I was reading Isaiah 36:3 in the Young’s Literal Translation, and it mentioned “Joah son of Asaph, the remembrancer.” I was caught short by that word, “remembrancer.” Other translations use the word “historian” or “recorder” or “kept the records.” And how appropriate, because he’s one of the sons of Asaph–you know, that guy who along with David and several others, wrote the Psalms. Obviously, writing was a gene in that family.
So, when I read that word, it caught my eye a little more than a word like “historian” because I thought, “we all need to be a remembrancer, remembering what God has done in my life.” Then in a missionary’s letter, he called my attention to:
“Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way. He guided you in the desert for these 40 years. He wanted to take your pride away. He wanted to put you to the test and know what was in your hearts. He wanted to see whether you would obey his commands. ” (Deuteronomy 8:2 New International Reader’s Version NIRV).
That verse gives us the purposes of remembering how God has led us:
*take away our pride
*put us to the test (this is different than being tempted)
*know what was in our hearts
*whether we would obey his commands.
Those are good purposes of being a “remembrancer.” Let’s do that, OK?