Remember me with grace.

[Psalm 106]

What is amnesia? It is a term derived from the Greek amnēsía, simply meaning a disorder of memory. There are two main causes of amnesia: organic factors and functional factors. Organic amnesia, called traumatic amnesia, occurs when a part of the brain responsible for memory (usually the hippocampus) is damaged due to injury, illness, or drugs. Functional amnesia, called dissociative amnesia, arises from psychological factors such as defense mechanisms.

Amnesia can also be “partial.” Partial amnesia is generally divided into long-term and short-term memory loss. Long-term amnesia refers to losing old memories partially. There are two types: if only part of the past is forgotten, it is partial amnesia; if the entire past is forgotten, it is complete amnesia. In contrast, short-term amnesia means forgetting events that just happened, which is the most common form of amnesia — not even remembering what was just said.

Though amnesia is sometimes translated as forgetfulness, the everyday meaning of forgetfulness is just occasionally forgetting things, while amnesia means completely forgetting (according to internet sources).

While researching amnesia, I had this thought: forgetfulness, or frequently forgetting things, is nothing compared to short-term amnesia; and even short-term amnesia seems tolerable compared to long-term amnesia. Especially in long-term amnesia, forgetting only part of the past is somewhat fortunate, but complete amnesia — forgetting everything — would be a huge problem. I thought this because while meditating on today’s Psalm 106, I considered how terrifying the consequences would be if the people of Israel completely forgot God’s grace (a spiritual complete amnesia).

However, even if we cannot perfectly remember God’s amazing grace, I am confident that there is one clear hope: that we can offer the same prayer the psalmist prayed to God: “Lord, remember me with the grace You show to Your people” (Psalm 106:4). Today, centered on this verse, I want to reflect on two points under the title, “Remember me with grace”: first, what did the people of Israel fail to remember? And second, what is it that God remembers?

What did the Israelites fail to remember? The text mentions three things.

First, they did not remember the many mercies of the Lord.

Look at Psalm 106:7: “Our ancestors did not understand your wonders in Egypt; they did not remember your many mercies, but rebelled by the Red Sea.” What were the many mercies God showed to Israel at the time of the Exodus? God heard their cries, had compassion, sent Moses, and through Moses sent ten plagues on Pharaoh and Egypt to save Israel. But Israel did not understand the wonders God performed in Egypt and forgot His mercies, and rebelled by the Red Sea.

When they were camped by the sea and heard that the Egyptian army was pursuing them, they complained against Moses (Exodus 14:11), which is like complaining against God, who had appointed Moses as their leader. This is unbelief (according to Park Yoon Sun). Despite Israel’s sin, God saved His people at the Red Sea for the sake of His name (Psalm 106:8). God commanded the sea to dry up so that the Israelites could pass through the sea as if crossing dry land (v. 9). The Egyptian army pursuing them was swallowed by the water and none survived (v. 11). God saved Israel from the hand of those who hated them and redeemed them from their enemies (v. 10). Thus, He displayed His great power (v. 8). As a result, Israel believed God’s promise and praised Him (v. 12).

Are we not, like the people of Israel, also living while forgetting God’s great mercy (love)? God poured out His grace of salvation “for the sake of His name” upon you and me, who were once living in disbelief within Satan’s kingdom, like Egypt. Yet, are we not living while forgetting that great grace and love? That is why, like the psalmist in today’s passage, we too cannot help but pray, “Remember me, O Lord, with the favor You show to Your people” (Psalm 106:4).

Secondly, the people of Israel forgot the works of God.

Look at Psalm 106:13: “They soon forgot His works; they did not wait for His counsel.” Even though the Israelites had experienced God’s saving work at the Red Sea, they committed the sin of grumbling against Moses, the leader God had appointed, due to a temporary lack of food in the wilderness. In this way, they quickly forgot the works of God. Therefore, rather than waiting for God’s provision, they hastily craved food and sinned by complaining against Moses (according to Park Yoon Sun).

Now look at verse 14: “But craved intensely in the wilderness, and tested God in the desert.” Even though they sinned in this way, God still provided water from the rock for them to drink, and gave them manna and quail to eat (Park Yoon Sun). In other words, God gave them what they asked for (verse 15).

Yet despite this, the Israelites committed the sin of rebellion against Moses and Aaron (Numbers 16), and even went so far as to create a golden calf at Horeb and worship it—a most detestable sin (Psalm 106:19; Exodus 32). They committed the sin of exchanging the glory of God for the image of an ox that eats grass (Park Yoon Sun).

The sinful world we live in today commits the same sin: “They exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures” (Romans 1:23). The problem is that even the people of God are committing this same sin. That is, we Christians are also guilty of exchanging the glory of God for the glory of man.

