We forget God's provision. You know, it's God who has fed us, given us the ability to make money or to have things or to have food, and then even to be able to enjoy it. It's God who's given us life. The Bible says he holdeth our soul in life. David said, "My times are in his hands." It's God who gives us help. It's God who sustains us. It's God who protects us. It's God who preserves us.
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There's a verse that I quote every day. Actually, it's two verses. Lamentations 3, 22 and 23. Listen. "It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness." The only reason you and I are alive today is because of God's compassions and God's faithfulness and God's tender mercies. They're new every morning. How often we just assume that God owes us life. We assume that God owes us health. We assume that God owes us work and a job. We assume that God owes us food. God doesn't owe us anything. Yet, did you know the Bible tells you in the book of Romans chapter 2, it's the goodness of God that leadeth us to repentance. And we forget the goodness of God.
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I could stand here tonight and tell you miracle after miracle, how God preserved me. Why? I don't know other than the fact other than his grace and mercy, that is for sure. But we become an ungrateful, unthankful people who just take our Lord for granted and everything that he does for us and everything he gives for us. Let me show you something else. I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Revelation chapter 2. Revelation chapter 2. You see, this is what our Lord is talking about to the church of Ephesus. He's not talking to the heathen, he's talking to the church. Look in Revelation chapter 2 and verse 1. He says, "Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks."
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"I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted." And then he says this, you had all these good points. "Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love." Wait a minute, thou hast left thy first love. What's that mean?
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And you don't have the warmness. You don't have the heart. You don't have the affection for the Lord that you used to have. You don't have the energy. You don't have the vitality. You don't have the desire to love him and serve him. Let me ask you a question. How long has it been since you've actually said to the Lord, "I love you"? How long has it been since you actually have said to the Lord,
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"Thank you for first loving me. Thank you for sending the Lord Jesus Christ to be the propitiation for my sins and turning my heart to thee so that I could love thee." What about your service? What about your faithfulness? What about your love for the Word of God? The ministry? Well, look what he says. Revelation 2, verse 4. "Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent." Do you notice the very first thing our Lord calls us to do is to remember? Remember. Remember, there's a picture that hangs on our bedroom wall of Alice and I, when we were young. And neither one of us can remember if that picture was taken before we were married, or right after we were married.
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It's been a long time. But oftentimes, and since it's on the wall on my side of the bed, I roll over and I look at that. And I remember. I remember how she chased me and begged me to marry her, you know, but I remember. I look at that, I think, wow. And you remember too. And you remember how it was between you and the Lord when God saved you.
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And you were so on fire. You had such zeal and such a desire to honor him and glorify him. And now we live like it doesn't matter anymore. But what's he say? Remember? And then he said, repent. Or else I will remove thy candlestick out of his place. God can remove an individual and God can remove a church unless we remember from whence we are fallen and return back to our first love.
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I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Jeremiah chapter 2. I want to show you a verse. I hope and I pray that this verse will just break your heart. I hope that you will see it. And I pray tonight that it will haunt you. I pray that you'd even dream about it, that you'd think about it. Every time I read this verse, I get under conviction. Look in Jeremiah chapter 2 and verse 32.
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Here's the question that God asked. Look, Jeremiah 2 and verse 32. He asked, "Can a maid forget her ornaments?" None of you young ladies forgot to put on your jewelry tonight, your earrings or your necklace or your ring. "Can a maid forget her ornaments? Or a bride her attire?" There's never been a bride that forgot to put on her wedding dress. "Can a maid forget her ornaments? Can a bride forget her attire?"
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"Yet my people have forgotten me days without number." How easily we forget. We forget God's words. We forget God's covenant. And we forget God. And we live our lives as if he did not exist. We totally ignore him. Remember from whence thou art fallen and repent. Turn back to your first love and your first works. For God says, I will remove you. Do not forget the God of our salvation. Do not be like the Israelites in the old covenant. You remember that God is our all in all.
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He may not need us. But we surely need him and may he have mercy upon us. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to thee. We thank you for your word. We thank you for your truth. And Lord, we confess we've forgotten thy works. We've forgotten everything that you've done for us. Lord, we just assume that we're going to have life and health and food and prosperity and happiness and preservation. We fail to thank thee, we fail to love thee. Lord, we've forgotten thy word. We've forgotten thy people. We've forgotten to pray. We've forgotten your works. We've forgotten your covenant. Lord, we've forgotten you. Days without number. Have mercy upon us. Awaken us.
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Call us back to thyself. Turn us, O God, and we shall be turned. Quicken us, O Lord, and we shall call upon thy name. Give us your grace and your mercy. In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask and pray. Amen.
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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T21:38:02Z

How Easily We Forget

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

John Weaver warns that forgetting God's works leads to forgetting His covenant and ultimately forgetting God Himself, resulting in idolatry and spiritual decline. Using Israel's rapid forgetfulness after the Exodus and the church at Ephesus leaving its first love, he calls believers to remember, repent, and return to their first love and works.

