Deuteronomy 6:4 - Meaning and Application

Here is a short summary of religion, giving the first basic truths of faith and obedience (Deuteronomy 6:4-5). The Jews count these two verses among the most precious parts of Scripture. They write them on their phylacteries, small boxes worn in prayer, and think it a privilege to repeat them every morning and evening: “Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord.” But we are even more blessed if we truly understand and apply them.

First, we are taught what to believe about God: “The Lord our God is one Lord.” This means that the God we serve is Jehovah, the eternal God, perfectly complete in himself and needing nothing. It also means that he is the only living and true God, and there is no other. A firm belief in this truth would protect them from idolatry, the worship of false gods, which grew out of the mistaken idea that there are many gods. It is beyond dispute that there is one God, and there is no other besides him (Mark 12:32). So we must have no other god, and we should not even want one.

Some have thought this verse gives a clear hint of the Trinity, the one God in three persons, because God’s name is spoken three times and yet the verse declares him to be one. Happy are those who have this one Lord as their God. They have only one master to serve, and only one source of help to seek. It is better to have one fountain than a thousand cisterns, one all-sufficient God than a thousand gods who cannot help.

Second, we are taught what God requires of us: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart.” Moses had promised to teach them to fear God (Deuteronomy 6:2), and now he teaches them to love him. The more we love God, the more reverence we will have for him. What human king has ever made a law requiring his subjects to love him? Yet God, in his kindness, makes love the first and great commandment of his law. He wants us to love him, and to do every other duty from love. “My son, give me your heart.”

We must value him highly, rejoice that such a being exists, and be glad for all his qualities and his relationship to us. Our desire should be for him, our delight in him, our trust in him, and our full devotion to him. It should be a constant joy to think of him, hear from him, speak to him, and serve him. We must love him as the Lord, the best of beings, most excellent and lovely in himself. We must also love him as our God, the God who has made covenant with us, our Father, and the kindest of friends and benefactors.

We are told to love God with all our heart, soul, and might. That means we must love him sincerely, not just in words while our hearts are elsewhere. It must be inward and true, with real joy in him. We must love him strongly, with deep warmth and earnest feeling. Some have even thought we should be careful about saying we do anything “with all our heart,” because that phrase should be kept especially for love toward God. He who is our all must have all of us, and no one else. We must love God above every creature, and love nothing except for his sake and in proper order under him.

We must also love him with understanding, as Mark 12:33 explains. To love him with all the heart and all the understanding means we must know him, and then love him because we see good reason to do so. Our love must be wholehearted, with our whole inner life united in this one great duty. Since he is one, our hearts must be one in loving him, and all our affections should flow toward him. May this love of God be poured into our hearts.

The passage also gives means for keeping religion alive in our hearts and homes, so it does not fade away. The first is meditation. “These words, which I command you today, shall be in your heart” (Deuteronomy 6:6). The words alone, without the things themselves, will not profit us. But if we neglect the words, we are in danger of losing the things, because God usually brings his light and power to the heart through his Word. His words must be stored in our hearts, so our thoughts are daily occupied with them. In this way the whole soul comes under their influence and shape. This follows right after the command to love God with all the heart, because those who truly love him will store his word in their hearts, both as proof of that love and as a means to preserve and increase it. He who loves God loves his Bible.

The second means is the religious training of children (Deuteronomy 6:7). “You shall teach them diligently to your children.” When you share your knowledge, you also deepen it in yourself. Those who love the Lord God should do all they can to win their children’s hearts for him, so religion may continue in their families. Some read the words as “you shall whet them diligently upon your children,” meaning you should repeat them often, use every proper way to press them into their minds, and help them reach their hearts. As a knife is sharpened by turning it first on one side and then on the other, so children should be patiently trained again and again. This teaching was meant not only for children of one’s own body, as the Jews said, but for all under one’s care and instruction. Bishop Patrick rightly notes that Moses thought this law was so clear and simple that every father could teach it to his sons and every mother to her daughters.

The third means is godly conversation. “You shall talk of them” with reverence and seriousness, for the good not only of your children, but also of your servants, friends, and companions. Speak of them as you sit in your house, whether at work, at meals, at rest, or when receiving visitors. Speak of them when you walk by the way, for rest or for conversation, and on journeys. Speak of them when you lie down at night, and when you rise in the morning and return to your family.

