In
Deuteronomy chapter 6, Moses passionately applies God’s
commandments to the lives of the individual believers. After
re-teaching the law to the new generation, he explains, “These
are the commands… the Lord directed me to teach you to observe in
the land…so that you, your children and their children after them
may fear the Lord your God“.
How can we teach our children God’s Word if we do not know it?
Clearly we are obligated to pass on the faith. Moses is near the end
of his life and will not go into the Promised Land with the new
generation. You can almost hear the urgency he must feel. “Hear,
oh Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one“.
Interestingly, the Hebrew word used for “God” here is Elohim,
which is the plural word being used as if it is singular. The word
used for “one” is echad,
the same word used in Genesis 2:24 to describe the unity of marriage,
“The
two shall become one flesh“.
Moses understood the triune nature of God! Just as we are complex
beings consisting of body, mind, and spirit, God the Father, God the
Son and God the Spirit are one. Jesus said, “I
and the Father are one”
(John 10:30).
This
chapter has an amazing parallel to those of us living in the
prosperity of the United States. Moses warns, “When
you eat and you are satisfied, be careful that you do not forget the
Lord who brought you out of Egypt“.
It is so easy to put our confidence in ourselves during the good
times, but we must not forget the God of our salvation. Moses tells
the people, “Love
the Lord with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your
strength“.
To avoid the danger of losing our reliance on God, Moses reminds us
we must stay in the Word of God. “They
are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk
about them when you sit at home, when you walk… when you lie down
and when you get up… tie them as symbols on your hands and… on
your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your house“.
There is no indication that an hour on Sunday morning is good
enough. The Word of God has the power to transform lives, but only
if we read it.
Moses
continues his plea, “Fear
the Lord your God, serve Him only… for the Lord your God is a
jealous God“.
I once had a hard time understanding fear of the Lord. Isn’t God
all love? As a parent I understand it is OK for my children to fear
the consequences of disobedience. They know I will lovingly correct
them, but the correction may not be pleasant. I have given them
permission to blame me whenever they are approached to do something
wrong. “I can’t, or my father will kill me.” Fear can be an
awfully strong motivator. The chapter ends with an interesting
verse, “Obey
all the Law before the Lord our God as He has commanded us, that will
be our righteousness“.
In the book of Galatians the apostle Paul explains the purpose of
the Law was to reveal how far from righteous we are. He argues if
the Law alone could make us righteous we would be perfected by now,
but instead, “The
whole world is prisoner of sin“.
It is only after our futile efforts to be “good” that we
recognize our need for forgiveness. Paul concludes, “Christ
redeemed us from the curse of the Law by becoming a curse for us”
(Gal 3:13). After we receive forgiveness by faith in Christ we can
live in victory. “You
believe in Him and are filled with inexpressible and glorious joy”
(1 Peter 1:8).