Deuteronomy 6

Study Guide 19: Deuteronomy 5-11 THE FOUNDATION IS LOVE Overview Following the form of ancient treaties, Moses now introduced the basic stipulations which explained how persons were to live in relationship with God under Law. To this expression of underlying principle, the Old Testament brings one dominant theme: the theme of love. We cannot understand the Old Testament or its Law without seeing it in love’ s perspective, as a way of working out our relationships with God and with other human beings. JEALOUS. Here we meet the idea of God as a jealous person. What does this term mean? The Hebrew root portrays a very strong emotion, even a passionate desire. In a negative sense the emotion is directed against another person, or when directed to an object, is envy. There is a positive aspect when the Old Testament speaks of God’ s jealousy. In this case jealousy is intense love: a high level of commitment that demands expression in a relationship which excludes all others. No wonder God said to Israel, “ I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God” (Exodus 20:5). God loved Israel as He loves us, totally and completely. And He asks that we love Him in this same, intense way. To memorize: “ Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength” (Deuteronomy 6:4-5).

Commentary The other day one of the neighborhood children went to court. The judge warned him: “ Once more, and you’ ll be locked up.” That very afternoon, that same 13-year-old stole money from our car to buy a birthday present. And that evening he insisted, “ Mom doesn’ t really love me.” Young Nat needs love. But he is constantly testing the limits: constantly pushing to see how far he can go before the inevitable rejection. Sure that he’ s not loved, Nat is driven to prove over and over that he is right about his unloveliness. When he is rejected or disciplined because of his actions, he confirms what he has decided his identity to be. I have another friend who was brought up in a home without love. Married now, she is unable to express love for her husband, or to sense his love for her. The cause has been traced and understood. But the void that lovelessness has left in her personality has scarred her and, against her will, has hurt others as well. The effects of lack of love have been noted and traced by generations of psychologists — and myriads of sufferers. Some substitute food for affection, and grow fat. Others feel worthless, unable to value a personality that their parents rejected. Still others are driven to prove themselves and try to earn love by accomplishments that stretch their nerves and energies to the breaking point. No wonder social psychologist Abraham Maslow places a need for “ love and belongingness” as a basic need of the human personality; a need which must be met if a person is to grow toward becoming his potential self. “ Do I belong [acceptance]?” and “ Am I loved?” are perhaps two of the most basic questions that can be asked in thinking about any relationship. It’ s not surprising, then, to realize that these basic questions are answered for Israel in an unmistakable way. Moses, speaking to a new generation of Hebrews about to cross into the Promised Land, brought into clearest focus God’ s great assurance, “ You are loved!” (Deuteronomy 7:7-8) The heritage of the Jews was a living heritage — God Himself, walking in personal relationship with them. Sometimes you feel unloved and unaccepted. So do I. But something both of us need to do is to learn that we are loved: “ When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up” (Psalms 27:10, KJV). As we teach these vital chapters of Deuteronomy, let’ s remember that these same affirmations of love are made to you and to me. We too have a heritage in our personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. In Him we are accepted and loved. LINK TO LIFE: YOUTH / ADULT Go around the group and ask each person to think of one time he or she felt loved. When each person has identified a time, break into teams of four or five, letting each person share. Back in the whole group, go around the circle asking each to talk briefly about how love or lack of love in his childhood home affects him now. This simple activity will help your group members come to know each other on a deeper level, and will also help them realize the importance of love in each human being’ s life. What important preparation for study of this vital Deuteronomy passage that focuses on God’ s love!

