INTRODUCTION
• SLIDE #1
• Today we will begin a new seven-week series entitled Binge Reading the Bible.
• This seven-week series focuses on how God reveals his will and desires for humankind through each specific section of the Bible.
• Each genre, including the Pentateuch, Historical Books, Wisdom Literature, the Prophets, the Gospels, the Epistles, and Apocalyptic Literature, provides not only a unique focus, but also a special way that God has communicated throughout history and helps us understand the Bible as a whole.
• As we dig into each genre of scripture, we will see the various ways God has spoken to us through each unique genre of scripture.
• Today we begin our journey together by examining the Pentateuch, or the first five books of the Bible.
• The Pentateuch consists of the first five books of the Bible, (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy), which contain the revelation of God through the story of creation, the fall of humankind, redemption, the giving of the Law, and the covenant made between God and the children of Israel.
• This section of the Bible introduces critical aspects that will be seen throughout the rest of the Scriptures, such as the living out of God's commands.
• Each book has its own specific purpose, but this section as a whole offers a way for the reader to understand the origins of the Judeo-Christian faiths, along with the basis for our understanding of the New Testament and its historical context.
• These first five books of the Bible set the tone, theme, and continuity of the Bible as a whole; just like any other story, the beginning is what sets up the base for the rest of the story.
• As we study our text together this morning, we can understand the will and desires of God for his people because he reveals himself to humanity through creation, the Law, and relationships within the Pentateuch.
• The books of the Pentateuch are essential because they are the foundation of everything we know concerning God as well as being the foundation of our faith.
• Remember back in the day when you began learning mathematics?
• You started off with the foundations of knowing the numbers, how to count, then how to add and subtract.
• Mouseketeers, we used to not have computers and calculators for doing such stuff.
• I remember in Statistics class in college, my professor wrote out a formula that took up a great deal of the blackboard (google it), and then he said, “YOU CAN FOLLOW THIS FORMULA OR HIT THESE THREE KEYS ON YOUR HANDY DANDY CALCULATOR AND GET THE SAME ANSWER.
• Anyway, when you started to learn math, you did not go right to calculus because what we call basic math is the foundation to be able to understand and complete more complex mathematics such Algebra and Trigonometry and such.
• How would we feel if we enrolled in engineering school or an advanced class without having read the foundational books first? When it comes to stories (including the Bible), the same holds. What occurs, in the beginning, is necessary to understand anything that happens later. We must grasp the Pentateuch to advance in our study of the Bible.
• Today we are going to examine one particular passage that can be applied to the Pentateuch as a whole.
• Deuteronomy 6:4–9 or “the great Shema.” (SHAW MAH). This passage is foundational to the rest of the stories in the Pentateuch.
• It sets the tone for God’s expectations for his people; therefore, the circumstances that we see play out are due to his people obeying or disobeying the command.
• Let’s turn to Deuteronomy 6:4-9. We will begin with verse 4.
• SLIDE #2
• Deuteronomy 6:4 (CSB) — 4 “Listen, Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.
• SLIDE #3
SERMON
I. Listen. (4)
• In the previous chapter, Moses delivered the 10 Commandments to the people.
• In Deuteronomy 5:6-9, God tells the people the following:
• SLIDE #4
• Deuteronomy 5:6–9 (CSB) — 6 I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the place of slavery. 7 Do not have other gods besides me. 8 Do not make an idol for yourself in the shape of anything in the heavens above or on the earth below or in the waters under the earth. 9 Do not bow in worship to them, and do not serve them, because I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the fathers’ iniquity to the third and fourth generations of those who hate me,
• In the 10 Commandments, God explains that He was the one who brought them out of Egypt, He expected the people to worship and serve only Him.
• In the passage, we are looking at now, God is seeking to get them to understand what that means.
• The people were used to seeing people worship from obligation or fear.
• To God, worship is about a relationship built on love and trust.
• This passage is labeled the Great Shema (SHAW MAH)
• This title comes from the transliteration of the imperative form of the verb “listen.”
• Verses four and five are the Shema, a basic statement of the Israelite faith.
• This command is called by Jesus the greatest in the Law (Matt 22:37; Mark 12:30; see also Luke 10:27).
• God wants the people to listen to what a relationship with Him should look like and what it entails.
• God wants us to know that He is the one and only God, that the reason for not worshipping idols or other want to be gods is that there are none before Him.
• If He is Lord alone, then the emphasis is upon his uniqueness; His being wholly different from the other gods.
• It would be an argument against the other gods who were mere stone and wood (4:28) and a further affirmation of the first and second commandments.
• The Shema is about God’s unchangeableness and His integrity.
• Since Israel frequently found other gods attractive, as 4:25–28 anticipates, then it was necessary to assert the Lord's uniqueness for Israel.
• For Israel, there were no other gods. The one and only God demanded their total devotion and loyalty (v. 5).
• Because God is the only God, He can expect us to worship Him as such.
• Before we can embark on a relationship with Him, we have to KNOW this, we have to TRUST this, and we have to LIVE this thought concerning who God is.
• If we do not listen to verse 4, then our relationship with Him will never blossom.
• Let’s look at verse 5.
• SLIDE #5
• Deuteronomy 6:5 (CSB) — 5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.
• SLIDE #6
II. Love. (5)
• Our relationship with God is not about keeping rules, or fear of retribution, but rather, our relationship with Him is centered on love, which leads to devotion and obedience.
