Today’s passage: Deuteronomy 6
Helpful thoughts:
- Verse 4 is called, “The Shema” (Shema is the Hebrew word for, “hear”).
- “The Lord our God, the Lord is one” points primarily to the fact that Israel was not to worship a plurality of gods. Israel had one God and one God only. They were to worship none other.
- In the negative sense, one could say, “Do not worship any other God.”
- This command is given positively, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart…”
- It’s hard to worship other gods if your whole heart, soul and might is devoted to the true God!
- “The Lord our God, the Lord is one” points primarily to the fact that Israel was not to worship a plurality of gods. Israel had one God and one God only. They were to worship none other.
- The commands of verses 7-9 would later be legalistically applied with literal boxes tied to foreheads (Phylacteries – See the definition and image here).
- The true application of these commands could only be done if the Word of God was truly saturating your mind and thoughts. If the Word of God is on your heart, if you see the world around you through the lens of God’s Word, it will be on the tip of your tongue and you won’t be able to help but teach it to your children and anyone else you love.
- When Israel feared they had too little in the wilderness, they complained about God. When they got to the place where they would have abundance, the Lord knew they would be prone to forget about Him altogether.
- This would require continued gratitude and teaching.
- God didn’t need Israel to remember all He did for them to help His self-esteem or stroke his ego…Israel needed to remember all He did for them for their good.
Questions to consider:
- Why wasn’t it selfish, but actually truly loving for God to command Israel to remember Him and teach Him and His commands to their children and grandchildren? What is the best gift God can (and does) give to His people?
- Take a moment and think about fully loving the Lord with your whole mind, soul and might (Both your internal and physical self…ALL of you!). What would that truly look like? How will your life continue to change as you grow in this love?
- In what way are we already on this track in our progressive sanctification and how does this shed a little more light on what heaven is going to be like?