23/08/2026
FORGETTING GOD
“I will punish her For the days of the Baals to which she burned incense. She decked herself with her earrings and jewellery and went after her lovers; But Me she forgot,” says the LORD” (Hos 2:13). “For Israel has forgotten his Maker and has built temples; Judah also has multiplied fortified cities; But I will send fire upon his cities, And it shall devour his palaces” (Hos 8:14). “I am the Lord your God Ever since the land of Egypt, And you shall know no God but Me; For there is no Savior besides Me. I knew you in the wilderness, In the land of great drought. When they had pasture, they were filled; They were filled and their heart was exalted; therefore, they forgot Me” (Hos 13:4-6).
“Does a maiden forget her jewellery or a bride her wedding sash? Yet My people have forgotten Me for days without number” (Jer 2:32).
To forget it means failing to remember, or to leave something or someone in the past; to stop thinking or caring about someone. Isreal has forgotten God, who created and established them as a holy nation before Him, the God who made a covenant of marriage with them. God has warned Isreal not to forget Him! Isreal has built temples, fortified cities and palaces. These are religious activities, prosperity, human wisdom and trust in military strength but not true faith in God, their Protector and Provider. Forgetting God leads to divine judgement. God says: “I will send fire upon his cities!” This is a warning that pagan nations (Assyria and Babylon) will conquer Isreal. Fire is a symbol of purification and divine judgment. God destroyed the cities of S***m and Gomorrah because they gave themselves to terrible sins. God is a jealous God. This is a reminder that God destroys all idols that men worship. Destroying these buildings points to the ultimate sovereignty of God and the consequences of forsaking His covenant.
How does Isreal forget God? This is not a temporary forgetfulness. It is a deliberate neglect. Like a wife forgets her husband and follows her lovers, God’s covenant people live like God does not matter to them anymore. Sin hardens the heart and dulls spiritual memory. Causes of forgetting God: Prosperity and pride; Trusting self and not God; Over-busyness. Worldly distractions pull the heart to visible success rather than invisible fellowship with God. Signs of Spiritual forgetfulness: Building temples, cities and palaces, taking pride in material prosperity! Forgetting your Maker is worse than neglecting your parents; it is rebellion against the very source of your life. God punishes this sin with loss of harvest, destruction, disappointment and sorrow. “Because you have forgotten the God of your salvation, And have not been mindful of the Rock of your stronghold, therefore, you will plant pleasant plants And set out foreign seedlings; 11 In the day you will make your plant to grow, And in the morning you will make your seed to flourish; But the harvest will be a heap of ruins In the day of grief and desperate sorrow” (Isa 17:10,11).
Lessons: Just as Israel forgot their Maker, we must remember and honour God every day of our lives. Turning back to God in repentance restores our relationship with Him and stops judgment. We must continually seek His presence and guidance to avoid spiritual complacency (satisfaction with the present and being unaware of actual dangers or our weaknesses). Remembering God's past faithfulness is vital for maintaining a strong faith in Him. Forgetting God leads to disobedience and spiritual decline. When life becomes comfortable, we tend to forget the struggles and the God who delivered us. Tell your children about the struggles you had to become wealthy and how God helped you (Deut 6:10-15). Selah!
Signs that you have NOT forgotten God: you love the Bible and obey God’s Word; you pray and love attending your local church; you worship God alone! “Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! 2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits” (Ps 103:1,2). When God is remembered, peace replaces fear, purpose drives away idleness and obedience become natural.
REASONS WHY HUSBANDS AND WIVES “FORGET” (OR IGNORE) EACH OTHER:
*Adultery (physical or emotional) is the major hindrance to loving your spouse.
*Stress, financial frustrations. Each one is worried about their jobs, business or money and they forget to love one another.
*Lack of communication. Each one feels that the other does not understand him (her). So, they stop talking deep things to each other.
*Romance is no longer a priority (like during the time of dating). They do not pay the price for intimacy. Separate beds. No common goals.
*Friends and family are now the priority, discussing the relationship with them and not with each other. You are happy when you go out.
*Avoidance of physical touch like hugging, kissing, or holding hands, signals a loss of interest in physical and emotional closeness.
