When
God Remembers
Often,
very often, English translations use a word that only
remotely captures the meaning of the Hebrew word
behind it. Several years back I was in a Bible study
being led by the pastor of the church...you know the
kind where everyone says “what does this verse mean to
me”. At this Bible study we read Genesis 30:22 where
we’re told that God “remembered” Rachel. In English
“to remember” is to call to memory that which you’ve
forgotten”. So does God have memory lapses and forget?
A guy in our study asked this question and the pastor
had a blank stare in response.
Here is one of those places where the English word
“remember” and the Hebrew word behind it don’t mean
the same, especially when used of God remembering. In
Hebrew Scriptures when God “remembers” it refers to
Him taking action on someone’s behalf based on His
covenant faithfulness.
Check
out Exodus 2:24 where the word “remember” is connected
to the word “covenant” and to the patriarchs He made
covenant with in Genesis. Any time you see the words
“Abraham, Isaac,and Jacob” strung together it’s a
reference to the Abrahamic covenant in Genesis 12:1-3.
God never has memory lapses like you and I, but He
does “remember” to act on behalf of others based on
His covenant faithfulness.
In
Leviticus 26:42,45 we see again the word “remember”
used with the word “covenant” and again the string of
patriarchal names. Here again God is actively moving
to do something not just having good thoughts of
something he forgot.
In
Luke 23:42 one of the men crucified with Yeshua asks
Him to “remember” him when He came into His kingdom.
This man was not asking Yeshua to have warm fuzzy
feelings or good memories of their short time
together. He was asking asking Yeshua to do something
based on His desire to honor the covenants of the
Hebrew Scriptures. Notice how the Greek text of the
Apostolic Scriptures is still operating with Hebrew
Scriptures in the background thinking.
In my
reading of the Hebrew Scriptures there are hundreds of
places where I have found that the English word and
the Hebrew word behind it don’t match up. How can the
average English reader break through this cloud and
see more clearly what the text is communicating.
First, use multiple English translations but
especially those with copious study notes. My personal
favorite is the NET study Bible as it has numerous
Hebrew (and Greek) language study notes. Second, find
a good commentary on the book of the Bible you are
studying. A good commentary will reveal places where
the English and Hebrew word behind it have nuance
differences. Third, learn enough Biblical Hebrew
language to use the incredible tools now available on
the internet. With just a little effort a person can
learn enough to navigate the vast array of on-line
tools at your free disposal.