Introduction: The Commonness of Forgetting

Weaver opens with humorous personal anecdotes about forgetfulness, establishing that forgetting is a universal human experience, from minor daily lapses to significant events like anniversaries.

The Progression of Forgetting: Works, Covenant, God

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 4:23

"Take heed unto yourselves, lest ye forget the covenant of the Lord your God, which he made with you, and make you a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, which the Lord thy God hath forbidden thee."

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 6:12

"Then beware, lest thou forget the Lord, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage."

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 6:12

"Then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the Lord thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage."

And then verse 19. "And it shall be, if thou do at all forget the Lord thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them."

Israel's Witness of God's Mighty Works

Weaver reviews the ten plagues and the Exodus, emphasizing that the Israelites personally saw God's power, were exempted from judgment, and witnessed the destruction of Egypt's false gods.

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 7:19

"The great temptations which thine eyes saw, and the signs, and the wonders, and the mighty hand, and the stretched out arm, whereby the Lord thy God brought thee out: so shall the Lord thy God do unto all the people of whom thou art afraid."

But note again, he's talking about the great temptations, the signs, the wonders, the mighty hand, the stretched out arm. He said,

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 7:19

"which thine eyes saw."

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 26:8

God brought them out. Note, if you would, in Deuteronomy chapter 34 and verse 12. Deuteronomy 34 and verse 12. There are many other verses that talk about this, but note Deuteronomy 34 and verse 12. He says, "And in all that mighty hand, and in all the great terror which Moses shewed in the sight of all Israel."

Scripture Reading — Exodus 9:4-7

Isn't that amazing? Now, you're not only seeing these plagues, you're also seeing that you are exempted. They're not harming you. They're not touching you at all. Even when the plague of darkness hit, which I'll cover momentarily, but I want you to look in Exodus chapter 10. Look at verses 22 and 23. Exodus chapter 10, beginning there in verse 22. Here's the plague of darkness. "And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven; and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days." Now notice it says a thick darkness. "They saw not one another, neither rose any from his place for three days."

Scripture Reading — Exodus 12:12

"For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord."

What was God doing? He was destroying all the false gods of Egypt. Even Pharaoh claimed to be a god, but Pharaoh could not even save his own child.

The Red Sea Deliverance and Passover Memorial

The crossing of the Red Sea and the death of Pharaoh's army are recounted as climactic displays of God's salvation, followed by the institution of the Passover as a perpetual reminder.

Now, look what God says in Exodus 12 and verse 11. Watch carefully, Exodus 12, verse 11.

Scripture Reading — Exodus 12:11

"And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the Lord's passover."

Now, look, if you would, in Exodus chapter 13, and let's begin reading in verse 3, because I want you to understand what is happening here. Look, if you would, Exodus 13, verse 3.

Scripture Reading — Exodus 13:3-10

"And Moses said unto the people, Remember this day, in which ye came out from Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand the Lord brought you out from this place: there shall no leavened bread be eaten. This day came ye out in the month Abib. And it shall be when the Lord shall bring thee into the land of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, which he sware unto thy fathers to give thee, a land flowing with milk and honey, that thou shalt keep this service in this month. Seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, and in the seventh day shall be a feast to the Lord. Unleavened bread shall be eaten seven days; and there shall no leavened bread be seen with thee, neither shall there be leaven seen with thee in all thy quarters.

How Quickly Israel Forgot

Within three days of the Red Sea, Israel murmured at Marah; within 30 days they longed for Egypt; within 37 days they complained again; and within three to four months they worshiped the golden calf.

Application: Our Own Forgetfulness

Weaver applies the pattern to modern believers, noting how easily we forget God's provision, mercy, and goodness, and become ungrateful, taking God for granted.

The Church at Ephesus: Leaving First Love

Revelation 2:1-5 is cited to show that even a doctrinally sound church can leave its first love; Christ's call is to remember, repent, and return to first works.

