The Making of a Godly Man, Family, Church & Community

The Story

The Book of Deuteronomy

Often, we think of the Old Testament as sharply distinct from the New Testament.

• It is law versus grace.
• It is strange sacrifices versus church ordinances.
• It is duty versus devotion.

Yes, there are differences, but there is continuity regarding the heart of God for the heart of His people.

• The heart of God for the heart of His people is the plotline of the Bible’s story from the Older to Newer Testament.
• When reading and studying the Older Testament, it is easy to focus on commands, or episodes of divine judgment and think of God as less than loving and unpredictable.

Consider our study for today in the book of Deuteronomy for example.

• The word Deuteronomy, based on the Latin and Greek translations is defined as Second Law.
• This designation of the book can blind us to the grace ethic and theology of the heart theme running throughout the chapters.
• As we pursue our goal to become, to continue becoming a godly people who represent the Lord well, we must keep the macro-story of grace and heart in view.

Specifically, we want to understand what makes a godly man, family, and community.

• Deuteronomy 6 is our test case.
• The opening 9 verses affirm and exhort.
• Apart from a story of relationship, the commands can come off as cold and impossible.
• The affirmations and exhortations of Deuteronomy 6 are framed in the story line of creation, image of God identity, redemption, mission, and unfailing commitment.

Let's get our bearings at this moment before we move on.

• We are looking at an OT text addressed to Israel about her relationship with her Creator/Redeemer.
• We are listening to what the LORD God said to Israel about the most important thing in her life existence (cp., Lev 19:18).
• We will learn that this is also the most important thing for us as well.

BIG IDEA: To see the Lord as God [uniqueness] is to love the Lord with a loyal life [allegiance].

The Heart of God

Deuteronomy 6.1-9 is a literary unit.

It follows the second giving of the Law in Deuteronomy 5.6-21.

• The Lord’s meeting with Israel at Mt. Sinai (5.22-27) introduces this unit.
• It recounts the Lord’s desire for the heart affection of Israel to follow Him obediently (5.28-33).
• It is the instruction of Moses to Israel regarding a full, long, good life in the promised land (6.2, 3, 10).

Deuteronomy 6:4-5 is the key command, the hub, and the basis for all the other commands in chapters 6-11.

The major theme discussed in this block of material is Israel's relationship to the Lord.

• Moses explores this relationship from both the divine and human side.
• The Lord loves Israel (7:7, 8, 13), He is faithful to His covenant (6:10,18,23; 7:8,9,12; 8:18), He cares for them (8:2-16).
• On the other hand, the Lord expects His people to love (6:5), to fear (6:13,24; 8:6), to trust (7:17-24), to remember (6:12; 8:11), and to obey.
  
  

The Lord’s Appeal to Israel (6.3-9).

Hear, O Israel = The Shema command (6.3 and 4)

• Shema/Hear is the first Hebrew word in 6.3 and 6.4
• In 6.4, it is highlighted/set off in the Hebrew text with large letters in the words “hear” and “one”. (ayin; daleth)
• Orthodox Jews recite this verse twice a day – once in the AM and once in the PM before sleep.
• In this recitation, they place themselves under the sovereignty of the King.

What is Israel called upon to hear and do? A wide-angle perspective.

• They are called upon to hear their covenant duties (6.3).
• They are called upon to hear the uniqueness of the Lord in 6.4.
• They are called upon to express their commitment to the unique Lord in 6.5.
• They are called upon to have the Lord’s commandments upon their hearts in 6.6.
• They are to recite the Lord’s commands to their children (6.7) and display them publicly (6.8-9).

The story before us in Deuteronomy 5-6 is about commitment in a relationship.

Hear, O Israel, The Lord is our God; the Lord One/Alone (6.4). A Sharper focus.

What they hear in 6.4 is subject to a variety of translations and interpretations.

• Literally = YHWH | Our God | YHWH | One / Alone
• YHWH is our God! YHWH alone.
• YHWH our God. YHWH is the only one!

Although the verse could be used to support trinitarian monotheism, that is not Moses’s concern (Rom 3.30; 1 Cor 8.6).

Moses calls on Israel to hear the uniqueness, the incomparability of their sovereign King – He is the Only One.

