August 20, 2019

Love and Obey the Lord and Teach Others to Do the Same

Deuteronomy 6

Marisa Frizzell
Tuesday's Devo

August 20, 2019

Tuesday's Devo

August 20, 2019

Central Truth

The Lord commands us to love Him with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Teaching and following His commands are not a burden, and we are to be diligent in passing along the truth of Christ to the next generation.

Key Verse | Deuteronomy 6:5-7

"You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 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."

Deuteronomy 6

The Greatest Commandment

Now this is the commandment—the statutes and the rules 1 6:1 Or just decrees; also verse 20 —that the LORD your God commanded me to teach you, that you may do them in the land to which you are going over, to possess it, that you may fear the LORD your God, you and your son and your son's son, by keeping all his statutes and his commandments, which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be long. Hear therefore, O Israel, and be careful to do them, that it may go well with you, and that you may multiply greatly, as the LORD, the God of your fathers, has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and honey.

Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. 2 6:4 Or The LORD our God is one LORD; or The LORD is our God, the LORD is one; or The LORD is our God, the LORD alone You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 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. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

10 And when the LORD your God brings you into the land that he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you—with great and good cities that you did not build, 11 and houses full of all good things that you did not fill, and cisterns that you did not dig, and vineyards and olive trees that you did not plant—and when you eat and are full, 12 then take care lest you forget the LORD, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 13 It is the LORD your God you shall fear. Him you shall serve and by his name you shall swear. 14 You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are around you— 15 for the LORD your God in your midst is a jealous God—lest the anger of the LORD your God be kindled against you, and he destroy you from off the face of the earth.

16 You shall not put the LORD your God to the test, as you tested him at Massah. 17 You shall diligently keep the commandments of the LORD your God, and his testimonies and his statutes, which he has commanded you. 18 And you shall do what is right and good in the sight of the LORD, that it may go well with you, and that you may go in and take possession of the good land that the LORD swore to give to your fathers 19 by thrusting out all your enemies from before you, as the LORD has promised.

20 When your son asks you in time to come, ‘What is the meaning of the testimonies and the statutes and the rules that the LORD our God has commanded you?’ 21 then you shall say to your son, ‘We were Pharaoh's slaves in Egypt. And the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. 22 And the LORD showed signs and wonders, great and grievous, against Egypt and against Pharaoh and all his household, before our eyes. 23 And he brought us out from there, that he might bring us in and give us the land that he swore to give to our fathers. 24 And the LORD commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as we are this day. 25 And it will be righteousness for us, if we are careful to do all this commandment before the LORD our God, as he has commanded us.’

Footnotes

[1] 6:1 Or just decrees; also verse 20
[2] 6:4 Or The LORD our God is one LORD; or The LORD is our God, the LORD is one; or The LORD is our God, the LORD alone

Dive Deeper | Deuteronomy 6

Deuteronomy 6 is one of my favorite passages, and, honestly, it is a bit overwhelming to write a brief devotional because there is so much good truth here. In this chapter, Moses is instructing the Israelites in what they are to do—to love the Lord with all that they are, to teach their children to do the same, to remember the Lord and His faithfulness, and to follow His commands.

Deuteronomy 6:5-7 sends a clear message to those with children, as well as those who have children in their realm of influence: we are to disciple and train our kids to love and fear the Lord and to follow His commands. This is a tall order, but one that I want to be faithful in fulfilling, especially as we are becoming a post-Christian nation.

You don't have to be a parent to implement this command. Teachers, aunts, uncles, grandparents, neighbors—if you have kids under your influence, you are a part of fulfilling this command and can help shape a generation for Christ. Our Watermark Children's Ministry gives one of the best descriptions of these verses and how to practically apply them to our everyday lives: goals and roles that we can play "when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise."

Toward the end of Deuteronomy 6, Moses encouraged the Israelites to remember the Lord's promises to them, to see His goodness toward them, and recount to their children the ways in which the Lord had been faithful. This is a great practice to set in place today, remembering and recounting God's faithfulness, especially during times of hardship or when I don't "feel close to God." This helps remind me of the many ways that He continues to provide and show faithfulness, even when I feel faithless. Telling these stories of His goodness to others around me, especially my kids, teaches them that God can be trusted and that He is faithful.

Discussion Questions

1. How are you doing in loving the Lord with everything that you have—with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength? 

2. What ways are you teaching your children (or others in your care) about Jesus? What are some practical ways that you can incorporate Deuteronomy 6:7 in your life? Use this guide from the Watermark Children's Ministry if you need some help. 

3. Just as Moses reminded the Israelites about how God had been faithful, set aside some time to remind yourself of ways in which you have seen God's faithfulness. Some ideas might include to record them in a journal; use actual stones as "stones of remembrance" to write on; or write the scenarios of faithfulness on slips of paper and keep in a jar to look back on, etc. Share these stories with your children and those around you.