Description:
This study guide examines the Book of Deuteronomy and how we, as Believers, must learn to trust God for the details of our lives. Trusting Him not only during good times, but through the difficulties of life, too. Once those difficulties are lifted, we are prone to forget all that we’ve learned about our dependence on Him. We’ll look at the instructions that the Bible provides about how to make God’s Word an “unforgettable” part of our daily life. Lastly, in 2 Samuel and Psalms, we’ll examine David’s “spiritual drifting” and repentance.
Message from Marsh: “May your personal walk with the Lord lead you to be transformed, renewed and blessed.”
Marsh
Founder/President/"Survivor"
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Forgetting God’s Love
(www.mensgroup.org – “Original Study”)
PRAY: A suggested opening prayer for small group members or individuals to invite God to connect as we seek Him in His Word. Feel free to add your own words, “in prayer.”
Lord, our prayer is that you will guide us in always remembering your sacrifice of Love for us on Calvary. In the crush of everyday life and challenges we face, may we never, ever forget. Amen.
The very thought of forgetting, such as early onset dementia, is enough to strike fear in anyone. Such a state of forgetfulness fundamentally changes who we are and diminishes our capacity for life. Our physical memory—the ability to recall—is indeed a precious asset. And the same can be said regarding the spiritual dimension of our lives. In fact, the Bible has a lot to say about the importance of remembering, or, the significance of “not forgetting.”
The sacrament of communion is a good example. Christ told His disciples that as often as they partook of the bread and the cup, to do so in remembrance of Him (I Corinthians 11:23-25). He wanted the significance of Calvary to be ever-present in the memory of His followers.
Why do you think remembering Calvary is so important?
The reality of life is that we, as Christians, tend to drift at times in our faith journey. We’re aware of the truths contained in Scripture, and they’re central to our faith, but in the press of daily life we can become forgetful of those truths. We know that our lives have eternal significance and that we all face an eternal destiny. Yet, in the push and shove of daily life, we’re driven to focus on the “here and now.” The pressure of the moment sometimes causes us to lose sight of what matters most. We tend to give a lot of thought to the very things of which Christ said, “Take no thought” (Matthew 6:25-34).
As Christians we know inherently that our lives consist not in the abundance of the things which we possess (Luke 12:15) “in the moment,” but in our Salvation that comes from Christ’s victory over death on the cross. He died for “our sins” so we would be free forever from Satan and sin.
But as we live our lives, possessions sometimes take on outsized importance. And when what we possess or cherish on Earth becomes the source of our dependence, we can become spiritually forgetful. When we become spiritually forgetful, we disregard Christ’s sacrifice for our us on Calvary. By doing this we’re not always inclined see sin as sinful. We may even see sin as attractive at times and when this happens, we become “spiritually forgetful.”
In the scheme of things, at what level of significance do you tend to become forgetful about important matters and events in your life? Why?
What tools or aids do you employ to help you “not forget” important spiritual to-do’s?
SCRIPTURE LESSON
Read Deuteronomy 8:1-20
“Be careful to follow every command I am giving you today, so that you may live and increase and may enter and possess the land the Lord promised on oath to your ancestors. ² Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. ³ He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. ⁴ Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years. ⁵ Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the Lord your God disciplines you.
⁶ Observe the commands of the Lord your God, walking in obedience to him and revering him. ⁷ For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land—a land with brooks, streams, and deep springs gushing out into the valleys and hills; ⁸ a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey; ⁹ a land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing; a land where the rocks are iron and you can dig copper out of the hills.
¹⁰ When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. ¹¹ Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. ¹² Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, ¹³ and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, ¹⁴ then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. ¹⁵ He led you through the vast and dreadful wilderness, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock. ¹⁶ He gave you manna to eat in the wilderness, something your ancestors had never known, to humble and test you so that in the end it might go well with you. ¹⁷ You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” ¹⁸ But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.
¹⁹ If you ever forget the Lord your God and follow other gods and worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will surely be destroyed. ²⁰ Like the nations the Lord destroyed before you, so you will be destroyed for not obeying the Lord your God.” Holy Bible - New International Version
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Moses implores the Israelites twenty-three times in the Book of Deuteronomy to either “remember” or “not forget.” What, specifically, is he asking the Israelites to “remember” or “not forget” in Chapter 8?
2. Why does he say it is so important to remember?
3. What does Moses identify to be the source of the Israelites’ forgetfulness?
4. Just like the Israelites, we, as Believers, must learn to trust God for the details of our lives. And like them, as well, we must learn to trust God through the difficulties of life. Once those difficulties are lifted, we are prone to forget all that we’ve learned about our dependence on Him. What does Moses warn the Israelites in Verses 10-17 will cause them to forget about God?
5. In Verse 19, what is yet another pitfall Moses warns will cause spiritual forgetfulness?
6. Verse 3 speaks to the importance of God’s Word as part of our daily nourishment. Earlier, in Chapter 6 of Deuteronomy, Moses gave specific instruction to the Israelites about how to make God’s Word an “unforgettable” part of their daily life:
⁴ Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. ⁵ Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. ⁶ These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. ⁷ Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. ⁸ Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. ⁹ Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.
¹⁰ When the Lord your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you—a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build, ¹¹ houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant—then when you eat and are satisfied, ¹² be careful that you do not forget the Lord, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
How might Moses’ instruction be useful for us in making God’s Word an unforgettable part of our daily life?
APPLICATION
The Psalmist David experienced a season of spiritual drifting in his life and found himself in quite a mess while when choosing to “live in the moment” and “forget” God’s commands (II Samuel 11 “David and Bathsheba” & II Samuel 12 “Nathan Rebukes David”).
After repenting of his sin (Psalm 51), he revealed in Psalm 119, Verses 9 and 11, what helped him to recover and fortify his spiritual memory:
⁹ How can a young person stay on the path of purity?
By living according to your word.
¹⁰ I seek you with all my heart;
do not let me stray from your commands.
¹¹ I have hidden your word in my heart
that I might not sin against you.
What practical application can you apply to your life from these verses to help you “remember” and “not forget” God’s Love, commands, and promises?
A SUGGESTED CLOSING PRAYER: Lord, help us to never forget you sacrificed your son for us. Amen.
All our Blessings,
Men’s Group Foundation, Inc.
(A mensgroup.org - “Original Study”)
Note: If you’re not experiencing true fulfilment in life, visit to the following website for more information on how to make certain you are getting the most out of this life:
https://www.cru.org/us/en/how-to-know-god/would-you-like-to-know-god-personally.html
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