Yesterday was ANZAC (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) Day when we remember all those who served for Australia in armed conflicts. In particular, we remember those who died in defending our nation and our allies. Theirs was a costly sacrifice of courage and devotion for our freedom.
ANZAC Day is probably the most religious public celebration in Australia today. They sang the hymns “Abide with me” and the Recessional. And said, “We will remember them. Lest we forget”.
The Recessional is a poem by Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936) that is often recited at ANZAC Day services. It issued a warning against pride in British military might, cautioning that a nation’s success could quickly vanish if that nation forgot God.
It’s verses end with
Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet,
Lest we forget—lest we forget!
It was about not forgetting to remember God, but on ANZAC Day it was adapted to not forgetting to remember the sacrifice made by our soldiers in war.
Kipling based the phrase “lest we forget” on biblical passages from where Moses implores Israel to remember God and His laws. The book of Deuteronomy is Moses’ farewell address to the Israelites before they entered the promised land (Canaan).
He told them, “Be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them” (Dt. 4:9NIV). They were to remember (and not forget) the covenants and commands given to them at Mount Sinai.
Moses also said, “be careful that you do not forget the Lord, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery” and “Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe His commands, His laws and His decrees” (Dt. 6:12; 8:11). After they were flourishing in their new land, they were to remember (and not forget) the Lord who rescued them from slavery and told them how to live.
ANZAC Day is an occasion to remember the sacrifice of those who gave their lives for our freedom. Soldiers died for their nation, whereas Jesus died for humanity. The heart of the good news about Jesus Christ is the ultimate sacrifice: He died for us as a ransom payment for sin (Mk. 10:45). And it was not for His friends alone, but even for those who were far from Him.
Paul commanded Timothy, “remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead” (2 Tim. 2:8). We need to remember what Jesus Christ did and that He is alive, interceding, and returning.
On the night He was betrayed, Jesus told His disciples to remember Him by eating bread and drinking from the cup. He knew how easily we forget. We build memorials because stones don’t forget, even when people do.
Prayer
Father God, in our busy lives we need to remember (and not forget) what you have done for us. Like each ANZAC Day we remember the sacrifices of our soldiers, today we remember the supreme sacrifice of our Lord and Saviour.
We thank you for His sacrificial death that enabled our sin to be forgiven and us to be reconciled with God. And we thank you for His resurrection back to life which was a great victory over death, sin and Satan. Lest we forget. Amen.
Acknowledgement
This article is based on one from The Daily Declaration.
G Hawke
