After reading EG’s (Ellen G. White) writings more or less on the subject, I realized that I was only partly right. God wants us yes, to remember the good things, that we may have wonderful hope for future times. And yet at the same time, He leaves us numerous examples in the Bible of sins and wrongdoings, of mistakes and selfishness that left the doer deep in consequences of his sin. Ellen speaks of Jacob’s sin and of twenty years of hatred between his brother and he. And of Elijah’s lack of faith when fleeing from Jezebel. And of the ten spies who did not see God also behind the giant walls of their enemies. And of many more who perhaps only made one mistake. David, for example, as well. And each one of these men of God reaped the consequences. And because, she says, it is so important not to allow even one step off the path towards heaven, God has allowed these examples to be left for each one of us today in the Bible. That we may read and understand this concept, that we may learn the lesson by others’ examples before having to learn it by our own. So there it is, God wants us to remember those bad things, the mistakes that others’ have made. And we may assume, I believe, that we may also therefore remember our own mistakes and learn from them as well.

However.

Ellen did not end there. After each example of sin that reaped consequences, often very big, was a repentance in each man’s heart. A new realization of God’s love and perfect wisdom. A submission of the heart to the God who created them. And because of this, the Righteous Judge blessed them. He brought good out of the bad through His mercy. Jacob’s life was changed at the moment he wrestled with the angel. Elijah’s life of faithful servitude towards God allowed him, although not able to finish his earthly work, to be taken to heaven without dying. The ten spies never repented and died wandering in the desert, but the two faithful spies were given choice lands in the promised land that they would live to conquer. And David. David’s sin caused him much sadness and remorse, but in the end, he is the one whom they call “a man after God’s own heart.” And there’s the second part. Although God, in His wisdom and love, leaves us the sinful examples of great men in our past, He also gently places the turnarounds, the submissions, the repentance of evil, and all the rewards thereof. God is not one to hold back His blessings. He is not one to judge the evil only, but also the good. He loves to remember and acknowledge His children’s changes of heart, their submission to His will, their renewing trust in His love and mercy. My God, your God, He is God and there is no other.