Forgetting God is Forgetting His: Covenant
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In the biblical narrative, the concept of covenant is central to understanding the relationship between God and His people. A covenant, in biblical terms, is a solemn agreement or promise made by God to humanity, often accompanied by specific commitments and obligations. Forgetting God, therefore, is intrinsically linked to forgetting His covenant, as the two are inseparable in the divine-human relationship.

The Nature of God's Covenant

God's covenant is characterized by His unwavering faithfulness and love. Throughout the Scriptures, God establishes covenants with key figures such as Noah, Abraham, Moses, and David, each serving as a testament to His enduring commitment to His people. In Genesis 9:11, God promises Noah, "I establish My covenant with you: Never again will all life be destroyed by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth" . This covenant underscores God's mercy and His desire to preserve life.

With Abraham, God makes a covenant that is foundational to the identity of Israel as His chosen people. In Genesis 17:7, God declares, "I will establish My covenant as an everlasting covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you" . This covenant is marked by promises of land, descendants, and blessing, forming the basis of Israel's relationship with God.

Forgetting the Covenant

Forgetting God is often depicted in the Bible as a failure to remember and uphold His covenant. This forgetfulness is not merely an intellectual lapse but a spiritual and moral failure that leads to disobedience and idolatry. In Deuteronomy 4:23, Moses warns the Israelites, "Be careful not to forget the covenant of the LORD your God that He made with you; do not make for yourselves an idol in the form of anything the LORD your God has forbidden" . Here, forgetting the covenant is directly linked to the temptation of idolatry, which represents a turning away from God.

The prophets frequently remind Israel of their covenantal obligations and the consequences of neglecting them. In Hosea 4:6, God laments, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as My priests. Since you have forgotten the law of your God, I will also forget your children" . This passage highlights the dire consequences of forgetting God's covenant, which includes a loss of identity and divine favor.

The New Covenant

The New Testament introduces the concept of the New Covenant, fulfilled in Jesus Christ. This covenant is prophesied in Jeremiah 31:31-34 and realized in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. In Luke 22:20, during the Last Supper, Jesus states, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is poured out for you" . The New Covenant emphasizes forgiveness, grace, and a personal relationship with God through Christ.

Forgetting God in the context of the New Covenant involves neglecting the salvation and transformation offered through Jesus. The writer of Hebrews warns against this in Hebrews 2:1, "We must pay closer attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away" . This admonition serves as a reminder to remain steadfast in faith and to remember the covenant established through Christ.

Conclusion

Forgetting God is synonymous with forgetting His covenant, as the covenant is the framework through which God relates to His people. Whether in the Old or New Testament, the call to remember and uphold God's covenant is a call to faithfulness, obedience, and a deep, abiding relationship with the Creator.
Torrey's Topical Textbook
Deuteronomy 4:23
Take heed to 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 any thing, which the LORD your God has forbidden you.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

2 Kings 17:38
And the covenant that I have made with you you shall not forget; neither shall you fear other gods.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

What the Immense Creation Teaches
... In our days it too often leads to forgetting God altogether, and ... same and Thy years
shall not fail.' God has confirmed the covenant of His love to us ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture h/what the immense creation teaches.htm

The Promise.
... that goodliest of all lands which bore his name; and ... after comfort and riches, and
utterly forgetting, or grievously corrupting, the worship of God. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/yonge/the chosen people/lesson i the promise.htm

A Question for a Questioner
... Banish, then, the thought of his forgetting to be gracious. "Hath God forgotten
to be gracious?" Then he must have forgotten his own covenant; for what was the ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 31 1885/a question for a questioner.htm

From Jezreel to Horeb
... Forgetting God, Elijah fled on and on, until he found himself in a dreary waste,
alone. ... Have faith in God. ... Fear not that He will fail of fulfilling His promise ...
/.../white/the story of prophets and kings/chapter 12 from jezreel to.htm

The Blessing and the Curse.
... life and a blessing; and clave unto the Lord their God, and kept His covenant; and
they ... We are all day long forgetting the noble things which God did for ...
/.../kingsley/westminster sermons/sermon xxiv the blessing and.htm

