A Book of Remembrance

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A Book of Remembrance

Malachi 3:16
Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name.

The Word of God declares that God keeps a book of remembrance before Him which contains information about those who fear Him and think upon His name.

Psalm 56:8
Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book?

     In the Bible lands and times people would save their righteous tears in a bottle to prove to God that they had wept many times for a Godly cause. Psalm 56 says that God's people do not need to save their tears to prove to God that they think about Him because things done for the glory of God are placed in "His bottle" and kept on record in "God's book" by God Himself.

     Psalm 139 speaks in great detail about God's knowledge of us and in verse 16 it declares that "in thy book all my members were written." Lets look at all the things this Psalm declares that God knows about us and has written in His book:

Psalm 139:1
     O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me.

     God looks at what is on the inside. He has searched out our thoughts and He knows our heart.

Psalm 44:21
   Shall not God search this out? for he knoweth the secrets of the heart.
1 Samuel 16:7
   But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.
Proverbs 21:2
   Every way of man is right in his own eyes: but the LORD pondereth the hearts.
2 Chronicles 16:9a
   For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro thoughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. . .

God looks at the heart. He knows what is on the inside. He is continuously checking out the heart of man - not to find fault, but to shew himself strong on man's behalf.

Psalm 139:2-3
     Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.
     Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.

     God knows everything about us. He knows how we sit down and how we stand up. He understands our thoughts even before we think them! He surrounds our path and protects us as we sleep. He is acquainted with ALL our ways.

Psalm 139:4
     For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.

     God understands every word we speak. Language is always changing. Sometimes it is difficult to understand the current meaning of a word or expression. But God knows what we mean no matter how we say it. God knows us better than we know ourselves.

Psalm 139:5-6
     Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.
     Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.

God has us continually in His care. He has His arms about us protecting us. He has laid His hand upon us to guide us and to claim us as His own. Such knowledge is TOO WONDERFUL for me! It is one of those things described in Isaiah 55:9 when it says that "as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts."

Psalm 139:7-8
     Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
     If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.

   God is always present. It does not matter what trouble we may be in or what dark place we may walk - God is there.

Psalm 46:1
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Psalm 23:4
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Psalm 139:9-10
     If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;
     Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.

     God is present to lead us and guide us no matter where we go or where we choose to live. He provides for us and He will never leave us.

Hebrews 13:5
Let your conversation [way of life] be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

Psalm 139:9-12
     If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me.
     Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.

     God is always present and nothing is hidden from Him.

Jeremiah 23:24
Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD.

Psalm 139:13-16
     For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb.
     I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.
     My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
     Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.

     The word "possessed" means "to set up" and the word "reins" is used as a figure of speech meaning "the mind." Just as the reins on a bridle are used to guide a horse, our mind is the organ of thought that guides our body. God's Word declares that God setup the system. He designed the mind of man. He knows our thoughts. He knows how the mind works because He designed it.
     He covered [or protected] us in our mother's womb. He knew we would believe His Word. He designed the way in which a baby develops in the womb. He designed the system so that our bodies and our minds are awesomely and wonderfully made. Luke 12:7 declares that "even the very hairs of your head are all numbered." The great care of God went into everything God formed, made, and created. God saw all of our substance and the details of our individual make-up long before we were ever conceived or formed in our mother's womb. He saw everything about us and He recorded it all in His book!

Psalm 139:17-18
     How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!
     If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.

     What a blessing to know that God thinks about us at all! Yet here in His Word He declares that the number of His thoughts about us is beyond count - more in number than the sand.

Isaiah 49:15,16a
     Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.
     Behold, I have graven [tattooed] thee upon the palms of my hands;

     Motherhood is an unforgettable human experience. Yet, God says that a woman could forget her child (although unlikely) - but He will NEVER forget us.
     In the Bible lands one way of expressing great love and continual remembrance is by tattooing on your body the names of those you dearly love. Tattoos are usually placed on the arms and sometimes on the back or chest. You would never see a tattoo on the palms of the hand because the pain of tattooing would be too great to bear on this sensitive part of the body. Yet God says, "Behold I have graven thee on the palms of my hands." God's Word declares that God is figuratively willing to bear the excruciating pain of having us tattooed on the palms of His hands so that He can easily see us continuously. He does not have to look under a shirt or in a mirror - He has us right before Him on the palms of His hands. That is great love. He keeps us always before Him tattooed on His palms and written in a book of remembrance.