Isaiah 28:9-10 English Standard Version

9 “To whom will he teach knowledge, and to whom will he explain the message? Those who are weaned from the milk, those taken from the breast?

10 For it is precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little.”

These are some strong words. They have been used over and over again in teachings to inspire us to read the scriptures. In almost every case that I can remember with my faulty human memory of those passages, they have been used out of context.

Verse 13 And the word of the Lord will be to them precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line,  here a little, there a little, that they may go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.

What is the context then?

The last words of verse 12 explain why, “they would not hear.” In all their studies and all their memorizing of every line and every precept, they failed to listen.

The Word was spoken, they just didn’t listen.

I see this now as I study God’s Word in more detail which begs me to ask myself, did my memories of past teachings miss the pastor’s point in his reaching? The fact that I remember only some points of past teachings means I was only impressed on certain points.

Memories can be selective because of relative importance. Maybe there was something I missed because it did not seem important at the time.

This is one more aspect of memories, they nag at you when they are not clear.

In the words of my loving sister, “It didn’t happen that way.”

Psalm 88:12 English Standard Version Are your wonders known in the darkness, or your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?

It only took a moment to be challenged on my post “Memories”.

My thoughts about being created with failing memories was questioned just minutes after it was posted.

“God created Adam and Eve without flaws.” Was the argument presented.

Does scripture tell us that? 

There are questions that go unanswered in the story of Adam and Eve. Gaps are filled with thoughts that are not supported by scripture. Assumptions are made that fill in the blanks to satisfy our curiosity. 

When we are reunited with God in Eternity we will be translated into the incorruptible form like that of our risen Lord. 

Genesis 3:22-23 English Standard Version

22 Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—” 23 therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken.

If God had created Adam and Eve “perfect” there would have been no need for the Tree of Life in the garden. Since they did not partake of the Tree of Life, then we are left wondering what would have happened if they had eaten of that tree first. They did not so we will never know. We can only assume.

Proverbs 3:5 English Standard Version (ESV) Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.

It is possible that God does not explain everything to teach us to rely on Him and not our faulty memories, assumptions, false teaching and intense emotions.