By Robert Olsen, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Christian Studies, University of Mobile
LOVE
Deuteronomy 6:1–9, 20–25
Fear of the Lord (1–3)
In order to prepare the Israelites to go into the promised land, Moses gave them God’s instructions so that they could prosper. The land they were going to was “flowing with milk and honey,” good for livestock and for crops — a land of abundance.
This section is not guaranteeing that bad things won’t happen. Sin is pervasive and until Christ returns, it will always be a struggle. Earthquakes, disaster, disease and more could still befall the Israelites, but if they would follow God’s commands they would set themselves up for prosperity because God’s ways are best. Every time the Israelites obeyed, God blessed them, but when they turned away from God, disaster struck.
We can see this today. If we obey God’s laws and commands, we prosper. Marriages flourish when we don’t commit adultery, families flourish when we put God first and not our jobs, society functions well when people work hard and are not busy getting drunk or doing drugs, etc.
Devoted (4–9)
This section of Deuteronomy is called the Shema, which means “hear” or “listen.” In fact “listen” is the first word of verse 4. This is the foundation for what it means to be a follower of God. It begins with, ‘“Listen, Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.” This affirms the uniqueness of God and His unity — there is only one God. This is to distinguish the God of Israel from all other gods of the nations around them. The rest of the verses immediately following this demonstrate that God should be foremost in all that His followers do — how they think, who they worship and how they act.
Of course, this still applies to us today. Jesus reiterates this command in Mark 12:29. This means that we need to apply our belief to every area of life; we are to have a Christian worldview. If we do not know God’s laws, we will easily fall prey to the teachings of the culture just as the Israelites turned from God toward Baal worship.
Righteous (20–25)
The Israelites were commanded to teach these decrees to their children. This was to be a reminder to them of what God had done — how He had brought them out of Egypt and sustained the Israelites in the wilderness.
It is important for older generations of Christians to teach the younger generation so they see how God has been faithful in the past. Christianity is not an empty faith. It is a living faith, and children need to see mature Christians believing the gospel and see how it impacts their lives.
Just a few generations ago in the United States, many people claimed to be Christians, but there was no weight behind it. Children saw older Christians living according to the ways of the world, and when they were told to be obedient to God, they recognized the hypocrisy in their elders, which hurt the witness of the Church. However, now that the culture is against Christianity, being a Christian means counting the cost of following Jesus because there is no cultural benefit to being a Christian.
Being a Christian may cost you social clout or a promotion, or it may mean disobeying an order from an employer who wants you to do something unethical. Younger Christians need to see the faith being lived out among older Christians and see that this is a real, legitimate and working faith.
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