Jeremiah's Haunting Question and Final Plea

Jeremiah 2:32 contrasts a bride's inability to forget her attire with God's people forgetting Him 'days without number.' Weaver urges remembrance and repentance, closing in prayer.

How Easily We Forget

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	613181959271
Subject	Old Testament Studies
Course	Exodus: Bondage, Deliverance, and Passover: As Yet
Genre	Sermon
Date	2018-05-11
Dictation Name
Book	Book 078: Exodus: Bondage, Deliverance, and Passover - Volume 1 — Chapter 18
Source Timed Segments	77

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction: The Commonness of Forgetting: Weaver opens with humorous personal anecdotes about forgetfulness, establishing that forgetting is a universal human experience, from minor daily lapses to significant events like anniversaries.
The Progression of Forgetting: Works, Covenant, God: From Deuteronomy 4:9, 23 and 6:12, Weaver traces a three-step decline: forgetting God's works leads to forgetting His covenant, which culminates in forgetting God Himself and replacing Him with idols.
Israel's Witness of God's Mighty Works: Weaver reviews the ten plagues and the Exodus, emphasizing that the Israelites personally saw God's power, were exempted from judgment, and witnessed the destruction of Egypt's false gods.
The Red Sea Deliverance and Passover Memorial: The crossing of the Red Sea and the death of Pharaoh's army are recounted as climactic displays of God's salvation, followed by the institution of the Passover as a perpetual reminder.
How Quickly Israel Forgot: Within three days of the Red Sea, Israel murmured at Marah; within 30 days they longed for Egypt; within 37 days they complained again; and within three to four months they worshiped the golden calf.
Application: Our Own Forgetfulness: Weaver applies the pattern to modern believers, noting how easily we forget God's provision, mercy, and goodness, and become ungrateful, taking God for granted.
The Church at Ephesus: Leaving First Love: Revelation 2:1-5 is cited to show that even a doctrinally sound church can leave its first love; Christ's call is to remember, repent, and return to first works.
Jeremiah's Haunting Question and Final Plea: Jeremiah 2:32 contrasts a bride's inability to forget her attire with God's people forgetting Him 'days without number.' Weaver urges remembrance and repentance, closing in prayer.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

Forgetting God's works is the first step toward spiritual decline.

Deuteronomy 4:9 warns against forgetting the things seen, and Israel's example shows that forgetting miracles leads to covenant-breaking and idolatry.

Weaver points to Deuteronomy 4:9 and the rapid sequence of Israel's complaints and golden calf worship after witnessing the plagues and Red Sea.

Forgetting God's covenant leads to idolatry.

Deuteronomy 4:23 links forgetting the covenant with making graven images, and New Testament parallels show that covetousness and fleshly desires are modern idolatry.

Weaver cites Deuteronomy 4:23, Colossians 3:5, and Philippians 3:19 to argue that abandoning God's covenant results in worshiping false gods.

Forgetting God Himself is the ultimate outcome.

Deuteronomy 6:12 and 8:11-19 warn against forgetting the Lord, which leads to perishing; this is the final stage of spiritual amnesia.

Weaver reads Deuteronomy 6:12, 8:11, 14, 19, showing that forgetting God brings judgment and destruction.

Israel's history proves how quickly people forget God.

Within three days of the Red Sea, Israel murmured; within 30 days they wanted to return to Egypt; within months they worshiped a golden calf.

Weaver traces Exodus 15:22-24 (Marah), Exodus 16:1-3 (flesh pots), Exodus 17:1-3 (Rephidim), and Exodus 32:1-6 (golden calf).

The New Testament church faces the same danger.

The church at Ephesus left its first love, and Christ's remedy is to remember, repent, and do the first works, or face removal of its lampstand.

Weaver expounds Revelation 2:1-5, emphasizing that even doctrinally faithful churches can lose their love for Christ.

Modern believers are equally guilty of forgetting God.

We forget God's provision, mercy, and goodness, living as if He does not exist, and need to heed Jeremiah 2:32's haunting question.

Weaver applies the message personally, citing Lamentations 3:22-23, Romans 2:4, and Jeremiah 2:32 to convict hearers of their own forgetfulness.

