Take heed to yourself, and diligently keep yourself, lest you forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. And teach them to your children and your grandchildren, especially concerning the day you stood before the Lord your God in Horeb. (Deuteronomy 4:9-10)

As Moses continues his discourse, he reminds the people of the spectacle they witnessed at Mount Sinai — the mountain burning with fire, the smoke and darkness. In the ensuing verses he mentions that, though they heard a voice, they saw no one because God spoke to them from the midst of the fire and smoke. If tradition is to be considered, even though they could not see a form, they saw God’s Words manifested in divided tongues of fire speaking in seventy different languages. He refers to all of this in order to make the point that they should not forget all that they had seen and experienced but that they should teach future generations about these things.

There is something else that I feel is very important in the verse above and that is the statement, “Take heed to yourself, diligently keep yourself.” The single Hebrew word translated in this statement as both “heed” and “keep” is שמר shamar, a root word that literally means “to guard.” Twice in one verse, Moses challenged the people to guard themselves against apathy, forgetfulness and a general lack of consideration for what God had done for them and what He had taught them. Future generations were depending on them to keep the lessons of these experiences in their heart.

I would argue that one of the biggest issues facing the world, and especially America, is a general ignorance of and apathy toward all that God has done in times past. By not acknowledging His Presence in our national past, we have fostered a society that does not value His Presence in our future. According to Moses, this has happened because previous generations have not been diligent to “guard” against apathy in their lives. Now, unfortunately, that apathy for the things of God has morphed into antagonism toward God and is being manifested in this present generation. And so, we are presented with a stark reminder that, everyday, we must put on the whole armor of God. We must be sober-minded and diligent to hold the line, teaching our children and grandchildren what we have seen and heard that the truth of God will not depart from our hearts but be propagated through our descendants.

Blessings and Shalom,  

Bill 

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