Loved and Loving: Deuteronomy 5-6 In Deuteronomy 4:1-49, Moses explained God’ s deliverance of this generation’ s parents from Egypt this way: “ Because He loved your forefathers [referring to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob] and chose their descendants after them, He brought you out of Egypt by His presence, and His great strength” (Deuteronomy 4:37). The love God had for these men, who lived on in their descendants, led to a deep commitment on God’ s part that extended across the centuries. But in Deuteronomy 5:1-33 we see a new and striking emphasis. Moses moved from history to Israel’ s now. He insisted that God sought relationship “ not with our fathers” with whom the Law covenant was made, “ but with us, with all of us who are alive here today” (Deuteronomy 5:3). It is this relationship that these next chapters of Scripture help us understand. The nature of the relationship (Deuteronomy 5:1-33). Several elements of relationship with God are defined. (1) Love is personal (Deuteronomy 5:1-3). The relationship is between “ us, who are . . . alive here,” and Yahweh, who is also here and living. Often a person grows up in a home where the Lord is God of his parents. His relationship with God is through Mom and Dad; he goes to church because they do. This falls short of a love relationship. One who cares for us wants to reach out and touch us personally, not through others. God wants to know and to love us personally, warmly, intimately — with nothing and no one between. (2) Love is urgent (Deuteronomy 5:4-14). The urgency of the relationship is emphasized in the first four of the Ten Commandments, all of which are repeated here from Exodus 20:1-26. God wants our eyes fixed on Him. As any lover, God is unwilling to share our affection with competitors. It’ s hard to imagine a husband who truly loves his wife unaffected by her unfaithfulness, or encouraging her to date around. Truly intimate love is to be exclusive. God wants and helps us to love other people (even as a good husband/wife relationship enriches the context of the home for their children). But God will not share us with other gods — whether they be idols of the ancient world or the financial success of the modern. (3) Love is demonstrated (Exodus 5:15). Love that lets us feel our belongingness must be demonstrated. How clearly God had demonstrated to this generation His personal and practical involvement with them: “ God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm.” Christ is the ultimate demonstration of God’ s love for us. But each of us can find many other special ways in which God has acted in our lives to show His love. LINK TO LIFE: YOUTH / ADULT Your group may have shared how they have experienced love from others or their parents. Why not share what has communicated a sense of God’ s love? (4) Love is expressive (Exodus 5:16-20). It is hard to feel loved when we don’ t really know what is going on inside a person who claims to love us. In this restatement of the Ten Commandments, we see God’ s willingness to communicate His expectations. This communication was first heard at Sinai with fear, but also with a certain responsiveness that pleased the Lord. “ All that the Lord our God will speak to you,” the people told Moses, “ we will hear and do” (Deuteronomy 5:27). Love communicates and expresses; love desires a response. What is even more significant for us in our relationship with God is this: God wants to help us grow in our own capacity to love. As we saw earlier, these manward commandments are rooted in God’ s own concern for men. As we listen to Him and respond to His Law, we grow in our ability to love others. This is an important thing to see. A person who loves another desires to see him grow. We can be utterly sure that God loves us because His every word to us is designed to help us grow to our full potentials. (5) Love is unselfish (Deuteronomy 5:21-33). This last element of real love is affirmed in these verses. God enters into relationship with us, and speaks to us “ that it might go well with” us. As Deuteronomy 5:33 summarizes, you shall “ walk in all the way that the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess.” People who come into personal relationship with God are not pawns in some cosmic game. We are not His playthings. No, God’ s love for us is unselfish. He honestly has our best interests at heart. All this helped Israel realize that it did have a personal relationship with the Lord, and that God truly did care. This people was loved. And so are we. Perhaps your parents, or your spouse, have never let you know how deeply you are loved. Perhaps they haven’ t truly cared. But through Christ you can have a personal relationship with God Himself, in which you are loved and do belong. Personally, urgently, practically, expressively, unselfishly, God Himself says to you and to me today: “ You are loved.” The communication of relationship (Deuteronomy 6:1-25). The people of Israel who stood on the plains across the Jordan and heard Moses’ words knew they were true. They knew from personal experience. Many of them had as children seen God’ s acts of judgment on Egypt. They had all eaten the manna, all followed the fiery cloud, all participated in the victory over Moab. Every one had evidence of God’ s presence and of His concern. But when this generation crossed the River Jordan, many things would change. The manna would cease, and they would begin to eat the corn of that land. The cloud that guided them would be gone. There would be victories, but the daily evidence of God’ s supernatural presence would be removed. This generation knew from direct, personal experience, that they truly were special to God. But how could they communicate to the generation to come the specialness of their relationship with God? How do we, who know God now, share His reality with others, and help them to experience Him as real? (1) We give God priority (Deuteronomy 6:1-9). The reality of God’ s love can only be communicated by those who give Him priority. The central command here is, “ Love the Lord your God with all your heart” (Deuteronomy 6:5). All flows from this, for such a love leads to a unique lifestyle. This passage is a crucial one: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Deuteronomy 6:5-8First, the lover of God responds to Him. This means that we take the words He speaks to us in our today, and write them “ on our hearts.” Memorization isn’ t in view here. Instead the verse calls on us to make God’ s words a part of our lives: to let His teachings reshape our values and our attitudes and our ways. Second, we share that which has taken root in our lives with persons we are close to. You shall teach them (God’ s words) diligently to your children. This speaks not only of a parent’ s responsibility in nurture, but of the nature of the relationship in which God’ s reality can be shared. It is in a you/your relationship — a very personal relationship between human beings — that the personal nature of God comes through. Third, the context in which the reality of God is shared is that of daily life and activity. God’ s words are the touchstone which guide us in life, and we refer to them to explain our actions, our attitudes, and all our ways. (2) We assume God’ s presence (Deuteronomy 6:10-19). Here we read of promises and instructions which are to comfort and reassure Israel in the land. The whole tone is one of expectation. God will be with them, even though the miracles have ceased. In this context Deuteronomy 6:16 is especially significant: “ Do not test the Lord your God, as you did at Massah.” In that incident, recorded in Exodus, the people had rejected the many signs of God’ s presence and had challenged, “ Is the Lord among us, or not?” The instruction is clear. Believers may not see supernatural evidence of God’ s presence. But He truly is here. We are to assume His presence, knowing that He has promised never to leave or forsake us. Sometimes you and I must take God’ s love on faith. When others see us rejoicing in God’ s love in spite of circumstances, they too will perceive that He is real. (3) We rely on God’ s provision (Deuteronomy 6:20-25). In such a relationship with the Lord, there can be only one answer when “ in time to come” sons ask their fathers, “ What is the meaning. . . ?” (Deuteronomy 6:20) Then the parents are to remind the children of God’ s action in delivering Israel from Egypt. God is to be glorified as the One who not only provided the land of promise, but who, in that land continues to provide Israel with all she needs. In the context, then, of a personal relationship with God, adults who have themselves given God priority, trusted Him to be present, and experienced His provision, can communicate the reality of God’ s love to others. Ultimately, this is the only way. We can tell others about God; We can even lead them to agree with God’ s Word. But to bring them to know the Lord as a God who loves and who will welcome them into a personal relationship too, we need more. We need the foundation of our own personal relationship with God. And on that foundation we need to identify ourselves with others and to love them as God Himself loves them. How thrilling to know that we are loved by God. How thrilling to be freed by His love to love others. Our heritage is love.

