The Plumbline

Perhaps you will think to yourselves, ‘How can we ever conquer these nations that are so much more powerful than we are?’ But don’t be afraid of them! Just remember what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and to all the land of Egypt. Remember the great terrors the Lord your God sent against them. You saw it all with your own eyes! And remember the miraculous signs and wonders, and the strong hand and powerful arm with which he brought you out of Egypt. The Lord your God will use this same power against all the people you fear. (Deuteronomy 7:17-19) As the small nation of Israelites was about to inherit the land God had promised to them, he gives them the instruction to destroy all the inhabitants of the land, one by one, and even destroy their places of worship. Many of these nations had much more advanced military might, strong leaders of their armies, and ruthless kings. Yet, God's instruction is clear - destroy them all, one by one, until none remain - and remember - remember th...

Remember - I saw this word a lot on vacation, as the parking garages in Tennessee had this word printed in nice bold, block letters below the level of the garage you were on.  The prompt was to "remember" where you parked.  This was printed on each sign about every 50 yards or so, just to help you focus on where it was you left the car.  Now, in a city garage this might be important, but we observed it in several parking structures, big and large.  So, "remembering" where one parked seemed to be quite important.  The word kept ringing in my ears - maybe because my best friend kept saying, "...'member?"  We made a little joke of it, but really "remembering" is not a joke - it is serious business - especially when God is doing the remembering! Remember what you said to me, your servant— I hang on to these words for dear life!   These words hold me up in bad times;  yes, your promises rejuvenate me.  (Psalm 119:49-50 MSG) David cries out to ...