Love the Lord your God

Deuteronomy 6:4-5

Key Verse 6:5

In this passage before sending the Israelites into the Promised Land, the Lord teaches them the supreme principle of life, which should enable them to become all they could possibly become. 

1. Read verse 4. The author could have said, "Hear Israel", but he added the word "O" saying, "Hear O Israel". Why might he have done this?

** Most likely it is because Moses found it difficult to teach the Israelites what he was asked to teach. 

2. Each of the members of the audience listening to Moses must have gone by all different names such as "Reuben", "Benjamin" etc., and yet the Lord calls them collectively "Israel". What does the name Israel mean? How much did God do for Israel? (Genesis 32:28; 48:15; Malachi 1:2) How did God take care of the Israelites so far? (Exodus 40:36-38; Deuteronomy 29:5-6)

** 1) Israel - Gen 32:28; the meaning of this name especially 'struggle' indicates that we are called to struggle (or make efforts) to rise above what is mundane and what is human, and reach the level of God, so we would no longer be swayed (or controlled or dominated) by what is created, but rather operate on the level the Lord God has in mind, that is, the level of the children of God bearing God's image, becoming dominant over rather than dominated by creation. The Lord wants us to function as the Lord's princes and princesses, with the right to inherit the perfected world to come.  

2) It is also the embodiment of the spiritual heritage of the forefathers of the Israelites. In Hebrew the name Israel comes with five letters each of which is an acronym for each of the names of the three patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) and the four matriarchs (Sarah, Rebekah, Leah, and Rachel). God trained Abraham to be the father of many nations, a source of blessing for many. He did it by training Abraham to live by faith in the Lord. God trained Isaac to be a man of good influence making even a war-like people to fear the Lord. Unlike Esau Jacob overcame his animal instincts. He cherished dearly what is spiritual, and struggled to attain to God's level, until he came the progenitor of the 12 tribes of Israel. 

** The Lord loved him; the Lord shepherded over him. As his shepherd the Lord knew Jacob by name. As a shepherd he was with Jacob even when Jacob remained largely blind to the Lord's presence. As his shepherd the Lord visited him at a time Jacob hit the rock bottom. While Jacob was walking through the valley of the shadow of death (that is at the Jabbok River) the Lord visited him, spent time with him even doing a wrestling match with him, and thereby helped Jacob to meet the Lord in person. 

The God of Bethel (Gen 28:19) and the God of El Bethel (Gen 35:7) are good indicators of the way in which the Lord shepherded over Jacob, that is, to reveal the Lord himself, so that in view of the Lord's greatness, love and mercy, Jacob would repent of his earthly nature and live as a spiritual man. 

** The Lord was with the Israelites while they were in slavery for a long period of time. When they cried out for the Lord's help, the Lord delivered them out of the hands of Pharaoh. The Lord then invited them to himself, and thereby secured an agreement to love the Lord and serve him alone. The Lord then graciously served them and trained them to live as a holy nation and a kingdom of priest. The Lord is now about to send them into the Promised Land where the Israelites could prove themselves, so that by obeying the Lord's precepts they could become all they could possibly become. 

3. Think about the statement: "The Lord our God, the Lord is one" in verse 4b. What does the word "one" indicate about the Lord our God?

** "One" has many different meanings. 

1) It identifies the Lord as the only "one" who alone deserves to be called the Lord and God. He is the only one who is worthy of our worship. 

2) It also denotes the Lord's perfect unity. The Lord is united, rather than divided. So he unites the world rather than divides. His perfect unity is displayed in the way God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit work together. His oneness is well exhibited in the way the universe and everything in it operate. This indicates that where there is the Lord there is perfect orderliness. In fact this oneness is the source of beauty, peace, prosperity, and joy of life, all proliferating from eternity to eternity.  

3) This word is indicative of the purpose of the command (love) that is the union based on love, the union between the Lord God and his children. When Jesus came he expressed this purpose when he said in John 14:20, "On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you." Read also John 17:23 

4. Read verse 5. What do the following words mean? a) Love; b) the Lord; c) your God; d) with all your heart; e) with all your soul; and f) with all your strength. 

** Love - this love is the kind of love with which God loves his children. Unlike self-seeking love this love is sacrificial love. God demonstrated this love when Jesus died on a tree for our sins. Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

** the Lord: as used in the Bible the expression "I am the Lord" refers to the one who is the cause of all causes. 

** your God: 1) the word "your" means he is one's own personal God who is not aloof but has been in the relationship with his children, just like Noah or Joseph walking with the Lord. 2) he is God meaning there is nothing he cannot do. Gen 1:1

** heart - "heart" stands for the place the Lord God established in a man's body as his dwelling place. Ezekiel 43:7 He said: "Son of man, this is the place of my throne and the place for the soles of my feet. This is where I will live among the Israelites forever. The house of Israel will never again defile my holy name--neither they nor their kings--by their prostitution and the lifeless idols of their kings at their high places.

"With all your heart" means we need to dedicate the inner space called "heart" fully to (or exclusively for the use of) the Lord, not allowing any hint of the spirit of prostitution to break in. The purpose for this phrase is to rid our heart of any hint of prostitution, lifeless idols and detestable practices. 

** soul - "soul" denotes the center assigned to hold yourself. God made each person differently, with different talents, character, etc. No two persons are the same. All are different. And it is this soul which determines your identity. 

Thus "with all your soul" means we are to love the Lord without holding back any part of our being. 

** Strength - this talks about the output of our life. Strength includes spiritual, mental, and physical strength. 

 

5. Read verse 5 again. Is this command for the Lord or for you (or for both)? Each of the words "all" and "and" is repeated three times. What is the significance of this repetition? 

  

** It is for us, not for the Lord. The Lord is not in need of you having to love you. We can understand this concept when we think about who the Lord is, that is, he is love. The only reason he created you is for him to be able to bestow upon you what is best, that is, God himself. 

** It is significant in that by this repetition we are told to devote all we have to God fully so that he could fully fill ourselves with what he has in mind. It is also the key to forming the unity of love with the Lord God. The Lord wants us to be all his, so that he could be all ours. We can understand this concept when we think about what Jesus said in Genesis 2:24 For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. Also read Matthew 19:6 So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate." 

The end

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