Remember Or Repeat

Deuteronomy 1-6

Wednesday, February 18, 2026 | Bart Harper

Who loved history class? I know I didn’t. To my younger self, history felt pointless—it already happened. I was focused on the future: a job, a family, a hoverboard, flying cars. But history is far more than old events and dead people. It’s a guide for where we’re going. As George Santayana said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

Deuteronomy opens with Moses addressing Israel as they prepare to leave Horeb and enter the Promised Land. He recounts their journey from Egypt and reminds them of the laws God gave on Mount Sinai. Again and again, Moses repeats a key phrase: “The Lord your God.” It appears over sixty times, driving home one truth—Jehovah alone is worthy of their worship.

This leads to the Shema in Deuteronomy 6: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.” Moses tells the people to carry these words in their hearts, teach them diligently to their children, and talk about God throughout daily life.

As believers, this is our calling too. Our homes should be filled with conversations about God, praise for Christ, and instruction through the Spirit. If we are to pass anything meaningful to the next generation, it must first live in our own hearts. We are a chosen people, called to proclaim the One who brought us from darkness into light (1 Peter 2:9). So remember the past—and faithfully live it out today.