• Verse 5 offers us the depth of love that God is seeking from each one of us.
• When you think about it, is that not the type of love you would want from your spouse, children, or your parents?
• Since God loved Israel (Deuteronomy 4:37), God expects love in return.
• The word love was also used as a term of loyalty. God is loyal, and He wants us to be loyal too.
• Love in this context was not a reference to an emotional experience, but rather, it involves the behavior that is becoming to love, the actions of loyalty and obedience.
• The command appears seven times in the book of Deuteronomy and is often tied to being obedient to God’s commands.
• When we are told to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, and strength, we are given the depth as well as the passion at which we are called to love.
• Our love for God is to infiltrate every fiber of our being!
• God is what we are called to be passionate about!
• 6. In the movie The Man Who Invented Christmas, Charles Dickens is facing financial hardship after the failure of his latest three books following Oliver Twist.
• At a certain point in the film, Dickens becomes so obsessed with the new book he’s writing that he begins to become consumed by the story.
• The papers he writes on are all over his office and home, he continually talks about the story with his family, he falls asleep thinking about the story, and he wakes up with it on his mind.
• "Do you have anything in your life that you love, that consumes you like this?" Similarly, this is what God had in mind for the Israelites. To become so consumed in his love, that they could not stop talking about his statutes and continually woke up with them on their minds.
• This thought leads us to verses 6-7 for our next thought.
• SLIDE #7
• Deuteronomy 6:6–7 (CSB) — 6 These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart. 7 Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.
• SIDE #8
III. Live. (6-7)
• When you are passionate about something, then you live for it.
• The law was to be internalized, memorized, and made a part of the will.
• Since obedience was to come from the heart, it was necessary that the law be placed there.
• It was no external code to be legalistically followed but a way of life to be internalized.
• We are called to be so passionate concerning our devotion to God, that we are called to teach our children and family about God.
• The Israelites were to love God wholeheartedly, to know him intimately, which we see is the desire of God throughout the Pentateuch.
• The command to love is so rooted in God’s own identity and the mutual relationship between himself and his people.
• God desired that his law remain close to his people, whether in the mind or in the hands and actions of his people in order to stay grateful.
• This comes only from a passion for God and a consistent love. What things in your life consume your everyday conversations?
• The encouragement to REPEAT the words they were given to their children meant to talk to them, impress upon them the importance of what it means to love God.
• Over and over, at every opportunity, we are to tell them about our Great God!
• We must make sure those within our home know God well enough to love Him!
• When you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way: this means while at home or away from home, which includes, of course, the whole time.
• The following when you lie down and when you rise is also a way of including the whole day, either “when you are asleep and when you are awake.”
• Not only am I to tell my children, but they also need to see my faith and my love for God in action in the way that I treat my wife, in the way I treat them and in the way I treat others.
• Remember, this passage comes after the Lord reveals the Ten Commandments, and therefore helps us understand the heart of God and how this particular command (vv. 6–9) is central to what he wants for his people throughout all time.
• Jesus gives the same command in the New Testament. In Mark 12:30–31, Jesus tells the scribes that the greatest commandment is that of the great Shema, as well as the command to love your neighbor as yourself.
• Through Moses, God had commanded these commands to be taught diligently to children in the home (v. 7), as well as carried outside of the home (vv. 8–9). This shows us that God's revelation should always be central to a family's structure so that they talk about him while they're performing daily activities.
• Let’s turn to verses 8-9
• SLIDE #9
• Deuteronomy 6:8–9 (CSB) — 8 Bind them as a sign on your hand and let them be a symbol on your forehead. 9 Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your city gates.
• SLIDE #10
IV. Lay it all on the line. (8-9)
• A simple rendering of the flow of these final verses is that of living your love out loud for God.
• The words of the law were to be continually before the people and also embedded deep in their hearts so that the whole community would be constantly reminded of its love commitment to God.
• The Jews took a very literal approach to these two verses.
• The custom developed of writing certain verses on scraps of parchment (especially Exod 13:1–16; Deut 6:4–9 and 11:13–21), placing them in little boxes and strapping them to the forehead and arm.
• This continues today. The boxes are called “phylacteries” in the NT.
• By analogy, this practice imitated the instruction to the high priest to wear a frontlet of gold with the words, "Holy to the Lord" (Exod 28:36–38). Wearing Scripture texts inscribed on objects is apparently ancient.
• Miniature silver scrolls were found in a seventh century B.C. tomb near Jerusalem with Numbers 6:24–25 engraved on them.
• They were to be worn tied to the body.27 Also, there is some evidence from the ancient world that various peoples wore amulets to indicate devotion to their deity.
• I believe God was looking for something more internal than literal concerning these verses.
• God has always wanted us to love from the heart, not from a show.
• Some will say that the God of the Old Testament is different than the God of the New.
• This is simply not true. God has been and will always be motivated and driven by love.
• John 3:16 bears this out in the New Testament.
• My faith, my love for God, should be seen by all! To do that I have to be all in for God!
CONCLUSION
• Today we need to understand that we can understand the will and desires of God for his people because he reveals himself to humanity through creation, the Law, and relationships within the Pentateuch.
• If we miss this thought in the Pentateuch, it will impact the way we live for God, as well as our motivation for living for Him.
• For the rubber meets the road for today, in response to God’s holiness, faithfulness to us people, and his work as Creator, we should offer him our complete and undivided love.
• It is as simple as that.
• That is the foundation on which we build our faith and our relationship with God!