Scripture References

Deuteronomy 4:9: Warning to take heed lest they forget the things their eyes have seen; the starting point of the progression of forgetfulness.
Deuteronomy 4:10: Reference to the day at Horeb when God spoke, emphasizing the need to teach future generations.
Deuteronomy 4:23: Warning against forgetting the covenant, which leads to idolatry.
Deuteronomy 4:34: God's mighty works in Egypt described as temptations, signs, wonders, war, mighty hand, stretched out arm, and great terrors.
Deuteronomy 6:12: Warning not to forget the Lord who brought them out of Egypt.
Deuteronomy 7:19: Recounting the great temptations, signs, wonders, mighty hand, and stretched out arm which their eyes saw.
Deuteronomy 8:11: Warning not to forget the Lord by not keeping His commandments.
Deuteronomy 8:14: Warning that when the heart is lifted up, they will forget the Lord who brought them out of Egypt.
Deuteronomy 8:19: If they forget the Lord and walk after other gods, they will surely perish.
Deuteronomy 26:8: The Lord brought them out of Egypt with a mighty hand, outstretched arm, great terribleness, signs, and wonders.
Deuteronomy 34:12: Reference to the mighty hand and great terror which Moses showed in the sight of all Israel.
Exodus 11:7: God put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel; not a dog moved its tongue against Israel.
Exodus 9:4-7: The Lord severed between the cattle of Israel and Egypt; none of Israel's cattle died.
Exodus 10:22-23: Thick darkness in Egypt for three days, but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.
Exodus 12:12: God executed judgment against all the gods of Egypt through the plagues.
Exodus 14:27-30: The Red Sea returned and drowned the Egyptians; Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore.
Exodus 12:1-7: Instructions for the Passover lamb, its selection, keeping, and killing on the 14th of Abib.
Exodus 12:11: The Passover was to be eaten in haste with loins girded, shoes on, and staff in hand.
Exodus 13:3-10: Moses commands them to remember the day they came out of Egypt and keep the feast of unleavened bread as a memorial.
Exodus 15:22-24: Three days after the Red Sea, Israel murmured at Marah because the waters were bitter.

Historical References

The Ten Plagues of Egypt: Weaver lists the plagues (water to blood, frogs, lice, flies, murrain, boils, hail, locusts, darkness, death of firstborn) as witnessed by Israel and demonstrating God's judgment on Egypt's gods.
The Exodus and Red Sea Crossing: Israel's departure from Egypt on Abib 15, the parting of the Red Sea, and the destruction of Pharaoh's army are recounted as foundational acts of deliverance.
The Golden Calf Incident: While Moses was on Sinai receiving the law, Israel made and worshiped a golden calf, combining idolatry with immorality, within months of the Exodus.
Roman Emperor Cult and Christian Confession: Weaver explains that early Christians were executed for refusing to say 'Caesar is Lord,' because they confessed 'Jesus is Lord,' which was viewed as treason.
Early Christian Baptismal Formula: The original baptismal confession was 'Jesus is Lord,' a politically dangerous statement in the Roman Empire.

Important Quotes

Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thine heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons' sons.

This is the foundational text for the entire sermon, establishing the command to remember God's works and pass them on.

Take heed unto yourselves, lest ye forget the covenant of the Lord your God, which he made with you, and make you a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, which the Lord thy God hath forbidden thee.

Shows the link between forgetting the covenant and falling into idolatry, a key step in the progression.

Then beware, lest thou forget the Lord, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.

Highlights the final stage of forgetting God Himself, completing the downward spiral.

Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.

Christ's call to the church to remember and repent, central to the application of the sermon.

It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

Emphasizes God's constant faithfulness and mercy, contrasting with human forgetfulness.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

What are some 'works of God' in your own life that you have seen or experienced, and how can you actively remember them?

[Context]

Weaver stresses the importance of not forgetting the things our eyes have seen, as Israel was commanded.

[Question]

In what ways might we be forgetting God's covenant today, and what modern 'idols' can result from that forgetfulness?

[Context]

Weaver links forgetting the covenant to idolatry, including covetousness and fleshly desires.

[Question]

Why do you think Israel forgot God's mighty works so quickly, and what does that reveal about human nature?

[Context]

The sermon details Israel's murmuring within days and idolatry within months after the Exodus.

[Question]

What does it mean to 'leave your first love,' and what are some signs that this has happened in a believer's life?

[Context]

Weaver expounds Revelation 2:4, describing loss of warmth, affection, energy, and desire for the Lord.

[Question]

How can we practically 'remember from whence we are fallen' and return to our first works?

[Context]

Christ's command in Revelation 2:5 includes remembering, repenting, and doing the first works.

[Question]

How does Jeremiah 2:32 challenge your view of your relationship with God?

[Context]

The verse contrasts a bride's inability to forget her attire with God's people forgetting Him days without number.

Applications

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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T13:31:50Z