In the book of Deuteronomy Moses takes the time to teach, and repeat, to the Israelites many of the basic doctrines that the Lord God has given them. One of the most well-known and important teachings that became a paradigm for their lives was the "Shema" prayer. It is found in Dt. 6:4-6, "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart." It is a prayer and a calling to live for God in all aspects of life. It is a command to set Him above all other priorities and practices so as to be guided in His will.
The entire sixth chapter of Deuteronomy shows us that God is intimately concerned with the well-being and faith of the Israelites. He wants them to follow him in a faith relationship and so he instructs them how to live for him. This paradigm is to be for the Israelites and their families, for their good and for their blessings as they prepare to cross over the Jordan River to the Promised Land, which at the time was filled with people who did not have faith in YAHWEH. Moses is helping the people to remember who they were by remembering who God is.
Moses describes in Deut. 6:1-3, "Now this is the commandment—the statutes and the rules—that the Lord your God commanded me to teach you, that you may do them in the land to which you are going over, to possess it, that you may fear the Lord your God, you and your son and your son's son, by keeping all his statutes and his commandments, which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be long. Hear therefore, O Israel, and be careful to do them, that it may go well with you, and that you may multiply greatly, as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and honey." Moses emphasizes that these instructions, these words of faith, are given so that it "may go well with you."
Moving fast forward to the New Testament and the life and ministry of Jesus we see that the Pharisees and Jewish leaders put him to the test. They were concerned with the integrity of his teachings and to see if he would proclaim what they knew to be the central doctrines they had received and upheld.
In Mark 12:29-31, we read, "And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” Jesus answered, “The most important is, Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” Here Jesus upholds the Shema Prayer of Moses from Deut. 6. It was no coincidence that he affirmed this as all the Israelites knew the importance of this prayer from their youth. This was their theocentric affirmation, the paradigm they were taught by Moses to keep their faith and fidelity to God, especially in an unbelieving and pagan land.
It is important to note that Jesus not only acknowledged the Shema prayer but also added to it. Moses gave the Israelites a threefold aspect to loving God, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might." But Jesus taught, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." Jesus added that they must love God with all their mind. He turned it into a fourfold love for God instead of a threefold love for God, that we need to love God with our minds, with our thoughts and thinking. This is a key to our sanctification and faithfulness in our culture.
It has been rightly said before that nobody loves God like this perfectly, we are unable even in our redeemed state of grace to love God completely in this life. But, this is still the paradigm, this is the theocentric calling that every Christian has, to be God-centered and to love God, not just to acknowledge him, as we live in the unbelieving and pagan world of our day. This is a tremendous help to remember and know this great calling to love God for our lives of faith. And also, along with the Israelites of Moses' day, to 'remember who we are' because of who God is and what he has done for us.
Even more though, Jesus took the opportunity to expand the Shema prayer and to add to it. Jesus made an important addendum, "The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” Here Jesus gave a new teaching and a new commandment that we also see in other parts of his ministry. Jesus did not take away from the Shema Prayer's theocentricity, its God-centeredness, but he expanded it. He reinforces the priority on God as this is always central. But he also includes the important requirement of doing something with this love for God, in that we should love other people, to love our neighbors as ourselves. To love our neighbors would begin with those closest to us, those of our own families, and then the family of faith we are connected to in our own churches. And also those neighbors who we live near and know, even reaching out to get to know, for the purpose of sharing the grace and truth of God that we have learned in Christ.
The Shema prayer is a tremendously sanctifying prayer, it is a four-fold love for God that is more than anyone could possibly accomplish on our own because we are so self-centered. It takes the Holy Spirit working through our human spirit to love God and thus love other people. And then, when we are filled and even saturated with the love for God, we in turn will be able and willing to love our families, friends of faith, and neighbors in our communities with the same love that we have been given in Christ. It all begins with a command to love God with a four-fold love, so that we, and our neighbors, would know the great Agape love from God in Christ by faith. All this is to our benefit so, "that it that it may go well with you."
FAITH TODAY: Deuteronomy 6:6-7, "And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise."
The entire sixth chapter of Deuteronomy shows us that God is intimately concerned with the well-being and faith of the Israelites. He wants them to follow him in a faith relationship and so he instructs them how to live for him. This paradigm is to be for the Israelites and their families, for their good and for their blessings as they prepare to cross over the Jordan River to the Promised Land, which at the time was filled with people who did not have faith in YAHWEH. Moses is helping the people to remember who they were by remembering who God is.
Moses describes in Deut. 6:1-3, "Now this is the commandment—the statutes and the rules—that the Lord your God commanded me to teach you, that you may do them in the land to which you are going over, to possess it, that you may fear the Lord your God, you and your son and your son's son, by keeping all his statutes and his commandments, which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be long. Hear therefore, O Israel, and be careful to do them, that it may go well with you, and that you may multiply greatly, as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and honey." Moses emphasizes that these instructions, these words of faith, are given so that it "may go well with you."
Moving fast forward to the New Testament and the life and ministry of Jesus we see that the Pharisees and Jewish leaders put him to the test. They were concerned with the integrity of his teachings and to see if he would proclaim what they knew to be the central doctrines they had received and upheld.
In Mark 12:29-31, we read, "And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” Jesus answered, “The most important is, Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” Here Jesus upholds the Shema Prayer of Moses from Deut. 6. It was no coincidence that he affirmed this as all the Israelites knew the importance of this prayer from their youth. This was their theocentric affirmation, the paradigm they were taught by Moses to keep their faith and fidelity to God, especially in an unbelieving and pagan land.
It is important to note that Jesus not only acknowledged the Shema prayer but also added to it. Moses gave the Israelites a threefold aspect to loving God, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might." But Jesus taught, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." Jesus added that they must love God with all their mind. He turned it into a fourfold love for God instead of a threefold love for God, that we need to love God with our minds, with our thoughts and thinking. This is a key to our sanctification and faithfulness in our culture.
It has been rightly said before that nobody loves God like this perfectly, we are unable even in our redeemed state of grace to love God completely in this life. But, this is still the paradigm, this is the theocentric calling that every Christian has, to be God-centered and to love God, not just to acknowledge him, as we live in the unbelieving and pagan world of our day. This is a tremendous help to remember and know this great calling to love God for our lives of faith. And also, along with the Israelites of Moses' day, to 'remember who we are' because of who God is and what he has done for us.
Even more though, Jesus took the opportunity to expand the Shema prayer and to add to it. Jesus made an important addendum, "The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” Here Jesus gave a new teaching and a new commandment that we also see in other parts of his ministry. Jesus did not take away from the Shema Prayer's theocentricity, its God-centeredness, but he expanded it. He reinforces the priority on God as this is always central. But he also includes the important requirement of doing something with this love for God, in that we should love other people, to love our neighbors as ourselves. To love our neighbors would begin with those closest to us, those of our own families, and then the family of faith we are connected to in our own churches. And also those neighbors who we live near and know, even reaching out to get to know, for the purpose of sharing the grace and truth of God that we have learned in Christ.
The Shema prayer is a tremendously sanctifying prayer, it is a four-fold love for God that is more than anyone could possibly accomplish on our own because we are so self-centered. It takes the Holy Spirit working through our human spirit to love God and thus love other people. And then, when we are filled and even saturated with the love for God, we in turn will be able and willing to love our families, friends of faith, and neighbors in our communities with the same love that we have been given in Christ. It all begins with a command to love God with a four-fold love, so that we, and our neighbors, would know the great Agape love from God in Christ by faith. All this is to our benefit so, "that it that it may go well with you."
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