Living the Truth
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.
- Deuteronomy 6:4-5 NKJV
I like to keep things practical and simple. In my quest to do that, I came across Deuteronomy 6:4-5, which is considered the expression of the essence of all of God’s person and purposes. Jewish tradition calls this passage the Shema. (Eugene H. Merrill, Deuteronomy, vol. 4, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1994), 162.)
We see evidence of the importance of this text when Jesus was asked about the greatest commandment (Matt 22:34–39; Mark 12:28–31; Luke 10:25–28), and He quoted from Deuteronomy 6:4-6 and Leviticus 19:18 (you shall love your neighbor as yourself). This passage is worth our time and attention, and I invite you to join me in taking a closer look at it and looking for practical ways to apply its principles to our lives today.
Hear, O Israel
As I mentioned above, this passage is called the Shema, from the Hebrew word translated “hear.” This verse states the basic confession of faith in Judaism. The verse means that the Lord (YHWH) is unique. He alone is God. The Israelites could therefore have a sense of security that was totally impossible for their polytheistic neighbors. The “gods” of the ancient Near East rarely were thought of as acting in harmony. Each god was impulsive and morally unpredictable (they would lie, cheat, deceive, etc.). So a pagan worshiper could never be sure that his loyalty to one god would serve to protect him from the arbitrary wrath of another. The monotheistic doctrine of the Israelites lifted them out of this insecurity since they had to deal with only one God, who dealt with them by a revealed, consistent, righteous standard. This confession of monotheism does not preclude the biblical doctrine of the Trinity. “God” is plural (' ělōhîm), possibly implying the Trinity, and one (' eḥāḏ) may suggest a unity of the Persons in the Godhead (cf. Gen. 2:24, where the same word for “one” is used of Adam and Eve). (Jack S. Deere, “Deuteronomy,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 274.)
In the Jewish mind, to hear means to obey. “That is, to hear God without putting into effect the command is not to hear him at all.” (Eugene H. Merrill, Deuteronomy, vol. 4, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1994), 162.) Israel is called to hear, listen, and obey, but at this point they are not given a list of do’s and don’ts; rather, they are told to love the Lord their God with all their heart, soul, and strength.
The heart (lēb) is, in Old Testament anthropology, the seat of the intellect, equivalent to the mind or rational part of humankind. The “soul” (better, “being” or “essential person” in line with commonly accepted understanding of Heb. nepeš) refers to the invisible part of the individual, the person qua person including the will and sensibilities. The strength (mĕʾōd) is, of course, the physical side with all its functions and capacities.
- Eugene H. Merrill, Deuteronomy, vol. 4, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1994), 164.
I have often noticed people trying to separate love from obedience. Usually, the train of thought goes that we ought to love God, but the notion of obeying God gets associated with legalism. This line of thought often links obedience to God’s commandments to the Old Testament or Old Covenant. You have likely heard arguments like these. Many Christians consider the Gospel of John one of their favorite books of the Bible. After all, John mentions love more often than any other Bible writer. Yet John does not seem to have any issues with linking love and obedience to God’s commandments.
He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”
- John 14:21 NKJV
Why should I hear?
“Now this is the commandment, and these are the statutes and judgments which the Lord your God has commanded to teach you, that you may observe them in the land which you are crossing over to possess, that you may fear the Lord your God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments which I command you, you and your son and your grandson, all the days of your life, and that your days may be prolonged. Therefore hear, O Israel, and be careful to observe it, that it may be well with you, and that you may multiply greatly as the Lord God of your fathers has promised you—‘a land flowing with milk and honey.’
- Deuteronomy 6:1-3 NKJV
The main idea I notice in these verses is that obedience to God’s commandments leads not only to a longer life but also to a higher quality of life. I find this very appealing because, to be honest, I am a sucker for self-improvement. I want to know all the tips, tricks, and habits that will increase my productivity, my focus, and my health. I want to get as much out of life as possible. I am careful with what I put into my body. I care about exercise and schedule it into my weekly activities. I guard my sleep carefully and try to encourage those around me to do likewise.
I don't think about these things as salvation issues; I think of them as secrets that help me live my best life. I don't have it all figured out, but I try to make mistakes in the direction of living a better life, rather than settling for the “easier” life of idleness. I have had people point out that my desire to invest in my marriage and kids and my health and spiritual life are not “salvation issues.” I have always been puzzled by those statements. I do not doubt my salvation. I am not trying to earn anything God gives me; rather, I want to do the most with what God has given me. God has seen fit to grant me a wife and two kids, and I invest in them. I am not perfect, but I consciously make efforts in that direction. I could never share this with you if I were not willing to do it myself. I realize I am flawed and have much to learn, yet I honestly do my best to be the best example I can be. I am always interested in God’s will for my life, and in His guidelines for living. I find great freedom and joy in following God’s will. I know I am saved by grace, through faith, and not by works (Ephesians 2:8-9). It gives me great joy to care for my body and my relationships, especially with my immediate family.
