The word remember in today’s language means something much more shallow than in ancient languages. In ancient times, especially in the Bible, remembering something is much more than just thinking of something or a memory we have. Remembering was an action and that act of remembrance invites us into a world where the past drives the future forward.
In Scripture, we often see God doing the remembering. When God remembers something it is usually in reference to people or a covenant he made with people. There is always an act that follows after God remembers. For example, in Genesis 8:1 it says, “God remembered Noah and all the wild animals”. God didn’t leave Noah on the ark, he allowed the rain to recede and dry land to appear. The flood was brought about because of God’s wrath and judgment but even in this he remembered his faithful few and saved them. In Exodus, God remembered his covenant when Israel had become slaves. This introduces the entire Exodus narrative where God delivers his people from under the reign of Pharaoh. That all started because God remembered his covenant with Abraham and so it drove God to act on behalf of his remembrance. God doesn’t remember passively, but actively.
Humans are also called to model this remembering through different acts. The festivals such as Passover were designed to remind Israel of their deliverance from slavery and death. This remembering wasn’t a moment in a day, the slaughtering of the lamb reminded them that the blood spared them and the meal was communal and surreal. Remembrance is also tied to the idea of obeying the covenant which will lead to blessing. By cyclically remembering God’s acts, this was supposed to lead Israel into covenant faithfulness and blessing. Issues started to occur when no one remembered the acts of God and forgot about him. This led to covenant breaking and the curses of exile and destruction.
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