"And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up."
Deuteronomy 6:6-7
Part 1
“And these words, which I command thee this day,”
What words? What is it that God told Moses to tell His people is so important as to be always remembered, and to be continuously repeated to their children?
Moses had just finished reminding the people where they had come from, and God’s goodness in bringing them out of Egypt (chapters 1-4). In chapter five he has reviewed God’s Law (the Ten Commandments) with Israel before they set out to enter the Promised Land. Moses will continue teaching Israel God’s Law (chapters 5-26).1 This is the second time His Law is being taught to His people. The first time His Law was given to them, they rejected His command to enter the Land, and He let them wander in the wilderness for the last forty years, to have the unbelieving generation die off. The next generation of the Children of Israel is now preparing to enter the Land. God condensed the essence of His Law down that it can be stated in one overarching principle.
“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might” (Deuteronomy 6:4-5).
These beautiful words are Israel’s “statement of faith,” the “Shema.”2 They succinctly stated who God is, and man’s duty towards Him. It is these timeless words that must be learned and repeated by believing parents to their children.
God is one LORD. We need to be reminded of His unity. He is not three God’s, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, but only One.3 And this tripartite (three-in-one) God is to be loved supremely!
“Shall be in thine heart:”
“These words shall be in thine heart!” Dads and moms, grandparents, aunts, and uncles, it is challenging to persuasively teach our children something that we do not believe totally. If we are not convinced of the truthfulness of these words, we will never prove to our children that God is real. This truth about God must be realized in my heart first! I must have a relationship with God if I would lead my children to Him. I cannot give my children what I do not possess myself. “These words shall be in thine heart.”
Dad and Mom, how is it with your heart? Have you professed Jesus Christ as your Savior? Has He washed your sin away and given you new life by His grace? Is He your One Lord? This is the truth that is necessary to be sure of if we will be God’s kind of parents.
Come back tomorrow to see what we must do with this wonderful truth.
1. In Deuteronomy, chapters 27-28 he explains the consequences for disobeying God’s Law. Chapters 29-30 are the Palestinian Covenant and what will happen to Israel is she disobeys this covenant. Chapters 31-32 are Moses final words to the people of Israel. Chapter 33 is the death of Moses.
2. Shĕma’ is the Hebrew word “hear.” See the Cambridge Bible, the electronic version in eSword.
3. The trinitarian teaching in the New Testament is the reason many Jews did not accept Jesus as God. They failed to understand the scriptures. See 1 Corinthians 8:6.