GOD NEVER FORGETS HIS PEOPLE
“But Zion said, “The Lord has forsaken me, And my Lord has forgotten me.” 15 “Can a woman forget her nursing child, And not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, Yet I will not forget you. 16 See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; Your walls are continually before Me” (Isa 49:14-16). God’s people were in Babylon. They felt abandoned and without hope, yet God had not forgotten them. Their exile was a judgment with a promised end, that the Lord would restore His people according to His covenant purpose. A mother’s care for her baby is one of the strongest bonds known in family life. The bond is instinctive, tender, and fiercely protective. But human Love Has Limits. Mothers can fail because of exhaustion, illness, sin, or tragedy. But God’s Compassion knows no limits! “I will not forget you!” is a categorical promise, not a wish! God’s memory of His people is perfect, constant, and personal. Divine compassion is not just emotional; it moves Him to rescue, restore, and rejoice over His own.
God’s promise answers Zion’s fear directly. He remained committed to restoring His people, preserving them through judgment, and fulfilling His purposes for them. God's memory is perfect. He never forgets His promises or His people. You are held, valued, and remembered with a love deeper than the most devoted mother could offer. Writing can fade or be erased; inscribing or engraving is cut in and cannot be rubbed off. The mark is deep, deliberate, and permanent. God is declaring that His commitment is not a passing note but a lasting mark on His very being. Our names are on God’s palms, not on His back, so that they always face God’s gaze. No circumstance can remove the engraving; neither sin nor suffering can erase it when we belong to Him. “Nothing will be able to separate us from the love of God” (Rom 8:38,39). The mark is Personal. The word “you” is singular; God knows each believer by name. God is not marking a crowd but cherishing individuals. “Even the hairs of your head are all numbered” (Lk 12:7). We are never forgotten by God, even in times of distress. The mention of "your walls are ever before Me" suggests God's protective oversight. We find comfort in knowing that God is always watching over us, protecting us.
God covenant Love is sealed in Suffering, Christ Crucified and Resurrected. In ancient cultures, slaves bore their masters’ brands; here the Master bears the servant’s mark! Selah! This is an amazing reversal! The Messiah’s hands were pierced for our redemption. The resurrected Christ said to His disciples: “Look at [the marks in] My hands and My feet, [and see] that it is I Myself. Touch Me and see; a spirit does not have flesh and bones, as you see that I have” (Lk 24:39; AMP). The same hands that bear our names also hold us securely. “No one can sn**ch them out of My hand” (Jn 10:28,29). When doubts arise, remember that your name is carved where God cannot overlook it. Let this truth quiet fear, fuel worship, and inspire steadfast obedience, knowing His commitment is as unchangeable as the marks in His hands. We worship the Lover of our souls! The scars remain the eternal proof of His love. “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom, And strength and honor and glory and blessing!” (Rev 5:12). Worship the Lord!
EVE COVETED GOD’S TREE
“So, when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate” (Gen 3:6).
Here we see how Adam and Eve fell to temptation, sin entered and death followed. This is the pattern: temptation – choice – sin – consequences. Eve saw...she took... she ate... she gave! Covetousness moves from looking to action and it spreads to others. The fruit was good for food – appeal to the physical appetite. It was pleasant to the eyes – the attraction, curiosity to beauty. It was desirable to obtain wisdom – to become successful and proud. Temptation is not sin. Jesus Himself was tempted. But submitting, yielding to temptation is sin. God allows temptation to test our faithfulness to Him: God said: You must not eat! The devil said: You can eat! Eve had to choose between Truth (God’s Word) and Lies (the devil’s words). Temptation exposes the heart. In Eve’s heart there was a battle: between trusting God and trusting her human wisdom. Without temptation there was no fall. Falling to temptation, opened the door to sin and death. This is the progression of sin: Seeing, coveting, taking, and sharing. Temptation follows a predictable path that still repeats itself today.
