WEEKLY SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
An international Sunday school lesson commentary
For Sunday December 2, 2018
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LOVE AND OBEY GOD
(Teach all generations to love and obey GOD)
(Deuteronomy 6:1-9)
It is my belief, that, we
cannot profess to have faith in GOD, and then, turn around and perpetually
disobey HIS Word, day in and day out, through our behavior. False religion, by
definition, means trying to reach GOD by ways in which GOD HIMSELF did not
prescribe. It is one thing to “recognize GOD”, but it is quite another thing, to
“obey GOD”. The Christian only becomes “legit” when he or she begins to fear
GOD more than they do man, and what man can impose upon their lives in this
world.
In
Deuteronomy 6, verses 1-9, GOD calls for HIS professed followers to give a
wholehearted commitment to HIM. Here Moses tells GOD’s professed people that all
of the commands, laws, and regulations that the LORD told him to teach them
must be strictly obeyed, when they enter into “the promised land” that GOD was
about to give them. They were also to pass down a “legacy of faith” to their
children and grandchildren so that they too would learn to fear the LORD as
long as they live (Vs.1-3).
In
verse 4, Moses begins by reciting the first of three parts of what is now known
as “the Shema”. Even today it is recited by devout Jews twice a day (also see
Deuteronomy 11:13-21 and Numbers 15:37-41). These verses stress “the unity of
GOD” and “the importance of loving HIM and HIS laws”.
Over in Luke
10, verses 25-29, one of the teachers of religious law, probably a Pharisee,
stood up and posed this question to JESUS, asking, “What must I do to receive eternal life”. Ironically JESUS gave the
same answer that HE had given to the religious teacher who had asked “Which is the most important commandment?”
in both Matthew’s Gospel (Matthew 22:34-40), and, in Mark’s Gospels (Mark
12:28-34).
There (in Matthew and Mark) JESUS began by
reciting the opening line, of the first part of the three-part “Shema”. “Hear O Israel; the LORD is our GOD, the LORD
alone. Then JESUS says that we must “love
the LORD THY GOD with all thy heart, soul, mind, and strength” (JESUS adds
the word “mind” to this list, and I’ll explain why in a minute).
This kind of love calls for a thorough
commitment to GOD that is both personal, and, whole of heart. In fact, it
speaks to the whole of the make-up of the human being, which is as follows;
·
“The
heart”, which is the center of human life,
·
“The
soul”, which is the “self-conscience” life of all men,
·
“The
mind”, which is the entire thought process of man, and
·
“The
strength”, which is the entire physical power of man.
In other words, we should “love GOD with
every fiber of our being”, and it is no accident that this is also what is
covered in the first four commandments (see Exodus 20:3-11), where GOD tells
us, in effect, that our love for HIM must be;
·
Totally loyal (verse 3),
·
Totally faithful (verse 6),
·
Totally trusting (verse 7),
·
And, we must show total reverence for HIM at all
times (verse 8).
Next, JESUS states that we should
“love our neighbor as we love ourselves”.
This calls for a commitment of “the mind”. As only JESUS can, HE quite
literally adds this command to the Shema, and brings into focus, the fourth
part of the fiber of the human being. It is not a coincidence that HIS commandment
also represents the summation of the remaining six commandments of GOD found in
Exodus 20, verses 12-17;
·
If we love each other, we can certainly begin
with honoring our own parents.
·
If we love each other, we are not likely to
intentionally, or maliciously take another’s life, which by the way, is made in
the image of GOD.
·
If we love each other, we will not commit
adultery against our spouse with another person.
·
If we love each other, we won’t steal from each
other.
·
If we love each other, we won’t lie on each
other, or falsely accuse each other.
·
And finally, if we love each other, we won’t
jealously desire anything that belongs to someone else.
And
so, here in this passage JESUS is saying, that, everything GOD commands us to
do is of the utmost importance to HIM, and that, the Ten Commandments can
really be viewed as being only two. And both of them, or all ten of them, are
of equal importance to GOD.
JESUS
concludes by saying, “If we do them, we
will live”. There HE means that we will live eternally with GOD in Heaven. And
here in Deuteronomy 6, verse 2b, Moses tells the people of Israel the same
thing about this life right now, “If you
obey all HIS laws and commands, you will enjoy a long life” here on earth. Amen.
A Sunday school lesson by,
Larry D. Alexander
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