Deuteronomy 4:9,10 – “Only take heed to yourself, and diligently keep yourself, lest you forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. And teach them to your children and your grandchildren, 10especially concerning the day you stood before the Lord your God in Horeb, when the Lord said to me, ‘Gather the people to Me, and I will let them hear My words, that they may learn to fear Me all the days they live on the earth, and that they may teach their children.’”
Three times in today’s Old Testament One Year Bible reading the phrase, “take heed to yourselves,” is used. In each instance Moses’ plea to the Israelites is to make sure you don’t forget what God has done for you. He compares Israel to other nations and makes the case that God has done things for them that He has done for no other. In today’s passage Moses says, “diligently keep yourself, lest you forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life.” The people are in danger of “losing themselves” if they disobey the word of the Lord. They will lose their distinct place as God’s people. They will lose sight of their divine purpose in the earth. They will lose the heritage and story of God’s faithfulness that is to be passed to the generations to come. “Take heed” in the Hebrew means to hedge about, to guard, to protect, and to attend to.
I believe God wants to remind someone today of how precious you are to Him. He wants you to remember what He has done for you. He wants you to reflect on the times He protected you, delivered you, provided for you, and especially the time He met you. These are the things that we need to guard and protect. These are the things that will keep us along the journey. These are the things our children need to hear. Don’t forget.