Proof that God did not Appoint the Levitical Dispensation for his ...
... might offer sacrifice to Him, but that, forgetting the idolatry of ... we belong, He
confessed to be His blood, and ... from the apostles, offers to God throughout all ...
/.../irenaeus/against heresies/chapter xvii proof that god did.htm

The Wilderness.
... how they should live in this desert place, forgetting that the ... In His mercy God bore
with their murmurs, fed them ... round the peak of Sinai to hear His own Voice ...
//christianbookshelf.org/yonge/the chosen people/lesson iv the wilderness.htm

The Voice Behind Thee
... In forgetting God they find a horrible peace: the peace of death, a peace which ... fast
for ever; and there was a prior league which God made with his Son on ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 28 1882/the voice behind thee.htm

The Last King of Judah
... as given through the prophets, forgetting the debt ... prophets, against his benefactor,
and against his God. ... of Israel's prosperity, "sending his ambassadors into ...
/.../white/the story of prophets and kings/chapter 36 the last king.htm

Perseverance in Holiness
... Mixed up with these myriads of God-forgetting, or even God-defying people, there
are a number of covenanted ... God has pledged himself to his people, and ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 35 1889/perseverance in holiness.htm

Resources
Is forgetting the past biblical? Does the Bible instruct us to forget the past? | GotQuestions.org

What does the Bible say about forgiveness? What does it mean to forgive? | GotQuestions.org

What does the Bible say about self-deception? | GotQuestions.org

Forgetting: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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Subtopics

Forgetting

Forgetting God is Forgetting his Covenant

Forgetting God is Forgetting His: Benefits

Forgetting God is Forgetting His: Covenant

Forgetting God is Forgetting His: Law

Forgetting God is Forgetting His: Past Deliverance

Forgetting God is Forgetting His: Power to Deliver

Forgetting God is Forgetting His: Word

Forgetting God is Forgetting His: Works

Forgetting God: A Characteristic of the Wicked

Forgetting God: Backsliders are Guilty of

Forgetting God: Backsliders Guilty of

Forgetting God: Benefits

Forgetting God: Cautions Against

Forgetting God: Encouraged by False Teachers

Forgetting God: Exhortation to Those Guilty of

Forgetting God: Law

Forgetting God: Past Deliverances

Forgetting God: Power to Deliver

Forgetting God: Prosperity Leads To

Forgetting God: Prosperity often Leads To

Forgetting God: Punishment of

Forgetting God: Resolve Against

Forgetting God: The People of God

Forgetting God: Threatened

Forgetting God: Trials should not Lead To

Forgetting God: Word

Forgetting God: Works

Forgetting the Past

Related Terms

Forgetful (4 Occurrences)

Forget (77 Occurrences)

Forgetteth (10 Occurrences)

Lies (208 Occurrences)

Imagine (24 Occurrences)

Forsaking (29 Occurrences)

Reckon (34 Occurrences)

Reviving (4 Occurrences)

Revive (31 Occurrences)

Reaching (22 Occurrences)

Mixture (16 Occurrences)

Physician (6 Occurrences)

Ba'als (19 Occurrences)

Ashe'roth (1 Occurrence)

Apprehended (5 Occurrences)

Hagar (15 Occurrences)

Stretching (84 Occurrences)

Straining (4 Occurrences)

Greatness (63 Occurrences)

Filling (29 Occurrences)

Count (85 Occurrences)

Possession (251 Occurrences)

Ahead (98 Occurrences)

Past (200 Occurrences)

Behind (188 Occurrences)

Consider (178 Occurrences)

Philippi (8 Occurrences)

Forgive (81 Occurrences)

Serving (85 Occurrences)

Front (327 Occurrences)

Array (63 Occurrences)

Regard (230 Occurrences)

Setting (82 Occurrences)

Forward (252 Occurrences)

Great (10383 Occurrences)

Hold (500 Occurrences)

Temple (614 Occurrences)

Forgetting God is Forgetting His: Benefits
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