~Psalm 106:13-21 They soon forgat his works; they waited not for his counsel: 14 But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, and tempted God in the desert. 15 And he gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul. 16 They envied Moses also in the camp, [and] Aaron the saint of the LORD. 17 The earth opened and swallowed up Dathan, and covered the company of Abiram. 18 And a fire was kindled in their company; the flame burned up the wicked. 19 They made a calf in Horeb, and worshipped the molten image. 20 Thus they changed their glory into the similitude of an ox that eateth grass. 21 They forgat God their saviour, which had done great things in Egypt;

Today’s text is a wonderful application of what happens when we start to forget what Christ has done for us. These are dangers which are very clear – we can see how it produces a domino effect which can lead to disastrous results:

1. They forgot what God had done for them (verse 13)
2. They didn’t seek God’s will but went ahead with their own will (verse 13)
3. They lusted for what they couldn’t have (verse 14)
4. They envied Moses and Aaron (Noah Webster defines this as discontent) – they became discontent with their leadership and complained (verse 16).  Notice the repercussions!
5. They turned to idols rather than to the God of their leaders and reduced their God to an animal (which He created, I might add). (verses 19 and 20)
6. And then they are back to forgetting what God had done for them. (verse 21)

What progression of sinfulness.  Do you see how it all began? It began with them forgetting what God had done for them!  Before we become self-righteous and critical of their mistakes, are we any different?

When we forget the Lord, we begin to do things in the flesh rather than seeking His will.  That’s when things begin to go wrong: the wrong purchases are made – the wrong people are married – the wrong jobs are taken.

Once the mistakes are made, there’s a time of reckoning, isn’t there? The grass is no longer greener on the other side! The warnings from the Word of God or the preacher’s counsel begin to sound like fingernails on a blackboard. Instead of accepting wise counsel, it is concluded that the preacher is interfering.

As outside activities keep us from anything having to do with spiritual matters, they become the idols. Somewhere in time, the wondrous days of initial salvation become clouded and God’s wondrous work is no longer seen.

The art of remembering is critical to our spiritual condition! It’s so easy to be distracted and there’s nothing more the devil would love than to keep Christians in the state of forgetfulness.  Counting our blessings is a great place to start practicing!