Deuteronomy 6:1-9 The Secrets of Obedience
Deuteronomy • Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 2,224 viewsNotes
Transcript
Intro:
Intro:
Moses was a wise teacher of God’s truth.
First he reviewed what the Lord had done for Israel (Deut. 1–4) and reminded the people of God’s mercy and goodness.
Then he reaffirmed the basic principles of God’s Law (Deut. 5–6), what we know as the Ten Commandments (10:4).
In chapters 6 and 7, Moses discussed motives for obedience and explained why the people should honor God’s laws.
He wanted the nation’s obedience to be based on spiritual principles, not just personal opinions, and to be encouraged by the right motives.
Only after Moses had laid this strong foundation did he apply God’s commandments to specific areas of Israel’s life.
God gave His law to build the people individually as well as the nation collectively.
How could over 2 million people live together and work together, let alone fight the enemy together, unless they had rules and regulations to govern them?
Israel’s civic peace and general welfare depended on the people respecting the law and obeying it.
Unfortunately, over the years, some of the religious leaders added so many traditions to God’s law that the people felt like they were wearing a galling yoke
The Law was also meant to reveal God and draw the people closer to Him.
If Israel was to be a holy people and a kingdom of priests (Ex. 19:1–8), they needed a holy law to guide them
Read Deut 6:1-5
Read Deut 6:1-5
I. The Word is Given for Obedience vs. 1-3
I. The Word is Given for Obedience vs. 1-3
In the Hebrew the first of the three words describing the Law, “commandment” (mitsevah), is singular
A more general way to refer to the whole Law
The word translated “statutes” (choq) means “prescription, a clear communication of what someone should do.”
“Rules” (mishepat) means “regulation, prescription, specification.
Moses was given by God so that he would teach the people
The purpose of the law is obedience
Today people are not accustomed to taking the rules and the like seriously enough to obey them fully.
The Bible is very clear that lying is wrong.
Psalm 101:7 says, “No one who practices deceit shall dwell in my house; no one who utters lies shall continue before my eyes.”
Psalm 101:7 says, “No one who practices deceit shall dwell in my house; no one who utters lies shall continue before my eyes.”
Yet many Christians lie quite unashamedly.
Story of woman with forged passport
People have become attracted by the power of God to meet their need and so become Christians.
But they have not understood that becoming a Christian involves obeying the Bible.
People have become attracted by the power of God to meet their need and so become Christians.
But they have not understood that becoming a Christian involves obeying the Bible.
many Christians today have dropped judgment from their worldview and have lost the sense of the absolute seriousness of holiness.
Vs. 2 Keeping the commandments is an expression of fearing the Lord.
Fear is an emotion, a gut feeling, caused by objective truths that are too obvious to ignore
the Bible objective truths cause subjective feelings that motivate action
Fear may not be the noblest motive for obedience, but it is a wise motive.
Wise people avoid dangerous situations that are certain to harm them
Francis Schaeffer explained that people have built a roof over their heads to shield them from the powerful rays of the unpleasant truths that confront them—such as the existence of a holy God to whom humans are accountable. That way they can live with some comfort by not being exposed to uncomfortable truths. Schaeffer says our job is to “take the roof off.”
II. Love the Lord with Everything You Got vs. 4-5
II. Love the Lord with Everything You Got vs. 4-5
Verses 4, 5 record what has become the key confession of the Jews.
It is called the Shema, which comes from the Hebrew word for “hear,”
The people are addressed six times in Deuteronomy with the words, “Hear, O Israel” (5:1; 6:3, 4; 9:1; 20:3; 27:9).
Chris Wright says, “It is … a constant reminder that Israel is a people summoned by God to hear God’s Word.
They were not merely spectators at a divine ‘show,’ but recipients of the divine revelation in words
They were to hear the truth and respond to it.”
vs. 4 there is no verb in the Hebrew in this verse, it can be translated in many different ways
This could mean one or more of several ideas.
It could mean that Yahweh is incomparable. Or it could mean that Yahweh is united in his will and purpose
More probably it means that Yahweh is the only God, not only for Israel but for the whole universe.
vs. 5 In verse 5 we have what Jesus called “the great and first commandment
Though today we see the heart as the seat of emotions, in Biblical times “heart” (lebab) referred to what we today would call the mind
The “soul” (nephesh) referred to “the inner person, you as you know yourself to be.”
The phrase “with all your strength,” translated literally, means “with your very muchness.”
There are no limits on loving God. You can never say you have loved him enough
But can you command such heart love?
To answer that question we must first look at what loving God means in the Bible.
First, it is not a love that we create out of nothing. Its source is the love with which God has loved us.
1 John 4:19“We love because he first loved us”
1 John 4:19“We love because he first loved us”
He acts to save us because he loves us (Romans 5:8) and also fills us with his love (Romans 5:5).
A change takes place within us that is brought about by the Holy Spirit.
He gives us new life, and our eyes are open to see the beauty of God.
We respond to this revelation of the beauty of God by loving him back. But in doing that, the love we use is the love that God puts in us.
2 Cor 5:14 For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died
2 Cor 5:14 For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died
So when God asks us to love him with our whole being, he has our own welfare in mind.
We can regard the command to love God with our whole being as actually a command for us to be fully human, to be what we are made to be.
Explicit statements to love God appear at least eight times in Deuteronomy.
Deuteronomy has a lot to say about obedience, but this obedience springs from love
Genuine love for God results in obedience
John even defined love in terms of keeping God’s commands
1 John 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.
1 John 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.
III. How the Word Can Make Us Holy vs. 6-9
III. How the Word Can Make Us Holy vs. 6-9
Internalize the Word vs. 6
Internalize the Word vs. 6
Teach the Word vs. 7a
Teach the Word vs. 7a
Discuss the Word 7b
Discuss the Word 7b
Keep It in Front of You vs. 8
Keep It in Front of You vs. 8
Mark Your Home with It vs. 9
Mark Your Home with It vs. 9