The Old Testament is fascinating. There are stories of God’s hand at work. There are promises that God makes to Israel and His creation which come true in Jesus. There are praises to God that resonate deep within our hearts and souls.
This verse rings out from the depths of Israel’s history and struggle with idolatry. It reminds us of the longstanding struggle that we have as people with fidelity to the true and Living God. In fact, Jeremiah 9 is a compare and contrast for us to remember that there is only one God and everything else is a pointless and powerless idol.
Memorizing this verse places this strong reminder in our arsenal against Satan’s attempts at drawing our affections to something less than. “The portion of Jacob is not like these [idols]; for the Maker of all is He, and Israel is the tribe of His inheritance; the Lord of hosts is His name” (Jeremiah 10.16, NASB).
Now for memorization. If you missed the other methods we have covered in weeks past, you can find them here and here. This week will rely on repetition, but with an erasing twist. Let’s start with the verse. Take time with a pencil or on a dry erase board to write this verse down:
“The portion of Jacob is not like these [idols]; for the Maker of all is He, and Israel is the tribe of His inheritance; the Lord of hosts is His name” Jeremiah 10.16.
Okay, now that you have it written, spend a few minutes reading it over and over. If you do this 5 or 6 times, you are probably good. Before you go to bed tonight, come back to the verse and read it again and then erase 5 words from the verse. It will look something like this, but you can erase whichever words you choose[1]:
“The _____________ of Jacob is not like these [idols]; for the ___________ of all is He, and __________ is the tribe of His _____________; the Lord of hosts is His ______________” Jeremiah 10.16.
Now, when you wake up tomorrow you will have the challenge of repeating your verse and filling in the blanks. It is a good exercise to run through 2 or 3 times once you wake up. Come back to it a couple of times during the day and repeat. At bedtime, after you have gone over the verse a time or two, erase 5 more words. Again, leave the short prepositions and articles. I will explain why next. Your verse will look more like this now:
“The _____________ of ___________ is not like _____________ ; for the ___________ of all is __________, and __________ is the _____________ of His _____________; the ____________ of hosts is His ______________” Jeremiah 10.16.
When you wake up the next morning, you will have new blanks to fill in as you have been memorizing this verse. See, with your prepositions and articles, you know the definite words you have erased and are trying place. By this point in the exercise, you may be able to repeat the entire verse from memory. That is awesome. If you are not able to after a few repetitions of this step, go ahead and take another day to remove a few extra words. All this will do is strengthen your resolve to store God’s word in your heart.
Now, as I have said before, there are different methods that work for many different people. And the end goal is not just to be able to say, “Look at me and all the verses I have learned!” Rather, the goal of the heart is to apply the majestic Word of God to our daily desire to honor Him in all things. It is to supply our souls with the surest defenses against Satan’s schemes.
I know you are working hard and I am eager to hear other methods you have tried that have proven helpful in storing God’s Word in your heart. He is our portion. He is the Maker of all. He is worthy!
[1] It is best not to erase articles (a, an, the) or simple words like “of” or “for”. These words will come in handy as you go…trust me.
