By: Obed Pineda
It could be said that having a great memory is a remarkable gift, but like most things in life the validity of this statement depends on how said gift is being used. Some may argue that in certain instances, a short memory can actually serve as a blessing rather than a curse. An example of this could be a person endured a traumatic experience and would rather thoroughly erase it from their memory bank in order to stop reliving the horrid experience every time it resurfaced into their mind’s eye. However, there is danger in forgetting dreadful experiences as well which illumines the value of learning how to use judiciously one’s ability of recall. Using our memories with the intent of learning from our past experiences, both positive and negative ones, in order to mature serves as proof that it is a good gift to have. In fact, it is one of the major reasons why the Holy Spirit made sure to record and preserve all of Israel’s history as found in the Old Testament record (cf. Romans 15:4, 1st Corinthians 10:11). It is true that a person’s skill to remember may at times appear to be a bane due to the bitter nature of the remembrance, but it is in these moments one must remember to use that reminder for personal growth and not for self-destruction. When those shameful and painful thoughts appear on the screen of our mind, it behooves us to keep in mind that a precious lesson can be taken from that sharp moment and thus something positive does rise from something negative. An illustration that can aid our comprehension of this is found in Holy Writ when the inspired psalmist wrote, “Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy. He who continually goes forth weeping, bearing seed for sowing, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him” (Psalm 126:5-6). This psalm was written when the seventy years of Babylonian captivity had finally come to an end. The children of Judah rejoiced at the fact that Jehovah God was bringing them back home to Jerusalem (cf. Psalm 126:1-4). Observe how the inspired penman describes the painful memory of how they were led into captivity as seeds that would bring forth good fruit. The Hebrew writer agrees with this conclusion as he wrote, “Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it” (Hebrews 12:11, cf. Proverbs 3:11-18). At once the Bible reveals to us how an efficient memory can become a step toward godly wisdom. Those who remembered wisely the reason they were taken captive into Babylon, made sure to correct their lives before God. Additionally, this reveals that they, too, did not forget God’s promise to restore them back to Jerusalem if they turned away from their idols and back to Him (cf. Jeremiah 29:4-14). Their penitence was contingent on their ability to remember where they had stumbled in order to make it right again. Thus, those who are described by the inspired psalmist rejoicing over God’s blessing of returning them to Jerusalem, had never forgotten His promise of restoration made to them. They also had not forgotten the conditions that His prophets had taught them needed to be met prior to receiving this grace. Those who believed the words of the prophet, were obedient to the instruction and held firmly in their minds the reward that their repentance would grant them. This was always the purpose of Jeremiah’s constant preaching to the inhabitants of Jerusalem before the fall of the city. Jeremiah’s tears that overflowed for his people’s demise left their indelible mark in his book of Lamentations. Jeremiah’s composition of five Hebrew poems serves as a funeral song for Jerusalem meant to warn future generations about the perils of persisting in avidly practicing sin and obstinately rejecting God’s call to repent. His inspired work served as an admonishment to those Jews born in captivity to beware of repeating their father’s sins which led to their destruction. The book of Lamentations sows the prophets tears in the fertile soil of the broken and contrite heart (cf. Lamentations 3:25-33, 40-42). Jeremiah’s dirge also serves as confirmation of Jehovah God’s promise of punishing iniquity and “by no means clearing the guilty” (Exodus 34:7b, Numbers 14:18b). This piece of information is worth never losing sight of because it confirms that God does not lie, for He is not a man (cf. Numbers 23:19, 1st Samuel 15:28-29). These five inspired poems serve as a reminder of both “the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell severity; but toward you goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off” (Romans 11:22). Although the prophet’s book details the culmination of Jerusalem’s sins with heaven’s punishment through the sword of Babylon, it also speaks about hope for a future restoration of the people when they turn away from their wicked practices. The prophet’s recorded lament for his people’s constant resistance to his pleas for them to repent, helped teach another generation how to prevent drifting away from God. Not only did his tears help that repatriated generation learn how to be holy before God but they, too, have sown in our hearts today the same peaceable fruit of righteousness; if we allow that seed to germinate and sprout in our conscience (cf. Mark 4:20, Luke 8:15).