God’ s Love: Deuteronomy 7-11 Reading through these next chapters is an enriching and freeing experience, for God continually affirms His love for us. There is no better way to sense the affection God pours out than to let His Word speak for itself. Deuteronomy 7:1-26. Once in the land, Israel was to destroy the pagans and their images, lest they draw God’ s people away from Him. Every alternative to a life of godliness was to be rejected. Why? The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be His people, His treasured possession. The Lord did not set His affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But it was because the Lord loved you and kept the oath He swore to your forefathers. . . . Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, He is the faithful God, keeping His covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep His commands. Deuteronomy 7:6-9Deu_8:1-20. Here God reviewed His discipline of the unresponsive generation. What a purpose that discipline had — and how accompanied it was by love! Why did God discipline? “ That He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord. Your clothing did not wear out on you, nor did your foot swell these 40 years. Thus you are to know in your heart that the Lord your God was disciplining you” (Deuteronomy 8:3-5, NASB). Every stroke of suffering was administered in love. Deuteronomy 9-10. Israel was again promised full possession of the land. But with the promise came a warning: “ Do not say in your heart, when the Lord your God has driven them out before you, ‘ Because of my righteousness the Lord has brought me in to possess this land’ “ (Deuteronomy 9:4, NASB). Israel was then reminded of its history of unresponsiveness, and warned. Then, in touching words, God again showed how deeply He loved this people, even though they had been rebellious. In an extended and touching section, the place of love in God’ s actions, and the role love is to play in Israel’ s lifestyle under Law, is reaffirmed. And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require from you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the Lord’ s commandments and His statutes which I am commanding you today for your good? Behold, to the Lord your God belong heaven and the highest heavens, the earth and all that is in it. Yet on your fathers did the Lord set His affection to love them, and He chose their descendants after them, even you above all peoples, as it is this day. Circumcise then your heart, and stiffen your neck no more. For the Lord your God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God who does not show partiality, nor take a bribe. He executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and shows His love for the alien by giving him food and clothing. So show your love for the alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt. You shall fear the Lord your God; you shall serve Him and cling to Him, and you shall swear by His name. He is your praise and He is your God, who has done these great and awesome things for you which your eyes have seen. Your fathers went down to Egypt 70 persons in all, and now the Lord your God has made you as numerous as the stars of heaven. Deuteronomy 10:12-22, NASBDeu_11:1-32 states the conclusion: “ You shall therefore love the Lord your God” (Deuteronomy 11:1, NASB). Love, because you are loved. Respond, because God has acted for you. Lay up God’ s words in your heart — because God has laid you on His heart. Believers are loved, and are to be loving. This too is part of the redemption message to humankind. Out of slavery into freedom. Growing through discipline to finally understand. God loves us. God accepts us. God has chosen us as His own. You and I stand secure, surrounded by the love of God.

