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The Great Commandment
Deuteronomy 6:1-9
Good News Translation (GNT)
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1 "These are all the laws that the Lord your God
commanded me to teach you. Obey them in
the land that you are about to enter and
occupy.
2 As long as you live, you and your descendants
are to honor the Lord your God and obey all
his laws that I am giving you, so that you may
live in that land a long time.
3 Listen to them, people of Israel, and obey
them! Then all will go well with you, and you
will become a mighty nation and live in that
rich and fertile land, just as the Lord, the God
of our ancestors, has promised.
4 "Israel, remember this!
The Lord - and the Lord alone - is our God. [a]
5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart,
with all your soul, and with all your strength.
6 Never forget these commands that I am giving
you today.
7 Teach them to your children. Repeat them
when you are at home and when you are
away, when you are resting and when you are
working.
8 Tie them on your arms and wear them
on your foreheads as a reminder.
9 Write them on the doorposts of your houses
and on your gates.
Footnotes
Deuteronomy 6:4 The Lord ... is our God; or
The Lord, our God, is the only God; or
The Lord our God is one.
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Taken from 'word-on-the-web'
supplied by the Scripture Union
The Great Commandment
Deuteronomy 6:1-9
What does the plethora of laws in Deuteronomy signify and why does Moses
repeatedly urge the people to keep, observe or obey them all
(vs 1-3,17,24,25)?
Are we New Testament Christians uncomfortable with this emphasis on Law
because, after all, ours is a gospel of grace?
The ritual answer to that ritual question was that God had delivered his
people from slavery and brought them to the Promised Land, fulfilling
his covenant promise to Abraham
(vs 21-23).
The covenant relationship is established upon God's gracious,
unconditional love.
The Shema, the Jewish creed, 'Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one',
(v 4)
recalls the first and most foundational covenant stipulation:
'You shall have no other gods before me.'
(Deut. 5:7)
This is not about compliance with a law code but about commitment to a person.
'Love God, your God, with your whole heart: love him with all that's in you,
love him with all you've got!'
(v 5, The Message).
This commitment is broad and deep.
It goes beyond rules. It knows no loopholes.
Referring to this 'greatest commandment', Jesus declared,
'All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.'
(Matt 22:38,40)
A little boy, compelled by his father to sit down, retorted,
'I'm sitting down on the outside, but I'm standing up on the inside!'
God places no value on grudging compliance.
Our observance of laws must flow out of our love for the Law-Giver.
Heartfelt and wholehearted obedience is both an expression of our love
and loyalty and the means to enjoy his blessings.
Are we dragging our feet, or are we dancing joyfully to the tune of God's words?
Forgive me, Father, for behaving as if there could ever be any loopholes
to loving you.
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