God gave Adam and Eve genuine free will. They could obey or disobey Him. God planted the Tree of knowledge and forbade them to eat its fruit, so that Love, obedience and worship are genuine, their hearts’ choice and not forced. Eve minimized God’s provision. She was not content. She became attracted to the forbidden tree and ignored the many trees that were available. She believed the serpent’s lie that wisdom can be achieved apart from God. The serpent attacked God’s Word, Character and Motives. Adam was “with her”. He was passive during Eve’s temptation. This was God created order: God – husband – wife - animals! By being silent Adam allowed the devil to eliminate God and to change the order: Devil – wife – husband - animals! “For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression” (1Tim 2:13,14). Eve was deceived by the serpent. Adam wilfully stepped down from his position as God’s ambassador and spiritual cover to Eve. His rebelled against God. He must bear the consequences of both their sins. When God came to the Garden, He called Adam first. In this way, He repaired the original order that the devil has tried to destroy. Selah!
These are the immediate consequences of their sins: Shame (internal guilt) and broken fellowship with God and man (hiding from God)
God Cursed the serpent and the ground. Sin affected them, their descendants and the whole earth. The woman was not cursed but she received her punishment: pain as a mother. She will desire marriage, but her husband will “rule over her”. Many women have suffered abuse in the history of humanity. Adam was not cursed. The ground was cursed on his behalf. Work for man will be hard. Discouragement and pain will be his lot until he dies. Sin deceives. Man got his independence from God but once he had that, he hated it. The tree of life is now out of reach. It is only for those who live in humble dependence on God. Jesus is the Tree of Life! Amen!
Satan, also called the Devil, is a real, personal, supernatural being created by God. He is an enemy of God and of God’s people. This is the Serpent’s Strategy: External Deception! The devil exploits human’s mental vulnerability. His strategy is three-fold:
*To make Eve question God’s word (Did God really say...?). It produces Doubt!
*To oppose God’s warning (You will not surely die). It produces Denial!
*To change God’s motives (God knows that you will be like God). It produces Pride that leads to selfish ambition!
The most common lies of the devil:
*You are powerless to change circumstances. You are a victim. Truth: you can do “all things thru Christ who strengthens you” (Phil 4:13)
*God does not do miracles again like in the past. Truth: Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever! (Heb 13:8)
*You can never change! Truth: God changes us to become like Jesus! Change is hard and it takes time, but it is possible with God!
*The past will always define you! Truth: in Christ, old things pass away and everything becomes new! Christ is now your identity!
*You are not forgiven! You will always be guilty and ashamed of your sins! “There is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus”
*The Bible is not true! The Word of God changes with culture and times. Truth: God’s Word is forever settled in heaven (Ps 119:89)
*Going to church and being a good person will take you to heaven! Truth: To be saved, you must be born again by the Holy Spirit!
*Satan says he is not real and hell does not exist. Truth: the devil is real, a liar and a loser. God made hell for him and for the unbelievers!
Lessons for Resisting Temptation Today:
*Take God’s Word at face value. The serpent’s first move was, “Did God really say…?” Doubting God’s Word is still Satan’s Favorite foothold.
*Deception begins with isolation. Eve conversed with the serpent apart from Adam’s voice of accountability. We need fellowship!
*Emotions cloud discernment. Eve saw the fruit “pleasing to the eye”. Feelings are good but poor guides apart from revealed truth.
*Sin’s consequences spread. Eve’s deception affected Adam, their offspring, and all humanity. No sin remains private!
*Be sure that you know God’s Word before the temptation comes to you. Quote truth aloud when lies attack you! “It is written!” (Matt 4:4)
*Protect the gate of eyes! What you always look at shapes desire! Be careful with your phone, computer!
*Arrest lust before it grows! Replace it with prayers of thanksgiving!
*Don’t negotiate with the devil! Joseph “left his garment in her hand and ran” (Gen 39:12). Often, running is the most spiritual response!
*Remember the cost of sin! The first bite brought shame, fear and separation from God. Jesus died even for your small sins!
*Depend on God’s power. Confess your weaknesses to God and ask to be refilled with the Holy Spirit!
Temptation is universal, but not irresistible. When we treasure God’s Word, guard our desires, and depend on the Spirit, the pattern that began in Eden is broken, and obedience becomes both possible and joyful. Worship the Lord!
