Never Forget

Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the Lord. —Psalm 109:14

The phrase “Never forget” is often used to encourage people to remember national or international tragedies. In Psalm 137:7, the Israelites asked God to “never forget” the wrongs done by the Edomites: “Remember, Lord, what the Edomites said that day at Jerusalem: ‘Destroy it! Destroy it down to its foundations!’”

The wording here is a type of legal phraseology. It’s as if the Israelites were in a courtroom, laying out the evidence against Edom before the divine Judge of the universe. The Edomites had treated the Israelites harshly in Numbers 20. Then when the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem in 587 BC, Edom stood by and watched it happen. God promised to repay Edom for what they had not done to help Israel (Obad. 1).

The psalmist in Psalm 137 is praying in accordance with what God said He was going to do. He’s asking God to remember the damage His enemies had done to His city and His people and to repay them accordingly.

Oh Lord, never forget! We know that one day You will make all things right.