The call to always remember history is often echoed in various speeches of national figures. In contrast to the jargon that is often echoed, the Indonesian nation turns out to be a nation that easily forgets. Especially for events and tragedies that are seen as a disgrace. History is so easily distorted and constructed according to the interests and good name of the ruler. It is understandable, then, that the revision of national history seems to be a priority, as the government announced some time ago. As a result, history cannot function optimally as a series of events that are interpreted to serve as a foundation for present and future hopes.

The Israelites chose a different course of action. They were a stiff-necked people who often disobeyed God, but they did not try to bury their past mistakes. Their disobedience was recounted and immortalized in writing as a reminder for generations to come. That is what our reading shows us. In contrast to chapter 105 which recalls God's loving gestures in history, chapter 106 shows Israel's response to the contrary.

It is emphatically stated in verse 7, "Our ancestors in Egypt did not understand your wondrous deeds, did not remember the multitude of your steadfast love, and they rebelled by the sea, on the shores of the Reed Sea." Israel's ancestral rebellion is acknowledged, there is no attempt to soften it at all! God reached out to the people in various acts and favors, but soon the Israelites forgot His deeds. God's directives and decrees went completely unheeded. And so in a cry of hope the psalmist invites all to remember how blessed are those who keep the law and do justice at all times, so that all the rebellion and ugliness of the past is not repeated.

Just as this country has its tragedies and dark history, has not each of us also been in a certain point of darkness and mistakes. If we dare to say that “no human being is perfect” to find arguments and justifications for mistakes in the present, we should also have the courage to remember and acknowledge the mistakes that occurred in the past. Unfortunately, we often think everything is finished without actually resolving it before God and others. Pleading for forgiveness for our sins and mistakes to God and others. We often choose to "forget" and assume everything is fine. Refusing to take responsibility for the mistakes we make. Yet from that accountability comes God's forgiveness, restoration, and the opportunity to live life according to His decree.