Should we remember the past? Deuteronomy 23-25

In this section Moses is telling the young Israelites to hold to the laws and commandments that were outlined in Leviticus to their fathers. On three or four occasions he tells them a law or a commandment and then gives them the reason based upon some past experience. Here is one such example: Deuteronomy 24:18 But you shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and that the Lord your God redeemed you from there; therefore I am commanding you to do this thing. Moses uses the same words in 23:1-8; 24:9; and, 25:17. God, through Moses writings, desires that the nation remembers the things of the past for the sake of the future. He wants them to recall these experiences to remember not to repeat them; to understand the reason for the law; and, to see the motivation for what God is doing in their life. If we dwell on the past for the sake of dwelling on the past we miss the point of what God intends. If the past becomes chains to our moving forward we lack the understanding of God's ways. The past is not to be an anchor to our souls but a sail to move us forward. Our past experiences are important to our future development as believers. Don't let the past hold you back. Allow it to work in your life and move you forward to greatest acts of obedience toward God and faith in His plan and will.