Deuteronomy 6:4-9

LESSON SIX Deuteronomy 6:4-25

2. LOVE TO BE THE MOTIVE FOR OBSERVANCE THE SHEMA (Deuteronomy 6:4-9)

4 Hear, O Israel: Jehovah our God is one Jehovah: 5 and thou shalt love Jehovah thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. 6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be upon thy heart; 7 and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thy house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. 8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thy hand, and they shall be for frontlets between thine eyes. 9 And thou shalt write them upon the door-posts of thy house, and upon thy gates.

THOUGHT QUESTIONS 6:4-9

130.

These verses are so very important to the orthodox Jew. Why? How important are they to us?

131.

Our love for God is inseparately associated with the word of God. Discuss and demonstrate the connection.

132.

What distinction is there between the words, heart, soul and might?

133.

The manner of teaching our children is so very important. Use two or three synonyms for the word diligently.

134.

Why is the subject of the will and word of God so seldom on the lips of most of us?

135.

Here are four occasions for discussing the scriptures: (1) In your house instead of TV, (2) Riding in the car instead of the radio, (3) In bed instead of the magazine, (4) At breakfast instead of the newspaper.

136.

What was in the sign upon thy hand and in frontlets between thine eyes?

137.

How shall we use these visual-aids for our observance of God's law? What about the use of scripture mottos and plaques? Or is this the meaning?

AMPLIFIED TRANSLATION 6:4-9

4 Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God is one Lordthe only Lord.
5 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your (mind and) heart, and with your entire being, and with all your might.
6 And these words, which I am commanding you this day, shall be [first] in your own mind and heart; [then]

7 You shall whet and sharpen them, so as to make them penetrate, and teach and impress them diligently upon the minds (and hearts) of 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 up.

8. And you shall bind them as a sign upon your hand, and they shall be as frontlets (forehead bands) between your eyes.
9. And you shall write them upon the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

COMMENT 6:4-9

Surely this passage will show that God's word was to dominate and pervade their lives. If we truly love him, this will be the case today as well as then. It also shows how, even in the Old Testament, God desired that his laws be kept out of a heart of love for him. Surely he cannot expect less in the New Covenant! These verses, recited by the Jews as a confession or reiteration of their faith, are called the Shemathe Hebrew word for the first word, bear, as it occurs here in the imperative. This is the first passage of scripture taught to Jewish children, and is recited by the orthodox every morning and evening.

It is to be a deep, moving, all-consuming, whole-souled love for God that prompts Israel to keep his commandments and communicate them to their children.

HEAR, O ISRAEL: JEHOVAH OUR GOD IS ONE JEHOVAH (Deuteronomy 6:4)This is also the exact rendering of Young's Literal Translation, and the only case we are aware of where the American Standard Version gives three alternative translations as follows: Jehovah our God, Jehovah is one or Jehovah is our God, Jehovah is one or Jehovah is our God, Jehovah alone. We could multiply translations beyond this, but most are similar to one of those above! Whichever one is correct, the idea of ONE GOD (monotheism) is obviously in this phrase. There is, was, always will be only one true God. See Deuteronomy 4:35; Deuteronomy 4:39; Ephesians 4:6, 1 Timothy 2:5, 1 Corinthians 8:4.

If there is just one God over heaven and earth, WHAT THEN? If he is the creator of the world, the maker and sustainer of all, what then? If there is none else besides, and the whole universe sings out his glory, what should we do? WE SHOULD LOVE HIM WITH ALL THY HEART, AND WITH ALL THY SOUL, AND WITH ALL THY MIGHT (Deuteronomy 6:5)See also Deuteronomy 30:5-6; Deuteronomy 4:29, Deuteronomy 10:12. If this was part and parcel of the Mosaic law, how much more should love prompt our service under Christ? And in Leviticus 19:18 Israel was told ... thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. Both of these passages were referred to by Christ himself in Matthew 22:34-40, Note the preeminence he gives them. Deuteronomy 6:5 (above) he calls the great and first commandment, (Mark: There is none other commandment greater than these) and the Leviticus passage is a second like unto it. On these two commandments the whole law hangeth, and the prophetsi.e., loving God supremely and your neighbor as yourself was the proper basis for the keeping of all Old Testament commands. They were given from a God of lovethey were to be observed from the same motive! If these two laws were observed as they should have been, Jesus could say, This do, and thou Shalt live (Luke 10:28). But if these two BASIC laws were neglected, the observance of others would become a hollow form! Friend, if that was true under the law (and it was!), it is overwhelmingly true under the covenant of Christ. Jesus and his apostles taught that our love for him and others must be the basis of all our acts as Christians: John 14:15; John 14:23; 1 Corinthians 13 (all), 1 Corinthians 10:24, 1 Corinthians 16:14; Colossians 3:14, 1 Peter 1:22, 1 John 2:10-11; 1 John 4:8; 1 John 4:16; 1 John 5:2, etc.