• He is one God exclusively, uniquely, alone. [The Lord is our God, the Lord One/alone]. 
• The choice to translate one as alone is based on the following . . .
• Its translation as alone in other OT texts (Josh 22:20; Song 6:9).
• How it supports the argument of the section to avoid all other spiritual allegiances. 
• Since YHWH alone is our God, avoid all other allegiances.
• How it works in the immediate context in which Moses explains what exclusive allegiance to YHWH means, what it looks like.

Summary:

• This is the most significant confession of Israel’s faith – There is no other God!
• Because of whom God is demands our loyalty.

 
The Heart of God for His People

Israel’s Response to the Uniqueness of the Lord (6.5-9).

Love the Lord, O Israel

• Israel was called upon to answer the gracious love of God and to confirm their Shema confession with unreserved and unqualified love for the LORD.
• In the ancient world the command to love the Lord is legal language describing the commitment of kings to one another.
• The Hebrew word for love denotes a disposition of commitment within a covenant relationship.
• Love seeks the well-being of the covenant partner without regard for oneself.
• Although not primarily an emotional term, love appeals to our devotion along with our sense of duty.
• So, the command to love the Lord [Deut 6:4-5] is both a call to obedience and spiritual commitment/love.
• The Lord expects Israel to demonstrate loyal love to Him.
• The call to Love the One and Only God is framed in the Story of God’s Love for Israel.
• He made Himself know to them (6:1, 3, 6, 17, 20).
• He made promises to them (6:1, 3, 10, 18, 23).
• He redeemed them from slavery (6:12, 21, 23).
• He displayed His power before their eyes (6:22).
• Obedience is Israel’s love language.
• 6:1 – Do the commands, statutes, judgments
• The chapter is framed around obedience to His commandments, statutes, judgments, testimonies (5:31; 6:1, 3, 6, 17, 20).
• All the terms summarize the covenant made with Israel.
• The sovereign Lord has spoken (Words), expressed His will (commandments), declared the divine rules (judgments), affirmed it with testimonies about Himself (testimonies), and preserved it in written regulations (statutes).

Love the Lord O Israel with your all . . .

• The Lord is commanding and wooing Israel to love Him with all their heart, soul, and with all our might. 
• The exhortation of Deuteronomy 6 is a matter that concerns all of life for all of life (6:2); it is about enjoying long life; it is about a quality of life.
• The phrase with all your Heart is stated 9 times in Deuteronomy and always followed by with all your soul (4:29; 6:5; 10:12; 11:13; 13:3; 26:16; 30:2, 6, 10).
• The term Heart is used to reference the direction, the drift of our life; our intentions.
• It refers to our "feeler" and our "thinker."
• It is that part of us which is most difficult to reach either physically or spiritually.
• It refers to our inner being.
• Soul speaks to our inner passions, our desires, our appetites.
• It is a term that refers to our entire being.
• Might or strength is a reference to our muchness, the totality of our power and ability.
• It is best understood as a reference to our economic or social strength.
• It is reference to all one possesses, our entire household.
• Note the progression of this exhortation.
• The exhortation to love God moves from the inner being, to the entire person, to all that one claims to possess.
• All that we are and all that we have we are to submit to the Lord without reservation.
• The essence of faith in both the OT and NT is a heart matter.

A Heart for God Embodied: Man, Family, Community

How was the Shema Embodied?

It is an obedience matter.

• To hear means to obey, to guard, to keep.
• Hearing is doing (6:1), carefully doing (6:3), having commands upon your heart (6.6), diligently keeping (6:17); doing what is right and good (6:18); observing (6:24), and carefully observing (6:25).
• To hear and not act is not to hear at all.

It is a family matter.

• 6.7 calls for intentional indoctrination of the children.
• Spontaneous discussion with members of one's household.
• The instruction of the next generation is echoed in Proverbs 3.1-3, 21-24; 6.2023; 7.1-3

It is a public matter [6.8-9].

• Bind word on your hands.
• Apply phylacteries on your forehead.
• Inscribe them on the doorposts of your buildings.

It is a whole life matter: walk, stand, sit echoes Psalm 1.
 
The Heart of God for ALL His People

Is the Shema and its related commands only for Israel? No!

There are echoes of the Shema in the NT.

• 1 Corinthians 8.6 and 1 Timothy 2.5-6.
• The NT widens the lens of the Shema.
• The One God and mediator of the relationship between God and His people is now the Lord Jesus.
• The benefit of the Lord Jesus’s work is not limited to Israel but includes all people.