Take every opportunity to talk with those around you about divine things. Do not discuss unrevealed mysteries or doubtful arguments, but speak about the plain truths and laws of God, and the things that belong to our peace. Far from lowering holy things, this kind of familiar conversation honors them. The more we spend time with them, the more we admire them, feel their force, and help pass on God’s light and warmth to others.

Frequent reading of God’s word is also required: “They shall be as frontlets between your eyes, and you shall write them on the posts of your house” (Deuteronomy 6:8, 9). It is likely that, at that time, there were few written copies of the whole law. The people probably heard it read publicly only at the feasts of tabernacles, so God ordered them, at least for the time being, to write selected sentences of the law, the most weighty and complete ones, on their walls or in small scrolls worn on their wrists. Some think this was the origin of the phylacteries, small scriptural texts worn by Jews. Christ blamed the Pharisees not for wearing them, but for making them wider than other people’s (Matthew 23:5). When Bibles became common, there was less need for such a device.

The first reformers of the English church wisely and faithfully arranged that, when Bibles were scarce, some selected parts of Scripture should be written on the walls and pillars of churches. The people could then grow familiar with them, in line with this command. In the letter, this may have applied especially to the Jews, but in intent it applies to us too. We should use every possible means to make God’s word familiar to us, so we can have it ready in every situation, to restrain us from sin and guide and stir us up to duty. It should be as though it were engraved on our hands, always before our eyes (Proverbs 7:1-3). It also teaches that we must never be ashamed to own our religion, or to own ourselves under its rule. Let it be written on our gates, so that everyone who passes by can read that we believe Jehovah alone is God, and that we are bound to love him with all our hearts.

A warning now follows, not to forget God in a time of comfort and plenty (Deuteronomy 6:10-12). First, God raises their expectations of his goodness. He takes it for granted that he will bring them into the good land he promised (Deuteronomy 6:10). They will no longer live in tents like shepherds and poor travelers, but will settle in great and good cities. They will no longer wander in a dry wilderness, but enjoy houses well furnished and gardens well planted (Deuteronomy 6:11). All this will come without their own care and expense, which is stressed here: cities they did not build, houses they did not fill, and so on. This made the mercy all the more valuable, because it came to them so cheaply. Yet if they did not think about it, the mercy would mean less to them, since we usually value most what has cost us dearly. When blessings come easily, we are often tempted to grow careless and forget the one who gave them.

Second, God calls them to watch their own hearts. “Then beware, when you lie safe and soft, lest you forget the Lord” (Deuteronomy 6:12). In times of prosperity, we are in serious danger of forgetting God, our dependence on him, our need for him, and our obligations to him. When the world smiles on us, we are tempted to give it our attention and expect happiness from it. Then we forget the one who should be our only portion and rest. Agur prays against this danger: “Lest I be full and deny you” (Proverbs 30:9). So we need great care and a strict watch over our hearts at such times. We must beware, since we have been warned. Bind God’s words on your hand for this very purpose, to keep you from forgetting him. When you are settled in Canaan, do not forget your rescue from Egypt. Look back to the rock you were cut from. When your latter end has greatly increased, remember how small your beginnings were.

Some special commands and warnings follow, and they matter greatly. First, they must give honor to God in every situation (Deuteronomy 6:13). They are to fear him and serve him, because if he is their Master, they must both respect him and do his work. They are also to swear by his name, meaning they must not appeal to anyone else as the one who sees the truth and punishes wrong. They are to swear by him alone, not by an idol or any other creature. In treaties and agreements with neighboring nations, they must swear by his name and not flatter those nations by swearing by their gods. Swearing by his name can also mean making an open profession of him (Isaiah 45:23, Romans 14:11).

Second, they must never give that honor to other gods (Deuteronomy 6:14). They must not go after other gods, which means they must not serve or worship them. That was their great sin, turning away from the true God like a faithless spouse. In this matter especially, he is a jealous God (Deuteronomy 6:15). Bishop Patrick notes, from Maimonides, that in the law and the prophets, anger, fury, jealousy, and indignation are never attributed to God except in connection with idolatry.

Third, they must be careful not to dishonor God by testing him (Deuteronomy 6:16). They must not distrust God’s power, presence, and care in any hard situation, nor quarrel with him. If they kept an evil heart of unbelief, they would be tempted to do this in Canaan just as they had in the wilderness. A change in outward condition does not cure a complaining and restless spirit. Our Savior used this warning to answer one of Satan’s temptations, applying it to himself: “You shall not tempt the Lord your God” (Matthew 4:7). We must not test God either by doubting his power and goodness while we stay in the path of duty, or by presuming on them when we turn away from that path.