Making it Practical
“And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
- Deuteronomy 6:6-9 NKJV
This is where the title of this post originated. Our spiritual experience is not meant to be merely intellectual. It should shape every aspect of our lives. It is not enough to hear the truth; it is not enough to believe the truth; we must live out the truth we believe. Our love for God should be made evident in every aspect of our lives. Our faith must shape our identity, and one way to accomplish this is by talking about our faith, our God, and our experience with God. Our memories are shaped by the stories we tell, especially the stories we tell ourselves. As we talk about God throughout our lives, we become more aware of the role God plays.
Here is an example of how this shapes my daily life.
In the morning, I pray with my kids in the car as we leave home for school. I usually ask one of my kids to pray, or I pray. This reminds us that God is the one we turn to for protection, the source of our success, and the one who gives us the strength to face difficulties. At the end of the school day, when I bring my kids home, we pray to thank God for keeping us safe and for other blessings received.
These short prayers keep God in our minds; they remind us of our constant need for God’s help in every season of life. My wife and I also pray with our kids as we put them to bed. This is just one simple example of how we can teach our kids about our relationship with God. When we pray out loud with those around us, they catch a glimpse of how we relate to God, of what God is like. As my kids and others hear me pray, they realize we serve a loving God who cares about the details of my life. Over the years, I have developed a habit of offering to pray with those around me. Sometimes I get turned down, which is fine, but very often people are very grateful. They do not even have to be believers. Even if they might not believe in God, they are glad I cared enough to intercede for them before God; even if they think it might be silly, they feel like I care. I know this because someone who was not a believer told me one day that he appreciated that I would pray with him. Prayer takes my mind away from what is immediately in front of me and carries it to the throne of God. By faith, I gaze at God in all His power and glory as I bring before Him my cares, my anxieties, as well as my joy, my praise, and my thanksgiving.
As I write this, I think about my son; he is getting baptized this Sabbath. I never asked him; he came to me and asked. It was his initiative. I studied the Bible with him and others who shared a similar desire, but my role in his decision was only one influence. Others also influenced him. My son has been blessed by an incredible mother who homeschooled him. Once he began to attend school, he was blessed with godly, dedicated teachers who also loved God and showed it in their lives and in the classroom. My son was also blessed to belong to churches that value and care for children. He has been loved, accepted, and embraced by a community that loves Jesus and shows it.
Learning about God does not happen only when I preach; it does not happen only when I study my Bible or read a devotional book. I learn about God as I live my life, as I make room for Him throughout my day, when I choose to talk about God, even if just to myself. Sometimes, as I drive, I turn off the music, audiobook, or podcast and spend some time talking to God. I tell him about my worries; I tell him about my desires; I ask Him for guidance; I ask Him for strength, and these experiences make God real because they significantly shape all my interactions.
The words of the Lord are a sign on my hands because they shape my actions. They are like frontlets between my eyes because they shape my thoughts. The word of God affects which thoughts I entertain and which ones I push out of my mind. I strongly believe that the mark of the beast is a direct attack on this concept. It is about receiving a mark from the enemy of God in a place where God’s law or wordGod'sld be.
He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads,
- Revelation 13:16 NKJV
I am not going to talk about the mark of the beast except to say that if you have the word of God directing your thoughts and actions, you do not have to be concerned about the mark of the beast.
The Stories We Tell
When we read about the law in Deuteronomy, we have to understand this was not limited to the 10 commandments. The first five books of the Bible (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy) are called the Pentateuch (five books) in Greek or the Torah (law/instruction/teaching) in Hebrew. So when we read law, we should not think only of a list of do’s and don’ts; it also includes stories about how God deals with humanity. The Torah includes stories about God creating a perfect world, the fall, God’s mercy and justice, slavery and freedom, hope and love, rebellion, and restoration.
I believe we should also talk about our personal experiences with God. Do those around us realize what God has done for us? Do we share stories about the times we clearly saw God’s hand rescuing us and providing for us? These stories matter: they are our testimony, they make God real, they strengthen our faith, they glorify God, and they point others to Him.
As I mentioned earlier, our memories are shaped by the stories we tell, especially the stories we tell ourselves. The more we talk about God, the more aware we become of His role in our lives. By sharing these stories, we mold our identity and shape our culture. When we talk about God, He becomes an integral part of all we do, and we live out the truth we believe more intentionally.