One cause, as stated in Psalm 106:14, is greed. Whether it is greed for honor or greed for material things, it is because of such greed that God’s people commit the sin of seeking their own glory rather than the glory of God. The reason we seek the glory of man over God’s glory is because we fail to focus on God’s works and instead focus on human deeds.

Therefore, like the psalmist in today’s passage, we too cannot help but pray, “Remember me, O Lord, with the favor You show to Your people” (verse 4).

Third, the people of Israel forgot their God, their Savior.

Look at Psalm 106:21:
“They forgot God their Savior, who had done great things in Egypt.”
The people of Israel not only forgot God’s abundant mercy and the things He had done for them, but they went even further—they forgot God Himself, their Savior. God had performed great wonders (v.21) in Egypt and revealed His mighty power to save them, and yet the Israelites forgot their Savior God.
Even though He had done awesome deeds at the Red Sea (v.22), they forgot Him. Because of that, they did not believe in His promise (unbelief, v.24), did not obey His word and grumbled (disobedience, v.25), and eventually worshiped the pagan god Baal of Peor (v.28).
They also rebelled against the Spirit of God at the waters of Meribah (v.33). When they entered the land of Canaan, they failed to destroy the pagan nations as God had commanded. Instead, they mingled with them, learned their practices (v.35), and worshiped their idols (v.36).
They even sacrificed their children, shedding their blood to these idols (vv.37–38).
The behavior of the Israelites became defiled and corrupt (v.39).
As a result of their sin, the Holy God became angry (vv.23, 29, 32, 40) and delivered them into the hands of the nations (v.41).
They were oppressed by their enemies (v.42), and when they cried out to the Lord, He heard their cry, saw their suffering (v.44), and saved them many times (v.43), although they continued to rebel and were brought low because of their iniquity.

We too live forgetting the saving grace of God far too quickly.
Even more, we quickly forget the very God who gave us that salvation.
Though we had cried out to Him in our time of suffering and trials, and He had compassion on us and delivered us, once we are living peacefully without hardship, we tend to forget the grace of salvation we had received back then.
Human beings struggle to forget their pain and affliction, yet we so easily forget the saving grace of God that delivered us from it.
We remember the hardship itself, but quickly forget the act of God’s salvation—His grace.
And when we are enjoying peace after having been saved, we often forget God our Savior.
Therefore, like the psalmist in today’s passage, we cannot help but pray,
“Remember me, Lord, with the favor You show to Your people” (v.4).

Then what is it that God remembers?

It is “His covenant” with us.

Look at Psalm 106:45:
“He remembered His covenant with them and relented according to the abundance of His steadfast love.”
The people of Israel had forgotten God’s love and grace, sinned through unbelief and disobedience. So God disciplined them.
But when they cried out to Him in their suffering, God remembered His covenant and, in His great mercy, changed His course (v.45), causing them to be shown compassion by those who had taken them captive (v.46).
In other words, God once again delivered the Israelites from temporary judgment (as Pastor Park Yoon Sun comments).
Even though the Israelites had forgotten God’s many mercies and His great deeds—and even God Himself—God remembered His people, Israel, and did not forget His covenant with them.
Although they were unfaithful to the covenant, God remained faithful to His covenant people.
Why is that?

We find the answer in 2 Timothy 2:13:
“If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.”
This is the reason.
God is faithful to His covenant people—you and me—because He cannot deny Himself.
In other words, He must be faithful, because it is His very nature.
That is His divine character.
And if that’s not grace, then what is?

It reminds me of Isaiah 49:15:
“Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you.”
Even if a mother could forget her nursing child, God says He will never forget us.
What an astounding grace this is!

I have failed to remember God's abundant mercy.
I have repeatedly forgotten the wondrous works He has done in my life, and even worse, I have lived forgetting God Himself.
And yet, God declares that He never forgets us, despite our ingratitude.
What else could this be, if not pure grace?

So again, like the psalmist, we are led to pray:
“Remember me, Lord, with the favor You show to Your people” (v.4).

Dearly beloved, on this very night, may we pray like the psalmist:
“Lord, remember me with the grace You have shown” (v.4).
Even if we are suffering from spiritual amnesia, forgetting God's abundant love and His mighty deeds—even if we are living having forgotten our Savior—let us cry out tonight:
“Lord, remember me by Your grace alone.”

“I know not why God’s wondrous grace to me He hath made known, nor why—unworthy as I am—He claimed me for His own.”
(Hymn #410)

— Reflections by Pastor James Kim
(Praying that at the end of life’s journey, we may confess, “By the grace of God, I am what I am.”)