Deuteronomy 4 - 6

Listen Israel
Chapter 4 begins with "And now, Israel, listen carefully...", chapter 5 "Moses called all the people of Israel together and said, 'Listen carefully, Israel'...", in 6:3, "Listen closely..." and 6:4, "Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone." This verse is commonly referred to as the Shema, considered by the Rabbis to be the fundamental statement of the Jewish faith.  Jesus commented on this scripture in Matt 22:24-29; Mark 12:28-31; and Luke 10:25-28. It establishes the Oneness of the Godhead - The KJV (and other translations) state, "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord." Israel must hear these words of Moses!

So vital are these final words, so critical, that Moses warns in 4:2, "Do not add to or subtract from these commands I am giving you."  Compare this with John's warning at the end of Revelations, 22:18-19, "[...] If anyone adds anything to what is written here, God will add to that person the plagues described in this book. And if anyone removes any of the words from this book of prophecy, God will remove that person's share in the tree of life and in the holy city that are described in this book."  These parallel warnings are unmistakably linked by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to His prophets.  Israel is compelled and commanded to hear, to tell their children, to write them on their door posts, and to forever obey the commandments they have been given.

In chapter 5, the Ten Commandments are reiterated.  Verse 6 reminds the people that the Lord delivered them from slavery in Egypt. Then the Ten Commandments provide the guidance to free the individual from slavery to sin, culminating in the final commandment which, when obeyed, frees the individual from slavery to their own will. It is a beautiful re-enumeration of the Commandments to a people that need all the guidance the can get.

In chapter 6:5 - a continuation of the Shema - the people are exhorted that "You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength." This verse speaks to triune nature of every individual - their spirit, their soul, and their body - and, if obeyed, subjects all of these "natures" to God's nature.  The order in which this exhortation is given is important. The heart - representative of the spirit/intellect of man is first mentioned.  The intellect is the gate-keeper, where choice is made.  If we choose to love God, then the next element, the soul, will manifest faith. If we reject God, i.e. we do not love Him, then our soul manifests unbelief, which is sin. Finally, our strength - our human body - is either subjected willingly to God's law through our love for Him and our faith in Him, or is turned over to worldly, sinful pursuits because of unbelief.  O, the wonderful long suffering Grace of Almighty God!

May God bless you and bless the reading of His Word.