Forgetfulness is part of human nature. God understands this. Throughout Scripture He has built systems and structures to help us remember important truths. For example, after Jesus died for our sin and rose again, He instituted the Lord’s Supper to help the church remember this precious truth.

Today we begin our journey through the book of Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy is different than the other books of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Old Testament). It is essentially one long sermon that Moses preached to the people of Israel as they were poised to enter the Promised Land. The generation Moses was speaking to was not the original generation that had fled Egypt. They failed to enter the Promised Land because of their unbelief. This message was spoken to the next generation. Moses would not be going with them, so he wanted to leave them with important parting words (v. 5).

Much of the book of Deuteronomy is a call for Israel to remember who God is and who they were as His people. In this first chapter, Israel would remember that God had given them a mission. They were to enter and take possession of the Promised Land (v. 8). God had been faithful to deliver Israel from Egypt, and He had equipped them with good leadership (vv. 9–18). However, the people had been rebellious and grumbled against the Lord (vv. 26–27). Because of this, the Lord had judged them with forty years of wandering.

Sometimes we forget what the Lord has done. Scripture reading, sermons, and communion help us remember. For the apostle Peter, reminding people of Christ’s work was one of his main goals: “And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things” (2 Peter 1:15).

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