The Shema


4 “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. 5 You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to 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. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates”

Deuteronomy 6:4-7 


The Shema generally limited to Deuteronomy 6:4-9, is one of the most important pieces of Scripture for a Jew. It is so influential in the Jewish life and is commonly the first memorization passage for children. It is recited every morning and evening and is often the very last phrase on the lips of a Jew before their death. The reason for this is not that they like the way that it sounds or that it is necessarily an easier passage to remember. The reason that this text is so important is because it is foundational for their faith. And not just for Jews, but also for Christians.

The Shema literally means hear, listen, obey, or understand. It is most commonly translated in english Bibles to hear, but contextually it is conveying something deeper. Consider Proverbs 4:1 which reads “Hear, O sons, a father’s instruction.” This proverb is not necessarily calling for the sons of a father to merely hear him nor does it convey to the sons that they should just obey what is taught. In its context, much like in Proverbs 4, the Shema is better understood as a calling our for its hearers to listen with understanding. A calling for the people of God, namely Israel, to understand that they are a people called by Him. But also to remember that there is no other God beside Him. The Israelites had struggled with worshipping the one true God, and so this would be a bedrock pronouncement to consistently be in their minds that they are not to worship any other idols, there is but one God.

This declaration, however, is followed by a command. The command to love God above all else and with all of our self and to teach this to their children. This command reinforces the truth that was declared that there is only one God and He is to be worshipped. The Shema is one not merely to be heard or obeyed blindly, but every person is to listen to what is being declared and to understand the meaning of it, the implications on our lives, and the consequences for disregarding it.

But this text is not only foundational for the Jews, it is equally important for every believer. When Jesus was asked what is the greatest commandment, he responded with the Shema (Mark 12:29-30). We too understand that this is a declaration that also bears influence on our lives. It is a declaration that still is relevant for every person to understand its meaning, its implications on their lives, and the consequences for disregarding it. So listen my brothers and sisters, but also understand.

Grace and Peace,
Pastor Alex

Please subscribe and share this blog with all of your friends To subscribe, click on the "Subscribe" button at the top of the blog page (https://aogalvez.blogspot.com/)
****************************************************
You may follow Overflow Church @ https://faithlife.com/overflowtx/activity
or on Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/OverflowChurchTX/

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Balance

Image
"For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come." 1 Timothy 4:8 (NIV) This past weekend (Month even) has been a very busy one. It often happens that when life ramps up, we cut the unimportant things out of our lives in order to accomplish the tasks we identify as most critical. To all my followers, I want to apologize for my having cutting this portion of my life out for a period of time and I will do my best to have more consistency. A years ago, the United States Army deployed a digital "fitness" test to its soldiers and certain respondents received a message that read, "Spiritual fitness may be an area of difficulty. You may lack a sense of meaning and purpose in your life. At times, it is hard for you to make sense of what is happening to you and to others around you. You may not feel connected to something larger than yourself. You may question your
Read more

Satisfaction

Image
“…for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.” Philippians 4:11b (NIV) This has been a very busy month for me in terms of traveling around. I returned home from Brazil after a long three weeks and, after two days, I now find myself back in a hotel in the great city of Duncan, Oklahoma. Although it is slightly inconvenient to me, in terms of my schedule for studying the word, prayer, and working out to live in a hotel for almost a full month, I have found great comfort in the words from the apostle Paul. A man who has murderous attempts on his life, been imprisoned on multiple occasions, beaten up, shipwrecked three times, and bitten by a snake was able to find a state of contentedness regardless of what situation he was in. Talk about finding complete joy. This is the same joy that the beloved disciple wrote of many times for other believers to embrace. And this is a joy that over the years I have learned to develop and enjoy. That no matter what situation I find
Read more

Light

Image
“And this is the message which we have heard from him and announce unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.” 1 John 1:5 (ASV) Darkness is not a real thing. Cold is also not a real thing. They are just words that we have made up to define the conditions of an environment or state of existence at a specific period or periods of time. What do I mean then when I say that they are not real things? Well, what I mean is that the darkness that we see (or cannot see because of) is not because it is overwhelming, but because it lacks light. Darkness is the absence of light. When light comes into existence, because light is something real, darkness is expelled. That’s the same with cold. Cold is simply the absence of heat. It is not that it is cold and then at some point it shifts to being hot. It is simply that the heat that exists is too miniscule that it cannot bring warmth to anything. In verse five, we read that God is light, but not a weak source of light
Read more