Teaching Guide Prepare Read and meditate on Deuteronomy 10:14-22.

Explore

1. Begin your group study by thinking together about your own experiences of love. Use the “ link-to-life” activity above or simply ask, “ How has love or the lack of love affected your life?”
2. Give a minilecture on the need of human beings for love. You can use the illustration of Nat with which the chapter begins. You can also explain psychologist Abraham Maslow’ s, “ hierarchy of human motivations.” Maslow suggests that lower order needs must be satisfied before a person will respond to higher motivations. For example, if physical needs are not being met, there will be little motivation to achieve or to be creative. All energy will be focused on finding food and shelter. The need for love is expressed in each of the next two levels. To be loved adds to our security. To feel accepted, to know that we belong, frees us to reach out to others and to contribute to others’ lives. But if a person does not experience love, rather than being able to reach out or achieve, he or she will necessarily focus energy on his or her own needs. This theory is, of course, not necessarily “ truth.” But it does point up something we all know — that we need to love and be loved. How wonderful that God, moved by love, showed Israel by His actions how much He loved this people, and showed Israel in the Law how they could love Him.

Expand

1. Let your group members choose whether to focus on being loved or loving. Use the categories marked off in the text by numbers (e.g., [1], [2], etc.) as an outline. Assign those who want to look at being loved Deuteronomy 5:1-33, and those who want to look at loving Deuteronomy 6:1-25. After they study the text have the teams report to each other what they learned, and suggest two ways in which what they learned can be applied.
2. Have your group imagine they are members of Moses’ audience as this sermon is preached to them. Read aloud Deuteronomy 7:1-26, asking your members to listen as if hearing for the first time. Then discuss: “ How would these words lead you to feel about your relationship with God? How would they lead you to feel about yourself as a worthwhile person?”

Apply Give each person in class a copy of Deuteronomy 10:12-22. Have each person read the text carefully, and underline any statements which they believe God is saying to them now, as well as to Israel. In conclusion, go around the group and ask each person to share one such statement, and express what that word from God means to him or her. Close in prayer, thanking God for His certain love.