Love the Lord your God with all your heart

Deuteronomy 6:1 Now these are the commandments, statutes, and ordinances that the Lord your God instructed me to teach you so that you may carry them out in the land where you are headed 6:2 and that you may so revere the Lord your God that you will keep all his statutes and commandments that I am giving you – you, your children, and your grandchildren – all your lives, to prolong your days. 6:3 Pay attention, Israel, and be careful to do this so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in number – as the Lord, God of your ancestors, said to you, you will have a land flowing with milk and honey. 6:4 Listen, Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord is one! 6:5 You must love the Lord your God with your whole mind, your whole being, and all your strength. 6:6 These words I am commanding you today must be kept in mind, 6:7 and you must teach them to your children and speak of them as you sit in your house, as you walk along the road, as you lie down, and as you get up. 6:8 You should tie them as a reminder on your forearm and fasten them as symbols on your forehead. 6:9 Inscribe them on the doorframes of your houses and gates. 6:10 Then when the Lord your God brings you to the land he promised your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to give you – a land with large, fine cities you did not build, 6:11 houses filled with choice things you did not accumulate, hewn out cisterns you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant – and you eat your fill, 6:12 be careful not to forget the Lord who brought you out of Egypt, that place of slavery. 6:13 You must revere the Lord your God, serve him, and take oaths using only his name. 6:14 You must not go after other gods, those of the surrounding peoples, 6:15 for the Lord your God, who is present among you, is a jealous God and his anger will erupt against you and remove you from the land. 6:16 You must not put the Lord your God to the test as you did at Massah. 6:17 Keep his commandments very carefully, as well as the stipulations and statutes he commanded you to observe. 6:18 Do whatever is proper and good before the Lord so that it may go well with you and that you may enter and occupy the good land that he promised your ancestors, 6:19 and that you may drive out all your enemies just as the Lord said. 6:20 When your children ask you later on, “What are the stipulations, statutes, and ordinances that the Lord our God commanded you?” 6:21 you must say to them, “We were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt, but the Lord brought us out of Egypt in a powerful way. 6:22 And he brought signs and great, devastating wonders on Egypt, on Pharaoh, and on his whole family before our very eyes. 6:23 He delivered us from there so that he could give us the land he had promised our ancestors. 6:24 The Lord commanded us to obey all these statutes and to revere him so that it may always go well for us and he may preserve us, as he has to this day. 6:25 We will be innocent if we carefully keep all these commandments before the Lord our God, just as he demands.”

Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NET) are from the NET Bible®, copyright ©1996, 2019 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved.

Moses tells Israel to hear the Lord’s commands, love him with their whole being, teach his words to their children, and remember his saving work. They must not forget the Lord when they enter the good land, because idolatry and covenant breaking will bring judgment.

This passage centers on the Shema: the Lord is Israel’s God, and he is one. Because of that, Israel must love him with all that they are. That love is not only inward. It must show itself in obedience, memory, and teaching.

Moses says God’s words must stay in Israel’s heart. Parents must teach them to their children in everyday life. The commands about tying them on the hand, placing them on the forehead, and writing them on the doorframes show that God’s word should be kept close and remembered often.

Moses also warns Israel about prosperity. When they enter the land and enjoy houses, food, and wells they did not provide for themselves, they must not forget the Lord who rescued them from Egypt. They must not follow other gods. The Lord is a jealous God, and covenant unfaithfulness will bring removal from the land. Israel must not test the Lord as they did at Massah.

The final verses give a model answer for children. When asked why God’s commands matter, parents must begin with redemption. Israel was a slave in Egypt, but the Lord brought them out with great power and signs. He did this so they could live in the land he promised. Obedience comes after rescue. The people are to keep God’s commands because he saved them and because he has the right to rule them.

• The Lord is Israel’s only God, and he is one.
• Israel must love the Lord with all their heart, soul, and strength.
• God’s words are to be remembered and taught to children.
• Faithfulness must shape everyday life at home and on the road.
• Prosperity can lead to forgetting God.
• Idolatry is serious covenant sin.
• The Lord may remove his people from the land if they turn from him.
• God redeemed Israel from Egypt before giving them the land.
• Parents must explain God’s commands by telling the story of redemption.

• Hear and keep the Lord’s commandments.
• Love the Lord with all your heart, soul, and strength.
• Teach God’s words to your children.
• Remember the Lord when you enjoy the land and its gifts.
• Do not forget the Lord who brought you out of Egypt.
• Do not follow other gods.
• Do not test the Lord.
• Revere the Lord, serve him, and obey his statutes.
• If Israel is faithful, it will go well with them in the land.
• If Israel turns to other gods, the Lord’s anger will rise against them and they will be removed from the land.

This passage shows a basic pattern in God’s saving work: he redeems first, then calls his people to live in obedient covenant faithfulness. In the wider biblical story, this points to the need for God’s word to be kept close to the heart and passed on to the next generation. Jesus later names love for God as the greatest commandment, showing the lasting importance of this text.

God’s people should not drift into forgetfulness, especially when life is comfortable. We must keep God’s word near us, teach it in our homes, and remember that obedience is a response to God’s rescue, not a way to earn it. We should also fear idolatry and take seriously the danger of replacing the Lord with anything else.

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