Online Bible Verses - Deuteronomy Chapter 6: with all your heart and soul
“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 6:4-5NIV
A few points to cover today. First, we see Israel called out. Why Israel? What is so special about Israel?
My take as follows, with the disclaimer that my take is just that. Not really sure if it is accurate or correct. I just read from God’s word prayerfully and think about what is not yet crystal clear. Let’s accept, for the sake of discussion, that God did indeed take on flesh in the person of His Son and condescend to earth. He had to show up somewhere, be part of some family and nation. Just so happened God used the lineage of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, i.e. Israel. True that according to scripture, God orchestrated much in terms of prophetic fulfillment and planning, in that multiple purposes were served. The main one, I would think, paving the way for Christ to be born.
So, Israel happened to be the vehicle through which God demonstrated (still does?) much. He showed His love for them (us). Man’s tendency to let God down is also seen in Israel’s chronic cycle of falling away from and running back to God. Sound familiar?
Perhaps the most important part of today’s verse, the command for us to love God. For us to love Him because He loves us and loved us first.
That is good news to me, that the most powerful guy in the universe loves me with a love I cannot comprehend fully. But He gives me an idea, when I look at my own children and He tells me “That’s how I look at you, but with a pure and perfect love”. I guess if He loves me that much I should love Him back. I also know in my heart of hearts I don’t love Him enough.