The call to Love God is explicit in the NT.

• It is repeated in the Great Commands to love God and one another [Mt 22:34-40; Mk 12:28-34; Lk 10:25-28].
• It is a lynchpin in John’s theology … If you Love me, you will keep my commandments (14:15, 21, 23, 24; 15:10; 1 Jn 2:5; 5:3).

How do we demonstrate that we love and serve the only God there is?

It begins with seeing the absolute uniqueness of our God.

• He is God; He is One; He is not one of us
• His uniqueness demands our loyalty.

It begins with the understanding that our love language is obedience. A holy life is an obedient life.

• John 14:15, 21, 25; 15:10; 1 Jn 2.4; 5:3 – If you love me, you will keep My commandments.\

It includes repentance.  

• To the church at Ephesus (Rev 2:4-5), Christ said . . .
• Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love.  Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. 
• For some of you, I would say, repent and believe.
• For others, I would say, repent and return.
• Our journey as disciples is often marked by repentance.
• In our journey we humble ourselves, we submit to our Creator, our Redeemer, and our King alone.
• As disciples we are determined to nurture our relationship with your LORD in every aspect of our life.
• I am not saying, “try harder;” follow this list of things to do or not to do.
• I am saying, “see more clearly” the absolute uniqueness of our God; love Him exclusively; obey Him.
• I am reminding us that our sense of duty grows out of our understanding of who God is!
• Repentance will require different things from each one of us.

It includes hope!

• We were created in the image and likeness of God to love Him.
• The story of Israel is a story of God not giving up on His people, wooing them, keeping hope before them (Hosea 2:14-23).
• Rom 2:4 – The kindness of God leads us to repentance
• 1 Pt 3:20 – God kept waiting in the days of Noah
• 1 Cor 11 – The Lord’s Table is a frequent reminder of God’s patience with us
• 1 Tim 2:12-17 – Paul’s testimony of finding mercy
• The commitment of the Lord is to give us strength for obedience.
• The OT hope of enablement was communicated in terms of the Lord’s commitment, presence, and help.
• Deuteronomy repeatedly promises the presence of the Lord [2.7; 4.40; 7.12; 20.2; 31.6, 8, 23]
• Isa 41.10 – I am with you – The promise of God’s presence to give strength, help, and to uphold.
• The NT hope of enablement is communicated in terms of the Lord’s commitment, help, and indwelling presence.
• 2 Pt 1:3 – His divine power has granted us everything pertaining to life and godliness
• Phil 1:6 – He will perfect the work He started in us
• Phil 2:13 – God is at work in you
• The gospel makes it possible for us to love God and to love one another. Gospel Perspective of Dt 6
• The call to love the Lord is not …
• A call to pay a debt owed – I gave, you owe
• A call to earn favor – I did, you must
• A call to meet any condition you could imagine
• The call to love the Lord is
• To realize "you are more sinful than you know, more loved than you imagine."
• A call of wholehearted commitment to the One who loves you unconditionally.
• To realize that your response adds nothing to the divine side of the ledger of your relationship with the Lord.

Big Idea: To see the Lord as God is to love the Lord with a loyal life.

Discussion Questions:

• How do we reconcile the differences of the OT and NT with the continuity of the heart of God for His people?
  • How does the concept of and reality of relationship with God (covenant relationship) help us to better frame the Biblical story?
  • Why is it that we so often fail to feel the warmth of the Word of God, feeling it as cold, or even judgmental?
  • How can we make this perspective of relationship with God a part of our second nature?
• Jack Klem described the relationship between understanding God’s uniqueness and responding with allegiance (duty). What are some aspects of God’s nature or character that cause us to respond with a sense of duty?
  • What has God done to establish a covenant with you?
  • What are some results (blessings) of our covenant relationship with God?
  • What are some practical ways that we can direct our hearts’ affections, deep feeling, deep thinking, etc. toward God?
• Jack Klem mentioned the idea of “drift” when describing what we think and feel about most deeply. What aspect of our “inner life” was he getting at?
  • What does it look like to “drift” in the sense that he used?
• In the Old Testament period, “love” (as mentioned in Deuteronomy 6) was closely related to formal commitment and obedience. How might our cultural context affect how we would read and understand the Shama in Deuteronomy 6?
• How does the Gospel help us to redeem the idea of duty? What is the difference between a covenant relationship and quid quo pro?