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Introduction
For the last six
years I noticed a change in my wife
Jean. At first it was when I would
bring her to the shopping center and
suggest we would meet in 30
minutes. I watched as she just
stayed in the general area having no
idea of time etc. Then as time
passed, my health started to decline
while at the same time Jean’s
dementia was getting quite
advanced. The poor dear had to have
help with everything. I had to make
the decision to have others care for
my wife of fifty years. Recently
when I was visiting her, she did not
know who I was and now goes by her
maiden name and thinks she is
approximately thirteen years of
age. She has forgotten our
children’s names, which room she
stays in, and cannot remember having
anything to eat. No longer can she
use a spoon but only her fingers
when eating. It is tragic and a
very slow death. As I watched her
wander the corridor of the care home
not knowing much of anything, the
thoughts came to my mind of
spiritual dementia. While pondering
it I saw it along two avenues.
Forgetfulness could be good or bad.
There is a
blessed truth in the words
concerning the Lord’s relationship
with us, “Their sins and iniquities
will I remember no more” (Heb.
10:17). It does not say He will
forget them, but refused to remember
them. Forgetfulness is a trait of
sin within us, but God will never
bring up the matter of our sins
again. They are cast behind His
back (Isa. 38:17) and “wilt cast all
their sins
into
the depths of the sea” (Mic. 7:19).
Bad Dementia
In the Old
Testament, the words “remembered
not” are mentioned eighteen times.
“The children of Israel remembered
not the LORD their God, who had
delivered them out of the hands of
all their enemies” (Jud. 8:34).
Israel “remembered not the multitude
of Thy mercies” (Psa. 106:7); Edom
“remembered not the brotherly
covenant” (Amos 1:9). Peter informs
us of what happens to a believer
when he fails to remember, “that he
was purged from his old sins” (2
Pet. 1:9). The writer to the
Hebrews informs the readers, “Ye
have forgotten the exhortation”
(Heb. 12:5).
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Israel remembered not the
Lord who delivered them: |
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a) |
The children of Israel had
known the liberating power
of God when they left Egypt
and when the Egyptians
sought to follow them at the
Red Sea. They had been
redeemed by blood but at the
Red Sea they were delivered
by power. When they came
into the land God repeatedly
delivered them but they kept
rebelling against Him and
suffering the consequences.
The basic problem was they
ignored the commands of the
Lord and they “forgat the
LORD their God, and served
Baalim” (Jud. 3:6-7). When
they “did evil in the sight
of the LORD” (v.7) they were
repeatedly sold into
captivity, and when they
cried to the Lord He sent
judges to deliver them, but
they remembered not, they
“forgat the LORD” (Jud. 3:7;
1 Sam. 12:9); they “forgat
His works” (Psa. 78:11;
106:13); “they forgat God
their saviour” (Psa.
106:21). |
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b) |
When anyone reads the books
of the kings after Jeroboam
and the judgment of God on
he and his family, those who
ignored or failed to
remember the commands of the
Lord suffered the
consequences. Read the
passages where it says, “did
evil in the sight of the
LORD” (1 Kgs. 11:6; 14:22;
15:26, 34; 16:30; 22:52; 2
Kgs. 8:18, 27). They failed
to remember the ways of the
LORD. If only the man of
God who pronounced God’s
judgment on Jeroboam had not
failed to remember that
which God had spoken to him
but was swayed by the old
prophet, his life would have
been spared (1 Kgs.
13:1-30). It will be
noticed that it was not just
the nations that forgot God,
but individuals. God,
through His prophet, told
Jeroboam’s wife concerning
Jeroboam, “But hast done
evil above all that were
before thee: for thou hast
gone and made thee other
gods, and molten images, to
provoke me to anger, and
hast cast me behind thy
back” (1 Kgs. 14:9). |
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Good Dementia
Paul, in
writing to the saints at
Philippi, wrote, “Forgetting
those things which are
behind” (Phil. 3:13). I
have no doubt that there is
scarcely a parent in the
world who could honesty say,
“I never failed as a
parent”. There are things
said or done that, as a
father, wish they had never
said or done. The same goes
for mothers. What of
husbands or wives? When
there is a consideration of
the many years of marriage
there could well be
situations that burn in the
mind that we wish had never
happened. The problem is
our remembrance of them and
that brings such guilt and
sorrow. As parents and
spouses we did what we
thought was best at the
time. We may have been too
hard or too much slack was
given and our hearts ache
because of the damage done.
Due to our fallen nature and
the devil’s help, we can get
enslaved by the failings of
the past. I knew a lady who
would ofttimes call me
because she had a baby out
of wedlock and that, despite
the fact she was advanced in
years, still burned like a
fire within her. Paul says,
“Forgetting those things
which are behind”, and while
this is easy to say, it is
hard to do. We cannot change
them nor their outcome but
this is a new day.
By the
help of the Lord, when those
reminders of past failures
come to mind, His help is
available to nullify them
and set us free. If it was
a sin in the past then enter
the liberty of God in the
promise, “The blood of Jesus
Christ His Son cleanseth us
from all sin” (1 Jn. 1:7).
If it is a failure, then
pray. “Elias
was a
man subject to like passions
as we are, and
he prayed earnestly” (Jam.
5:17-18).
Personal Application
What a tragedy and dreadful
condition to be in bad
spiritual dementia! The
reality is, we cannot stand
in judgment on others
because, while we are in
this world and taken up with
things which are legitimate,
we also can forget God, our
Saviour and His works. I
understand from the
scriptures the Lord
commanded us to, “Remember
Me” (1 Cor. 11:2).
Furthermore, He gave us two
emblems by which to aid us
in that remembrance. This
was not a “dying request”
for when a superior makes a
statement such as, “Remember
Me”, it is a command.
Furthermore, according to
Acts 20:7, they did it on
the first day of the week.
May the gracious Spirit of
God help us to forget those
things which are behind and
press forward toward
Christlikeness.
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