The Great Commandment

The great commandment is the single most important thing we can embrace as we follow Jesus.

In our journey through the Bible this year have you noticed how our messages are building on previous passages we have explored?

This is the pattern we see in scripture called progressive revelation. God reveals his will, then builds on what has been revealed.

In Deuteronomy, we have a second telling of the law for the people. They were camping on across the Jordan from the promised land and Moses addressed them, reminding them of what they had been taught and experienced during the 40-year wilderness wandering.

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 6:4-9 (ESV)

This is a passage that reminds us of essential truths to remember and apply to our lives. Jesus called verse five of this passage the great commandment.

The nature of God

God is one. The ancient text can be interpreted in two ways: Yahweh our God is one or Yahweh only is our God. We don’t have to choose which we prefer – both are equally true! We have already been reminded that there is only one true God – every other god man invents is simply the product of the imagination – not God at all

The command to love

This is a response to God’s grace that has already been experienced by the people. They had been saved from bondage and slavery because God loved them. When God tells us and shows us that he loves us, we respond in kind.

The great commandment is to love God with all your heart, what they understood to be where decisions were made; with all your soul – with your life and vitality and with all your might – with all your capacities – natural strength and abilities. Heart, soul and strength are not separate entities but parts that make the whole. In other words, the people were commanded to love God with all their being

The response to the word of God

The scripture called the people to treasure God’s word in their hearts. This meant they were to think about it and meditate on it. There was the command  to teach the word diligently to their children. This meant the teaching was to be intentional, systematic, comprehensive, continual, focused and unstoppable .

But they were not only to teach these words but they were instructed to talk about them – at home, away from home, when they lie down and when they get up. In other words – all the time! They were also to display them, on their hands, on their foreheads, on their door posts and gates.

What it means for us today

The nature of God

We still embrace the reality that God is one and exclusive. Further revelation in scripture has revealed that God is also three persons – Father, Son, Holy Spirit – but one! This is a marvelous mystery beyond our comprehension.

Loving God

The great commandment transcends all history. It is vitally essential. We are still called to love God with our whole being. We express this in many ways including worship, a lifestyle of love – imitating his love for us in expressed in love for others. Love is proved by faithfully following his perfect leadership.  

We are to treasure his word

We write God’s word on our hearts. This is accomplished by continually reading and studying it. We spend time thinking about what it means and how it applies and we meditate on it.

Meditating on God’s word may seem like something we cannot do because we think we don’t know how to meditate. Yet we all know how to meditate. Meditating is simply thinking about something repeatedly and letting its truth penetrate our minds and hearts. Reframe your thinking about meditation like this – worrying is negative meditation. When we worry, we think of a bad situation or event and continually roll it over in our minds. Replace the negative with God’s word – and think about that instead.

It’s good to have visible reminders of his word – whatever that looks like to you: posters, pictures or, even, tee shirts!

Having conversations about his word

This may be the most difficult thing we do. We can be uncomfortable with the thought of it but spiritual conversations are essential to discipleship. These conversations should occur in our homes, in the church and with those we are helping to follow Jesus.  

What does a spiritual conversation sound like? Because we may not have done this before, it could sound intimidating, but we have scriptural examples. Study the life of Jesus – see how he turned a conversation about water in a well into a spiritual one in John 4 or how he turned an argument between the disciples about who has the greatest into a kingdom lesson.

The key to an effective spiritual conversation is to listen. It is important to start these conversations with someone with the needs they are expressing. Jesus consistently met people at their point of need. From there he applied spiritual truth. We must do the same.

Your turn

This passage of scripture is powerful, transformational and timeless. Remind yourself of these truths and ask God to help you follow his perfect leadership.

Here is this week’s reading, insights and questions.

Weekly Reading: Numbers 31-36, Deuteronomy 1-12 – break this down in daily readings that fit your schedule

Key points:

• In summarizing Israel’s journey the text (Deuteronomy 33) points out the judgment on the gods of Egypt.
• As they prepared to enter the promised land, God reminded them that the land belonged exclusively to them. One reason for this is so there would be no temptations to follow other Gods. They were to drive out the current inhabitants and destroy their shrines, images, altars and everything there related to the false gods they served.

Questions for consideration:

1. Why was Moses angry with the men of Reuben and Gad? What remedy was proposed and agreed to?
2. How did God elevate the status of women regarding inheritance? Why is this significant?  
3. What condition was attached to the promise for the people to live and prosper in the promised land? How was the law described and why was it described in this way? (Read Deuteronomy 4)
4. The fear of the Lord is a condition for the people to thrive. What does that mean for us today?