Deuteronomy 6:1 – 9 “These are the commandments and statutes and ordinances that the LORD your God has instructed me to teach you to follow in the land that you are about to enter and possess, so that you and your children and grandchildren may fear the LORD your God all the days of your lives by keeping all His statutes and commandments that I give you, and so that your days may be prolonged. Hear, O Israel, and be careful to observe them, so that you may prosper and multiply greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the LORD, the God of your fathers, has promised you.
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 strength.
These words I am commanding you today are to be upon your hearts. And you shall teach them diligently to your children and speak of them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as reminders on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorposts of your houses and on your gates.
God has already told the Israelites that he did not choose them because they were the biggest or most important nation. God has chosen Israel because He wants Israel to be a shining light to the nations, so that others will see the glory of the One True Living God. God wants all the people of the earth to come to Him and to worship Him. People are interested in what works; if other nations see that the Israelites are living holy lives and that God is blessing them abundantly, they too will want to worship the God of Israel.
“Shema Yisrael, Adonai Elohenu, Adonai Echad!” The words of Deuteronomy 6:4 have been repeated in every synagogue throughout the world for centuries. But more than that, those same words were on the lips of believing Jews as they went to the gas chambers in Nazi Germany, or when they were martyred for their faith.
What’s so important about the fact that the Lord is only one God? God is telling the Israelites that He is the only true God. All the surrounding peoples worship a panoply of gods, depending on the needs of the moment. But these are demons and not the One True Living God.
Since God is the One True Living God, He is truly worthy of all worship and all praise at all times. True worship does not consist in standing with a group of people in a church or synagogue. True worship begins with acknowledging that God truly rules our lives and is all – powerful, all – knowing, all – merciful, all – just, and all – loving. To worship God means that we give Him first place in our lives, searching for His Will and then following it.
God knows that people really are like sheep. Sheep wander along, searching for tender blades of grass, many times without realizing where they are going. People are easily distracted and can readily wander off on spiritual or mental tangents. This tendency to become distracted is why God is ordering the Israelites not only to teach their children His commandments throughout the day, but to even write them on the doorposts of their houses as a constant reminder.
APPLICATION: Many times we feel that we don’t have time to read God’s Word, let alone teach it to our children. But it’s all a matter of priorities. There is a famous illustration about the use of time using rocks of different sizes. The big rocks represent major priorities while small rocks and sand represent the less important stuff. If you place your big rocks into a container first, the other smaller things will find a space in the container. But if you dump all your small rocks and sand into the container first, there will be no room for the big rocks. Likewise, when we fail to make reading God’s Word and teaching it to our children a number one priority, the urgent affairs of our day will crowd in, leaving us exhausted at nightfall.
One suggestion is to set the alarms on your cell phone so that every few hours, you can stop and read a few verses and then continue with your work. Personally, my husband and I both read our Bibles and pray first thing in the morning. In the village in which we work, those who have wants or problems will begin appearing on our doorstep by 6 AM. If we haven’t read our Bibles by then, it may be difficult to catch up later on.
Many people have found that writing Bible verses they want to remember on small cards and posting them around their houses helps. This practice is particularly useful if you are going through some trial and need to be reminded of Gods’ love and care for you. Those battling depression may find this practice very useful; once you have the cards posted where you can see them readily, you may find they have formed a life line of hope.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for Your Word! Thank You for giving us guidance so that we can live long and fruitful lives. Help us to diligently teach our children, so that they too may live long and fruitful lives as well. In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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