Podcast Summary: “Remembering the Covenant”

Podcast: Things Unseen with Sinclair B. Ferguson
Host: Ligonier Ministries
Episode Date: January 29, 2026

Main Theme

This episode explores the vital role of remembering in the Christian life, with a particular focus on remembering God’s covenant. Sinclair B. Ferguson uses biblical examples, personal anecdotes, and philosophical reflections to encourage listeners to hide God’s word in their hearts and be continually renewed by the truth of Scripture. The episode emphasizes how God graciously helps believers recall His covenant faithfulness, especially through the Lord’s Supper.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Nature of Memory and Learning

[00:08 – 03:10]

• Ferguson shares a personal story about his son's surprising insight: "There's nothing to worry about next year because it's all a matter of revision."
• He contrasts philosophical views on the human mind:
  • The empiricists view the mind as a "tabula rasa" (blank slate).
  • Others (innatists and some neuroscientists) suggest humans are "pre-programmed."
• Regardless of theory, "none of us is born with the Bible already in our memory banks. We need to put it there."
• True transformation comes through "the renewal of the mind," which happens by internalizing Scripture.

2. Jesus as Our Example in Memorizing Scripture

[03:11 – 04:24]

• Even Jesus, in His humanity, needed to “program His mind” with God's word.
• Ferguson references Isaiah’s “servant songs” as prophetic of Christ's practice:

  “The LORD God has given me the tongue of those who are taught, that I may know how to sustain with a word him who is weary. … Morning by morning he awakens; he awakens my ear to hear as those who are taught.” (Isaiah 50:4)

• Reflection: If even Jesus listened “morning by morning” to God’s word, how much more must Christians do so.

3. The Command to Remember the Covenant

[04:25 – 06:00]

• Quoting Deuteronomy 4:23:

  “Take care, says the LORD, lest you forget the covenant of the LORD your God.”

• Ferguson notes the gravity and repeated emphasis on remembering God’s covenant name—Yahweh.
• He points to 2 Kings 17, where Israel’s failure to remember led to “spiritual disaster.”

  "They would not listen. They didn't take care. They forgot the covenant of the Lord, their God, and spiritual disaster followed."

4. God’s Provision for Remembering

[06:01 – 07:32]

• God not only commands remembering; He provides means to help believers do so.
• Every time Christians celebrate the Lord’s Supper, Christ is “whispering to us, remember the covenant in My blood.”
• The bread and wine “stimulate our memories and we remember Christ’s death.”
• The repeated observance of communion is an act of grace towards “forgetful” believers.

5. The Cost and Privilege of the Covenant

[07:33 – End]

• Ferguson highlights the unmatched cost of God's New Covenant:

  “The covenant he has kept has been the most difficult covenant to keep that there ever was in human history, because it cost him his Son.”

• Christians are more privileged than Old Testament believers because God not only commands but helps them remember His covenant faithfulness.
• Final encouragement:

  “He has remembered his Covenant, and we should remember it too.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the need to internalize Scripture:

  “None of us is born with the Bible already in our memory banks. We need to put it there.” (Sinclair Ferguson, 01:22)

• On Jesus’ own learning:

  “It was true of the Lord Jesus in his humanity. He had to program his mind with the truth of Scripture.” (Sinclair Ferguson, 02:45)

• Isaiah’s servant song cited:

  “Morning by morning the Lord awakens. He awakens my ear to hear as those who are taught.” (Sinclair Ferguson, quoting Isaiah 50:4, 03:27)

• Warning from Israel’s history:

  “They would not listen. They didn't take care. They forgot the covenant of the Lord, their God, and spiritual disaster followed.” (Sinclair Ferguson, 05:38)

• The Lord's Supper as remembrance:

  “The Lord Jesus is whispering to us, remember the covenant in My blood. And what we see in the bread and in the wine stimulates our memories… we are given these remembrances by Jesus of His covenant love for us.” (Sinclair Ferguson, 06:32)

• The cost of the covenant:

  “The covenant he has kept has been the most difficult covenant to keep that there ever was in human history, because it cost him his Son.” (Sinclair Ferguson, 07:42)

Important Timestamps

• 00:08: Personal anecdote about remembering and philosophical reflections on the mind.
• 02:45: Jesus' humanity and his own “learning” of Scripture.
• 03:27: Quotations from Isaiah applied to Jesus.
• 04:25: Command in Deuteronomy to remember the covenant.
• 05:38: Israel’s failure & consequences (2 Kings 17).
• 06:32: The Lord’s Supper and covenant remembrance.
• 07:42: The ultimate cost and privilege of the covenant.

Tone & Style

The episode balances gentle, pastoral exhortation with biblical exposition and a warm, reflective tone characteristic of Sinclair Ferguson. Listeners are both instructed and encouraged to engage thoughtfully and personally with the call to remember God’s covenant love.

Takeaway

“Remembering the Covenant” challenges believers to intentionally internalize God’s word and cherish the profound privilege of being called into, and helped to remember, God’s costly covenant of grace through Christ. The episode serves as a devotional call to gratitude and renewed faithfulness rooted in God's enduring promise.