Leviticus 16, 23 & Deuteronomy 17, 28
In continuing to follow the history of God’s people from bondage to freedom, God makes some things crystal clear. We’re sinners and we can’t approach a perfect God without atonement for our sin. Note the exact details God spells out, including that only one person may enter the Most Holy Place, and even he is only allowed to enter one day in an entire year. The extensive process he must undergo to purify himself and the people could make us wonder if God is placing an unnecessary burden on His people. The answer, as we now know, is “No”. The truth is God is lovingly illustrating that there is a way that imperfect people can approach Him, while giving us clarity that it can only be done one way.
Festivals commemorating the great work the Lord has done for His people are also commanded so we may be spared the burden of forgetfulness. Today, we would say that those who forget history are doomed to repeat it, and Israel certainly wouldn’t want to return to captivity. God also promises us that His people will continue to receive His blessings for as long as we remember Him and His miraculous work among us. This is one of the strongest reasons we have for reading scripture daily during our entire lives.
“Forgetting” is sometimes used in place of ignoring what’s right and doing something else. This is why God wants us to “remember” – in every sense of the word. The penalty for separating ourselves from God’s way and doing things our way, while sometimes delayed, is extremely harsh and self-defeating because we have lovingly been given access to the Truth of God’s Word. Among the penalties specifically spoken of by God for forgetfulness, is that we will be swept off into captivity in Babylon, or a type thereof (note Deut. 28:36-37 for example). And God is clear that He wants something infinitely better for us than captivity in Babylon.
For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11 NLT
