Remember זכר

We are now in Genesis chapter eight and our word for today is זכר remember, make known, mention, name. It is used 222 times in the Old Testament. Our word is connected to the idea of covenant which we see the first one in the Bible in the last part of chapter 8 where God makes a promise, agreement, a covenant with all living creatures from that time onward. Genesis 8:20-21 I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention of man's heart is evil from his youth. Neither will I ever again strike down every living creature as I have done. While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease. We see in the next chapter our word connected to this promise. Genesis 9:15-16 I will זכר remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh. And the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and זכר remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth. God will make several more covenants which we will look at when we get into Genesis chapter nine.So back to Genesis chapter 8 where we find Noah on the ark where God has been flooding the whole earth with intense rain and fountains from the deep for 150 days. Then this happened. Genesis 8:1 But God זכר remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the livestock that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind blow over the earth, and the waters subsided. Noah needed God’s salvation and God remembered to save him because of his faith seen by building the ark and doing what God told him to do. This is encouraging because like Noah we all need God’s salvation, and we can count on God remembering us and our faith in him to save us. We take communion or the Lord’s supper because Jesus set it up so that we wouldn’t forget two very important things. When we take the cup and the fruit of the vine, as Jesus instructs us to, we remember that Jesus died for us in our place to accomplish the salvation from our sins. We also remember that Jesus will come back again so that we can be with him forever in his eternal kingdom. Listen to the words of our Lord and Savior Jesus.Mark 14:25 Truly, I say to you, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”Luke 22:18-20 For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.1 Corinthians 11:23-26 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.Since Jesus will remember us let’s also remember what he has done for us as often as we gather together proclaiming his death until he comes for us.